Week 4: Normal comfortable camp…

So…Week 4 is now over. This means a lot of things, it was the last week of The Edge, so we are no shifting into the Undertow, and yes that means a lot of water. With the theme change comes new bible studies, new chapels, new games, whole new mindset. I am excited for the change but also not excited so we shall see what happens.

But to reflect on week 4 a little… In so many ways it was a typical week of camp. I had 8 middle school girls; all go to the Chapel in Green or Akron basically. In many ways it was a easy week, the girls had a blast, most of them have been going to camp since they were day campers. So camp is routine, I really did not have to worry about any trouble happening or anything. But at the same time it was a hard week, they are all church kids, and as a kid growing up in the church as well I think that I can safely say there are church kids answers. So in that way it was challenging for bible studies, to really dig in deep and get real.

Something this week that I have really been learning is….

(2 Peter 1:1-2 ESV)

[1:1] Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

[2] May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

…In these two verses, just realizing first in verse 1, a faith of equal standing, compared to Peter…Wow…and then it goes on to say in verse 2 “May grace and peace be multiplied to you” but how….that’s where it finishes the verse and says “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” ….These two verses just have really been making me think…

Please pray for all the campers of the past 4 weeks, also for the campers to come in these next weeks. As well new bible studies this week, that the words I say will be from God and that these campers are moved by how amazing God is. Pray for me as camp is approaching the half way point of the summer and becoming comfortable again, that I  don’t just sit and coast by, but that I do camp well.

Thanks for your prayers.

 

Came to my Rescue

If just every moment of this week I live this out and fall to my knees in worship…Wow…

Falling on my knees in worship
Giving all I am to seek your face
Lord all I am is yours

My whole life
I place in your hands
God of Mercy
Humbled I bow down
In your presence at your throne

I called you answered
And you came to my rescue and I
I wanna be where you are

In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high

 

Week 3…180 degree turn…God is good and is working…

SO…..this blog is very long…so if you don’t read it all just read this first paragraph and pray….thanks a ton…..

Please pray for all five of my girls, that the work God was doing this week will continue on. That they all stay safe being back home. That they continue to search out what their identity is found in. Please pray for me that I remember the things I learned this week and that I never forget how God is so amazing and can work like he did.

So week 3 is now over….Wow, what an interesting week…Let me just paint you a little picture of the week. I was suppose to have 9 middle school girls, but for some reason only 5 girls showed up. So I thought in my head, it’s going to be an easy week lol. But oh how I was wrong, by Tuesday I really thought that girls in my cabin were going to have to be sent home or something. There was no respect from them, fights almost broke out, and other girls were getting verbally picked on. It was just really bad, I would say probably the worst I have seen. But let me just say God is good and he works.

On Wednesday at initiatives (team building stuff) it was by far the worst ever. Everyone was fighting it was just bad. But let me remind you God is good and he works.  By Thursday for some reason my girls just really began to trust me and listen to what I had to say. They all stopped putting up this huge wall and really just exposed their true selves. Let me remind you God is good and He works.  By Thursday night all the girls on there own came together and apologized to me for how they had been all week. And they came together and did a dance, which they had refused to do all week long, but last minute they worked together and did it. Let me just say it was awesome and we got 1^st place.

By late Thursday night my girls were all sad to be leaving on Friday. They wanted to stay longer and they want to come back next year. Let me just say to hear those words from them was truly shocking, because all week they hated camp and hated everything about it. But God did something at camp in my cabin Casa De Chara.

On Friday during one of my one-on-one’s, a girl and I talked for a while. And you could just tell God was tugging on her heart. So we talked and we prayed together, then about 30-45minutes later she walks into the cabin and asks for a hug. And in that moment God just worked in her like nothing I have seen. God gave me and my co words to speak and scripture to turn to. It was the coolest thing ever.

I learned so much from these five girls this week it is truly crazy. God worked in so many huge ways. I think one thing that really stands out to me is just what it looks like to surrender to God and say Lord I need you to get through the next hour. Also just how God can work, like if you would have talked to me on Monday I would have said this is going to be a horrible week, but then on Friday I had a huge smile on and it was the best week of my camp experience ever. God is good, I learned so much this week, like how if we don’t just lean on God, but truly just fall down to our knees and get out of the way and let God do his thing, WOW!!!

