over half way...week 5 of camp!

I think I am feeling better today.  Thank you for your prayers.  My throat is feeling better today, but my body is still feeling very weak, and my nose is obnoxiously stuffed.  Continued prayers would be very much appreciated.

Last week was very different for me as I was working with Trailblazers (3-5th grade).  It was completely different, but not necessarily a bad different.  I did several activities with my girls, and we had a fun week.  Campout was also very different.  I learned in a new way this week how refreshing campout is.  One way it is refreshing is simply because it is a change of scenery and pace.  Another way is that you are not the only one in charge of your kids now.  At campout all of the counselors share the responsibility for all of the campers, which is so nice as a counselor, especially when you have a challenging group.  My Dad was reminding me the other day that campout was one of the things about camp I was dreading most, but instead I now love it.  One of the things I love about campout is the food.  For dinner we grill hamburgers over the open flame with all the toppings.  For a late night snack, Jim usually prepares venison for the staff to eat--marinated and grilled over the fire...delish!  For breakfast we make what we call supreme eggs, or breakfast goulash!  It has eggs, bacon, cheese, tomatoes, and potatoes.

God has been stretching me in other ways.  Those of you who know me well will get a better kick out of God's sense of humor as to what I have been doing to stretch me this summer so far:
-boy crazy girls in my cabin
-sports path
-paintball path
-camping outside no tent, no camper, just you, your sleeping bag, and the stars
-scooping ice cream
-whiny girls

On Saturday, Daniel, myself, and some other camp friends went to Rapid City, ND to go to Hill's Alive.  It was very hot, and very humid (which everyone told me I wouldn't experience in MT).  Hill's Alive is kind of like the equivalent of Soulfest over in the northeast.  The plus side of Hill's Alive is that it is FREE!  So for zero moneys, I got to see live...The Afters, Hawk Nelson, and Kutless.  It was fun to get off camp and be with friends, go to Wal-Mart, see civilization!

Now for some personal information.  For those of you who do not know, my Grandpa (paternal) is not doing well at all.  Last week he went comatose one night when his sugars dropped to the thirties.  I talked to my mom this morning and she was headed out to go to the hospital to meet up with the ambulance that brought my Grandpa in.  I have been so blessed to have all four grandparents living and within two miles of home.  All four grandparents love the Lord with their whole heart and are awesome romodels for me.  Please pray for my Grandpa, that he would not be in pain.  Please also pray for my Grandma (married to Grandpa for over 60 years), and the rest of the family as they work through this.  I do praise the Lord that my Grandpa knows the Lord, and when it is his time to go, we all know where he is going.  Such peace there is in that.  So I personally ask for your prayer for my family.

I hope you all have a blessed week.  I have a fun cabin of four girls.  I am still seeking where they are spiritually so I can best minister to them this week.  Remember to look to the Lord for your every need, and you can know I am lifting you up in prayer.  Grace and Peace to you.

staff training complete

Staff Training is officially over.  The next time I am "on" I will be a counselor of Explorer age (6-8th grade) girls. I have a beautiful cabin where I kind of get my own room off of the cabin room, which will be nice when I get up earlier then the girls for devotions.  Here are a few pictures of my cabin for this upcoming week...

I have been enjoying my time here, but have been drained completely of all energy. I have so much I want to write about, but so little energy to write it with.  God has been so good and already been growing me (one of which is the age group I will be working with.  I have told many people that I can deal with all ages except junior high.  What age group do I have this coming week? junior high!)  I don't know how to explain the group of people here.  I am not 'best friends' with anyone here yet, but the people here are so welcoming.  In any group I have come in to, yeah people may have been friendly, but I didn't necessarily feel like I belonged. There are groups of better friends, but they are still including of everyone.  I am so thankful for this wonderful group of people, and am adjusting to the rustic lifestyle of Montana.

Tuesday after I was involved with a game of paintball.  I can't say it was my favorite activity of all times, but I did it, and I even got a welt from the paintball that hit me!

Wednesday morning was a normal schedule and late afternoon, we left for the cliffs for an overnight camp out.  When we first got to the cliffs we had the option of going rappelling.  It was nothing I necessarily wanted to do, but wanted to be able to say I had done it.  I can now say that, and don't care to do it again anytime soon.  I think it was the nerves, but I felt sick for the rest of the evening.  We enjoyed hamburgers over the open fire and Jim provided us with marinated venison--it was delicious (which is still an understatement).  After some singing, and Jim sharing from Ezekiel we heard a storm coming in so the girls camped out in the bus.  A bit difficult for a short person, but I slept better then anticipated.  During the summer, Wednesdays will always be our camp out nights.  We will normally camp out under the stars, but due to the weather, the bus worked just as well.  Thursday morning we woke up bright and early (due to the sun rising at 4am) and I sat by the campfire for a while.  Gavin made some amazing supreme eggs including potatoes, tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper, and cheese.  It might have been the nastiest looking food I have ever eaten, but it was very tasty.  Daniel, Aron, and Cienna gave their testimonies, we played some campfire games and were back to camp for lunch.

