Another Northland Trip!

A little more than a week ago we drove to Wisconsin to get Amber from Northland.  God has really shown His sufficient grace this year, as Amber has had her most stressful year thus far with classes, work, tutoring, and service.  One thing we love about Northland is the emphasis on serving God.  Every student is required to be involved in a church ministry, plus there are many community outreach opportunities on the campus.   It thrills my heart to see her serving God and others, even at great personal sacrifice at times!  2 Samuel 24:24 ".......I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing..."  (Would I give to God that which costs me nothing?)  What a blessing it is to see her give of herself sacrificially to meet the needs of others! 

Some pictures of Amber and her great friend Heather!

Another way she has encouraged my heart is in her contentment.  Not only is the campus of Northland very isoloated in the "middle of nowhere" (literally), but it is also located in the "frozen tundra" of Wisconsin!  It is very cold.... very windy.... and very snowy!  Other than a "matter of fact" statement about the weather conditions or the distance to the nearest town, she hs never complained once (Now that is definately the grace of God!)  She will often be overwhelmed by the workload of classes and the increasing demands of her church ministry, but she will always say, "It's okay, it will all work out!"  I am so thankful that God has done this great work in her heart!  I am also thankful that God has provided the way for her to attend Northland these last two years, and we are trusting that He will continue to do so!  (I must admit, Amber shows greater faith than I in this area!)  It is truly a joy to see God working in her heart and life while she has been at Northland, and that is worth any sacrifice!

We love taking "road trips", so even though it is a very long drive to Northland and back, we enjoy the trip! It is a beautiful drive anyway......when it is not cold and snowy!   It was Audrey's turn to ride with us, and Anna was left in charge of the rest of the crew....although Ben and Abigail ended up spending the night at grandma's as Anna had to work Saturday morning, and then had a commitment to take pictures at a bridal shower later in the afternoon. 

Audrey is becoming like Anna in that she loves to take pictures!  So, I left her in charge of taking pictures of our short trip.  Even after deleting the "bad" ones, there were still 200 pictures to look through!  Yet somehow, still very few of the campus!!

We went the UP route as Burlin wanted to stop at the Bass Pro Shop!  He received a gift card for Christmas and was anxious to spend it!  He did buy something called a range finder....it must be important to a hunter.  A funny story about our stop there.  Audrey begged us to let her wait in the car (which of course the request was denied), but when we were ready to "hit the road", she wanted to stay longer, and begged to come back again!  (to her daddy's delight of course! )

She took this picture because Burlin has a Tundra.....

Audrey amazes me in her attention to detail sometimes....this was on the floor in the store!

This was on the road outside....the "white lines" were actually little fish!

Audrey entertaining herself in the car:

Audrey's sampling of pictures of the bridge and the UP!  Sorry, but I didn't even know she took so many pictures from her domain in the back seat!  I don't know where a lot of them were taken.  I hope you can tell it is a very beautiful drive, especially when the road follows the lake!  Note all the pine trees too....characteristic of the UP!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the campus:

Audrey knows I love benches....they are so inviting!

 

Amber's dorm

On the road again..............

Audrey wanted to see Chicago.....we had planned to stop and walk around, but the traffic was horrible as a Cubs game had let out!  So, the only pictures she was able to take were from her special back seat spot!  Maybe she will get to see it again sometime! 

Sidenote:  It is almost 200 miles longer to take the UP route, but the time was nearly the same! 

 

Well, that was our whirlwind trip...again!  Amber is home for a couple weeks and then heads back to Wisconsin to serve at camp for the summer!  The plan (at the moment) is for her to take a car back (she will follow TJ).