Burnett Family

We had a fabulous whirlwind of a weekend in Texas!

Buzzing down the road for the Saturday night, SAICFF. closing ceremonies!
Family road trips are the BEST. We (kids) always have an itch to go somewhere.

Mr. Randy Putz, our fabulous host – putting up a total of 14 people for the night is no small task. We always enjoy his kind, full-of-joy fellowship.

Of course, John-Clay had been in San Antonio for the whole week, attending the Film Academy along with the Henline family and their friend, Emily. J-C said the Academy was the best ever – plenty of practical instruction and challenging messages.

The week is always key for networking with other Christian filmmakers. It’s encouraging to see how much independent Christian filmmaking has grown and improved in just the past 9 years since the film festival began!

John-Clay’s main project last year was making the documentary, Captivated.
Phillip Telfer was the producer of the film, which was a semi-finalist at the festival.

This was our third year to drive down for the closing ceremonies on Saturday night! Sooo excited. =)

Doug Phillips – President of Vision Forum Ministries

Special music for the evening was provided by Charlie Zahm

We were thrilled when the Henlines’ film, The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey, won the Best Young Filmmaker’s Award and was also runner-up for Best Short Film!

Captivated was up against 15 other documentaries, so we weren’t sure whether to get our hopes up for an award or not. We were pleased when Captivated won runner-up for Best Documentary and was a finalist for the Best of Festival Award! =)

In actuality, the best award of all was the feedback received during the week from the many people whose lives have been greatly impacted through the message of the film. Praise the Lord! That’s a work that only HE can do.

Courageous deservedly won the Best of Festival Award! Stephen Kendrick gave a meaningful speech, honoring his dad for the powerful influence he has been in their lives. One thing that really stands out among all these filmmakers is their passion to do what they do for the glory of God, that He might be lifted up and seen for Who He is!

What better way to end the night than by bringing down the house with the Orange Blossom Special! Personally, the harmonica was my favorite. :)

Remember the Dorninks? We were so happy that seven of them were able to stop for a night going and coming from the film festival. They joined us for our bi-weekly volleyball practice at a church gym, which was super fun!! Sorry, no pictures of that. We were pretty busy playing, losing, and winning. :)

Discussing guns, I think. :)

My dear friend, Melody – we can talk for hours! And every time I’m left challenged, encouraged, and hungry for the Lord. That’s a good friend for ya. ;)

The Moms.

Spoons! A favorite around here.

 

 
Benj got a lot of basketball time out of Dustin and Kelly, much to his enjoyment.

Somehow, the length of the Dorninks’ visits seem to expand…and grow…and carry on…(not because we tempt them with homemade ice cream or anything).

On their way back from San Antonio, they planned to drop in from 10pm – 2am (yes, you read that correctly). But it so happened, they got an early start and expected to arrive by 7pm instead. Then, their mini-van broke down in Waco, and we weren’t sure if they were going to be able to come at all. :( Van got fixed, they arrived at midnight and decided to stay the night! (Nachos are a great midnight snack meal, by the way.) Wellllll, when their departure time of 11am rolled around in the morning, we said, “Is there any way y’all can stay longer?” A few phone calls made, and the rest of the day was spent with them until we sent them off with a blessing at 10pm that night. =D Good times!

Good friends = willing to ask meaningful questions, talk deep, and truly desire to build each other up in the Lord. The Dorninks definitely fit that list. We shared some great discussions together, and I know our family was really encouraged! Hopefully, we’ll find an excuse to meet up again soon. :)

There’s the re-cap for you! With the calendar as full as it is, I’m sure we’ll have more to tell you about soon. :)

Thanks to all you blog readers for staying in touch! We appreciate each one of you and pray that the Lord will really be the treasure of your heart as you walk through life with Him.

With all the comings and goings of the summer season in a big family, life surely is exciting!!

The crew that attended the Nashville conference last week (Abbie, Hannah, Caleb, and three friends) arrived home late on Saturday night. We had a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l time serving in the various children’s programs throughout the week and saw God work in many ways. Here are a few pictures…

Thanks to the guys for doing all the driving and praise the Lord for safety!…(not just because of the drivers.) ;)

We made sure we were well stocked with snacks for road. ;)

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to be able to share heart-to-heart with teenage girls about the life lessons God has taught me and give them hope in their struggles. It’s an amazing thing as I continue my journey of faith to be able to call back to them as a “big sister” and encourage them to keep pressing on in the Lord!

The smiling registration team!

