Week 7 turned out to be a very chill week and a very good week to end on. I left off last time telling you that I was heading to the lake. It was beautiful out there. The weather was cool, but comfortably so. We didn't do a lot of tubing or anything extreme, but Ashley and Sarah and I just chilled on the boat- ate some watermelon, listened to David Crowder, took a small nap. It was good.
Monday we didn't have our usual Bible study in the morning, but we combined it with our usual Monday afternoon girl time. Meredith decided to focus on the themes of surrender and Christian suffering, which seemed to be reoccuring issues throughout project. We thought about what we valued and protected, if we would give that up if God asked, and how we would respond if it was taken away. Some pretty hard questions really. Then we talked about some examples of suffering in the Bible and the was that God used it. Then we all chose a rock, a decently-sized rock, and wrote down all those things that we burden ourselves with. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to "throw off everything that hinders." So we did that. We threw our rocks down into this creek below the outdoor chapel where we were. It was very liberating. Since we still had some extra time before dinner we all went to Graeter's to get some icecream! Mmm!
A little while after dinner City Cure had a surprise-ish party for us, to show us how much they appreciate our work. Barry Baker gave us each a rock to remind us that we are stone-rollers. To summarize what he said, in the story of the Ressurection, the stone was rolled away from the tomb not so that Jesus could get out, but so that people could see in and see the truth of Jesus. Basically, that is what we did for these children. We rolled away the stone so they could see the truth of Jesus. Pretty cool stuff.
Tuesday before the kids came I had to go to the post office to take care of some random stuff. I was going to go to the Lebanon one, because it was easy to get to, but Tonya had to pick up a package at the Oregonia post office, so we went there. It was the smallest post office I'd ever seen!! Tiny! It was so quaint because when they found out we were from King's Domain they went ahead and gave us all the mail for King's Domain to take back with us, haha. It was cute.
The kids came as usual. I was in cabin two with Kelly, but because she is one of the judges, she wasn't with me when the cabins were announced. I was a little worried at first because half of the girls were crying from the get-go. Not a good start. However, they cheered up pretty fast. The rest of the day went pretty well. We had a few trouble-makers, but in general they listened to directions and got along well. They were definitely more open than in past weeks. They shared a lot about their lives, good and bad. One of my campers had a mom in jail, that was really sad to hear. But she was a great girl. It was just about the best F.O.B time I'd had alls summer. They were all out like a light almost right away. In the evening, our small group didn't seem to go very well. Most were falling asleep or distracted. But Kelly and I still trusted that God was going to show them what they needed even if we didn't see it happening.
Tuesday night Kelly and I went outside to de-brief for the day and ended up talking for about 2 hours! Luckily the kids were asleep pretty fast, so we could have more time to talk. It was really great to help her with what she was going through and also be able to sort of some stuff that was going on in my life. I'm a very external processor, so it's necessary for me to talk through things to understand and figure out stuff.
Wednesday was a pretty good day. We still only had minor discipline problems. It was ballet week, so instead of our normal workshops all the kids had ballet class in the morning. Leadership divided up our time, so each day we only had to be at an hour of dance class. Seeing the ballet really brought me back to my dancing days, making me regret my fateful decision to quit. Anyway, Wednesday I got some free time, so I got an extra nap, that was nice. F.O.B. time was good again, but this time it was because one of my little girls, DeMaya, had basically brought a library with her and was sharing all of her books with everyone. It was awesome to see them all reading for fun!! Wednesday night is commando night, which is always very fun. My kids were really close to winning and got really upset that they didn't. It got a little crazy because we had some girls who were really disrespecting because they were pouting so much, but Kelly and I were somehow able to get it under some kind of control before showers.
Thursday is always my favorite day of the week. Instead of free time during dance I got discipleship time with Meredith. I hadn't really gotten any time to talk to her all project, so it was nice to talk through some stuff with her and confirm some things I had talked about with Kelly the previous nights. It started to rain a little, so we didn't do the Expedition like we normally do it. We went down the road rather than the muddy trail and just went through the colors at the cross. Instead of only one or two girls having to go, we had about half the group that had to go in the woods, haha. That was interesting. It started raining again while we were at the pool, so they bussed us up to the top of the hill to watch a movie (Barnyard). It was cute. I love watching movies like that with kids because of their comments. Jaylah was sitting in my lap and she had some pretty cute questions (although she fell asleep half-way through). Then after dinner, instead of playing games on the lower fields, they had various activities by the DH for everyone. Jaylah and I had fun at the dance party.
Thursday night was interesting. At Domainia, one of my girls was really deeply touched by the gospel message, which is awesome. But three of my girls decided that silly putty looked like bubblegum... which created an embarrassing situation for them when they realized it wasn't. Poor things had sore throats for the rest of the evening. I had a pretty serious talk with them about not eating things that aren't clearly labeled as food! It was pretty funny though.
Then at midnight about 6 or 7 of the girls came into my room and whispered happy birthday to me because I wouldn't get up and go outside, haha. It is amazing that none of my campers woke up. In the morning my campers sung happy birthday to me and gave me hugs. I loved that. Meredith got me and Ty (whose Birthday it also was) some starbucks. I got a skinny caramel latte. Mmm! Of course they sang us the Birthday Rap during breakfast. I wanted to record it, but didn't. Instead, I will at least write down the lyrics here so I don't forget!
Everybody put your hands in the air!
One, two, three, and to the fo'
It's birthday time in the KD yo!
So come on everybody and get on your feet
And dance to the rhythm of the birthday beat!
clap your hands!
clap your hands!
stomp your feet!
stomp your feet!
Now lean back, lean back, lean back lean back.
Now everybody just jump jump jump!
Everybody just jump jump jump!
Here we go,
Happy Birthday to you
wikki wikki
Happy Birthday to you
wikki wikki
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you!
wikki wikki word
Friday was a day so full of mixed feelings. I was happy because it was my 19th birthday, but it was sad because I was leaving a place I had grown to love so much. Normally when the kid's leave there's always the hope they'll be back in weeks to come, but this Friday I couldn't have that hope. They were going back for good, at least until next summer. I went back on the bus with the kids, Jaylah fell asleep on my lap. I cried. I couldn't help myself. I knew I was going to miss these kids so much. Especially little Jaylah who had grown so attached to me. When we got to church and her uncle came to pick her up, it was really hard to say bye, for both of us. Her uncle didn't even look happy to see her, this precious little bundle of joy and cuteness. It broke my heart. I wish I lived closer. Jaylah wanted me to come visit, but I had to explain that I don't live in Cincinnati. I can still feel her little arms around me so tight. It still makes me tear up just thinking about it.
After all the kids were taken care of, the staff who had gone with the kids went out to lunch at Penn Station, that was yummy. I'd never had it before, I think it's a Cincinnati thing. When we got back to camp we didn't have a formal de-brief like normal, we just did camp close-out stuff. Then showered and got ready to go to Niwana's house for dinner and fun.
Some people left Friday night, that was hard. I left Saturday morning around 9, trying to make my good-byes as short as possible. I didn't want to start crying. I with-held my tears while I was around people, but as soon as I started to drive out of camp the tears came. I cried most of the way home really. Other than that it was a pretty easy drive.
When I got home, Nanny and Chris were there to welcome me and give me my cards and gifts. A few hours later Austin came. Then we went to a show Chris had in some random barn. Kat came with, it was a pretty good show. I only stayed for Chris's set because I was really tired, but he played well. He says he bombed it, but I still think it was good.
After the show Austin gave me all of his gifts. He had already given me three roses earlier (which are still blooming beautifully) just for seeing me again. The gifts were awesome! He got me a rock from Mt. Fuji, and a scarf thing from there, as well as some Yen. He also got me these Japanese Koala cookies that I loved when I was kid. So yummy! On top of that he got me two stuffed bunnies from Japan's Disney. They have magnets that makes them stick together. The boy bunny has flowers that transfer to the girl bunny's arm. It's so cute. And it's not done there! He also got me a book of the complete C.S. Lewis essentials, and Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. I'm pretty sure that's all. It was really great.
Unfortunately, after he had given me all that, we had to have a more serious talk. We decided that God really wants us to take a break from the relationship to work on some things individually. After a lot of prayer, we're pretty sure that God still wants us to get back together, but that we just need some time not in a relationship to work things out. Both of us are pretty excited about what God is going to do in this time apart.
