Final Break

Tomorrow, we begin our final quarter here at Fruitland.  We had an eventful break.  The day that classes let out, we left immediately for the beach.  Some good friends of ours provided us with the opportunity to spend the week in Emerald Isle, NC.  The girls had a lot of fun playing in the surf and collecting seashells.  They were very excited to see some dolphins swimming by, as well as pelicans and stingrays.

During the week, we took a time-out from the beach to visit the aquarium there, which proved to be as exciting as the beach.  Aside from being able to see real live sharks, the girls enjoyed watching the otters, sea turtles, and many other sea animals.  The visit also provided the opportunity for the girls to pet some of the sea animals.  They seemed to enjoy petting the stingrays the best.  We all learned a lot about the saltwater marshes along the coast and the importance of cleaning up after oneself on the beach.

            The second week, Hannah went to camp, Crystals and the younger girls stayed with her parents, and I came back up to Fruitland.  I had been given another opportunity to preach at the rescue mission.  I enjoyed it immensely.  The men there are very welcoming and I enjoyed sharing God’s Word with them.  The next day I was pleased to fill in for Scott Keith at the retirement home and was happy to return there the following week.

Our final week of break mostly involved my work and us hanging out in the evening.  As I said previously, I was given the opportunity to preach at the retirement center a second time, which was a blessing to me.  On Friday, we tried to take the family down to the Broad River as we did last summer.  The girls were very sad to learn that the river was closed to the public.  It seems that last year, people made such a mess that the residents petitioned the owners of the property to close it off for public use.  Instead, the next day we took the girls up into the mountains to DuPont State Park.  The girls had a great time swimming in Hooker Falls and Hooker Lake.  The water was very cold, but fun.

Yesterday, the girls were excited to watch the fireworks.  We went downtown and sat behind Main Street Baptist Church here in Hendersonville.  The Pastor Dr. Vic Rampey was happy to let us hang out there and even have access to the facilities.  While waiting for the fireworks, the Papa John’s next door called our name, so we spent the evening eating pizza and talking with several of our fellow Fruitland students as well as the pastor and his congregation.  The firework display was great and we all had a wonderful time.

            Today was a true joy.  All the Fruitland families got together for a cookout and met in the kitchen of the dorms.  We all made some food and ate until our bellies were full.  We had a great time of fellowship in anticipation of the new quarter that starts tomorrow.  We finished with some homemade ice cream and a water fight.  We all feel truly blessed to have such fine friends and such a wonderful life.  It is only by God’s grace and provision that we can enjoy such times.