Abbie and two other young ladies taught a group of 16 children for 3 days! She hopes to share more pictures with you soon. We met some really amazing friends that we hope to see again in the near future. :) :)

No sooner had we arrived home on Saturday night, when Dad and the twins took off for Hot Springs, AR on Sunday afternoon! The girls are accompanying him on a business trip and will have some free time together in between trainings. :) Benj also left to spend a night and day with friends in northwest Oklahoma.

Before the AR crew gets back on Wednesday, John-Clay will be flying out for a 4-week film trip! He’ll be meeting up with a team in Virginia, and then they will make their way through New York, Michigan, Colorado, Hollywood, Los Angeles, and probably more places, before arriving home in July. Please be in prayer for him – this is a great opportunity!

After we say “goodbye” to JC and “welcome home” to Dad and the twins, Mom, Charity, Abbie, and I will be driving down to Houston for the weekend to attend a special wedding! We are looking forward to spending quality mom & daughter time together and having LOTS of fun. :) Don’t worry, we’ll take pictures. ;)

So, that’s TWO weeks out of our summer, I’ll wait to fill you in on our other upcoming adventures as they get closer. Where are YOU traveling this summer?? Drop us a note if you want to stop by! We love company. :)

After many high recommendations from our friends over the years about the annual Wilds Music Camp in North Carolina, four of us finally decided to make the trip!

If there’s one thing our family loves to do, it’s travel together. This was the biggest “sibling trip” we’ve taken, so far.

All four of us were CRAMMED into JC’s 5-seater car (the cooler was taking up the fifth seat), with pillows and bags beside us and in our laps. We tried not to think about it too much, or we’d get the “LET ME OUT!!” feeling. By the end of the trip, John-Clay knew exactly how the trunk had to be packed, so that everything would fit…including Hannah’s furry boots. :)

As we entered North Carolina, these 4 residents of “big sky – cedar tree – prairie land” gazed in wonder at the beauty of the mountains and valleys.

We couldn’t get over the winsome beauty of the country farms spread throughout the valleys and set upon the hillsides. The rural roads were calling us, so we took a little detour. :)

These signs mean what they say!

After driving a total of 18 hours in 2 days, we were very glad to finally arrive.

 
Let the camp begin!! For the next 3 days, we attended special workshops of our choice, studied rich truths in the book of James, met lots of new people, enjoyed afternoon recreation, drank lots of hot tea, played in orchestras, took private voice lessons, and sang LOTS of choral music!

 
The guy who checked us in on the first day was so impressed that the four of us drove all the way from Oklahoma, that he gave us each a token for a free drink at the camp’s Cool Beans coffee shop! We all got larges. :)

Human foosball…a dangerous game.

Gazeeball was our favorite!! It’s like soccer played in the air inside a gazebo.

All three girls and our friend Julie went on the famous, 65-ft. Giant Swing. They buckle you up in a harness, and a cable slowly pulls you up…and up…and up.

With intense anticipation, you wait for the “drop”.

Then, down and out you swing in a GIANT sort of way, while your tummy rolls, your hair flies, and you scream with…delight. =D It was a blast!!

     

One afternoon, Charity and I went on the group hike to a beautiful waterfall.

We came away from the camp with lots of memories, great musical training, and a refreshed vision of how God is glorified in our music.

Our plans for the drive back weren’t as simple as going, and the snowstorm that swept across the south changed them quite rapidly. However, we were still able to stop and see special family and friends along the way. Everyone’s hospitality was amazing!

Touring Biltmore Village in Asheville on a snowy afternoon. The Thomas Kinkade Gallery was my favorite!

Our aunt and uncle went all out to make our stay with them wonderful. We had a grand time catching up, playing games, working a puzzle, and eating delicious food. :) Thank ya’ll so much!

Our next stop was to visit friends in Georgia who went on a mission trip to Ukraine with John-Clay a couple of years ago. This is the family of the couple who led the team.

Don’t let the little guy fool ya with his frown – he’s a sweetie and sat on our laps all evening. :)

Due to the incoming storm, we headed out early for home. Once we hit Arkansas, the snow started falling. When it got dark and the roads kept getting worse, we decided to stop at a hotel to spend the night. So close to home, yet so far away! We made it home safely the next day. Thank You, Lord!

As I’m sure you all know, traveling with family is either the best of times or the worst of times. There were a few unpleasant moments when we were having trouble agreeing on something, but overall we had a wonderful time together. I don’t think there is anyone else we’d rather travel with than each other. It’s such a huge blessing to be great friends with your siblings! It takes a lot of humility, forgiveness, and grace from God to make that possible, but it sure is worth it. Take a moment today to show someone in your family that you really love them.

Until the next adventure,

:)