It's still weird to be home. I'm not quite used to all this free time yet. But I guess it doesn't matter because I move back in for RA training on Monday already. I don't feel quite ready for that either. I'm only beginning to process all the stuff I learned in the 7 weeks I spent at King's Domain. It's going to take awhile for me to really understand it all and apply it as well. I'm glad that facebook and phone calls still keep me in contact with all the awesome ladies that I grew so close to, that will be awesome support for the weeks.
Overall, I can say that my heart now has a special place reserved for Cincinnati, or at least for it's children.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Week 6: Awesomeness
After such a weird week, week 6 turned out to be one of the best weeks I've had here so far. I was a little worried at first, because we didn't have many momentum helpers and the ones we did have had never done this before. I knew that there was going to be a lot of kids coming, so finding out that I would only have one momentum to help me out was a little scary. But of course, God blessed the week and while there were some times that having one momentum slowed us down, for the most part it went pretty smoothly.
I think I've mentioned before that each week kind of has a theme. Well, this week was community week. So our Bible study on Monday morning focused on what it means to be a community of believers and what the Biblke tells us the body of Christ looks like.
Monday afternoon we had some girl time, with snacks as usual, and we wrote everyone a note of encouragement. We did a similar thing when my Bible study at OU was ending. Here at camp, it was surprising how much we had learned about each other and how close we'd grown in only 5 or so weeks. To kick off community week we also watched
Tuesday I was very ready for the kids to come. I felt way more refreshed and rested than I did at the beginning of last week. It was raining, so we had to change the schedule a little, but I think it actually worked out better because we had more time with to get to know the campers and it wasn't as rushed as a normal Tuesday afternoon. One of my campers from the craziest week ever came back, which I was sooo happy about because I finally could get to know her better. And I'm glad I did. She is one of my favorite campers that I've had. She is so precious! Her name is Semira and she loves rocks. She collects them here at camp, but she told me at home she collects broken cell phones and acorns.
By Wednesday it had stopped raining. During workshops we got some extra time to chill, so that was extra-refreshing. After lunch we did the expedition, which I have already explained. It went pretty well, but someone had to pee in the middle of it again. We got her to go outside, but she ended up peeing on her clothes while going outside, so we still ahd to get those washed. Luckily she was in her bathing suit so she could just take them off right there.
Thursday, Antioch, the church we go to, came out to the family picnic and Domainia. I'm glad they got to see the camp and the children that they were supporting, but we had some random band play at Domainia instead of Darris and his crew, so they didn't get to experience a really good Domainia.
During the gospel skit (where we present the story of the prodigal son in a modern day setting), I was sitting with Semira and in the scene where Tiff (the character) gets shot she started crying and said "I don't like that part." Poor thing. She's only 8. I can separate myself from stuff like that because it doesn't happen around me, but for her it's all to real. My heart broke for her.
After the gospel skit, someone from CityCure/Whiz Kids presented the gospel. Most of my girls were falling asleep, but one girl started crying while she was saying the prayer to have Jesus come into her life. My co-counselor asked her why and she said that she was just so happy to be praying that. It was pretty awesome to see God working like that.
Friday we did our normal Chipotle routine and went frolicking again. We ran into our friend Kelsey from OU at Chipotle so they came frolicking as well. Saturday night was Darri's band's concert. Jalyssa (a friend from OU), Kelsey, Ty, Kelsey's friend and I all went out to dinner at Red Robin before the concert. It was way fun to hang out with some old friends from OU again. The concert of course rocked, and they were able to raise some money for KD as well. So that was cool.
Today church at Antioch was good. I'm sad that it's the last time I'll be there, but it was a good sermon. I like that Dave doesn't shy away from tough topics. Today we talked about how to stay pure in a sex-crazed world. He had some really awesome thoughts. After church we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. MMM. It was yummyyy.
Now I'm going to the lake that we went to a couple weekends ago. So I have to head out. Ending thoughts: This week really showed me how much joy God gives you when you are truly surrendering every situation and moment to Him! It was definitely a joy-filled week.
In Christ,
Audrey
I think I've mentioned before that each week kind of has a theme. Well, this week was community week. So our Bible study on Monday morning focused on what it means to be a community of believers and what the Biblke tells us the body of Christ looks like.
Monday afternoon we had some girl time, with snacks as usual, and we wrote everyone a note of encouragement. We did a similar thing when my Bible study at OU was ending. Here at camp, it was surprising how much we had learned about each other and how close we'd grown in only 5 or so weeks. To kick off community week we also watched
Tuesday I was very ready for the kids to come. I felt way more refreshed and rested than I did at the beginning of last week. It was raining, so we had to change the schedule a little, but I think it actually worked out better because we had more time with to get to know the campers and it wasn't as rushed as a normal Tuesday afternoon. One of my campers from the craziest week ever came back, which I was sooo happy about because I finally could get to know her better. And I'm glad I did. She is one of my favorite campers that I've had. She is so precious! Her name is Semira and she loves rocks. She collects them here at camp, but she told me at home she collects broken cell phones and acorns.
By Wednesday it had stopped raining. During workshops we got some extra time to chill, so that was extra-refreshing. After lunch we did the expedition, which I have already explained. It went pretty well, but someone had to pee in the middle of it again. We got her to go outside, but she ended up peeing on her clothes while going outside, so we still ahd to get those washed. Luckily she was in her bathing suit so she could just take them off right there.
Thursday, Antioch, the church we go to, came out to the family picnic and Domainia. I'm glad they got to see the camp and the children that they were supporting, but we had some random band play at Domainia instead of Darris and his crew, so they didn't get to experience a really good Domainia.
During the gospel skit (where we present the story of the prodigal son in a modern day setting), I was sitting with Semira and in the scene where Tiff (the character) gets shot she started crying and said "I don't like that part." Poor thing. She's only 8. I can separate myself from stuff like that because it doesn't happen around me, but for her it's all to real. My heart broke for her.
After the gospel skit, someone from CityCure/Whiz Kids presented the gospel. Most of my girls were falling asleep, but one girl started crying while she was saying the prayer to have Jesus come into her life. My co-counselor asked her why and she said that she was just so happy to be praying that. It was pretty awesome to see God working like that.
Friday we did our normal Chipotle routine and went frolicking again. We ran into our friend Kelsey from OU at Chipotle so they came frolicking as well. Saturday night was Darri's band's concert. Jalyssa (a friend from OU), Kelsey, Ty, Kelsey's friend and I all went out to dinner at Red Robin before the concert. It was way fun to hang out with some old friends from OU again. The concert of course rocked, and they were able to raise some money for KD as well. So that was cool.
Today church at Antioch was good. I'm sad that it's the last time I'll be there, but it was a good sermon. I like that Dave doesn't shy away from tough topics. Today we talked about how to stay pure in a sex-crazed world. He had some really awesome thoughts. After church we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. MMM. It was yummyyy.
Now I'm going to the lake that we went to a couple weekends ago. So I have to head out. Ending thoughts: This week really showed me how much joy God gives you when you are truly surrendering every situation and moment to Him! It was definitely a joy-filled week.
In Christ,
Audrey
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Week 5: Rollercoaster
Week 5 was a weird week. Not nearly as crazy as week 4, but full of ups and downs. It started off well. Monday might as well have been Girl Day. It seemed like our girl time lasted all day. We had our usual Bible study Monday morning before breakfast. It was all about being able to rest in the Lord and His grace, which was appropriate because we all had had such a tough week. It was interesting to consider how most people consider "getting away" for a little while as being true rest, but it usually is just post-poned burnout. The only true rest is in Christ. In Isaiah 40:31, it says "They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and ot faint." I used to always focus on the fact that they are doing, that they are constantly running or walking. But in Bible study I realized that the emphasis should not be on their constant action, but the fact that they are never weary because they are in a constant state of rest, so they can keep going.
Then we had from breakfast until lunch to spend time with God and rejuvinate. I didn't really get the time I wanted to for some reason. I felt really spiritually dry, and I didn't want to start off my week that way. Luckily, after lunch we had girl time, which was great. We played "hot seat," where everyone is in the "hot seat" for 2 and a half minutes which means they can be asked any question from anyone about anything. It's a fun way to get to know everyone. Some questions are funny, some are serious. Then we took a survey type thing anonymously about our sins. When we turned them in, they shuffled them and passed them back out. We went through the list and if yes was circled on the paper you got you raised your hand. It was a good way of seeing that other people struggle with the same things you do. Then we went into a time of confession and encouragement. Eventually we had to break for dinner, but the leadership realized that there was still more sharing to be done so we met again in the evening. I feel like that's when the real emotions came out, at least for me. Getting thing's off my chest has never felt so relieving. It not only made me feel so much better, it made the whole group of girls so much closer. Being able to share in each others' struggles and encourage was amazing.
