Word of Life in Schroon Lake, New York!

Mom, Grace and I went to the Word of Life Ladies retreat in Schroon Lake, New York this past weekend. We've been going for a few years now...this was Mom's 5th, my 3rd, and Grace's 2nd.
The speaker was Mrs. Cynthia Heald and she spoke about Becoming a Woman of Simplicity. It was a powerful and convicting set of messages! I love quotes from wise people...and she used a lot of quotes!
Mrs. Heald reminded us a lot of Grammie Linda....we miss Grammie. I wish she could have come to the retreat with us one year...she would have loved it.
The musician was Lindsay McCaul. She did a concert and led the singing times.
The food was amazing, as usual! Yummy! And such a treat not to have to cook at all!
I am so grateful for Elisha....she ran the house, cooking, chasing Rosie :), getting the littles ready for church....she did a great job! I am sure she had some help, too...:) Dad had to put up with a lot, too, I'm sure...:)
So we were picked up on Friday morning at 9:30 by the big, huge coach bus in Epping (an hour away) which came from 4 hours up in Maine. (Hudson, ME.) We said goodbye to the  fam and journeyed the 4-5 hours to Schroon Lake. The bus ride is fun. Aunt Sandra has organized the bus trip for many, many years. She had sent a letter saying that this was to be her last year planning the bus trip. We were excited that a lady from her church stepped up to do it next year! Yay!
Anyway, Aunt Sandra and some other ladies plan games, testimonies, singing, and movies for the bus ride. We stopped in VT for an hour at a diner to eat lunch. We made it to Word of Life at around 3:00pm.
After registering and finding our rooms, we walked into town, as is our custom, and looked in a couple of stores, and then headed back to the campus for supper. The food is soooo good! Mmmm! 
We had a session on Friday night, then we joined Mr. Bush in the Cafe area for fun and games. We played this one game where there were 2 teams (The Glory Girls [my team:)] and The Flutterby's). Each team had 10 people on it, and each team had a bag that contained 10 consumable items (foods or drinks.). The first team to have all the items consumed won! It was so fun...and funny to watch! I had to drink a can of Sierra Mist soda...they say I drank it in like 6 seconds! Then I had to eat an apple. It was funny! I started eating it, and Mr. Bush asked Mom, "What's her name?" Mom said, "Maddie." Mr. Bush thought she said, "Patty," so he started yelling, "Go Patty! Go Patty!" This made it VERY hard to eat the apple! I just could not stop laughing! I think mom is going to put a video of it on her blog.  Anyways, our team didn't win. But it was very fun!

Saturday was fun... There were sessions with Mrs. Heald, a concert, great meals and a yard sale. Grace and I saw the movie Unconditional while Mom went to some other sessions.

Sunday was a session, a huge brunch before we left, and then the long, but fun, bus ride back to Epping, then home! Grace and I sang some songs on the bus. 

Some awesome quotes from the conference:

If Satan cannot make us bad, he will make us busy.

- Corrie Ten Boom

If I have food in my fridge, 

If I am dressed and have shoes, 

If I have a bed and a roof above my head, 

I am better off than 75% of the people in this world. 

We are not here to possess the world.

We are here to show, by how we use the world, that Christ is more precious than the world. 

- John Piper

Many today are spending and being spent in work for Christ, but they do not walk with Him. 

-Oswald Chambers

Service is showing Jesus how much we love Him;

Not showing others how much we love Jesus.

One of the greatest uses of Facebook and Twitter will be to prove on the last day that prayerlessness was not for a lack of time.

-John Piper

Honk if you love Jesus. 

Text while driving if you want to meet Him.

Time is a gift, not a posession.

It is sacred, holy, to be highly valued, to be treated with reverence and respect.

Do one act of service well at a time.

-Carl Sandburg

This is your line of service: to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. 

- Oswald Chambers

Grace and I had fun while we waited for the first session on Friday night. Would you agree that we were a bit silly after the long bus ride??

I don't think Grace was impressed with my crazy idea. (That happens a lot you know...I have these "great" ideas.....but then when I tell them to others....heh...)

But I keep on going! Grace seems a little inrueiged! 

Yay! We have come to an agreement! ? Or have we? What's my next crazy idea?

Mom getting her morning coffee ready at breakfast time on Saturday

In the audotorium!

Maddie and Grace! Saturday morning! I'd say we look a little tired....maybe we stayed up too late last night?

Me and Mom!

We look alike!

Mrs. Heald used this cartoon in one of her sessions. So true!

Mrs. Heald said that when she and her husband would have meetings at their house, they would put a basket out for people to drop their phones in till the end of the meeting.

Dropping Uncle Michael off at the airport....

We really enjoy having Uncle Michael visit us. He spent a week in NH this past week. :) I took this picture after he had fixed my camera. It had gotten dropped on the retreat and we thought it was a gonner... until Uncle Michael came to the rescue! :)

This really has nothing to do with this blog post, but it is so funny that I had to include it. Uncle Michael showed it to us while he was here. Hahahaha!