All caught up on the forge.

Okay, So I'm going to try my best to catch you up on the past 2 weeks all in one fell swoop! My parents and Matt came on July 1st and stayed through the 4th for parents week! We had so much fun and I loved having them here in pigeon forge! We did so many things while they were here, including going to Dollywood and going to Dixie stampede! We hiked some and just hung out!

When they left on the 4th, it was obviously fourth of July and our big group went to see fireworks (which you couldn't really see) and I made a flag cake so we all had something sweet to eat! Also, the hotel and the parents of someone else cooked out for us and at the end we all jumped in the pool (with our clothes on)! woops. It was such a great day!

Thursday the 5th was Bible Study day and I caught up on a lot of stuff that I needed to finish after the family was here for so long! We went back to work on Friday and worked through Sunday as usual! It was a lot cooler than the last weekend in June, so we were super pumped!

The next 2 days, Monday and Tuesday, Sam, Ann Marie and I headed to Birmingham for the funeral of Dalta Garrett, who went to Auburn and passed away in a car crash the Thursday before. It was so sad to see such a great, humble and strong Christian woman leave this world, but we know that she is in a much better place now! After the funeral, Sam and I stayed at our grandmother's house and it was so very good to see her and get to tell her all about my summer so far!

We got back on Tuesday and came back right in time for our group date! It was pouring down rain and our guys had planned to take us on a picnic, but it got changed to inside. They got a suite in the hotel and cooked dinner for us, and had a beautiful table set up! After dinner, we hung out and played a game called Quelf, which is a game with the dumbest rules that you have to keep throughout the entire thing, while going around on a board with your player. We had so much fun with it!

Wednesday was our day off and I literally did Bible study almost all day except for going to lunch, to the Titanic museum and then to play putt putt in the afternoon! Jennifer's boyfriend came into town and so we had to have a little bit of fun! The Titanic museum was awesome! I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but they have the grand staircase and a lot of the dishes from the actual boat! They have an ice berg and you can stick you hand in 28 degree water! John, Will, Jennifer, Sammi and I tried to see who could last the longest... I lost to the boys, but beat the girls! haha.

Thursday was once again Bible study and workshop day, so the entire morning was filled with talks of Romans 9-12, which is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Is God fair was the question to answer this past week and He is, just coming to terms with how He is, is one of the hardest things to accept. But the Lord is still good and sovereign in all things. So much so that He chose to send hid son to die on the cross for our sin, so we could be blameless and have a relationship with him! How cool!

Friday we all went back to work and it was actually pretty fun this weekend! It wasn't too hot and we had a lot of storms, so our ride shutdown for and hour at least once every afternoon! It was so great!

Then yesterday, monday July 16, we went to knoxville for a Junior girls' day and also for Caroline's birthday! We had a blast on Market square and then went to Mast General store where we spent a couple of hours and we almost convinced Jenn to get Chaco's! (we'll get there by the end of the summer) We also went to McKay's used books, movies and music, which is a huge warehouse of books, music and movies that sell for like 3 and 4 dollars! it was so cool! We got lost in there for a few hours at least, and then we headed back to Pigeon Forge for Nav Night, where Ben Nugent from UF spoke on discipleship! It was a great time to listen and I have quite a few quotes from him that I can't wait to use! One was "We weren't called to make converts, we are called to make disciples." That is so true in everything we do! Not only do we tell people of God's grace and love so they can be saved, but we also bring them up to maturity in Christ, so they can then go and do the same! What a cool calling.

Today in X-TAWG and team day. I'm trying to decide what I want to read. I just finished Galatians, but I think I may go back through that and also through some of Romans. Those are just 2 books that I don't think you could ever get everything out of! Later my team is watching Titanic for our team day! Can't wait for that one! And then tonight is our annual talent show... I'm sure some funny things will come out of the wood work for this one!

If you're reading, please be in prayer for my mom. She is in the Hospital at the moment and about to have a heart catheterization to see if anything is going on with her heart again. Just be in prayer that the Lord will comfort her and my family and steady her heart and mine as she goes through this and I'm not there. Pray that she will come out safe and sound and the Doctors will figure out what is wrong; that they will have wisdom from the Lord to understand what is going on.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support!
Sorry that this was so long with almost no pictures.... but now you're all caught up!

Love in Christ,
Rach