Life After Camp

         So here I am, staying out at camp through  retreat season, watching most of the other counselors leave for home. After the last week of camp we had a weekend and a few days before the counselors headed home. Over the weekend we went to antler river and hung out for most of Saturday. We had a camp fire and cooked supper and threw the football and Frisbee. It was a lot of fun just spending time with the counselors a few last times. Sunday Brian spoke again and he talked about ministry. The question he had for us here at camp was are we finding meaning and purpose here at camp or is our meaning and purpose in life found in Christ where it should be? This was something I really thought about the next few days and just evaluated why I’m here at camp. Is it for myself and to make myself feel good about what I’m doing or is it for Christ, for His glory and His kingdom? What God desires most is our love. What honors God most is our hearts seeking Him, not the results of our labor. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Ministry is not meant to fill you with meaning and purpose, Jesus is. These are just the points Brian made in his sermon.

Monday was kind of a down day and we had time together just to hang out and many people packed up their stuff. It was sad seeing everyone packing, but not doing it myself. Tuesday we headed into town in the afternoon and we spent time downtown again just walking around and getting last minute things. We went to a coffee shop and hung out for a while, just laughing and talking about the summer. Then we went to Auke Wreak which is just a beach area with pavilions and a fire place. We walked along the beach and tried to find sea glass, but couldn’t find any. Then we had supper over the fire. Then we went to the waffle co. and said good-bye to everyone there. It was super hard to walk away from them and get into the car to head back out to camp. Most of them flew out Wednesday and some flew out Thursday.

Waking up at camp and not having everyone there was super weird and really quiet. Myriah and I had not idea what to do with ourselves, so we just kind of spent time together and it was nice outside so we were able to be on the beach. It has been hard to stay focused on why we are here when we are not counseling anymore. I want to take this time to be still and wait in the Lord. I’m not sure what I’m going to be doing when I get home or where I’m going to work, but I know that God does and that’s all the matters. My times are in Your hands Lord.

Psalm 100 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Being faithful is not about our good works, but it’s about God working in us and His spirit of faithfulness in us. We cannot be faithful, but with God working in our lives we can.

God Moved, and He Still Is

This week we had over 120 bronco campers. It was pretty crazy and I was a little nervous about how the week was going to go considering we had only one day of rest in between the last camp and it’s the last week of camp which usually causes people to not focus on the kids and only on home and making last memories with fellow counselors. Last week for Sr. High there were three campers who felt like God wanted them to come back this week to be junior counselors. This was such an answer to prayer considering there were so many campers and we have a smaller counseling staff this summer. I worked with a JC this week and we had 11 girls in our cabin. The JC’s name was Rebecca and she did a wonderful job. She is a great singer and loves the Lord so much. I loved working with her and her help was much appreciated.

The first night of camp was a little crazy for several of us. In my cabin I had two girls who came from Ketchikan and they were in a big fight and not talking with each other. Then I had one girl from Canada who was home sick and really scared about sleeping in the woods in a cabin. I told her that God was watching out for each of us and that He loves her very much. Then she started telling me that she did not want to hear about God and she hated when we talked about God and didn’t like God. I wasn’t really sure what to say to her about that and I just prayed as I talked with her that God would give me the words to say. She finally was ok to go in and sleep in the cabin but wanted her other friend to sleep with her in her bunk. This friend was actually getting scared by ants that were crawling on the wall and coming through a hole in the wall. I told them it was fine that they slept in the bunk together cause they were small girls and the bunks are kind of big. Rebecca sang them a few songs and they fell asleep. I went back to get ready for bed and prayed with Kathleen and Tim about everything and about the little girl who didn’t want to hear about God.

