Mela Kamin – 4:10 Ministries

We were fortunate enough to have some time for a family vacation. We chose the Black Hills of South Dakota. Greg & I had both been there as kids. My parents had lived in Rapid City before moving to Wisconsin and having my brother & me. My Dad was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base before serving in Vietnam and we would visit an Air Force buddy and stay with his family. I have very fond memories of our trips out there.
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Here are a couple vintage photos from one of those trips:
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So, I was really looking forward to going back and seeing the area afresh. We had a wonderful time, saw a ton and wished we could have stayed longer. It was beautiful and just what we needed.
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On this trip, as with every day – God was with us, worked on us and sometimes through us. We didn’t have to look far to see the awesome wonder of His marvelous creation.
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I reminded myself and Greg that we weren’t setting out to MAKE good time, but to HAVE a good time. It’s an important distinction and I think we succeeded.
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Here are the Fruits of the Spirit on our Family Vacation, as seen through my Nikon and iPhone lenses.
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LOVE

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1. I love that Greg is always game when I hand him something for a photo – he didn’t even hesitate – he threw this on and did his best Davey Crockett.
2. My team – when we stop the action and busyness for a moment and come together, it’s awesome. I love getting Greg out from behind his camera.
3. I love that the first thing she wanted to write on her chalkboard mat was a note to me. That’s my girl!

JOY

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1. This is what joy looks like from an almost 6 year old who has just been on the biggest trampoline of his life. Thanks, Palmer Gulch KOA!
2. Our 11 year old found such joy in wandering & climbing the rock formations of the Badlands, that she happily posed for picture after picture.
3. Our almost 8 year old joyfully listened to Downhere on his mp3 player.
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PEACE

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1. Peace is sitting by the fire, drinking a Vanilla Oregon Chai Latte in Greg’s new studio mug he brought along so I’d have a little comfort of home.
2. Some peaceful time with CS Lewis, while the kids swam with Greg.
3. Peace is noticing the dragonfly on my chair and letting it sit there until it chose to fly away.
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PATIENCE

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1. Patience is knowing I’m not always the lead horse and I can’t make the journey happen any faster. Sometimes I have to just sit back and enjoy where I’m at.
2. The kids were serious troopers with the amount of shots both Greg & I took. They stood there and stood there AND STOOD THERE until it was just right.
3. Ok – this is the longsuffering part … everyone is zonked out in the van – check out the body position of our 7 year old … ouch! I snapped this while we were on our 10+ hour drive home. And, yes – we stopped & got him upright again.
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KINDNESS

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1. Kindness is a big sister letting her little brother sit really close, partially in her shadow to shield his sensitive eyes. And, it was 107 degrees.
2. Before we learned there was a microwave in one of the shops at KOA, Greg poured bottled water into a cleaned-out beer can & heated it up over the fire for my Chai. Actually, this could fall under Love or Joy, Peace or Goodness too.
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GOODNESS

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1. Goodness is the kids playing with low-tech toys on the trip out and not grumbling. I love her pipe cleaner girl.
2. It’s really good to run into a familiar face when away from home. We were surprised & delighted to see Kristen of High Heels and a Hammer & her sweet family at Wall Drug.
3. Goodness is unexpected gifts. We stopped for pizza in Hill City and saw a bunch of the same type of cars – apparently owners of the limited edition Prowler were having a get-together. As the cars passed us in a colorful parade, the boys waved and smiled. The next thing we knew, a driver threw out two toy Prowler cars. That was a huge hit … a souvenir and experience we couldn’t have planned for.
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FAITHFULNESS

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1. Festus, the Rope Maker was utterly delightful. His faithfulness to his craft and to sharing the Gospel while making ropes was remarkable. We hadn’t planned on buying a rope or staying for a demonstration, but the more we stayed, the more he shared. The kids were able to help him make a rope with a color for each of them twisted in. Festus is working on a DVD about his Christian teaching. He told us many missionaries are using ropes and his teaching to share more about Jesus in their travels. What an awesome way to use his gifts for God’s glory!
2. We enjoyed reading more of the Wall Drug story on the way out to S. Dakota. We didn’t know the history behind the free water and also that it was a 1 Peter 4:10 story about using your gifts! When we arrived, it was no surprise then that in one of the busy shop areas, there’s this beautiful stone church.
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GENTLENESS

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1. This is Miles. He was my gentle horse for our ride around Palmer Gulch.
2. I was a bit worried how the boys would behave around the big tortoises at Reptile Gardens, but they were super gentle to these magnificent creatures. We could no longer sit on the tortoises, as my Dad & I did back in the 80s, and the boys respected that rule.

SELF-CONTROL

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1. This is the bread pudding from Desperados in Hill City. It came to the table while everyone else was using the restroom. I didn’t take a bite until everyone returned. Enough said.