La Vida - Week 6

Longest week of the summer. Hardest week of the summer. This week was the most frustrating week of the summer. It was the week that made me cuss like a sailor too. Out of all of them, this was it. This is the one that kicked my tail emotionally & spiritually. Not physically because well, I'm not falling over from exhaustion like I have previous weeks.

I failed miserably in my time with God...ignoring it completely for the most part. I was so busy with what I had to do that I didn't take the time to spend with God. I let the apathy slip in, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen.

Emotionally...well...how else would you react if two of your fellow staff members left? It's frustrating. That's all I can really say about that without getting myself in trouble.

At the same time, God's showed me that despite my apathy, He's still working. He's still working in big ways. Two (I would have to say even four because I do not agree with the term "rededication") got saved the last half of the week. I love working with middle schoolers. I loved having sixth grade girls in the cabin. At the lowest point of my summer, God still shined through.

Thank You, Lord.

La Vida - Week 4 & 5(ish)

What am I supposed to write about this past two weeks? Other than it was rather heartbreaking at times. It's been tough because even though I'm at a camp based on "missions education," I can feel the apathy slipping into my thinking.

Don't take me wrong. It's been wonderful working at a camp. But I have slowly let the anger and frustration build up. I have been known to bottle my emotions up, and letting go of them is so hard. My prayer is that God will continue to break me.

I got a letter from my best friend at camp this week. I cried while reading it. I'll admit that. One...it made my day so much better. Two...she shared something really important with me. It was a reminder that I can't take the "little" sins in my life so trivially. It was a good reminder that I needed to let go of the anger.

As of right now, I'm sitting at my brother's apartment down in Myrtle Beach. I can see the sunset. It's beautiful. What more can I say? I would take a picture, but that certainly wouldn't do it justice (and my brother is in the way).

I did have a good story for you all. We had a mother-daughter weekend last weekend. And one of the little girls had just finished up 1st grade. God used this little girl to humble me so much. I had to lead a hike at camp, and I wasn't expecting people to show up. Just my luck...six people did. So, we finish the hike, and the little girl's mom says, "Why don't you show her your dream house?" Oh, by the way, this girl journaled everything down.
Anyways, she opened her notebook. It was a five bedroom house. She had a bible study room, a bible library, a bedroom, a bathroom, and some other room. She told me that she had twelve beds in the bedroom for the people that didn't have a home. They would stay with her, go through the Bible library room to get a Bible, go have Bible Study and then sleep. I asked her where the kitchen would be. She told me that she would be using her sister's kitchen.
I was impressed.
I was humbled.
Just think about it for a while.

La Vida - Week 3

So, I just got back about six hours ago. I should really be getting some rest, but because my body reacts horribly to caffeine, the coffee I had at 8:00 this morning is starting to kick in. It's gonna be a long, long week.

I got pretty frustrated this past week. I was hardly ever in the cabin & felt like crap half the time for leaving my cabin leader by herself.

I think that God has really shown me that I have to make time for Him. It's a choice. It's a choice every single day. Do I let my busy schedule get in the way of the reason that I am at camp? I hate to say that I fail miserably at spending time with Jesus. There never seems to be time. I encourage kids to have their Jesus time, but how can I be so hypocritical to tell them that when I don't even have it?

I've decided to go ahead and put what we're supposed to write in our staff journals on here as well. I'll try to summarize as best as I can. It was Tuesday night, and this is what I had written right before bed. ABG is a girl who is literally allergic to just about everything: nuts, dairy, soy, wheat, eggs, red meat, etc, etc.


How amazing is my God! A God who answers prayer in unfathomable ways. I came in from night canteen, and my girls were having Bible Study. S was teaching. ABG was throwing in her comments.
They were talking about heaven & ABG said, "We'll have new bodies. Perfect. I won't be allergic to anything anymore." She said it with such excitement & confidence.
I see Christ in these kids...especially S. It's humbling to see her serve so joyfully without complaining. A twelve year-old puts me to shame when it comes to loving others. She is a leader. I see that already God's gonna do big things. I know He will.
My God is a miracle worker.


I have learned important life skills:
1. How to make a cherry limeade.
2. How to change a CO2 tank
3. How to get red slushy dye out of clothing. Shout & Oxiclean.