Tuesday I still felt emotionally, spiritually, and physically drained from the week before. I felt like I did just not rest enough that weekend. I took some time to pray and process before the kids came, but I still felt sort of out of it. Once the day started going, things only went downhill. My co-counselor and I were having some difficulties leading as a team and then I started to get a migraine. Those of you who know me well know that I have migraine problems. I've been blessed to not have any for the 4 week before this, but it seems like it was just saving it up for Tuesday. I took some medicine and laid down for a bit, but it only got worse. I slept in the nurses station that night and woke up feeling terrible. I even threw up. Eventually half-way through Wednesday I was feeling good enough to function, but I felt like I'd missed so much it was hard to get back into the swing of things. Pretty much until Friday afternoon I felt spiritually disconnected and dry. It wasn't good for me, my campers, or my relationship with my co-counselor.
Then during our de-briefing session, God smacked me in the face and woke me up. Leeann shared some really awesome thoughts that inspired me and stirred in my heart the passion that had somehow disappeared during the week. One thing she said that really hit home was that our only job this summer is to be Jesus to these kids. How blessed am I that my only concern for the next two weeks is being Jesus to these kids!! Once school starts, I have so many obligations and roles to fill that it's a struggle sometimes to make sure I'm not neglected my call as Christian. But here... here I don't have to worry about that. My only goal is to be Jesus to my campers. The rollercoaster was heading back up the hill!
Friday night was really fun. We of course had to get Chipotle for dinner, but a few of us also wanted to check out this Blues Festival going on nearby. So we found the park.. but it turns out the park is huge.. so we ended up just parking and literally frolicking through a meadow at sunset. It was so fun just being goofy with friends.
Saturday went out to a nearby lake, Ceaser's Creek, and went jet-skiing and tubing and played on the beach. I only stayed for a few hours because I was going to go get dinner with my friend Caroline who lives in the area, but I started to feel really sick at the last minute. So it was good that I drove separately because I needed to get back to camp. I finally felt better by around 8:30, but I hadn't eaten dinner, so I started to head out of camp to grab some fast food when I ran into Tammi, who I didn't even realize was at camp. So she came with me and we had a good chat over our Burger King and Speedway slushies. Most of the crew was back from the lake when we got back from our late dinner. It was a beautiful night, so we all sat outside and talked and listened to the guitar being played and looked at the stars.
Saturday night before bed I also had some really good God time. God's really been blessing my reading of His word and really confirming that I have the spiritual gift of knowledge. It's so awesome that we have a God who talks to us through His word and how we can always find Him when we seek Him, just like He promised!
Today at Antioch, continuing with the series of "People Like Us With Problems Like Ours," Pastor Dave talked about Amaziah, who he admittedly had never really heard of until recently. Amaziah is really a sad story. He did what was pleasing to God, but he never did it wholeheartedly (like Caleb) so he soon fell away from God. He really challenged us to consider if we're doing things for God wholeheartedly and to find out what is in our way, which is usually pride or idolatry.
God really answered my prayers for passion and healing my spritual dryness that plagued me this past week. I felt very refreshed today and completely full of the joy of the Lord. Totally free of worries. I really felt today what it means to rest in Him, nearly a week after that Bible study that focused on that idea. I just started to study Acts and in Acts 3:19-20 it says "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." It's a pretty simple formula. What do we do? Repent and turn. What will God do? Forget our sins and refresh us. I really like that it says in the ESV version "turn *again*" It's not just a one time event; it's a repeated process of repenting and turning back to God so we can be forgiven and refreshed.
Now I have to go move into my cabin for next week, Cabin 3, and go to worship! (which I'm sure will be amazing!)
In Christ,
Audrey
Then we had from breakfast until lunch to spend time with God and rejuvinate. I didn't really get the time I wanted to for some reason. I felt really spiritually dry, and I didn't want to start off my week that way. Luckily, after lunch we had girl time, which was great. We played "hot seat," where everyone is in the "hot seat" for 2 and a half minutes which means they can be asked any question from anyone about anything. It's a fun way to get to know everyone. Some questions are funny, some are serious. Then we took a survey type thing anonymously about our sins. When we turned them in, they shuffled them and passed them back out. We went through the list and if yes was circled on the paper you got you raised your hand. It was a good way of seeing that other people struggle with the same things you do. Then we went into a time of confession and encouragement. Eventually we had to break for dinner, but the leadership realized that there was still more sharing to be done so we met again in the evening. I feel like that's when the real emotions came out, at least for me. Getting thing's off my chest has never felt so relieving. It not only made me feel so much better, it made the whole group of girls so much closer. Being able to share in each others' struggles and encourage was amazing.
Tuesday I still felt emotionally, spiritually, and physically drained from the week before. I felt like I did just not rest enough that weekend. I took some time to pray and process before the kids came, but I still felt sort of out of it. Once the day started going, things only went downhill. My co-counselor and I were having some difficulties leading as a team and then I started to get a migraine. Those of you who know me well know that I have migraine problems. I've been blessed to not have any for the 4 week before this, but it seems like it was just saving it up for Tuesday. I took some medicine and laid down for a bit, but it only got worse. I slept in the nurses station that night and woke up feeling terrible. I even threw up. Eventually half-way through Wednesday I was feeling good enough to function, but I felt like I'd missed so much it was hard to get back into the swing of things. Pretty much until Friday afternoon I felt spiritually disconnected and dry. It wasn't good for me, my campers, or my relationship with my co-counselor.
Then during our de-briefing session, God smacked me in the face and woke me up. Leeann shared some really awesome thoughts that inspired me and stirred in my heart the passion that had somehow disappeared during the week. One thing she said that really hit home was that our only job this summer is to be Jesus to these kids. How blessed am I that my only concern for the next two weeks is being Jesus to these kids!! Once school starts, I have so many obligations and roles to fill that it's a struggle sometimes to make sure I'm not neglected my call as Christian. But here... here I don't have to worry about that. My only goal is to be Jesus to my campers. The rollercoaster was heading back up the hill!
Friday night was really fun. We of course had to get Chipotle for dinner, but a few of us also wanted to check out this Blues Festival going on nearby. So we found the park.. but it turns out the park is huge.. so we ended up just parking and literally frolicking through a meadow at sunset. It was so fun just being goofy with friends.
Saturday went out to a nearby lake, Ceaser's Creek, and went jet-skiing and tubing and played on the beach. I only stayed for a few hours because I was going to go get dinner with my friend Caroline who lives in the area, but I started to feel really sick at the last minute. So it was good that I drove separately because I needed to get back to camp. I finally felt better by around 8:30, but I hadn't eaten dinner, so I started to head out of camp to grab some fast food when I ran into Tammi, who I didn't even realize was at camp. So she came with me and we had a good chat over our Burger King and Speedway slushies. Most of the crew was back from the lake when we got back from our late dinner. It was a beautiful night, so we all sat outside and talked and listened to the guitar being played and looked at the stars.
Saturday night before bed I also had some really good God time. God's really been blessing my reading of His word and really confirming that I have the spiritual gift of knowledge. It's so awesome that we have a God who talks to us through His word and how we can always find Him when we seek Him, just like He promised!
Today at Antioch, continuing with the series of "People Like Us With Problems Like Ours," Pastor Dave talked about Amaziah, who he admittedly had never really heard of until recently. Amaziah is really a sad story. He did what was pleasing to God, but he never did it wholeheartedly (like Caleb) so he soon fell away from God. He really challenged us to consider if we're doing things for God wholeheartedly and to find out what is in our way, which is usually pride or idolatry.
God really answered my prayers for passion and healing my spritual dryness that plagued me this past week. I felt very refreshed today and completely full of the joy of the Lord. Totally free of worries. I really felt today what it means to rest in Him, nearly a week after that Bible study that focused on that idea. I just started to study Acts and in Acts 3:19-20 it says "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." It's a pretty simple formula. What do we do? Repent and turn. What will God do? Forget our sins and refresh us. I really like that it says in the ESV version "turn *again*" It's not just a one time event; it's a repeated process of repenting and turning back to God so we can be forgiven and refreshed.
Now I have to go move into my cabin for next week, Cabin 3, and go to worship! (which I'm sure will be amazing!)