The next few days were pretty good. We had a lot of fun with the girls and they started to warm up to us a little and wanted to hear more about God, but they still weren’t opening up much during cabin devotions. I continued to pray for each of them and that God would work in their lives. I am continually reminded of the fact that it is God who changes the hearts of those here and it’s not me. I can only share with them what God gives me to share and let God use those words for His glory. Then by the middle of the week the girl who didn’t want to hear about God asked me if she could pray after we were done with devotions. I was so happy that God was softening her heart and that I was able to talk with her about who He is and how much He loves her and it was the first time she had heard anything like that. Before she left I gave her a Bible and wrote a little note in it just encouraging her and letting her know how happy I was for her. I had another girl who was confused about things with God and angry with Him because her grandma had committed suicide a few months before and she didn’t understand why He couldn’t have stopped her from doing that. It sounded like her mom wasn’t very helpful in the whole situation and was kind of like, well I thought it would happen one of these days. My heart went out to this little girl and I talked and prayed with her and explained how much God cares and loves her. She was so amazed about the fact that God would send His only son to die on the cross for us, someone that we feel like doesn’t even know us. I was so happy that God was working in her heart and showing her His love. She didn’t really understand how God forgive us and I told her the story about the prodigal son and how much the father loved his son and that God loves us even more than that. She was in awe at this and just couldn’t really get her head around it. I prayed with her and just told her that I cared about her and was there if she ever needed to talk about anything again. Later that week she told me that she had asked Jesus to come into her life and be her savior. I was so happy and gave her a hug and prayed with her. I pray that God would be with her and continue to show His love for her as she goes home and with everything going on at home.
It was really hard to see the girls go, mainly because I got to know each of them more and got closer to them, but also because it was the last week of camp. I love talking with these kids and sharing God’s truth with them. It doesn’t only help them, but I am continuously reminded about His great love for me and just the little things that many of us tend to forget about the Gospel. Thank you Lord for everything you did this week and I pray you would be with each of the kids as they go home, you know the situations that these kids are going back to and the hard things that are going on in their lives. Continue to show them your love and help them to have a desire to learn more about who You are.

This week for chapel was really good. The same speaker from last camp spoke and he did a great job. The first night he talked about when Jesus calmed the storm and he had a canoe brought into the chapel and Nick and Ralph were the waves and I was chosen “at random” (he wanted to get me back for the toe nails) to be a disciple. I sat in the canoe and he gave me a rain coat. Then they had the lights flicker and Nick and Ralph shook the boat and Brian (the speaker) poured water ALL over me. He sprayed me with a water gun and then took the rain coat off of me and poured more buckets of water on me. I was soaked, but it was enjoyable. As I was getting cleaned up I was just thinking about how the disciples must have felt being in that storm and then having Jesus wake up and calm the wind and the waves. That would have been amazing, but scary at the same time. It was a really great week and I’m so thankful that God was present during every moment of it.

This next week the counselors leave on the 8th and I’m not looking forward to that day. We are planning on doing some fun stuff this weekend and Monday and then go into town sometime Tuesday and hang out there till they have to leave Wednesday morning. I did have my plan ticket for the 8th, but felt like God was calling me to stay and help out with retreat season. So I tried to get my ticket changed and went through a few places and was told that it would be around $400 dollars to do that and then we figured out a way to get that bumped down to around $180 dollars which is so much better. So now I am leaving Juneau on September 14th and going to Chicago for a few days with friends from camp who are leaving the same day. I’m looking forward to the time I can be here to help out with retreat season and to see what other great things God has in store for me. Thanks for your prayers and support!!!

Sr. High-2

I was blessed to be able to counsel for Sr. High week and just focus on the girls in the cabin and not just on a medical stand point. I worked with Lauren which was a blast and I loved it cause we had counseled together last year for the second Sr. High camp as well. This week there were only a little over 50 campers there so it was super small and kind of weird. We had 5 girls in our cabin, I thought it was going to be hard and not good at all, but God used it to help us all grow so much closer together by the end of the week. Two of the girls I had in my cabin last year so it was great to reconnect with them and get to know them much better. The first day or so was hard during devotions. They would not open up about much and they continued to get off topic (much like colt campers do). Lauren and I continued to pray about it and asked God to give us the strength to persevere and the words to say that can only come from Him. Then one devotion time we had the girls go around and share their stories and how they have seen God work in their own lives, if they have at all. Lauren and I had shared our testimonies the night before so we just wanted to them to kind of do the same so we would get a better idea of where they were spiritually and also that they could hear each other talk and see that they are not the only ones going through tough times. All the of them came from broken homes and it was really sad to see the hurt and pain that leaves on the kids. Their lives are not the same after that.

