I was not surprised by all the big waves on Lake Michigan today! I awoke around 3:30 AM this morning to thunder. It was rainy most of the morning. When it is gray and rainy in Oregon, it is generally cooler outside. When the kids walked outside this morning, they felt thick humidity for the first time in a long time. While it was in the low 70's, it felt warmer due to all the humidity in the air.
We spent the morning at my parent's house and left for Fruitport, Michigan after lunch. Fruitport is a little town seven miles from the lakeshore between Muskegon and Grand Haven. I worked as a youth director at Fruitport Christian Reformed Church from 2000-2004. Rob and I lived next door to the church after we were married in 2001 until we moved to Indiana for his one year internship in 2004. Rob's last year of seminary (2005-2006), Fruitport CRC asked him to preach at least once a month and our oldest Hailey was baptized there. Those years were very special!
When I took the job as youth director in 2000, Jerry Postema was the pastor. He mentioned to me his daughter Beth was moving to Fruitport and would probably help me with youth group. Beth is a middle child PK like myself who spent most of her junior high and high school years in the Grand Rapids area...she lived in Grandville which was just outside of Grand Rapids where I lived. She also attended Calvin College and we were there at the same time...though we never knew each other. We did not meet until her dad introduced us in 2000 when we were both out of college. Beth helped me with youth group all four years and we have some great stories...we still can't believe youth group parents trusted me, Rob, and Beth to take their kids up north camping when we were 23, 20, and 24. Rob was the twenty year old and we agree he was the most mature!
Before I came to Fruitport in 2000, I had only had one pastor in my life which was my dad. I looked up to my dad a lot (still do!) and I think I needed a pastor/supervisor with some fatherly type wisdom. Pastor Jerry is just a couple years older than my own dad...and very different personality wise which was good for me. I feel like he encouraged me and challenged me as Rob and I were both very young and new to ministry. I have heard some tough stories over the years about youth directors clashing with their senior pastor. I am grateful this was not my story.
Beth adopted Levi and then Lainey two years later. We had already moved to Oregon. We got to follow the process through blogs, Facebook, e-mails and phone calls. Hailey and Levi played together briefly when they were toddlers when we were Michigan for a vacation. Kara and Lainey played together when they were babies when I was in Michigan for a conference. This was the first time all five kids were together...and they had so much fun!
We went to PJ Hoffmaster State Park and played in the big choppy waves and in the sand. Some of the older kids climbed the huge dune and made sand castles. We had to keep a close eye on the kids because the undercurrent in Lake Michigan was strong and the waves larger than normal. My kids are not used to swimming in this because the ocean on the Oregon Coast is almost always too cold for swimming.
Beth and I loved watching our younger girls play together because they are so similar personality wise and even the same height. They are only a few weeks apart in age.
Our boys are both energetic and active. They included Hailey too. It works well that Beth's son is right in between my oldest and middle child.
We had pizza at Beth's parents house. They have access to Spring Lake. We were able to swim and play there after supper.
Our kids loved catching turtles and frogs in the creek that runs into the lake.
As we were leaving a rain storm came through at the same time the sun was setting. We saw an amazing rainbow and beautiful orange sky. I would have loved to take photos but it was getting late...and a little dangerous to stop along the I 96.
I am thankful we could catch up with old friends today.
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