In Christ,
Audrey
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Week Four Continued
So as I mentioned before, the madness climaxed on Thursday. Here are the highlights: We took the Expedition after lunch. On the Expedition, we take kids on a hike that explains each color of the gospel beads at a different station and at the end they make the bracelete. For those of you unfamiliar with the gospel colors they are: Yellow- because God created this world with light and love, and we are his unique creation. Blue- because of our sin and sadness. Red- Jesus's blood that was shed for our sins. Clear- because we are washed clean in Jesus and Green- which represents growing in our relationship with Jesus once we have accepted Jesus as our personal Savior. It's a really pretty trail that ends at an outdoor chapel. Well, halfway through the hike, one of my campers has to use the restroom- or as she put it "I GOTTA USE IT! I GOTTA USE IT BAAAD!" So we picked a shady area in the trees and she went out there.
After the expedition was pool time, followed by games in the lower fields. During pool time one of my momentum helpers informed me that there were two little girls fighting, and this time with cuss words and hitting. So I alerted a leadership staff member so she could help decide how to discipline. We got the two girls together and our plan was just to talk it out and give them a warning. However, they decided they did not want to talk it out and they starting fighting again, so they got put in lifejackets. The lifejacket is pretty much the ultimate punishment at camp. We have three basic rules: Don't fight, Don't cuss, and Don't disrespect. If they break them, they get a warning, then a lifejacket. Because those actions in life will bring them down and we are trying to save them. If they were drowning in a water, we'd throw them a lifejacket. Therefore, if they're about to drown in life, we do likewise. It's really just embarassing; it's basically a scarlet letter. Kids do have the choice not to wear it, but then they have to sit out by themselves and they can't participate in anything. Luckily, our girls did accept their punishment, which is one step. They got off lucky too because Thursday we had sponsors and potential sponsors coming so they got to take them off when the sponsors were there.
The sponsors was another reason why Thursday was hectic. There were so many people at camp! It's good though to see all those people willing to support us. It was also nice because Domainia (our nightime program with praise and worship and the gospel skit) was taken up a few notches. Our praise leader Darris had his band there, which was great, and they actually had lights when it got dark. Plus, Barry Baker, who works for CityCure presented the gospel message after the gospel skit, and I think a lot of kids really understood and accepted Jesus that night.
After Domainia is small group, where we discuss what went on in the gospel skit. The gospel skit is the prodigal son put into urban, current day form that the kids can relate to. It's really powerful, and I can explain more another time. Anyway, it's always hard to get the kids into small group, especially when they're young and tired. Paige, of course (she was in a lifejacket and had been causing problems all week), decided to literally run around the dining hall where we were having small group because she didn't want to go. So I sprinted after her until I caught her. Of course she wouldn't say anything, so leadership got involved and helped out.
Even though it was nearly 10:30 because we were running late, the night was not over! On the way to the bathroom to brush our teeth, one of my campers (the same little girl who had to go during the Expedition) peed herself. So I had a momentum take her to the showers to rinse off while I ran and got her new clothes from King's Kloset (and I was running because I didn't want the poor girl sitting there embarrassed for too long). I expressed my doubt about the momentums in the previous entry, but I have to say, when it came down to it and I really needed them- they stepped up to the plate. It was great. Anyway, then I ran back to the laundry room to wash the dirty clothes. It was a hectic night.
Finally the next day they left. And you'd think that after such a crazy week I'd be happy to see them go, but I was actually kind of sad. When the kids are misbehaving, it's easy to see them simply as little hellions out to ruin your day and make things harder for you. But when it comes down to it, they're still little girls who just need love. God's really been helping me see things from his point of view lately, and it's been good (see Matt. 16:23).
Another thing I've been learning is how much I can learn and grow here at camp from really becoming like a child (Matt 18:2-4). Everything during the week is kid-centered and it's all too easy to see myself as above that because I'm an adult. But everything from the songs to the skits to the kids themselves teach me things every week. Jesus had a reason for telling us to become like little children. What better way to do that then to hang out with them all summer!
Friday night we went to Chipotle, WalMart, and Starbucks again like last week. We're thinking about making it a tradition. I like that idea :)
Saturday we went to a Cincinnati Reds game! That was fun, even though I'm not really into baseball. I just like being around a lot of people, so it was a nice change from camp. It was nice to see Cincinnati a little more too since I have never really spent a lot of time here.
Today we went to Antioch church again. I really like it there. I forget if I mentioned this before, but Pastor Dave is doing a series on "People like Us with Problems like Ours." Today's sermon was on Caleb and how he served the Lord "wholeheartedly" in everything he did. The Hebrew word for "wholeheartedly" means that something was empty and now it is completely full of something else. Like a vase filled with water, Caleb was completely filled with God. Pastor Dave really challenged us to think about how we are living our lives compared to Caleb. It kind of going along with another thought that I've been considering lately. I love the song "Blessed Be Your Name." If you aren't familiar with it, download it or look up the lyrics. Well, I was singing that, and it hit me: I'm singing this song, but in the regular moments of my day, do I really bless His name in everything? That thought haunted me this past week and has been something that I'm working on.
Next week I'm in cabin 5, so they'll be significantly older than last week. There will be less kids, so God-willing it won't be as crazy as last week.
I'm working on getting pictures up from the past week. I took a lot, so it's going to take awhile, especially once I take more this week and have to upload those too!
In Christ,
Audrey
After the expedition was pool time, followed by games in the lower fields. During pool time one of my momentum helpers informed me that there were two little girls fighting, and this time with cuss words and hitting. So I alerted a leadership staff member so she could help decide how to discipline. We got the two girls together and our plan was just to talk it out and give them a warning. However, they decided they did not want to talk it out and they starting fighting again, so they got put in lifejackets. The lifejacket is pretty much the ultimate punishment at camp. We have three basic rules: Don't fight, Don't cuss, and Don't disrespect. If they break them, they get a warning, then a lifejacket. Because those actions in life will bring them down and we are trying to save them. If they were drowning in a water, we'd throw them a lifejacket. Therefore, if they're about to drown in life, we do likewise. It's really just embarassing; it's basically a scarlet letter. Kids do have the choice not to wear it, but then they have to sit out by themselves and they can't participate in anything. Luckily, our girls did accept their punishment, which is one step. They got off lucky too because Thursday we had sponsors and potential sponsors coming so they got to take them off when the sponsors were there.
The sponsors was another reason why Thursday was hectic. There were so many people at camp! It's good though to see all those people willing to support us. It was also nice because Domainia (our nightime program with praise and worship and the gospel skit) was taken up a few notches. Our praise leader Darris had his band there, which was great, and they actually had lights when it got dark. Plus, Barry Baker, who works for CityCure presented the gospel message after the gospel skit, and I think a lot of kids really understood and accepted Jesus that night.
After Domainia is small group, where we discuss what went on in the gospel skit. The gospel skit is the prodigal son put into urban, current day form that the kids can relate to. It's really powerful, and I can explain more another time. Anyway, it's always hard to get the kids into small group, especially when they're young and tired. Paige, of course (she was in a lifejacket and had been causing problems all week), decided to literally run around the dining hall where we were having small group because she didn't want to go. So I sprinted after her until I caught her. Of course she wouldn't say anything, so leadership got involved and helped out.
Even though it was nearly 10:30 because we were running late, the night was not over! On the way to the bathroom to brush our teeth, one of my campers (the same little girl who had to go during the Expedition) peed herself. So I had a momentum take her to the showers to rinse off while I ran and got her new clothes from King's Kloset (and I was running because I didn't want the poor girl sitting there embarrassed for too long). I expressed my doubt about the momentums in the previous entry, but I have to say, when it came down to it and I really needed them- they stepped up to the plate. It was great. Anyway, then I ran back to the laundry room to wash the dirty clothes. It was a hectic night.
Finally the next day they left. And you'd think that after such a crazy week I'd be happy to see them go, but I was actually kind of sad. When the kids are misbehaving, it's easy to see them simply as little hellions out to ruin your day and make things harder for you. But when it comes down to it, they're still little girls who just need love. God's really been helping me see things from his point of view lately, and it's been good (see Matt. 16:23).
Another thing I've been learning is how much I can learn and grow here at camp from really becoming like a child (Matt 18:2-4). Everything during the week is kid-centered and it's all too easy to see myself as above that because I'm an adult. But everything from the songs to the skits to the kids themselves teach me things every week. Jesus had a reason for telling us to become like little children. What better way to do that then to hang out with them all summer!
Friday night we went to Chipotle, WalMart, and Starbucks again like last week. We're thinking about making it a tradition. I like that idea :)
Saturday we went to a Cincinnati Reds game! That was fun, even though I'm not really into baseball. I just like being around a lot of people, so it was a nice change from camp. It was nice to see Cincinnati a little more too since I have never really spent a lot of time here.
