Despite the Nor’easter that settled over the area about mid-week, this has been a delightful week. We’re getting into the groove here at Keswick – and have had a grand time doing it. There are three other couples here – and two of them have been coming to Keswick so they are very familiar with both the staff and the facility. The guys have been doing some basic maintenance and we ladies started out in some of the beautiful gardens and then moved to waiting on tables when we got rained out. It’s been fun interacting with the guests and I certainly enjoyed my time in the dining room (especially when compared to weeding!)
Keswick is a very interesting project. There are actually two parts of this ministry. The larger is the conference center, where they offer both Keswick run events along with renting out their facilities for other groups to use. (There are 5 such groups here right now). But the “smaller” side of Keswick is really where the heart of the ministry is. This is the Colony of Mercy - The Colony of Mercy is more than just a place. It is a fellowship of men who are serious about life change as a way out of bondage to addictive, compulsive behaviors. (or life dominating behaviors.) We seek a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as the source of hope and transformation in becoming the man that God desires us to become. There are about 35 men in the program right now and part of their rehab is to work at the conference center – everything from grounds keeping to building maintenance to kitchen/dining room. So we have been able to meet and get to know some of these men. I should say we have ben blessed to be able to meet and get to know these men. So its been a good week here at Keswick.

And then today we drove back to Doylestown for a graduation party. It was wonderful to see old friends and really have a good chance to sit and catch up.
Tomorrow we’ll be worshiping over at The Colony.
And then Monday it’s back to work….maybe if the sun stays out for awhile I can even get some pictures taken!

“Vacation” is over. Gary made it safe and sound to our June project (America’s Keswick in Whiting, NJ), and I have returned from my very precious “Girls’ Week” in Vermont.

And just to digress a moment about GW 2006 – it was great! I have been blessed with wonderful sisters. And we have been blessed to have this wonderful cabin in Vermont where we can connect with each other once a year. While there is always the busy-ness of opening the cabin for the season – mowing, cleaning, defrosting, de-bugging, there is always time for laughing and crying and playing and praying and family visiting and reading and singing and staying up late and sleeping in and….well, I’m sure you get my drift. I was having such a great time that I totally failed to take my traditional cabin pictures – but you can check here to see the ones from our trip earlier this spring. And here are just a couple from our day visiting family in Waitsfield, VT. This is the Mad River – though it doesn’t look very mad here!

And a wonderful covered bridge….


So, here we are in New Jersey. It still makes me smile to think how we’ve been “on the road” for close to two years, and here we are in NEW JERSEY! However, there are new things to be discovered everywhere, and today we drove to a lovely little community near Toms River and found out just how pretty that river’s edge could be (thanks, Michelle!).

Tomorrow we get to work at whatever they have for us to do. I’m not sure anyone has a firm handle what exactly that will be so I’ll fill in the details when I get them!