One girl said she had a hard time seeing God as her Father and she hated that because her step father had run out on her and her mom for another lady. She saw a father figure as someone who leaves when you need them. That was really hard to hear and we talked a lot with her about forgiveness and just what the Bible says about God as our Heavenly Father. By the end of the week she was ready and willing to forgive her step dad and wanted to start fresh with Christ. That was super encouraging to hear and I praise God that He was able to work in her life/heart. Another girl opened up about a lot of things she was going through in high school and that she had given her life to Christ a couple years ago and was just striving to live for Him. She said it wasn’t easy and sometimes she wanted to give up, but she knew she needed to give it all to God and continue to have faith. It was so good to hear her story cause it was a lot of things that I had gone through in my life. I talked a lot with her and I just loved sharing God’s word with her and the other girls. One of the girls was not very open about anything, but by the end of the week she had started to open up a little about things. I pray that God would continue to work in her heart and that she would be able to know His love and live her life for Him.

It was hard seeing all the kids go. As a smaller camp we were able to grow a lot closer, even guys and girls. So it was sad to see them all go with the relationships we had started to build with each of them. The speaker this week was wonderful and I learned so much from him and was reminded of many things that I needed to hear again. There was a lot of suffering going on with the kids and questioning why God would let that happen. Brian (the speaker) felt God calling him to change his lesson one evening and he talked about suffering and what the Bible talks about it. It was so good for all of the campers to hear (as well as myself). That was an answer to prayer and I thank the Lord for using Brian to share His message with the kids. During my own devotions I was reading Lamentations 3:22-24 which says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.” I was just reminding of His great love for me and I thank Him for giving me those opportunities to talk with the girls in my cabin as well as others in camp about His love for them. Verses 40-42 of that same chapter say, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in Heaven…”

One a lighter and more fun note, we had an amazing skit night this week. This is where each cabin comes up with a funny skit or act to do and many of the counselors/staff members get involved with it as well. Last year they had done one that was wonderful and Lauren and I did it again this year. We had five guys come up front (not knowing in advance they were coming up) and they were blind folded and had to take their shoes and socks off because we were going to have them feel things with their hands and feet, taste things, and smell things and they had to guess what each thing was. While they were doing these things we had some girls with nail polish come up and paint their toes. At the end I had them stand up and take their blindfold off and take a bow and they saw that their toenails were painted. They were super surprised and had no idea we had done that to them. It was really funny and they enjoyed it even though their toes were painted. It was a super great week and I thank God for every moment of it. Continue to pray for us as we work through this next week with over 120 bronco campers!!!!! And it’s the last camp of the summer:(

Nursing It Up...

This week past week I was the "primary nurse" which meant the kids came to me first with stuff and that I was taking care of all the medications and things. I was a little nervous about it when Aimee told me that, but I knew that she was there whenever I needed her for help and more importantly, God was watching over everything I was doing and was there with me. The week was actually pretty quiet in the nursing area. There were several medication, but not many kids needed extra stuff; just a cold here and there or a little cut. Praise the Lord for that.

I was a little sad to not be in a cabin this week, but I knew God had me where He wanted me. I was able to join in on the games during the week and walked around during the activities and loved doing that. I think the kids really enjoyed that as well and they felt better having the nurse right there with them at their activities. I remember a group of little boys chasing after me during on of the field games and they were yelling, "Get the evil nurse!!" It was just cute to see them get excited about getting me out even though I wasn't with them very much. It made me feel as though I was still a part of their time here at camp and that I was able to make a difference in their lives.

In my devotions this week I was reading through Jeremiah and chapter 29 verse 13 stuck out to me. It says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." It just reminded me that I need to have that desire in my heart to seek after Christ in order to truly know Him. He has to be the thing that I am striving after in this life, not money, not a relationship, not a good job, not friends or family; not that any of these things are necessarily bad, we need to be focusing on our Lord and Savior, not the things of this world that do not last. Thank you Lord for being my provider, my help, my joy, my Savior, my protector, my EVERYTHING. I could not ask for more Lord, except to desire you more.

