Busy Summer

This summer has been a busy one for sure.  We arrived home from The Billy Graham Training Center at the end of May and baby Wren arrived on June 12th.  Maribeth had a great delivery having gone to the birthing center at 5am, delivered Wren around noon, and was back home at 5pm!

Olivia is a great Big Sister

We had all of the kids and their families here for a Wren Reveal over the July 4th holiday.  Rachel, Mark, and Bowen arrived on Saturday June 28th at 7am from Florida, Julie and Micah came in on Sunday, Bill and Amy, Jane's sister flew in from Annapolis on Tuesday afternoon, and Becky, Corey, Ella Mae, and Isabel arrived Tuesday night.  Eli came down from Wake Forest on Wednesday morning.

 Family pictures were scheduled for 8:30 on Wednesday and everyone showed up on time!

 Olivia 2, Micah 9 mos, Wren 3 wks, Ella Mae 3, Isabel 9 mos, and Bowen 5mos

Eli, Julie, Micah, Isabel, Corey, Ella, Becky, Olivia, Ben, Mari, Wren, Bowen, Mark, Rachel

Isabel, Corey, Ella Mae, Rebecca

 Julie, Micah, Eli

 Olivia, Ben, Wren, Mari

Bowen, Mark, Rachel

We were so glad Amy and Bill could join us for the Wren Reveal

Uncle Bill was a huge hit with the children

Thursday was beach day.  Jane aka Giga with Olivia and Ella

Mark, Bowen, and Aunt Amy

Mari, Rachel, Bowen, Becky, Isabel, and Poppy

Aunt Amy manned the snack wagon

Friday the 4th we celebrated at Maribeth's

What would July 4th be without a patriotic parade!  Couldn't find a local one so the girls 

put together a stroller parade just for Aunt Amy

We don't need much to be happy!  Any pool will do the trick.

Bowen and Rachel

Isabel or Esa as Ella calls her with Becky

Don't belly flop Poppy you'll empty the pool!

Ella Mae trying to drown Poppy

Note to self : The problem with "quality time" is you never know when it will come along.

Baby Wren napped while her cousins were hard at play

Giga and Ella Mae making desert

Thanks baby Wren for bringing us all together for a wonderful time.

Aunt Amy and Uncle Bill flew back to Maryland after the celebration.

Saturday we took the festivities to Glenn's brother's place on Lake Marion

This was Glenn's parents house and Dennis and his wife Linda have done a magnificent job

of updating from top to bottom.  Mom and Dad would be so proud of how 

they have refinished it.  

Our children have so many wonderful memories vacationing on this lake.  

Aunt Linda and Uncle Denny have continued the tradition.

Olivia, Bowen, and Ella really enjoyed the pool.

Aunt Linda and Bowen

Uncle Denny's customized golf cart

We surely had a great family reunion at the lake!

Rachel and her family headed home on Sunday.  Becky along with her girls and Julie and Micah stayed through the following week.  Jane and I kept Ella Mae through the next week and took her home to Georgia.  We sure enjoyed having the family together for such an extended time.

That sums up our summer through the end of July.  

We leave on Friday the 1st of August to spend some time in Maryland with Jane's Dad.  

We will be serving at Fair Haven, a mountain respite for Pastors and Missionaries in East Tennessee, the third week of August, cleaning chalets and cabins.

We report on August 28th to the Center for Intercultural Training in Union Mills NC near Asheville.  We will be there for a Sower project in September.  We will be at Summit Grove Camp and Conference Center in New Freedom PA just below York for an October Sower project.

Back home in SC for November and December with a visit back to Maryland for Thanksgiving.

January and February we will be in central Florida for two Sower projects.  In March we plan to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary with a cruise through the Panama Canal.

We thank the Lord for His provision of a wonderful family and the health to serve with Sowers.  We trust that you will join us in ministry via prayer as we travel and work.  We will update the blog as we go along.