Today we went to Antioch church again. I really like it there. I forget if I mentioned this before, but Pastor Dave is doing a series on "People like Us with Problems like Ours." Today's sermon was on Caleb and how he served the Lord "wholeheartedly" in everything he did. The Hebrew word for "wholeheartedly" means that something was empty and now it is completely full of something else. Like a vase filled with water, Caleb was completely filled with God. Pastor Dave really challenged us to think about how we are living our lives compared to Caleb. It kind of going along with another thought that I've been considering lately. I love the song "Blessed Be Your Name." If you aren't familiar with it, download it or look up the lyrics. Well, I was singing that, and it hit me: I'm singing this song, but in the regular moments of my day, do I really bless His name in everything? That thought haunted me this past week and has been something that I'm working on.
Next week I'm in cabin 5, so they'll be significantly older than last week. There will be less kids, so God-willing it won't be as crazy as last week.
I'm working on getting pictures up from the past week. I took a lot, so it's going to take awhile, especially once I take more this week and have to upload those too!
In Christ,
Audrey
Week Four: Craziest Week of My Life
Unfortunately, I have less than a half hour for this entry right now. That means there is no way I can express how crazy this past week was (if there is a way to express it in the first place). However, I will start to recount the week, and then probably finish it whenever I get a chance next.
The week started off well.. kind of. Monday, Doug Pollock came to speak. Doug is the Evangelism Director for Athletes in Action, so he definitely had some good thoughts and advice to kick off the week. We talked about some major Do's and Don'ts of evangelism and how to share your story well. A lot of the stuff he talked about is on his website, GodsGPS.com. The unfortunate part of that talk is the the momentum kids looks downright bored. Many were actually sleeping, a few texting. It was really frustrating that they weren't taking advantage of all the great tips and ideas that Doug was sharing. If you don't remember what momentum is, it's a program for junior and high school students to come and serve as junior counselors at camp for a week(basically they help out the counselors with whatever needs to be done). Sometimes the momentum kids can be really helpful, but seeinf them doze off during Doug's talk made me a little worried about the coming week. Did they really care? Did they really come here to grow and serve or just to hang out with their friends?
After lunch, all the counselors helped out with a program at a nearby church for special needs kids. I didn't work directly with the kids, but seeing my fellow counselors do so was amazing. Their patience with those children was fantastic. My freinds Ty and Dan worked with a boy who was autistic and had downs syndrome. They really had to pour their entire self into working with that boy, and it was great seeing them do that through God's strength. That day, they were Jesus to that little boy.
Tuesday the kids came. Before I begin the happenings of the time with the kids, let me preface with this: there were 120 kids on camp this past week- the most kids that have been on camp since it first opened. I knew it was going to be a little hectic, but I had no idea what it was really going to be like.
Tuesday morning I left around 7 to go to Crossroads (the church in Cincinnati where the kids are dropped off). They usually send a few counselors with some leadership staff to help out. The counselors job there is just to play with the kids and make sure things are in general order. Around 10 or 11 we load kids onto two buses to take them to camp. We had so many kids that we had to cram 3 or 4 kids to a seat and we had to stand or sit on the steps. Even then we had to recruit other drivers to take some kids to camp. The craziness had begun.
Once at camp, we ate lunch and found out who was in our cabin. We had 11 girls. 11 girls ages 6-9 who know no boundaries. Ah! There are only 12 beds in the cabin!. So with 11 kids plus two counselors, we had to put a mattress on the floor. Once that was sorted out, we had to get all our stuff in the cabin, change into bathing suits and go down to the pool. It seemed like all my kids were missing something. Not everyone had flipflops, or a once piece bathing suit, or a towel, or tennis shoes, etc etc. Which isn't there fault by any means, it just makes things crazier because I have to run over to King's Kloset and get them stuff.
The madness continued on Wednesday, constantly breaking up fights and counting heads to make sure they were all alive, but it probably climaxed on Thursday. Unfortuantely I have to go, but I will finish this another time.
In Christ,
Audrey
The week started off well.. kind of. Monday, Doug Pollock came to speak. Doug is the Evangelism Director for Athletes in Action, so he definitely had some good thoughts and advice to kick off the week. We talked about some major Do's and Don'ts of evangelism and how to share your story well. A lot of the stuff he talked about is on his website, GodsGPS.com. The unfortunate part of that talk is the the momentum kids looks downright bored. Many were actually sleeping, a few texting. It was really frustrating that they weren't taking advantage of all the great tips and ideas that Doug was sharing. If you don't remember what momentum is, it's a program for junior and high school students to come and serve as junior counselors at camp for a week(basically they help out the counselors with whatever needs to be done). Sometimes the momentum kids can be really helpful, but seeinf them doze off during Doug's talk made me a little worried about the coming week. Did they really care? Did they really come here to grow and serve or just to hang out with their friends?
After lunch, all the counselors helped out with a program at a nearby church for special needs kids. I didn't work directly with the kids, but seeing my fellow counselors do so was amazing. Their patience with those children was fantastic. My freinds Ty and Dan worked with a boy who was autistic and had downs syndrome. They really had to pour their entire self into working with that boy, and it was great seeing them do that through God's strength. That day, they were Jesus to that little boy.
Tuesday the kids came. Before I begin the happenings of the time with the kids, let me preface with this: there were 120 kids on camp this past week- the most kids that have been on camp since it first opened. I knew it was going to be a little hectic, but I had no idea what it was really going to be like.
Tuesday morning I left around 7 to go to Crossroads (the church in Cincinnati where the kids are dropped off). They usually send a few counselors with some leadership staff to help out. The counselors job there is just to play with the kids and make sure things are in general order. Around 10 or 11 we load kids onto two buses to take them to camp. We had so many kids that we had to cram 3 or 4 kids to a seat and we had to stand or sit on the steps. Even then we had to recruit other drivers to take some kids to camp. The craziness had begun.
Once at camp, we ate lunch and found out who was in our cabin. We had 11 girls. 11 girls ages 6-9 who know no boundaries. Ah! There are only 12 beds in the cabin!. So with 11 kids plus two counselors, we had to put a mattress on the floor. Once that was sorted out, we had to get all our stuff in the cabin, change into bathing suits and go down to the pool. It seemed like all my kids were missing something. Not everyone had flipflops, or a once piece bathing suit, or a towel, or tennis shoes, etc etc. Which isn't there fault by any means, it just makes things crazier because I have to run over to King's Kloset and get them stuff.
The madness continued on Wednesday, constantly breaking up fights and counting heads to make sure they were all alive, but it probably climaxed on Thursday. Unfortuantely I have to go, but I will finish this another time.
In Christ,
Audrey
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Week 3: Domainia Week
After I ended the last post, there were still some preparatory things to take care of before suburban week (aka Domainia week). Sunday evening they had a foot-washing ceremony. The leadership women washed the counselors feet. It reminded me of Pass the Baton at OU (I still have my baton from that- I keep it next to my bed to remind me of the commitment I made to the movement). Speaking of my commitment to serve Crusade at OU, I'm also going to be discipled for the rest of the project by Erin, who was actually my co-counselor the first week I was here but has moved up to leadership staff since then. We had a really good chat this week; she had some really great advice and encouragement. So I'm looking forward to that. After foot-washing we had a communion ceremony. That was nice, because I feel like I haven't had communion in awhile.
Monday I found out that I was in cabin 6 with Alee. I didn't know her that well, but she was an awesome co-counselor. We worked together well and definitely got to know each other better through the week. Lots of late night chats outside the cabin when the girls were asleep (or at least they were supposed to be). Registration was later that day. We only had 4 girls in our cabin. All middle school age, though one was in 6th grade and the rest in 8th. Three of the girls already knew each other because they went to the same church; two of them were best friends. I was worried at the beginning of the week that the two bffs would stick together and not get to know the other girls better, but they really included the other two well. Also, one girl in the cabin had a learning disability so she was a little socially behind as well, but she grew so much this past week. It was great seeing her come out of her shell and be social and just much bolder than she was when she arrived. She came to all of the dance workshops and gave it her all. It was great. One of the best friends actually was gone a lot (one day for a doctor's appt. about a rash and another for a swim competition), so that helped the other one get to know the other girls, but it was hard to bond as a cabin.
Because it was suburban week most of the kids were pretty familiar with the Bible and the gospel in general. It was hard to find time to get into a deep conversation with any of them about what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, but Alee and I still did out best to show Christ's love and what a young woman of God looks like. They did comment a couple of times about how much we read our Bibles and pray, so I think that that made an impact on them because they at least noticed it.
