grandma's garden party, part 1

This is me and my grandma and grandpa bredberg, standing in front of this cabin in 1987. I was six years old. Twenty four years later I am still in love with this special place, Mount Carmel, with its one mission: to pass on a living faith in Jesus to the next generation.

I am about to post a whole lot of pictures. Just fair warning. But I think they're all a really great collection of moments and happenings from our family reunion that tell of a family who love and care deeply for each other. First of all, the pictures are not my own. They are a collection of the best of the best from my cousins Karen, Dan, Sarah, Sarah, Elsa, Uncle Paul, and Aunt Louie. As you'll see in the pictures to follow, they've got skills and I am grateful that they shared their beautiful snapshots so generously.

I want to share these pictures because our week of family together time was really a powerful week for me. I think I used to think my family was perfect. But we're not. And as the week went on I started to see us as something much more beautiful: we're normal. we're human. There is a lot going on in our family right now...lots of hurts and sadness and unknowns. Diseases that are scary, relationships that are broken and hurts that have a history. But as you'll see in the pictures to follow, we've got a whole lot to celebrate. Because we are also a family that believes in a God of forgiveness, a God who heals, a God who has called us to celebrate life. And celebrate we do. We know how to have a good time.

The reunion was at Mount Carmel Family Bible Camp, my favorite place on earth. I thought in this first post I would just introduce you to this place. Mount Carmel is like another home to me, another member of our family, a place where my own faith in Jesus has always found its footing, and a place that constantly reminds me of the great heritage of which I am a part.

Mount Carmel is beautiful. But, like our family, it's also not perfect. There are ants in cabins, buildings in need of repair and gardens to be tended to. But those aren't really the point...the beauty is in the community that is created each week when new families join together to learn more of the great love the Father has lavished upon us. The people are what make Mount Carmel the most glorious...but as you'll see in the pictures below, God has also done a very nice job of creating this special piece of land and lake. It's easy to meet the Creator here.