Maverick 2

This week I was a counselor/nurse. I went in on Sunday to help with assessing the kids and gathering their medications Monday morning during registration. I wasn't sure how the week would go mainly because I didn't really know what to expect with the whole double role thing, but I was excited to be able to counsel even a little. The girls in our cabin were really great, the first time we did devotions they had amazing questions and were engaged the whole time. I was really surprised and excited about this.

The hardest thing for me this week was trying to balance my job as nurse and counselor. I hated leaving the cabin early to get ready for medications and having to leave an activity with my cabin to help take care of a camper or coming late to our cabin devotions because I was administering a medication. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the nursing side of it all, I did (I loved taking care of the kids in a physical way and to be able to talk with them about themselves and share with them even in those short moments of putting a band-aide on a cut), it was more that I didn't like being torn between two things.

We talked a lot about boasting in the Lord and nothing else and that we should desire nothing more in this life but an intimate relationship with Christ. Psalm 73:23-26 says, "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." A question the speaker gave us to think about was, "Would you want to go to heaven if God wasn't there?" This was something I thought about a lot over the week. Is my desire to go to heaven because God is there or is it to get away from this sinful world for my own sake? I would want to be quick to say, of course I wouldn't want to go if God wasn't there, but is that really true deep down? At times I don't act like that is true in my heart. Father, You are continuously seeking me and desiring to have an intimate relationship with You, help me to desire the same, day after day.

I saw God working in the heart of one of my campers and she told me she prayed and asked God into her life one night during the week. I was so happy and I prayed with her and talked more with her just about what that means and how amazing that is for her. It's always hard seeing the kids leave at the end of the week because you know some of what they are going back to and that many of them do not have support where they live and really have no way of growing in their faith other than on their own. But then God reminds me time and time again that they are not alone and that He has them right where He wants them. It's not our job to save them, we are here to be God's vessels and share the truth with them and see how God uses us. He doesn't need us, but He allows us to join Him in His mission. Thank you Lord for that.

We had a couple counselors sick this week and just some strange things going around. Prayer for their health would be wonderful. Thanks for your continued support and prayers. God is doing great things here and all over the world; we just need to take the time to actually see where He's working and join Him in that work.

Fourth of July Week

It was nice getting to camp when I did because I was able to have a whole week without camps and get to know the counselors better. Praise the Lord for that. This week we basically hung out and played basketball, games, ultimate, work day, and other things that helped pass the time. On the third we all went into town for the fourth of July parade. The third we hung out downtown Juneau and then they had fireworks at 12 am so it was on the fourth and it was dark enough. We slept at one of the churches in town and then in the morning walked in the parade. It was a lot of fun seeing campers and their families on the side of the road and being able to talk with them and say hi. Then we walked around downtown again and had supper at the pastor of Auke Bay Bible Church's house. It was nice to have the week to get to know people better and spend time with them.

This next week we have Maverick and I will be half counseling half nursing duties. I'm a little nervous about how that will all work out, but I'm sure it will be great. I am in town now because I am helping the nurse (Aimee) with registration stuff and checking the kids for medications, lice, and doing a quick assessment of them. That should be fun. It's kind of annoying having to go into town and missing the praise and pray that we do each Sunday evening with all the counselors and just hanging out for that evening. I'm looking forward to being able to counsel some this summer because at first we weren't sure if I was going to be able to do that, so thank you Lord for allowing me the chance to do that.

I have been reading a book by Max Lucado called "Next Door Savior." It is about remembering that Christ isn't just reigning over the universe, but He is living with each of us in our own lives and knows everything about each of us and how amazing that is. The verse I really like that I read this week was Hebrews 2:17-18 "For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people, because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted." He does not cover up the bad things in His family history or the hard times He went through in His life because He wants us to see that He has been there too. Jesus understands every aspect of our lives because He's gone through it as well. That's just son incredible to remember!!!