Probably one of my favorite parts of the week was running the dance workshop with Lindsey. The kids can choose from a number of workshops in the time between breakfast and lunch, two workshops a day. Lindsey ran the dance workshop last project, but she let me kind of take control of it and make some adjustments. I really wanted to focus more on the idea of praise dance. Lindsey and I choreographed some new praise dances and came up with some questions to give the kids an idea of what praise dance is. It is honestly such a joy to see kids dance for Jesus!! So fun!
Another highlight from the week: I also got my first bee sting ever! I figured that would happen while I was here at camp. It was right in the arch of my foot! It actually didn't hurt that badly, but it kind of itches.
After all the kids left on Friday, we had a debriefing of sorts and one of the leadership men announced that they had a surprise for the girl counselors in the conference room. So we all went up there and found red roses with notes for each of us from one of the guys! How sweet!! The note had this really sweet poem like thing on it about women in God's eyes and then there was a personal note about us. It was so nice.
That night we all went out to Chipotle for dinner! Mmmm! Then we all had to pick up some things from WalMart, and then to the Starbucks nearby. It was a good time off camp. It's nice to just chill and have some good fellowship.
Yesterday I was on facebook for about 3 hours uploaded over 100 pictures from the past two weeks and captioning them. So if you are my facebook friend, check it out. Or get someone who is to log in and show you. After chilling at the pool for an hour or so, we had dinner and went to see the new Batman movie. I liked it. After the movie we had a late-night pool party. I was tired, but it was fun anyway.
Some more notes from the week: I really feel God building a servant's heart in me and showing me what it means to be a servant leader, which is pretty sweet. Also, my prayer life has gotten a lot better. I've been really working on being in prayer continually and trying to be truly walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Well, momentum kids come today and the urban campers come Tuesday. I'm in Cabin 1, so I get the youngest ones. I'm not sure how I feel about that right now, but with momentum to help us it should be okay.
That's all for now!
In Christ,
Audrey
Monday I found out that I was in cabin 6 with Alee. I didn't know her that well, but she was an awesome co-counselor. We worked together well and definitely got to know each other better through the week. Lots of late night chats outside the cabin when the girls were asleep (or at least they were supposed to be). Registration was later that day. We only had 4 girls in our cabin. All middle school age, though one was in 6th grade and the rest in 8th. Three of the girls already knew each other because they went to the same church; two of them were best friends. I was worried at the beginning of the week that the two bffs would stick together and not get to know the other girls better, but they really included the other two well. Also, one girl in the cabin had a learning disability so she was a little socially behind as well, but she grew so much this past week. It was great seeing her come out of her shell and be social and just much bolder than she was when she arrived. She came to all of the dance workshops and gave it her all. It was great. One of the best friends actually was gone a lot (one day for a doctor's appt. about a rash and another for a swim competition), so that helped the other one get to know the other girls, but it was hard to bond as a cabin.
Because it was suburban week most of the kids were pretty familiar with the Bible and the gospel in general. It was hard to find time to get into a deep conversation with any of them about what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, but Alee and I still did out best to show Christ's love and what a young woman of God looks like. They did comment a couple of times about how much we read our Bibles and pray, so I think that that made an impact on them because they at least noticed it.
Probably one of my favorite parts of the week was running the dance workshop with Lindsey. The kids can choose from a number of workshops in the time between breakfast and lunch, two workshops a day. Lindsey ran the dance workshop last project, but she let me kind of take control of it and make some adjustments. I really wanted to focus more on the idea of praise dance. Lindsey and I choreographed some new praise dances and came up with some questions to give the kids an idea of what praise dance is. It is honestly such a joy to see kids dance for Jesus!! So fun!
Another highlight from the week: I also got my first bee sting ever! I figured that would happen while I was here at camp. It was right in the arch of my foot! It actually didn't hurt that badly, but it kind of itches.
After all the kids left on Friday, we had a debriefing of sorts and one of the leadership men announced that they had a surprise for the girl counselors in the conference room. So we all went up there and found red roses with notes for each of us from one of the guys! How sweet!! The note had this really sweet poem like thing on it about women in God's eyes and then there was a personal note about us. It was so nice.
That night we all went out to Chipotle for dinner! Mmmm! Then we all had to pick up some things from WalMart, and then to the Starbucks nearby. It was a good time off camp. It's nice to just chill and have some good fellowship.
Yesterday I was on facebook for about 3 hours uploaded over 100 pictures from the past two weeks and captioning them. So if you are my facebook friend, check it out. Or get someone who is to log in and show you. After chilling at the pool for an hour or so, we had dinner and went to see the new Batman movie. I liked it. After the movie we had a late-night pool party. I was tired, but it was fun anyway.
Some more notes from the week: I really feel God building a servant's heart in me and showing me what it means to be a servant leader, which is pretty sweet. Also, my prayer life has gotten a lot better. I've been really working on being in prayer continually and trying to be truly walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Well, momentum kids come today and the urban campers come Tuesday. I'm in Cabin 1, so I get the youngest ones. I'm not sure how I feel about that right now, but with momentum to help us it should be okay.
That's all for now!
In Christ,
Audrey
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Second Week Here: Training Week
So a week ago from today new counselors were still trickling in from all over the country for the second official project. From Montana, Idaho, Oklahoma, Michigan, Indiana, and the list goes on. Eventually everyone got here by Monday night around dinner. Two people I know from OU came down, so that was good. It's nice to have some familiar faces around and to see some friends.
After dinner, we had to get dressed in crazy, random costumes and go on a photo scavenger hunt at a nearby shopping complex. For those of you who don't know what that is: you get in teams, one person has to have a digital camera, then you get a list of things you need to find or do and take pictures of. Each item on the list was a different number of points. Some easy ones were less points, and ones like "scare a stranger (for real)" were 300 points!! At the end of the hour the points were totalled. They never announced the winner, but from talking to the other groups, I'm pretty sure my team won. We were sprinting around like crazy trying to get as many points as possible. Then we all got rewarded for being silly on the scavenger hunt by getting icecream or slushies at Sonic.
The next day we took a prayer walk on one of the trails. It was nice to get in groups and pray and connect with some other counselors. During the busy weeks when kids are here, I won't always have a chance to contemplate the beauty that's surrounding me, so it was nice to enjoy God's creation for a little.
Another thing we did that day was practice for the "Banquet" night. The first night the kids are here is a banquet theme, so we use trashbags to make dresses for the girls and ties for the boys. It's silly, but fun and the kids love it. As an added twist for this week we had the guy conselors make the girl's dresses, which turned out pretty funny in some cases, but mine was actually pretty good (I added a lot of suggestions because my Project Runway mode was kicking in, haha).
We also had a campfire that night, which was nice. The guys made the girls smores, so that was an added bonus. We learned some more campfire songs and talked. It was pretty chill.
The next day we organized workshops, which is what the kids do between breakfast and lunch when they're here. I get to help organize the dance workshop, which is really exciting! I'm going to teach them a dance to the chorus of "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns. We did a dance to it with Daughters of the King fall quarter, so I pretty much just modified the moves we did for that to be simpler for kids of all ages.
After lunch that day we went on the "expedition." On the expedition, you take a trail and along the way there are stations that each explain a different color of the gospel beads. For those of you who may not be familiar with the gospel beads, the first color is yellow which stands for God's light and love with which He created the world. Blue stands for our sin and sadness that causes us to be separate from God. Red is for Jesus' blood which washes us clean, so the next bead is Clear. And the final bead is Green for growing in our relationship with God once we have been cleansed of our sin. I think it's such a simple and clear presentation of the gospel; I really love that they use it here to reach children. At the end of the expedition trail there's an outdoor chapel where the kids can make their own braceletes. I already have one from Christmas Conference, which I still have on!
Next, we had a workshop on worship. It was interesting to hear people's thoughts on the different types of worship and what the Bible has to say about it (which is A LOT). And of course we got to worship, which is always awesome.
The next day, Thursday, did some team building exercises like the trust fall. We also talked about discipline. It was interesting to hear about how to really discipline through love and what that looks like. It definitely made me feel more confident about the coming weeks and handling a variety of situations. Another workshop that day was about spiritual gifts, which is always an interesting topic. I feel that God has really given me the gift of knowledge, particularly about His Word. It made me think a lot about what God really wants me to do with the gifts He's given me. He's given me this insatiable hunger for studying His Word; and now I just need to be listening more about what I'm meant to do with it!