So, here's a few closing prayer requests.
1. Rest. Rest. Rest. Rest. Rest.
2. Wisdom.
3. More wisdom.
4. The campers. Because camp is for the campers.
5. Wisdom.
6. Staff relations so that we aren't at each others throats this week.
7. Missionaries as God gives them the words that He wants them to speak.

Love.Peace.Jesus.
Marley

La Vida - Week 2

Okay, so I've gone over the basics. Now to talk about this actual week. We only had two units open (or 7 cabins...with staff staying in the eighth) and around 80 campers. I helped out with cabin 3, and wow, are those girls crazy. Most of my time was spent away from the cabin, but when I came back, they would run up to me. Really? I'm gone a majority of the time, but they still get excited to see me?

There was one girl in my cabin, and we've gotten journals to write about a camper each week. And I chose this girl. She was the youngest in the cabin, and it was also her first time at camp. I'm pretty sure that she's one of the most sarcastic 8 year-olds I have ever met (no wonder we connected.)

It was Wednesday when I was finally getting into the swing of things. This girl was quiet & part of the Outdoor Living Skills (OLS) track group. We had had several injuries the night before (including a sprained ankle & one girl getting stepped on), and I looked down during Canteen. E has some gauze and med tape around her knee. I asked what was wrong. She had been bleeding earlier. And they had taken care of it.

Well, we get a rest time (where we usually just sat out on the porch and talked) after Canteen until Bible Study with the girls. E starts bleeding from her knee...and I'm not talking about a little blood...like put a bandaid on it and move on. I mean, dripping down her leg like she's just been punctured with a very sharp knife. And she's just sitting there...

Time to go to the nurse. A bandaid's been put on.

All right, everything should be back to normal. Let's get on with Bible Study. Halfway through the craft, "E's bleeding again!"

So, out comes the first aid kit. And the gauze and the tape. And we put on a new bandage. It continues to soak through. More pressure on the wound. Ok. We're good now.

Two minutes later, "It's still bleeding!" We walkied Morgan, and she comes. We put on a new bandage, and everything's going great.

Towards the end of Bible Study, "It's dripping on the floor!" I can only thank God that none of our kids were squeamish by the sight of blood. So, the three of us take her into the bathroom and start talking over what to do. It's time to go back to the nurse. So, we bandage her up and I head off with a small child in my arms.

There's something about running to the nurse when you don't know what's wrong with the child you have in your arms. You worry, and then you begin to wonder why you're so worried. Why is some kid that you've just met a few days ago and who will be leaving in a few days so important to you? (Sidenote: I am beginning to understand what an agape love looks like.)

Anyways, I get to the nurse with E, and she's already bled through the bandage. My arms are sore, and we rush her into the nurse's room. We start applying the pressure. Why is she bleeding so much? There was nothing about hemophilia on her medical sheet. We were really worried about this and confused because she had been getting bumps and bruises and nothing was wrong.

The wound itself was small. No bigger than a pinprick. Well, they finally came to the conclusion that it had something to do with a blood vessel. It was so cute how they explained it. E told me that like a soap pump every time she bent her knee, blood came out. So, she just had to keep it straight, and it would heal up on its own.

She got to talk to her mom and grandma. It was precious. I won't lie...it was. (Working with kids has softened me somehow). We're pretty sure that her mom asked if she wanted to come home. E was like, "No," in a voice that plainly said, "Are you kidding me? Did you really ask that question? It's just a flesh wound."

And she was off, enjoying the rest of the week (except for that night...but that's a different story. Let's just say I hate cabin sitting on Wednesday nights.)

So, that is one of my many stories.

I have learned several things this week at camp:
-Belay does not mean what the dicitionary says it means. It means "You're responsible for a person's life. So, don't screw up."
- All the staff that can actually sing are Sopranos.
- Hagalina Magalina, Beaver, With My Hand on My Shoulder, Moose, & Form the ______ are all songs that I can now sing in my sleep.
- Canteen comes with entertainment: specifically singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You"
- All the campers know your name, but you don't know any of theres.

La Vida - Week 1

So, it's Saturday morning. Staff training & the very first week of camp is over. Let me tell you, I have never had so many emotions roll over me in such a short period of time. Camp makes me frustrated, exhausted, & sometimes a bit sad. Despite all that, it fills me with a joy that's beyond any I've ever felt before.

There's not much to say about staff training other than I think God really did answer my prayers because I've never become so close & comfortable with people in such a short period of time. I can goof off and do stupid things because I know that they aren't going to judge me for doing that. There's no reason to impress anyone because we're all at camp for the same reason. But hey, I'm pretty sure I'm certified in belaying people for the climbing wall.