Soccer Camp

       Finally arriving in Juneau, my stomach is turning and I’m getting super excited to get out to camp and see everyone again. Tim picks me up at the airport along with Bob and we head to the office/dorms for the night. But Tim turns to me and says, “So guess what, we are staying in town for the week and doing soccer camp at Thunder Mountain High School.” Really? I have to stay in town, what a bummer. I had this idea of what I wanted and now things were changing. Well guess what girl, that’s just how life is, that’s how God is. We have these perfect ideas for ourselves (or at least we think they are perfect) and how we want everything to go, but God has a different plan, a much much much better plan. What that is for our own good, whether or not is seems like it at the time. He knows what He’s doing and loves us more than we could ever imagine so we have nothing to fear. So soccer camp here I came!!
The next morning was Wednesday and it was kind of raining and a little cold, but not too bad. Apparently the day before had been horrible with rain and wind and cold. The kids were ready to play some soccer, but by the time lunch came around they were all tired and ready for a rest. It was hard keeping their attention the whole time we were there (all day) and there wasn’t anything else they could do which was frustrating, but we worked around it and played other games that did not involve using a soccer ball. The next day was not too bad either, but Friday was pretty miserable. It was pouring down rain and winding and cold. We had tents set up and the kids hung out under those waiting for it to let up, but it never did. Some still wanted to play outside in it so we let them. After lunch it had cleared up enough that we went out and played a few games with the kids. They really enjoyed it. Then it was time for them to go which was sad, but I was also glad because it was starting to get rainy again. Then Tim and I headed back to camp. I was so happy to be ridding the Blondina again and looking out over the water. We saw a bear on the way in which was fun. The campers were having talent show night before playing Mission Impossible, so I was able to see the skits and things they had and meet some of the counselors and new staff members. It was so good to see everyone again. I was sad not to see the faces I had seen last summer, but it was great meeting the new members of the team.
The rest of the weekend was finishing up Senior High and I helped out with different things where I could and talked with some of the campers I knew and met some new ones. Sunday the campers stayed and came to our church service we have. It was cool to see them come and just to get them into a church service, maybe even for the first time in their lives. They got to see a little of what we do over the weekend and how we worship our creator. This next coming week is the fourth of July and there are no camps going on right now so it will be a good time of just getting to know people better and building relationships with them. I’m really excited to see what God has in store for everyone this summer and how things are going to go. Praise God I’m back and can serve Him in Alaska!!!

Flipped Upside Down

So, life's been pretty crazy sense last summer leaving camp. I've graduated from Bethel College with a bachelor's degree in Nursing and I will soon be taking the state test to receive my license as a Registered Nurse. Before all of this took place, I decided, after much prayer and conversation with others, to return to Echo Ranch Bible Camp this summer and work alongside the new camp nurse. I was originally hoping to be able to counsel a little, but with the work load and other factors it does not look like I will have that opportunity this summer. But I will be able to stay involved with the kids through games and helping with the nursing/medical side of camp. I'm super excited to be joining camp in a few weeks and to see where God takes me this summer and how He uses me to share His love with the kids of Alaska.

I had originally planned on taking my nursing exam toward the end of May and be at camp by the first week in June or even the last week in May, but God had other plans for me. Some of my paperwork which I sent to Alaska's board of nursing when trying to apply to take the test was lost or not received so my application was put on hold until I sent them the needed documents. Mail is not the fastest thing in the world and I have realized that even more these past several weeks. At first I was very annoyed and did understand why things had to be going differently than I had planned, but I kept being reminded that I am not in control of things; God is and He knows what He's doing even when sometimes I don't really understand or like it. So, I finally got things figured out the Alaska and was able to sign up to take the test and schedule a day. When I looked at the available dates in the town where I could take the test that was closest to where I live, the earliest date was about two and a half weeks away. I was like, I don't want to wait even more than I have already! But I prayed about it and signed up for that date.

Even though I have had to wait to head to camp several weeks longer and planned, I have seen God's hand at work. I have been able to work these past few weeks and earn money for camp and for when I return home and start looking for a "real" job. Also, I have had more time to spend with family and friends that I have not seen for several months and continue to build those relationship with them. Finally, I have been able to study and spend time in God's word, preparing me for this summer and the unexpectedness of it all.

I just want to thank all of those who have supported me so far is this journey and for your prayers and support. God has been at work and I'm excited to see what all else He has for me.