Friday we watched Freedom Writers after lunch (if you haven't seen it, rent it! it's sooo good). I'd seen it before, but it has the same emotional impact every time. It sparked conversation about how to reach kids who come from a rough, inner city background. One thing is for sure, it's not easy. I think the most important thing sometimes is to just listen, especially when you can't relate. Pretending that you can, or trying to won't work well. These kids just need love, and it won't matter to them where you're from if you can show them real love.
After lunch we had our poverty simulation. This meant bringing only our toothbrush and toothpaste and the clothes on our back, going into the worst part of Cincinnati to experience where our campers our coming from first hand. I have never been so uncomfortable in my life. If you know me well you might know that I spend a lot of time avoiding potentially awkward situations, and here God threw me straight into the most awkward situation ever. I wasn't really scared; it was honestly pure discomfort. I just didn't know how to act. But in the end, it was good to have been there and to see what our campers are used to. We actually ran into one kid who had been to camp before hanging out outside his home. It was so interesting to talk to him in his setting and here his opinions and thoughts. We spent the night in a church in Cincy and helped with a CityCure program the next morning before heading back to camp. CityCure is the program that works with innercity youth that sends us a lot of our campers.
Saturday after getting back from the poverty simulation, we got to shower (yayy!) and chill for a little. After dinner we went night rafting, which was so much fun!! The Little Miami River isn't anything really awesome, but it was so pretty at dusk and another great opportunity to get to know my fellow counselors. There's one part of the trip where you can get out and swim, there's a small current that you can let carry you (the water is like 2 ft deep, mind you, so you can stand up at anytime). It was great.
Today we went to church at Antioch, which is at the largest YMCA in the country. It was a good service. It seems like they played all my favorite songs and the message was good. Dave, the pastor (who is also Wendell's son, Wendell is the camp president), came to speak on Wednesday or Thursday, and gave a good talk on Ephesians, particularly preparing for war and putting on God's armor. Today the message was about Joseph and how even in the toughest situations, he knew that God was with him and acted that way.
I have to go to a meeting now, so I can't proofread this at all! I'm learning so much, and I wish I could share on a deeper level all that God is teaching me, but I don't have time right now!
In Christ,
Audrey
After dinner, we had to get dressed in crazy, random costumes and go on a photo scavenger hunt at a nearby shopping complex. For those of you who don't know what that is: you get in teams, one person has to have a digital camera, then you get a list of things you need to find or do and take pictures of. Each item on the list was a different number of points. Some easy ones were less points, and ones like "scare a stranger (for real)" were 300 points!! At the end of the hour the points were totalled. They never announced the winner, but from talking to the other groups, I'm pretty sure my team won. We were sprinting around like crazy trying to get as many points as possible. Then we all got rewarded for being silly on the scavenger hunt by getting icecream or slushies at Sonic.
The next day we took a prayer walk on one of the trails. It was nice to get in groups and pray and connect with some other counselors. During the busy weeks when kids are here, I won't always have a chance to contemplate the beauty that's surrounding me, so it was nice to enjoy God's creation for a little.
Another thing we did that day was practice for the "Banquet" night. The first night the kids are here is a banquet theme, so we use trashbags to make dresses for the girls and ties for the boys. It's silly, but fun and the kids love it. As an added twist for this week we had the guy conselors make the girl's dresses, which turned out pretty funny in some cases, but mine was actually pretty good (I added a lot of suggestions because my Project Runway mode was kicking in, haha).
We also had a campfire that night, which was nice. The guys made the girls smores, so that was an added bonus. We learned some more campfire songs and talked. It was pretty chill.
The next day we organized workshops, which is what the kids do between breakfast and lunch when they're here. I get to help organize the dance workshop, which is really exciting! I'm going to teach them a dance to the chorus of "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns. We did a dance to it with Daughters of the King fall quarter, so I pretty much just modified the moves we did for that to be simpler for kids of all ages.
After lunch that day we went on the "expedition." On the expedition, you take a trail and along the way there are stations that each explain a different color of the gospel beads. For those of you who may not be familiar with the gospel beads, the first color is yellow which stands for God's light and love with which He created the world. Blue stands for our sin and sadness that causes us to be separate from God. Red is for Jesus' blood which washes us clean, so the next bead is Clear. And the final bead is Green for growing in our relationship with God once we have been cleansed of our sin. I think it's such a simple and clear presentation of the gospel; I really love that they use it here to reach children. At the end of the expedition trail there's an outdoor chapel where the kids can make their own braceletes. I already have one from Christmas Conference, which I still have on!
Next, we had a workshop on worship. It was interesting to hear people's thoughts on the different types of worship and what the Bible has to say about it (which is A LOT). And of course we got to worship, which is always awesome.
The next day, Thursday, did some team building exercises like the trust fall. We also talked about discipline. It was interesting to hear about how to really discipline through love and what that looks like. It definitely made me feel more confident about the coming weeks and handling a variety of situations. Another workshop that day was about spiritual gifts, which is always an interesting topic. I feel that God has really given me the gift of knowledge, particularly about His Word. It made me think a lot about what God really wants me to do with the gifts He's given me. He's given me this insatiable hunger for studying His Word; and now I just need to be listening more about what I'm meant to do with it!
Friday we watched Freedom Writers after lunch (if you haven't seen it, rent it! it's sooo good). I'd seen it before, but it has the same emotional impact every time. It sparked conversation about how to reach kids who come from a rough, inner city background. One thing is for sure, it's not easy. I think the most important thing sometimes is to just listen, especially when you can't relate. Pretending that you can, or trying to won't work well. These kids just need love, and it won't matter to them where you're from if you can show them real love.
After lunch we had our poverty simulation. This meant bringing only our toothbrush and toothpaste and the clothes on our back, going into the worst part of Cincinnati to experience where our campers our coming from first hand. I have never been so uncomfortable in my life. If you know me well you might know that I spend a lot of time avoiding potentially awkward situations, and here God threw me straight into the most awkward situation ever. I wasn't really scared; it was honestly pure discomfort. I just didn't know how to act. But in the end, it was good to have been there and to see what our campers are used to. We actually ran into one kid who had been to camp before hanging out outside his home. It was so interesting to talk to him in his setting and here his opinions and thoughts. We spent the night in a church in Cincy and helped with a CityCure program the next morning before heading back to camp. CityCure is the program that works with innercity youth that sends us a lot of our campers.
Saturday after getting back from the poverty simulation, we got to shower (yayy!) and chill for a little. After dinner we went night rafting, which was so much fun!! The Little Miami River isn't anything really awesome, but it was so pretty at dusk and another great opportunity to get to know my fellow counselors. There's one part of the trip where you can get out and swim, there's a small current that you can let carry you (the water is like 2 ft deep, mind you, so you can stand up at anytime). It was great.
Today we went to church at Antioch, which is at the largest YMCA in the country. It was a good service. It seems like they played all my favorite songs and the message was good. Dave, the pastor (who is also Wendell's son, Wendell is the camp president), came to speak on Wednesday or Thursday, and gave a good talk on Ephesians, particularly preparing for war and putting on God's armor. Today the message was about Joseph and how even in the toughest situations, he knew that God was with him and acted that way.
I have to go to a meeting now, so I can't proofread this at all! I'm learning so much, and I wish I could share on a deeper level all that God is teaching me, but I don't have time right now!
In Christ,
Audrey
Saturday, July 5, 2008
First Week Here!
Hello everyone. After almost a week of being away from my computer, I finally have it back and have a few moments to update this.
I arrived at camp Sunday afternoon, feeling a little hesitant to say the least. I didn't know where to go, and if I were closer to home I probably would've turned around and gone back. But I knew that those thoughts were not from God and that God had lead me here for a reason, so I wasn't about to abandon the plan He has for me here. After talking to Austin for awhile, I felt a little better and got enough courage to go inside and actually meet everyone and get started. From there we had a staff meeting where we discussed the week ahead, and I met everyone. Then I moved my stuff into Cabin 4, where I stayed last week. Erin was my co-counselor showing me the ropes this week. She served here last year too, so she definitely knows what she is doing. But I still felt pretty lost at times. As most of you know, I am a very planned person. I like knowing the where, when, why, who, and how of everything taking place. This week was definitely not like that. God has clearly been testing my trust in Him because I can't rely solely on my plans anymore. After a few days I did begin to feel a little more comfortable. It was also hard to get adjusted because this week was the last week of Project 1. So that means most counselors had been there for 6 weeks and are leaving today. Because of this, most of the counselors wanted to spend time with their friends who they'll be leaving and not seeing for awhile. I totally understand where they are coming from, and it's not like they did anything overt to make me feel excluded, but it was kind of a bummer because I couldn't really begin to establish any relationships. Though I did get to know some people a little, and they were all really nice.