Another big thing I take away from the week is that I have to meet people were they are at in life and just being equal. For example I think about how every night we played the game spoons in our cabin, and how in that game we are all equal, no one is any better then anyone else. The game is all about luck and chance. There is very little skill involved. In those times of just playing spoons is when my girls really opened up and felt comfortable.

I could go on for just hours about things from this week. But lets be honest you prob wouldn’t read all of it. But I guess I just want to say Lord, you are amazing and thank you for a great week.

Please pray for all five of my girls, that the work God was doing this week will continue on. That they all stay safe being back home. That they continue to search out what their identity is found in. Please pray for me that I remember the things I learned this week and that I never forget how God is so amazing and can work like he did.

 

Week 2: Ten Sassy Middle School Girls…Awesome!!

Sassy…I think that describes week 2, oh so very well.  Week 2 of camp but the first week of middle schoolers, Wow what a change from high school. In many ways a great change, in other ways a sad change. The transition to middle school to high school is always hard. They are just ages that are so so very different in who they are and how they are viewing themselves. While the theme of the week continued to be identity, it took a little different direction, considering I went from 16 year olds to 10-13 year olds. But it still was a great week.

To break it down for you I had 10 girls in my cabin. They were so much fun, when they came on Sunday they all seemed like such nice and quite girls, but by Friday they were just sassy. I think that is the best way to describe them all. Each girl was different in her sassiness, but at the end of the day they all were. It was so great. I had girls of all personalities, the quiet one, the loud, the straight up hilarious in everything one, the athlete, the one that likes to pet you, the quiet one but has amazing one liners. It was just this hodgepodge mix of ten girls that some how worked so amazingly awesome, I loved it.

This week was fun with my co’s as we got to know each other better and tried to work out things. Up close it looks like the three of us would be horrible together, but if you take a step back and look you see two polar opposite personalities and then one that falls right in the middle. And you see just the gifts that we all bring and I say wow this could be good, but could also be so difficult all at the same time. Each of my co’s bring something amazing to the table and it was a cool week to see them really just step up and you could see God just so much in them during the week. Ah it was awesome.

It is only the end of week 2 but I have been learning oh so much. Something that really became apparent this week is what does it look like to be a leader. I think God is really teaching me a lot about what a good leader is, how to lead well, but at the same time be a follower of God. I really had to step back this week and stop and think, and I’m not gonna lie it was not easy. But I think it was very beneficial. On another note though I really saw how Gods word is just living and active. It was awesome, I think its one of those things you hear people always say but this week as I read through his word everyday I just was like wow this is a living word.

Please pray for the ten girls I had that God is doing crazy stuff in their lives. Pray for my co’s and I that we will continue in the direction we finished on and build unity and friendship. Pray for myself that God chisels the things in me that are not of him, and when it hurts that I just run closer to God on it all.

 

Week 1: Sorry it’s so late…

Sorry I am slow to post I slept all weekend long…It felt so good to just sleep though….plus my girls were slow moving all week so it seems fitting lol

So Week 1 is now finished…It was a week of excitement, laughter and questions.  There were five girls in my cabin this week. All from the Youngstown area, and about juniors in High school. So that 16ish age.  All five girls were just amazing; it really was just a great group of campers for the first week of camp.

The theme of discussion for the week was identity. And wow is that a heavy topic for no matter what age you are. It was really cool to come along side of these girls as they searched their hearts and asked the hard questions.  I used some Lecrae songs in my bible studies and his lyrics really spoke to the girls, which was awesome.

Though I have to remind myself it was just week 1.  While some things went really well, other things were rocky and need to be fixed. But it was just week 1, so we learn from the mistakes and fix them, and build on the good stuff and make it better.

Please pray with me for the five girls I had in my cabin that as they are now home.  The things learned at camp stay with them, that they continue to ask and answer hard questions. I ask for your prayers also for strength and endurance this week. It is middle school and I have 10 girls in my cabin. My back has been hurting as well so that God might heal my pain.

