So it's almost halfway through the summer and I never write in this thing. There are so many things I want to write about, but I never have time to sit down and actually do it. For this, I apologize- I love being able to write things down, and it's killing me that I don't have time to do that this summer.
Currently, I’m sitting on my bed in Cabin 10 (Clara’s Crib) listening to the rain outside, music that is not Justin or the Jo-Bros, and drinking delicious hot chocolate that I got from a coffee shop in Lindale this morning. I have Tuesday mornings off, and this one is perfect for doing absolutely nothing. I don’t have internet in here of course, so hopefully I will find time later today to upload this. I have about an hour before I have to be somewhere, so let’s see how far I get.
Half the Summer.
It is so crazy to think that first half is almost over. I feel like we just got here, and I am so sad to see so many absolutely wonderful counselors leave. I am excited for second half staff to get here, but it will be hard to see first half-ers go. (Campers just walked back into my cabin, and now it is filled with 10 year old girls, laughter, wet towels and questions about what is next on the schedule.)
It is hard for me to even know what to write about, because there is so much. I hate that I have missed out on writing about so much, because it is all worth sharing and writing about. Here is a journal entry from last weekend:
I love my job. I mean that with everything I have in me. And it is so cool to say that, because my prayer has been that the Lord would give me the same passion for this place and these people that I have for Singers. And I feel that that prayer has been answered for sure.
I love getting to hang out with and serve all of these precious campers and counselors. The people I get to surround myself with each day are honestly incredible men and women of God and I am so lucky to do life with them this summer.
Sky 2 Love.
I absolutely love being on leadership for Sky 2. The kids are so cool and so much fun to hang out with- they are precious and loving and wonderful. I am obsessed with all of my counselors, I love watching them with their kiddos and seeing how they love them and serve them unconditionally. It is such a neat picture of Jesus that we get to paint for these campers each week, and I love that I get to be a part of that story.
I was talking with some counselors this past weekend about how Sky 2 is such a family. All of us: guy counselors, girl counselors, leadership, we are SUCH a family. There are no cliques or separate groups- we all hang out together and love each other and these kids. It is honestly so cool. I don’t know how to tell you about it any other way, because (like Singers,) I think it is one of those things that you have to be a part of to understand. In my life, I have been blessed enough to be a part of several groups like this (trainers, Singers, Sky) and my prayer for all of you is that you would all have something like this in your life as well.
"If it makes you feel any better, that was totes presh."
In my last post, I talked about how much it stinks being single right now. Honestly, it’s still really hard. And it’s really hard not to fall in love with every available boy here, because they are all so so wonderful. But these past few weeks have been a lot about learning and remembering to trust in the Lords plans for that part of my life and less about finding someone to fall in love with. For me, it is very easy to let the Lord take control of certain things, like school or Singers, but I find that I want to hold on to other aspects of my life, such as this. But honestly, that sucks. A lot. (The rain has stopped, and now the sun is out. I love Texas.) It sucks a lot having to worry all the time that I will never find this precious thing that I want so badly, and knowing that I have no control over that at all. I can’t make someone fall in love with me, and I don’t think I can make myself fall in love with someone. It is all part of His plan and His story for me, and I have to be able to trust that. I have to give it up and trust in His plans for me. Don’t worry, it’s still hard. And I still want it (real bad). But I’m learning to surrender that daily, and that’s a start.
It’s funny how He shows me things and teaches me things sometimes. I’m so stubborn that I don’t listen and I try to do things my own way, so I end up walking back to my cabin at 11 on a Saturday and I have a two minute conversation with someone where the Lord basically slaps me in the face (in a loving way, of course) because nothing else has worked. Ask me about it, I’ll tell you sometime.
Epic Battle.
