It's a Small World After All

Last weekend we set out on our first camping trip of the season. We are blessed to have a group of families from our church that we go camping with from about April through September. Most of the places we go not very far away. We usually leave on Friday and come home Sunday. Saturday night's we have a big potluck dinner together and on Sunday we meet for worship and teaching. It is always a good time to slow down and get back to the simpler things in life. 

Our camping trip this past weekend was at Champoeg Park. It is in a beautiful green valley surrounded by tall oaks and winding trails. Patches of forest tempt the kids to explore wildlife and maybe catch some poison oak along the way! The "Meeting House", where we had our potluck and Sunday service, is rustic but beautiful, equipped with it's own wood burning stove.

What made this camping trip especially memorable was the opportunity to meet a German couple, Ludwig & Gabriella, and their 22 month old son, Luke. They are traveling through the states for 10 weeks in the most unique "Motorhome" we have ever seen. Ludwig, a lieutenant and pilot for the Bavarian Police, entirely built this tank/recreational vehicle on his own. It is the most efficient & sustainable machine I have ever had the chance to see. They were also the most outgoing people I think I have ever met! We were so blessed to see them come to our potluck and the Sunday service. I don't know where their hearts are at with Christ but I was impressed by their willingness. After talking with them for a while, Aaron and I found out that they live just outside of Munich. When they learned that we will be going through there on our trip in May, they insisted that we meet up with them so that they could give us a tour of the city! We can't wait to see this wonderful family again..and to think we met each other on a random weekend at Champoeg Park in Oregon! I love the way God works!