That is Why We Are Not Discouraged...

It is impossible to describe last weekend without first and often giving praise to Jesus Christ for what he has done in Nick's life over the past two years. Most of the time I didn't even dare to look this far down the road, for fear of what we would be facing. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wearing away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." God is doing great things in Nick-physically healing him and making things possible that seemed to have been unlikely at best. But the bigger work is in us spiritually. How can we look at what He has done and not give him praise? How can we lose heart when trials arise, when circumstances seem dire, when the future is so uncertain-after all He has done in such a obvious, dramatic way? Someone at church a couple of weeks ago said he was so sorry we were moving because being around Nick was being around a real-life miracle and he wanted to be near that longer. Nick's doctor wrote in a letter to our future physicians stating that Nick's rapid recovery thus far was completely unexpected.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases..." Psalm 103: 2-3

Last weekend Nick completed his Eagle project, nearly the last thing he has to do before earning the rank of Eagle Scout. You know what a big deal that is.

• 39 Astronauts were Eagle Scouts
• 22 members of Congress
• 2 out of every 100 Scouts achieves the rank of Eagle Scout

We had an exhausting, exhilerating, wonderful day last weekend working for our son, as he led 30 scouts and adults in restoring marshlands and reforesting 10 Atlantic white cedars. We built a 10-foot wide, 4 foot deep "floating island" of sorts, called a hummock, to transplant the saplings into. The hummock was built from a mixture of natural materials, including sand, something called "fine pine", and soil, which had to be transported down a 400m hilly trail to the load site, then mixed and taken down a walkway way out into the marsh, where a bucket brigade moved it the rest of the way to the actual building site. God gave Nick a perfect weather day to work-slightly overcast with temps in the low 70's. We worked from 7:30 to 3 pm and the job turned out GREAT. Enjoy the pics....

our leader

bringing down supplies

bucket  brigade

out in the marsh

there was a lot of mud involved

our leader had a shadow for most of the day

planting the trees

almost finished

finished hummock. This helps reforest trees that were over harvested clear back to colonial times. The hummock and roots from the trees will also help filter impurities from the water that leads to the Chesapeake Bay.

clean up

tired crew heading out

Isaiah 40: 28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.