Last Friday, we had an all Sky 2 raid- boys against girls. Probably top five MOST fun things I've ever done in my life. Picture me, standing in front of a mob of about 100 girls and counselors, yelling and pumping them up to demolish the boys. Then it begins, shaving cream and water balloons and chocolate syrup and silly string and flying everywhere in and from all directions. Everyone is yelling and running around and campers are pelting me with gobs of shaving cream and silly string. And no one even cares- it's messy and fun and chaos and I'm 12 again. I LOVED it. One boy walks up to me with a handful of shaving cream and smears it all on the side of my face, getting it in my ear so deep that I couldn't hear anything. It was HILARIOUS. It lasted for about 15 minutes- best 15 minutes EVER. Even after taking a shower, I had to get the shaving cream out of my ear with a q-tip...
"I remember two summers ago..."
I LOVE being here for a third summer in a row, because by now, I know so many of the kids. I have seen so many of my old campers, and it is so wonderful to hang out with them and love on them again. Last week, I was sitting in on a Bible study in Mvula (Cabin 14). They had a two campers, twins, that I had in Rockwall, my cabin my first summer. Toward the end of the lesson, one of the girls raises her hand and her counselor calls on her. She starts her statement off with, “Two summers ago, when I was in Rockwall, I remember we talked about this at Bible study too…”
I listen as she tells this entire story about a day two summers ago when her sister (who was 7 at the time) learned about who Jesus was and how she cried when she learned that He loves us enough to let us spend eternity with Him in Heaven. This only takes her about two minutes to tell, but of course by the end I’m sitting over in my corner with tears running down my face because I remember this day too. And I was reminded that everything we do here is worth it, because they hear and they remember and the Lord is working. Even in the youngest Sky 1 cabins, the Lord is working and these kids are worth it. After I left Cabin 14 I went to find the Rockwall counselors and pass this on as encouragement.
"James, BE GONE!"
Last week, I went to “story time” at the Loft (Cabin 16) when they were putting their girls to bed. It was super fun, and the counselors made up this intricate story about this really cool place with a funny name that I can’t remember right now and all these characters that were named after counselors in their brother cabin. So Kelly, the senior counselor, was telling the part of the story where the Purple Fairy gets angry with James, the evil monkey. And she says, “So the Purple Fairy threw her hands in the air and with a POOF, she cried ‘James, BE GONE!” and instantly my brain says, “oh, I can make a joke out of this.” I say, “Oh man, you don’t know how many times I think that every day.” All of the counselors and the girls bust out laughing and yelling and it might have been one of the funniest moments of the summer. Also, the Loft girls taught me how to do the worm last week, true story. Except I don’t really like it, because it hurts really bad when I do it.
"What do you miss most about being a counselor?"
Everyone always asks me what I miss most about being a counselor. I never really had a good answer to this question until last week. Last week I realized what I missed most- teaching Bible Study. I feel like that’s a really cliché answer for someone who works at a Christian camp, but whatever, I do. I have 5 cabins that I’m, for lack of better term, “in charge of,” and I try to make it to a different cabin’s Bible study each day of the week. I absolutely love going, because it is so cool to see these girls learn about and hear truth from their counselors, and I love witnessing that. Every time I go though, I always have to try so hard not to take over and interrupt. I always have so much I want to say or questions get asked that I want to answer, and sometimes I do, but I know that this is such a sweet time for these girls and their counselors, and I don’t want to get in the way of that. I just love it.
"I love my JOB!"
This has become something like a battle cry among the summer staff. (It's the "PITUSA" of Sky Ranch.) Walk anywhere on camp and yell, "I LOVE MY JOB!" I promise at least 8 people will yell it back at you. (Last week, a high school camper heard us and cried, "I need a job!" Funny funny.) It's hot and fun and nasty and sweaty and shaving cream in our ears and sunburns and homesick campers and praise and campfire and carrying luggage and staying up late and waking up early and pouring our entire selves out and never having time for anything and loving and serving and tired and loud and blisters and we love our job.
Alright, times up for now. I will try to be better about updating, but you've seen how well that's working out so far...
"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
- Colossians 2:2-3