Thursday afternoon we finished up some activity training and went for a horse ride.  It was good to be back on a horse, but I definitely have some learning to do.  I am quite sore from it due to not being relaxed.  Maybe when I become unsore, I can take some Saturday and do some more riding.

Friday was our last day of training and we all went on a 6 hour solo.  A solo here at camp is when everyone is required to be completely by themselves in solitude just to catch up and get ready for camp.  Most specifically, get ready spiritually.  I went to Medicine Rocks about 15-20 minutes from camp.  I found a beautiful spot up on a hill, set out a tarp, towel and had a blanket.  It was raining in the morning, and I was nervous about it raining for my solo, but thankfully the Lord knew and the skies were blue and cloudy.  I really needed this time alone and away from everyone (nothing against anyone), and am so thankful for that time.  Check out the pictures from where I was....

Friday night we came back to a huge feast that Jim (he's a good cook) had made for us.  We had all the makings for a burrito thing- wraps, steak or chicken and bacon, mushrooms, peppers, onions, cheese, tomatoes, olives (yum, Dad!), sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, etc.  We then had jalapeno poppers (jalapeno pepper stuffed with cream cheese and bacon wrapped around it), spring rolls, and still more.  We had an awesome dinner, and afterwards a wonderful time of fellowship talking about what the Lord had done in our lives during staff training.  And then as I mentioned earlier we shared in communion which was really powerful.

This morning, I was cleaning up piles of brush and junk.  I think my arm found some poison ivy, so I am curious to learn if I am allergic or not (good way to start off camp, right?).  It got a little tedious, but  you could really see the fruits of our labors, things looked really nice.  I was thankful for lunch, was trained in archery and then moved my stuff to my new cabin and started some laundry.

I am now working on some computer work.  I hope to finish up laundry, get some dinner, clean up, and then possibly head back out to Medicine Rocks.  I apologize for it being so long, and for many of you full of boring details.

Please be praying for me as this is the first week of camp with campers.  Please pray for their safety, and that the Lord be working in their lives even now.  I am anticipating a great week where the Lord does a mighty work both in and through me.  I am excited to see Him work in the campers' lives as well.  Please be in prayer.

I am going to close this blog out for your sake, and keep working on other computer work.  Take care and God Bless!

Denver, Colorado

I have safely made it to Denver International Airport.  I said goodbye to Dad Thursday morning as he left for a mission's trip to Alaska.  Mom, Sarah, Aunt Dar, Mrs. Stevens and I all headed to Ocean City, NJ.  We enjoyed some time there (the water was SO cold), and then after an emotional and hard goodbye Aunt Dar and Mrs. Stevens brought me back to their place.  I had the privilege of staying with them and enjoying some relax time.  I got some good sleep, a bit of reading, lovely fellowship, and was spoiled rotten.  Yesterday we went to the Longwood Gardens.  I can't even put into words how beautiful it was, and how very much I enjoyed it.  There were some of the most beautiful flower gardens I have ever seen, perfectly trimmed bushes, and the biggest conservatory in I think, America (I could be wrong on that detail, but none-the-less, it was huge).  I got to see some of my favorite flowers and in several different varieties: orchids, gerber daisies, bonsai trees!  We had better weather then we could have asked for, and were all zonked at the end of four hours walking in the sun.

My alarm went off this morning at 4:15am and Aunt Dar brought me to the airport in Philly, PA.  After some small hassles, I made it to my gate and on to my plane.  I was in the very back row with no one else in my section so I put my feet up and enjoyed reading Tears in the Bug Juice: A Testimony of God's Faithfulness in the Founding of Teen Valley Ranch and Trail's End Ranch by Pat Anderson.  I don't think I was even halfway through when I started, but I finished the book, was able to nap, as well as look through SkyMall (there are some very odd things in that magazine).  The flight was smooth and uneventful.

Thank you all for your prayers.  I can't believe this adventure has actually started.  Please continue to pray for safety in travel as my flight to Billings, MT starts boarding in about forty minutes.  After I arrive in Billings, I will have a four hour vehicle ride to Ekalaka.  Praying I can be a testimony to those I am around.  I hope you all have an awesome weekend, and again, thank you for your prayers!