Back to School 2020

Oh glorious day! The extra long summer has been fun and family-filled, but we were all cheering for the first day of school. The kids were longing to see their friends and teachers, and we were longing for routine and a change of pace. Despite masks and many other changes to accommodate the COVID world, the kids had a wonderful first week. In addition to school, the girls started a dance class at Dawn’s School of Dance and momma began a part-time job as the Groups Director (overseeing small groups) at church. It was a big week!

RVA Hope Center Mission

Three days ministering in our own city of Richmond grew our compassion and stretched each of us personally. With the three older kids, our missions pastor, the Young family and our friends who have recently started an organization to serve the poorest communities in Richmond, women involved in human trafficking and the homeless, we set out to bless and be blessed. Our kids blew us away with their boldness to connect and pray with strangers, do new things and love on children they’d just met that lived very differently than them. With wisdom we entered areas of our city riddled with gun violence and rivalry. RVA Hope Center has consistently served these communities and established a reputation for bringing good and love over the last few years. We met so many who have lost their young men in the last year. Our hearts broke for the children we read with who were barely reading after several years of school. We saw the brokenness of run down buildings and families struggling to feed their families. Our hope was to show them that they had value, that they mattered and that they were loved. It was a privilege to serve and hold their hands and hear their stories and pray for their needs.

Making sandwiches and HOPE bags for the homeless.

Exercise class with Vangie!

Push-up challenge with Geoff and a new friend.

Listening to stories and the challenges from a group of men living on the streets. We were also able to hand our hand sanitizer and masks.

Teaching a new song and dance to our friends in Creighton Court.

Making sno cones for a block party we helped with in Highland Park.

The sno cone volunteers! Mary-Michael ran all over the sidewalk offering free sno cones. She was in her element!

With some new friends we met in Mosby.

It’s reading time!

We spent the final part of our time together in Evergreen Cemetery, an African-American cemetery that’s been neglected. Volunteers come regularly to help clean it up and restore it as it should be.

Pennsylvania Plan B

When COVID changed our original plans to travel to Niagara Falls in an RV with the Kell Family, we came up with a new plan. Thanks to some very hospitable friends, we stayed in their lovely river house in the middle of nowhere (McVeytown, PA) on the Juniata River. We had a glorious, unplugged time as the home is in a dead zone for cell phones and they’ve chosen to not add internet. We enjoyed a 1 day outing during our 1 week stay to Amish country where we tasted and saw a bit of Amish life, as well as enjoyed an incredible production on the Book or Esther at The Sight & Sound Theater. This is Mary-Michael’s favorite story in the Bible, so it was so fun for her to see it come to life. Actually, we all thoroughly enjoyed it!

When we weren’t playing Phase 10 or Dutch Blitz, we were fishing, floating, reading or sitting around the campfire. And in between all of that we were definitely eating - lots of eating and cooking occurred. I think it ended up being a better choice for the husbands who each own a business and especially needed that downtime. It was a blessing to have an alternative!

Leila playing the teacher in an Amish schoolhouse.

“For such a time as this!”

Several miles down the river we floated. So relaxing.

Story time!

Game time!

A whole lot of fishing but not a lot of catching.

Cutie pie.

Worship, prayer and conversation around the campfire.

Outdoor Summer Fun

From hiking in Crozet to weekends at Lake Anna with friends from church, VBS at home, pool days at Nonnie and Granddad’s and Thursday summer grocery delivery to Richmond public school children, we have been outside enjoying nature and the many lovely people we encounter on these journeys. Even with all of the challenges, difficult conversations and headlines, there is much to be thankful for and many things we can still discover to be good and right. We pray your perspective allows you to focus on the good at this time - there’s still so much good!

Happy 41st Birthday, Daddy!

There’s no one on this earth I would rather spend this life with – what a journey and what an adventure life is with you, Geoffrey Michael Lawrence!  You treat me like a queen, inspire our children to go after their dreams and live for God, and you are quite unforgettable to anyone that meets you even once. 

We enjoyed a great day of celebrating you and grandpa whose birthday is shortly after yours. And then we enjoyed a double date night on your birthday (8/4) with delicious food and great friends. 

Thank you for being my best friend, an incredible dad, a fearless leader, a great provider, and an inspiration to many. I love you.

Burrells at the Beach

We enjoyed a wonderful week in Avon, North Carolina with my dad, brother, Christina and sweet Emerson. Emerson was definitely the VIP of the week! The Lord blessed us with beautiful weather, and the husbands treated us to in-house massages twice. What a treat! The big kids attempted surfing on a rental surfboard but stuck to body surfing and boogie boarding most of the time. We cooked in almost every night but enjoyed the Orange Blossom bakery for breakfast several mornings. Each couple enjoyed a date night out at Pamlico Café at the Inn at Pamlico Sound. The boys had a very successful fishing trip with a good friend of Geoff’s from middle and high school who now lives down in Nagshead. They caught their max by 10 AM, and we enjoyed delicious trout that night. It was a wonderful week together with meaningful conversation, old movies like Roman Holiday and Singing in the Rain and a beautiful setting. Is it time to go back yet?!