Thank you for your prayer, It means so much. Now on to another week of camp.

 

Training Week

SO…Training week is over, and I was so ready for it to be over.  We received our cabin placements for the summer, I am in Casa J very excited, and it should be fun.  I also found out who my co’s are they both seem pretty legit.  One works in the horse barn as a wrangler and the other is a ropes person.  It is the first summer for both of them at camp, so they really bring that newbie excitement to the cabin, which is awesome.  I think it will be a cool summer with these two girls.

It really seems crazy that in a little over 24 hours we will have our first week of campers.  I feel so not ready but so ready at the same time….ah it is going to be awesome.  I basically spent the majority of the week sitting with my macbook and my bible writing bible studies, oh and with a cup of coffee that was a very important tool in bible study writing.  But I have the first four weeks of camp written and in a very good state of done.  I hope to spend some time today just looking over them and fixing a few things…I totally learned this week that I am not meant to be a school teacher, because I kind of hate to plan things out, but that is a side note.

Please pray with me for the campers that are coming so soon to camp for the week.  I will have a cabin of 10 high school girls.  I have no clue what the week will look like.  It is a new summer and week 1 of camp.  Pray for unity in the cabin, that the Gospel will be presented in words that campers will understand and in truth and love, that not only are seeds planted this week but that they are continued to be harvested for years after.

 

My prayer this summer

So I think this skit shows a lot of what my big prayer this summer is…Just that God will chisel away the things in my life, I know it will hurt but I pray that when I look in the mirror I don’t see myself but that I will see Jesus….Watch this video…soak it all in…and well if you will I ask that you pray for me this summer that I will allow God to chisel away…and I pray that this is the prayer for all of your lives as well….That it will be a summer for us to let go and let God as cliché as that is it is so true…

 

Camp Carl Summer 2011

I am working at camp once again….this will be my 4^th summer as a counselor there.  I am so excited to be at it again.  However, as always I am nervous for what the summer will entail.  I am working in Teen Camp as a Shepherd…for those who are not familiar with Camp Carl’s little names for stuff, I am the counselor that gets to plan and give the bible studies (please be praying for me that God gives me words to say, and directs me in his Word, also that if I say anything that is not from God that it falls onto deaf ears).  I also will take the 7-10 girls to all the different activities through out the day.   To put my job simply I get to hangout with the same group of girls all week, do all the fun stuff with them and during all of it tell them about Jesus.  I know it is an AMAZING job that is why I am going back for a 4^th summer.

I ask for your prayer for me this summer that God leads me in all that I do, that he chisels away this summer the things in my life that are not of him.  I ask for your prayer for the girls that are going to be in my cabin, that God is working in there hearts as I even write this and that during camp God works in there lives in amazing ways, and as the campers leave the gates of camp that what they learn stays with them and they grow closer to Christ in there homes.  Sorry that is a lot to pray about but I want to ask you to join in with me and pray for these things this summer.

Just to inform you all…I will be deleting my Facebook for the summer.  I have been really thinking about it and I believe it is best.  I am going to take a summer and kind of detox from some of the technology of this world and detox from areas in my life that consume much of my time.  So just so you all know I am alive, I am just not on Facebook.  I will have my cell phone with me on the weekends and I’ll be checking my email.  You can also get in touch with me through old fashion hand written letters.  From June 1st to August 12^th I will be living at camp so just send me a letter there.  Or if it comes down to it and you really need to get in touch with me rent a plane and write the note in the sky J

Thank you in advance for your prayer, I hope you check in every Friday for a blog update about my week at camp http://brit20.wordpress.com/

 

Sweetly Broken

Sweetly Broken
by Jeremy Riddle

To the cross I look
To the cross I cling
Of its sufferings I do drink
Of its works I do sing
For on it my Savior
Both brusied and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

At the cross you beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am
Lost for words so lost in love
I am sweetly broken holy surrender

What a priceless gift
Undesered life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified
You called me out of death you called me into life
I was under your wrath
And through the cross Im recoiled

And awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous your redeeming love and how great is you faithfulness

 

What is the GOSPEL??