Godspeed,  Glenn and Jane

Blessed at The Cove

Our project at the Billy Graham Training Center has come to an end :(  

Parting is sweet sorrow

Millie and Russ served as group leaders.  They have been on the road since November, serving in Florida and Georgia before coming to North Carolina.  They are heading to Virginia to visit some of their grandchildren before heading back to the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania.  

Homer and Gloria have been sowers for many years, doing projects in the spring and fall.  They have been married for 63 years.  They live in the Poconos as well, about forty miles from Millie and Russ.  They are an energetic couple and are a blessing to know.

Amy, Tony and Sophie have been full timers for over a year.  They are from Minnesota.  Tony and I worked together most of our time at The Cove and I gained a deep affection for this brother in Christ.  We established a bond with all of our team mates and look forward to seeing them again on a future project.

We made a visit to Lake Lure near Chimney Rock.

They converted the old bridge leading to town into a lovely garden.

The golden rod glistened in the spring sunshine

Julie, Eli, and Micah spent a couple of days with us

Eli spent the first morning taking an online final for his Seminary class.  

So we enjoyed taking Julie and Micah on a walking tour of The Cove.  

The Rhododendrons came into full bloom during our stay at The Cove

Giga and Poppy with Micah.  Ella named Jane, not sure where Poppy came from

Micah was mesmerized by the reflections of light on the babbling brook

We took two trips up to Mount Mitchell.  It was raining on the first one and we hoped that we could get above the clouds.  No luck.  The next morning was cloudless so up we went.  It was so cold at the top that there were snow flurries and the tree tops were white with ice from the night before.

We really enjoyed our time together.  Micah is growing in leaps and bounds.  They are loving Wake Forest and Eli is doing excellently at South Eastern Baptist Seminary.

Becky, Corey, Ella Mae, and Isabell came to South Carolina for a wedding over the Memorial Day weekend and came up to The Cove for Sunday and Monday

Jason, better known as Uncle Buddy, came up as well

We toured the Chapel

Ella performed a stunning aria

Accompanied by Rebecca and Isabel

Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto Me"

                        Ella loved Giga's silver dollar pancakes!

We walked the grounds and played ring around the rosie with Ella

Ella on the balance beam.  She loves gymnastics!

Isabel, or Esa as Ella calls her, is growing up too fast.  

She is twenty days older than her cousin Micah

We took a trip to Chimney Rock on Monday to pan for precious gems

We found several prized ones that the gemnologist said were jewelry quality!

The ending of a great visit and project at Asheville

The sign above the Maintenance building says it all.  Our hearts desire on each project is that we would have some small part in touching lives through our service.  

This is Ken Wood, the Grounds Keeper at The Cove.  He has become a brother beloved to Me and Jane.  He and his staff work tirelessly to keep The Cove up to a standard of quality that is an honor to our Lord.

He loves the Lord and his enthusiasm is infectious

Well, the project is over, the Sowers have pulled out, but we trust we have left our mark of love on this hallowed ground.  It has been a wonderful opportunity to serve our Lord here at The Cove

There is a great children's song that says "My God is so Big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do, the mountains are His, the valleys are His, the stars are His handiwork too!"

As you and I stand amazed at His glorious creation and marvel at His works we must conclude that He is the Light of the World.  But the world loves darkness more than light and the darkness covers the light in the hearts of those who need Jesus.  Jesus said we need to let our lights be seen so that others may see it and give Glory to our Father in Heaven.

He leads His sheep beside still waters, He restores our souls.

  

The Cove exists to bring rest and restoration to weary pilgrims and equip them to show the lost how to have Peace with God, which ultimately results in having the Peace of God.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the light.  No man comes to the Father but by me.

If you don't know Jesus personally, I encourage you to invite Him into your heart today.

He is the Peace giver.

I encourage you to take a Journey through Luke, John, Acts, and Romans seeking the understanding of the best news you could ever have.  Jesus died for sin and rose from the dead.

We are back home in Summerville awaiting the arrival of our granddaughter Wren.   Thank you for joining us by prayer during this project.  We will be home for a couple of months then head north for some fall projects.

                   Godspeed    Glenn and Jane