All right for those of you wondering, my job consists of working in the Canteen (pretty much a concession stand), setting up for meals, cleaning up after, & working with the campers. Canteen is chaotic (that's the best word for that time), but I love it. I'm positive that my hands are going to be dyed purple, blue, & red by the end of the summer because of the syrup that we use for slushies.

And here are some prayer requests:
- We have a full capacity camp the next two weeks. 191 & 199 campers. We don't have enough staff so we're moving people around. Please, pray that God will continue to strengthen us throughout the weeks.
- That drama and gossip won't get in the way of our unity as a staff.
- That I keep on biting my tongue when I want to yell at a camper. Coming from a home where the discipline is yelling and going to a place where you can get sued for yelling at a kid is difficult.
- Wisdom.
- Rest.

Upsetting

I'm getting pumped for camp!!! And I know that writing this will waste some time even though I should be writing a few letters...which would be more productive and probably take up the same amount of time.

I just wanted to share something that I heard tonight and a few other ways God's been working. It was a verse, and whenever I hear it, I get so excited. Pretty much Paul and Silas are on a missionary journey, and word has gotten ahead of them. This is what the people had to say: "'The men who have upset the world have come here also.'" (Acts 17:6)

I won't lie. I'm ready to upset this world. I came home after my friend's graduation service (Congratulations btw!) and a song was on my iTunes. It's called "World's Apart" by Jars of Clay. Google it and just listen to the words.

There's a part that really got me: "To love You, take my worlds apart. To need You, I am on my knees."

How many times do we get down on our knees and actually cry out to God, saying, "I need You! Take this world that I know and completely take it apart. Disturb it. Upset it. Make everything about You and not what I selfishly think it should be."

I was listening to Francis Chan's podcast. He did a series back in 2007, entitled "I'm in Love." I'm gonna paraphrase: "The church doesn't need a 10-year plan for growth. It needs people on their knees in prayer to an almighty God."

We pray for those outside of the church, but do we pray for the church? Maybe, the first place that needs to be upset is not those on the outside, but the very inside. Maybe we need to put aside our traditions and become the Church. Not go to church, an organization...but be the Church, a living Body - the hands and feet of God, serving others.

Maybe that's how we'll disturb the rest of the world...by living out Christ's example instead of talking about it.

Redeeming Love

In six days, I will be leaving for Camp La Vida. I'm overjoyed about this opportunity. It's gonna be amazing. Sidenote: pray that I'll have the patience to deal with campers all week long. Kids aren't my forte...so, I pray that this will go well. Lord, give me strength. I'm gonna need it.

But when I found out, I literally went running around the house, jumping up and down, screaming my head off. My dog gave me one of her quizzical looks and put her head back down. It's her way of saying, "I have no idea what the crap you're doing, but note that you look like a complete and total idiot." Yeah...I have a deep connection with my dog.

Seriously though, I'm really excited. I have to admit that one thing I'm not overjoyed about is that I've been slacking in my relationship with God. There's been an apathy and...dare I say...boredom which I'm not too proud of. There's been a lot of anger on my part these past few weeks as a response to other people which is another thing I'm not very proud of. There are a lot of things I have and haven't done in these past few weeks that I'm not proud of at all.

But...I have to say that God's love has touched me once again in an unsuspecting way. And this time, it's taken the form of a redeeming love...a grace-filled love. I've started reading through the Psalms, and that's what I'm going to be doing this summer.

I really want to share two passages with you that I read because God was saying, "I hear you, beloved. I hear you. Do you hear Me? Are you even listening for My voice? I have never walked away from you. You keep stepping away from Me. Put on humility. Put on love."

Psalm 6
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away;
Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed
And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O Lord - how long?

Return, O Lord, rescue my soul
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
For there is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?

I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.
My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping
The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer
All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.



Psalm 9:16-20
The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.

The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged by You.
Put them in fear, O Lord;
Let the nations know that they are but men.

I think my favorite part of this is the last line. I fell asleep thinking about that. "Let the nations know that they are but men." We are human. We are flawed. Who are we compared to God? Humbling, isn't it? Even though we are flawed, and we are nothing compared to Him, He will not forget the needy or the afflicted. He will not forget us.

What a redeeming love...a magnificent love.