Promise for the Summer

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

~Isaiah 55: 8-11

That last part is especially a comfort to me. During the kid's weeks it was often thought, "Are they listening? Will they remember? Do they understand?" However, the Lord promises that His word will never return void, it Will accomplish what God desires. That is such a fabulous promise. If we present the Bible, God will do the rest. We can't make anyone believe anyways. We just need to be the tools.

We are now in family camps. It is great because it's a break from the constant attention required during kid's camps. It's also kind of different as far as ministry is concerned because it's not as overt as the kid's were with "Let's talk about Jesus." However, we are still here to minister. I think it is more with our lives now: being involved and being like Jesus in what we say and do- that, I theorize, will make the biggest impact.

17 Days left at camp for me. What a unique summer this has been.

Lessons from Basket Weaving etc

A year ago I didn't know how to weave baskets. A month ago I didn't know how. 3 weeks ago I didn't. Two weeks ago I learned how to weave baskets. So this past week, of course, I was qualified to teach basket weaving, right? lol The camp director thought so. So this past week I taught basket weaving. It was quite the experience. But the cool part was that it went fine. I had help and now that it is over I can look back and wow, it went fine. So the life lesson is that we often learn things the best when we teach them. This is definitely true in witnessing and many things. I guess I knew that already but it was a very tangible thing this past week. Here are my lovely baskets...

I'm having a lot of fun in the craft house.

In other news...here are some random pictures from the past several weeks.

My grandparents on their 65th anniversary during camp meeting.

Me and Jackie before our Saturday afternoon activity.
I'm a deceiver. Jackie is a Bible person.

Snow in Lake Placid!

Flashback to Camp Meeting

(Because I haven't gotten the chance to write this until now...)

Saturday night the 28th of June found me trudging back to the dorm with tears in my eyes. I always get nostalgic at the end of camp meeting. It gets worse as the years go by as each experience builds on the other. I have been blessed to be able to go to the same camp meeting every year of my life. I always want to learn something new each year and I always expect to learn something. And Jesus never lets me down.

Saturday night as I trudged to the dorm I was disappointed with how the week had ended. It had been such a wonderful time. I had been challenged, inspired, and motivated to walk closer to Jesus. And then it ended. Suddenly over.

Near the dorm where I was staying the primary tent was set up. As I neared the dorm I heard the sound of children's voices singing. They were singing praise songs in the primary tent. I stood in the darkness and listened to them and joy filled me. The week of camp meeting may have been over but it comforted me to know that the ministry of camp meeting was going on. Camp meeting has been such a blessing through the years in my life. Hearing those children singing those songs like I did years ago assured me that as long as camp meeting continued, the blessing would be passed on.

Camp meeting is a piece of Heaven on earth. It has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. This year was particularly wonderful and I was so blessed to be able to experience it once again. This year the emphasis was on the Holy Spirit. I was really convicted as to the nearness of Jesus' coming. And am once again questioning where my life is going. Come a year from now I will have to choose a direction. Am I living for myself or am I living for Jesus? If I knew Jesus was coming in 2 years would I change what I plan on doing? If so, why am I not living like that anyway? Should that not be the way we should be living? We also spent a good amount of time at Camp Meeting studying spiritual gifts. That is something I "know" a lot about but rarely think of during normal life. I want to develop my gifts more. Camp is a good opportunity for that. And come the school year Bekah and I are going to have a schedule of prayer topics. Spiritual gifts is going to be included in that. I am excited.

After I had trudged back to the dorm and packed a bit, for some reason 15 minutes later I found myself walking back out of the dorm. I had no reason to go back out. I should have been getting in bed. However, I found myself back in the large tent looking for Bekah who was helping her dad. As I walked in to the tent I saw 3 new friends we had met at camp meeting walking in to the tent looking for us- to pray together before leaving. I don't believe it was a coincidence. We joined hands in a circle and prayed together. I cried again. But this time they were tears of gratitude and joy. God truly understands the needs of our hearts.

I could

I could tell you that staff week was just fine.

I could tell you how wonderful camp meeting was. I could tell you how spiritually amazing it was. I could tell you how I made new friends. I could tell you what a wonderful week it was.

I could tell you how my grandma broke her wrist but even through that turmoil God's grace was very evident.

I could tell you about waking up at 4am to come up here and feeling the lowest I had felt in a really long time- a tumble from the high of camp meeting. I could tell you how I could tell satan was playing on my weaknesses.

I could tell you about teen week. How it has been...interesting. I could tell you how I honestly am not so sure how I feel about being here right now. It is a struggle and I feel very frustrated and a bit disappointed over the whole experience.

But I am tired.

So I will just tell you that.