Because I didn't really begin to make close friends, I'd have to say the highlight of the week was working with the kids. On Tuesday we went into Cincinnati for a NACC convention. There we helped children from a program called Whiz Kids go through the activities they had planned for the first half of the day. It was a nice warm up of sorts for the kids that were coming to King's Domain later that day. We had some time between the convention and getting our ride back to camp because of a bus shortage, but it was okay because I got to know some of the Momentum people better. Momentum is a program for junior high and high school students to help out at camp as junior counselors. They were so helpful the whole week, especially for someone like me who was just starting out. So it was nice to get to know some of them before the week really got going.
Once the kids got there, it was pretty busy. Four of the girls in my cabin had already been to camp two weeks previous, but that was helpful because they knew where they were going better than I did sometimes and because they were pretty well behaved. It was so great to see them learn about God's love and choosing life. I feel so blessed to be able to serve here and give these girls the love they need.
Once the campers left, we had a celebration lunch with the Momentum kids, then cleaned out our cabins and moved in the dorm. We went to Niwana's for dinner. Niwana is our cook at camp and she was having a get-together for the 4th of July, so we got to go. It was so much fun. Good home cooking. There were these three older men just going to town on their acoustic guitars. It was great. I love watching good guitarists pick, it's great. I also ended up joining in on a volleyball game they had going. I didn't play really well, but it was still fun. After dinner, the girls baked desserts and chatted. I was excited that I got to bake; it's a form of therapy for me, I swear, haha. It was also encouraging to hear their stories from the past 6 weeks, even if I wasn't there to experience them, because I know that God has great things planned for my time here too.
I'm trying to upload pictures to facebook, but facebook isn't cooperating, so they might not be up today. I didn't take many the first couple days that the campers were here because I was still getting used to everything, so there aren't that many,
Overall, I can already feel my relationship with the Lord deepening. My time in prayer and in the Word has been so much more regular and God has really given me the passion I've been praying for.
I'm excited for the next week. I get to meet a lot of new people, see a couple cool kids from OU that are coming to be counselors, and actually be officially "trained."
Well, I think that about covers it!
In Christ,
Audrey
I arrived at camp Sunday afternoon, feeling a little hesitant to say the least. I didn't know where to go, and if I were closer to home I probably would've turned around and gone back. But I knew that those thoughts were not from God and that God had lead me here for a reason, so I wasn't about to abandon the plan He has for me here. After talking to Austin for awhile, I felt a little better and got enough courage to go inside and actually meet everyone and get started. From there we had a staff meeting where we discussed the week ahead, and I met everyone. Then I moved my stuff into Cabin 4, where I stayed last week. Erin was my co-counselor showing me the ropes this week. She served here last year too, so she definitely knows what she is doing. But I still felt pretty lost at times. As most of you know, I am a very planned person. I like knowing the where, when, why, who, and how of everything taking place. This week was definitely not like that. God has clearly been testing my trust in Him because I can't rely solely on my plans anymore. After a few days I did begin to feel a little more comfortable. It was also hard to get adjusted because this week was the last week of Project 1. So that means most counselors had been there for 6 weeks and are leaving today. Because of this, most of the counselors wanted to spend time with their friends who they'll be leaving and not seeing for awhile. I totally understand where they are coming from, and it's not like they did anything overt to make me feel excluded, but it was kind of a bummer because I couldn't really begin to establish any relationships. Though I did get to know some people a little, and they were all really nice.
Because I didn't really begin to make close friends, I'd have to say the highlight of the week was working with the kids. On Tuesday we went into Cincinnati for a NACC convention. There we helped children from a program called Whiz Kids go through the activities they had planned for the first half of the day. It was a nice warm up of sorts for the kids that were coming to King's Domain later that day. We had some time between the convention and getting our ride back to camp because of a bus shortage, but it was okay because I got to know some of the Momentum people better. Momentum is a program for junior high and high school students to help out at camp as junior counselors. They were so helpful the whole week, especially for someone like me who was just starting out. So it was nice to get to know some of them before the week really got going.
Once the kids got there, it was pretty busy. Four of the girls in my cabin had already been to camp two weeks previous, but that was helpful because they knew where they were going better than I did sometimes and because they were pretty well behaved. It was so great to see them learn about God's love and choosing life. I feel so blessed to be able to serve here and give these girls the love they need.
Once the campers left, we had a celebration lunch with the Momentum kids, then cleaned out our cabins and moved in the dorm. We went to Niwana's for dinner. Niwana is our cook at camp and she was having a get-together for the 4th of July, so we got to go. It was so much fun. Good home cooking. There were these three older men just going to town on their acoustic guitars. It was great. I love watching good guitarists pick, it's great. I also ended up joining in on a volleyball game they had going. I didn't play really well, but it was still fun. After dinner, the girls baked desserts and chatted. I was excited that I got to bake; it's a form of therapy for me, I swear, haha. It was also encouraging to hear their stories from the past 6 weeks, even if I wasn't there to experience them, because I know that God has great things planned for my time here too.
I'm trying to upload pictures to facebook, but facebook isn't cooperating, so they might not be up today. I didn't take many the first couple days that the campers were here because I was still getting used to everything, so there aren't that many,
Overall, I can already feel my relationship with the Lord deepening. My time in prayer and in the Word has been so much more regular and God has really given me the passion I've been praying for.
I'm excited for the next week. I get to meet a lot of new people, see a couple cool kids from OU that are coming to be counselors, and actually be officially "trained."
Well, I think that about covers it!
In Christ,
Audrey
Friday, June 27, 2008
Packing, Preparing, Praying
Sunday I leave for King's Domain in the Cincinnati area to serve there as a counselor for 7 weeks.
I figured I would start this to keep everyone updated because I won't have a lot of time to call people. I haven't kept a regular blog like this since maybe my sophomore year of high school, so it's going to be weird. Especially since I used to write about the guy I had a crush on in phys ed or how much I hated my math class. Needless to say, these posts are going to be very different from my old xanga and livejournal. I'll be telling you all my hopes and fears about this crazy journey the Lord has taken me on to serve as a camp counselor this summer. I'll also share how the Lord is challenging me and helping me grow.
So as I pack and prepare for this, a lot has been going through my mind, and my heart. For starters, I'm going a week earlier than my project actually begins. Meredith told me that they were flexible with time, and I felt lead to give as much time as I could to serve the Lord this summer. Unfortunately, while I'm still really excited for this opportunity, I've been letting silly worries enter my mind and create unnecessary obstacles, everything from not knowing enough to not packing the right things to just not being a good counselor in general. Plus I won't be able to talk to Austin very much, which will be weird. But I've been spending a lot of time in prayer and in the word, and God's slowly been pushing these worries away and affirming my commitment to the camp ministry this summer.
I can't write this without mentioning my generous supporters because I wouldn't be going to this camp without them! So many wonderful friends and family have come out to support me in my ministry, and it has been awesome.
I have one more day at home to pack and get things together, then I'm off! I'll probably post next weekend. I bet I'll have a lot to say about my first week at camp! Keep me in your prayers.
In Christ,
Audrey
I figured I would start this to keep everyone updated because I won't have a lot of time to call people. I haven't kept a regular blog like this since maybe my sophomore year of high school, so it's going to be weird. Especially since I used to write about the guy I had a crush on in phys ed or how much I hated my math class. Needless to say, these posts are going to be very different from my old xanga and livejournal. I'll be telling you all my hopes and fears about this crazy journey the Lord has taken me on to serve as a camp counselor this summer. I'll also share how the Lord is challenging me and helping me grow.
So as I pack and prepare for this, a lot has been going through my mind, and my heart. For starters, I'm going a week earlier than my project actually begins. Meredith told me that they were flexible with time, and I felt lead to give as much time as I could to serve the Lord this summer. Unfortunately, while I'm still really excited for this opportunity, I've been letting silly worries enter my mind and create unnecessary obstacles, everything from not knowing enough to not packing the right things to just not being a good counselor in general. Plus I won't be able to talk to Austin very much, which will be weird. But I've been spending a lot of time in prayer and in the word, and God's slowly been pushing these worries away and affirming my commitment to the camp ministry this summer.
I can't write this without mentioning my generous supporters because I wouldn't be going to this camp without them! So many wonderful friends and family have come out to support me in my ministry, and it has been awesome.
I have one more day at home to pack and get things together, then I'm off! I'll probably post next weekend. I bet I'll have a lot to say about my first week at camp! Keep me in your prayers.
In Christ,
Audrey
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