JuST What WE NEeded.

We went camping this weekend down in southern Arizona. It was Troy's & Rustin's Deer hunt. It wasn't just us though. Hunting is a family affair and everyone who could, came.  The kids were thrilled to dress up in camouflage and shoot cap guns, BB guns, or real guns depending on the age. (And thanks to Aunt Lilo Water guns which saved us all on a hot day) There were so many people hunting they had to split up in 3 groups. Troy and Rustin got up about 5 am and headed to the top of the bald ridge before light.  They hiked all day with "Sister""Aunt" Lori.  One thing you have to understand about the Merrills is when they hunt ...."THEY HUNT!"...They don't sit in tree stands, they don't ride around on quads, they don't spend all day glassing(translation:looking through binoculars) and they don't come back to camp for lunch or a nap...THEY Hike! They Track, glass, and hunt the deer down. They blaze their own trails through thick brush, up hills, down canyons, and back up again until they find what they are looking for. I can speak from experience cause I did go on a deer hunt once.(That's all it took for me to realize I love being at camp) Anyway They surprised us all when they pulled up with Rustin's Deer!

 

 I really do love staying at camp and anticipating their arrival. I'm fully prepared to cheer for them or encourage them. Either way all of us women make sure the hunters stay well fed and love listening to their stories about the day. I was so proud of Rustin for gutting his own deer (mostly he says) and bringing it home on the first day. Brenna his cousin got the first deer of the day and they both came home very pleased with themselves. (Or at least glad they didn't have to wake up early again and hike their tales off.)  The boys were so excited and Jaxon climbed all over the deer treating it like a big Teddy bear rubbing its fur a lot.(Which really grossed me out!  I performed a thorough check for bugs or tics just in case)

 Troy and Rustin were "wooped"(translation: dead tired & sore) when they got back but managed to stay up and skin the deer. They really are "crazy about hunting". How else can you explain the torture they put themselves through. It is so fun to have all the family around for this yearly event. The kids play and play. Everyone seems to have a role to play in making it a good and successful time for everyone. The kids and I only stayed till Saturday afternoon. Troy stayed to hunt Mon.-Thurs or until they all fill their tags. (translation: shoot a deer) We don't get cell service there so we won't know his story till he gets home. He will be a welcome sight by the end of next week deer or not

Sunday the kids and I got to be a part of a special fast. We fasted with real purpose  (meaning with sincere prayer and specific things in mind.) It made all the difference on this fast Sunday. No one complained about being hungry, everyone 8 and older participated willingly and faith filled us. We enjoyed church and hearing the testimonies. The kids weren't necessarily more reverent we just got more out of it than usual. It was so nice. Then we came home and spent time together. It was hard for all of us to leave the camp so early. I kept second guessing whether I was doing the right thing. I didn't think my kids would forgive me for dragging them away from all the fun. On the way home we set off a little let down that the fun was over for us. Plus we wouldn't get to see or talk to Troy to find out ow things were going. During the trip home we remembered that the next day was fast Sunday and that we had been planning for it throughout the month. (we had totally forgot with all the business of other things) Normally we might have been filled with a little "uuuuuuugish" feeling and try to eat as much as possible to fill our bellies and make it last. But instead I was instantly filled with the peace and the knowledge that we were meant to be home for this purpose. I was immediately grateful that I had stuck to the original plan rather than stay longer.  I love my kids and I am amazed by them often. When I reminded them of our purpose for fasting they were so quick to have good attitudes and kept them all day. They were able to see that when you combine fasting and praying with real intent then the Lord fills you with his love and fasting is not hard. So all in all from Deer hunting to Fasting we had a fulfilling memorable weekend! I'm sure Troy will come home with a good story to tell. You know how he gets in to telling his stories. So watch for it! We'll post it!

When we drove into camp the first night we watched the sun set. It was so vibrant and beautiful.