Family Vacation

We recently returned from a week long family beach vacation to Panama City. It was a wonderful trip full of exciting events.
We spent the week meeting new people, interacting with wildlife, and doing all sorts of memorable things.
Among some of the "beach critters" we happened to see were dolphins, sting rays, whelks, barnacles, starfish, crabs, sea urchins, and other things we could not identify. It was fun to take our field guide along and look up all of the neat creatures we came across, trying to identify as many as we could. After dinner as we would walk along the docks near the restaurants, my boys would stretch out and lean way over the docks looking at the various things either floating in the water or clinging to the posts of the dock. I loved watching them interact with God's Creation with such fascination and as Ben stated one evening, "this is real learning you don't get in a classroom!" I agree!!
As for our outings, this year we were fortunate enough to be able to take the boys on the Pirate Ship. We have looked at it for a few years now and finally felt they were all old enough to enjoy it. We cruised along in the water for about 2 hours and had fun watching the boys shoot each other with water guns, mop the poop deck, play games, and search for treasure. It really was alot of fun and we were able to get a close up of the dolphins as we rounded the bend close to St. Andrews State Park. So much fun to be out on the water with the wind whipping around us and the salty seawater spraying upwards.
Other things we did were go-karts and putt-putt golf. Both of these were fun as well, although competition can sometimes make it challenging to keep everyone loving each other and enjoying the evening. Overall, they did really well and I am glad we took the time to do some out-of-the-water activities. Now that the boys are all getting old enough to participate, it makes things more fun for everyone.
Of course, "all good things must come to an end" (or so they say), so we are now back in Georgia doing the things that we ordinarily do as a family, continuing to enjoy the carefree pace of Summer. Our vacation was a wonderful reprieve from busyness that had great benefits to all of us. I am looking forward to our next trip already!

Ghana, Africa

Tonight I had my first meeting in preparation to go to Ghana, Africa in July. A team will be traveling there to do evangelism, plant churches, and medical missions. It was quite exciting (and a bit overwhelming) to hear about the things that I can expect to take place.
I have never been in a foreign country and certainly not one thousands of miles away from home, but I am looking forward to seeing what God will do while we are there.
Mrs. Susan Harvin, a friend of ours, has been to Ghana the last several years and shared with me some of the amazing things she has witnessed. Although there is extreme poverty, there is also a pure love for God and dependance on Him in the lives of those who already know Him. For those who have never heard of the love of Jesus, there is a hunger and thirst to know more.
I am looking forward to being stretched spiritually and seeing God in a way that I have not had the opportunity to before. In America, people are self-sufficient and think more highly of themselves than they ought to (me included!) but in a place like Ghana, Africa every drink of water or morsel of food is a gift from God and the people are thanful all the more for it. Susan shared how in all of her years of going, she has never heard one single complaint from a person in Ghana. Although there is disease, polluted water, and extreme poverty, there is also joy and love and a true sense of thanksgiving. I am longing to go there and experience it myself. How refreshing!
Please pray with me as I prepare to go: for all of the preparations that will need to be made, for the financial aspect of the trip, for protection and covering over my entire family as I am away & safety for me, for God's Spirit to already be at work in the lives of those we will come in contact with, & for God to deepen my faith and relationship with Him like never before. How exciting to think that God uses people like us to accomplish His purposes here on earth. Praise be to Him!

Our Visit to the Creation Museum

A dream has come true for the Nave family...and alot faster than we anticipated! In the Spring of this year, we were blessed as a church to have Dr. Ken Ham visit with us and speak on the topic of Creation. During that time he shared about the Creation Museum near Cincinatti, Ohio and we immediately talked about visiting it in the future. Well, the future is now and we are here!!! How exciting to visit the beautiful campus and fabulous museum!
As we entered in, we decided to visit the Planetarium first. We were very much in awe of the magnificence and wisdom of our Creator as our minds struggled to comprehend the vastness of the Heavens! We learned about the galaxies, stars, planets, suns, etc...There was so much that I did not even know and it truly is amazing! Indeed, "the heavens declare the glory of God!"
After this we viewed "The Men in White". This was a well done and humorous presentation with great special effects! It was especially good for our 13 year old son as he was able to get a glimpse into a traditional science class and listen to a Biblically knowledgeable student challenge his "professor".
A highlight to our day was the opportunity for our boys to meet Dr. Ham and have a family photo made with him. What an honor to be able to meet a true Christian hero of our time, challenging secular humanism with the truths of Scripture! He is a very kind and generous man and it was a blessing to spend a few moments with him.
Next we walked outdoors to visit the petting zoo where we petted donkeys, baby goats, saw a large potbellied pig, and for the first time a zorse and a zonkey (no I am not misspelling this...one was a donkey/zebra mix and the other a zebra/horse mix!) We also visited with a camel and some other barn animals! Of course the boys loved the animals and fresh air and the scenery was very pleasing to they eyes!
Later we toured the walk-through section...dinosaurs, Adam & Eve, Noah's Ark magnificently done, the effects of sin and disregard of the Bible clearly shown, suffering and sacrifice - all depicted with excellent quality! We were very impressed with all of it! It was wonderful!
As I sat in one of theaters I was overwhelmed with the joy of being able to bring my sons to a place that completely reinforces what the Bible teaches and does so with excellence! There are so many other museums that we have visited that attack our Biblical worldview at every turn, but today we were able to see realistically what the Bible teaches and our hearts and minds were stirred with God's truths!