spritual lessons

So as if summarizing the past two weeks of camp stuff was hard enough- I am going to dedicate this just to the Jesus moments that I have had; revelations that I have had, and ones that I have learned from my teammates and various people who have come to speak to us in the first two weeks. I believe the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. That is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man’s heart into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God. Don Miller “Blue Like Jazz” How much heart ache is from asking people to be what they should never be? The Hebrew word for worship is the same word for worship. We are a conduit for Christ. If a vineyard doesn’t go thru a period of drought (stresses of the vineyard) the roots won’t go deeper to be able to produce the best grapes. God works thru the stressors to let our roots go deep in Him. We see God thru the lives of the people in the bible and it’s all about HIS story. True unity is truth. God/Jesus is truth. And God is love. Thus truth is love. When you focus on Jesus/Kingdom the issues in your life will work themselves out We are stamped in God’s image Jesus didn’t just die for us, he was severly beaten for us and bleed out for us AND had his Father turn his face from him ALL because he loved us; even those he knew wouldn’t accept him. Are you walking in an intellectual offense to where the glory has been departed from you? ( 1 Samuel 4:19-21) There’s an army rising up to break every chain. God, you have continually heard my groaning and continued to interpret them and intercede for me. You still thought I was worth and lovely, even when I rejected your way out, you kept coming, pursuing and returning; providing a way out each and every time! Because your love is so grand and faithful. No one else can love you like I love you Lord. I was make uniquely in your heart.

Week Numero 2

On to week 2 of training for camp, starting on the 27th. I was a little anxious because I knew that more leaders were coming that evening, and we all know how well I do in crowds (NOT). Luckily, I was able to help Gloria set up for the banquet we were going to have that night to welcome and honor our new summer staff and the continual career staff for riverworks. It was a beautiful banquet. The pastor spoke a powerful message, we were prayed for, had our feet wiped and were anointed. There was such a heavy peace that fell on that room- it was beautiful. Monday was full of worship again, it was tiring but it was good and refreshing. It was awesome to learn about the history of Fox Valley Christian Action and to visit one of the communities that they serve (I got to go to East wood in Aurora). And the ministry planning really started to come together- it is amazing what happens when we get over ourselves and just let God and his Holy Spirit guide us, when we allow our hearts to be in unity and release our pride over to God  We also found out that each of us on staff will have an intercessor for the entire summer- someone who will be praying for me and encouraging me! AND I got to met her, her name is Ms. Jeri. The beginning of the week was alright- nothing super exciting but Wednesday night til Sunday all made up for it. Wednesday night we had one of our many team building activities. Pastor Bob seems to love giving them to us and I enjoy them as well. This time the instructions were like :Stand on a table with no legs that is 1 ½ feet wide, stand in a single file line in height order, rotate through the line until you are back in your original place. I am sure that you can imagine how difficult that was in a group of 15-ish people!! We nearly completed the task; but more importantly we had fun doing it. We learned to listen to one another, to share ideas, and to really work together! GO us! Then came CAT (Community Awareness Training). We could bring 1 shirt, 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts, bible, pen, journal, tooth brush, hair brush, pillow, sheet OR blanket, 4 pair underware, 1 pair of socks and gym shoes. We were given $60 total to buy food, toilet paper, tooth paste, and eating wear for 16 people for 3-ish days. Oh ya, and we were going to one of the communities- I went back to Eastwood. Also, if we tried to bring an item not on the list we were charged .50 cents, it cost .50 cents per person to get a ride in the van, and once we arrived we could be fined for leaving the lights on, not having a clean room, using something we couldn’t use, wasting food and other things. During our time at CAT not only did we have limited resources, we also planned activities for the children, I did some recruiting with Holly, talk to the parents in the community and did more team building activities. I can see how this would not sound like a fun event for a lot of people but I LOVED every minute of it. Learning to rely on each other, take turns with leadership, snuggle up close when it is cold out, endure the hard floor, and eat less for a few days brought our team so close together. Though many of the things I encountered were similar to my travels last year, there was still something to learn. To be reminded that people live in poverty so close to home. I would say 80% of them are unemployed. In our community there were 54 housing units and 160 youth (under 18). Of course it would be easy to dismiss them as being lazy, but how can you get a job when you can’t afford a car- the bus doesn’t run often where they live. The high school students need to take a public bus to get to school, an hour before school starts. They don’t plan on being abandoned by the men in their life, there is no way to even know how many of those children were forced onto them. It is a tough cycle to break out of. So much pain, so much hurt, so much confusion that is passed down from generation to generation. It made me so glad for the work of Fox Valley Christian Action and the community coordinators who, day in and day out, are serving in the communities. Who are teaching the children about Jesus and true love. Who are helping the mothers. Who are helping the teens to break the cycle they have seen all their lives. It is amazing work that they do, and they do it all so humbly.

Week 1 of Training

Man- so long without having the internet on my computer and being able to just post my thoughts and experiences. I have no idea how I am going to begin except to try and summarize the weeks I have been at camp. So, here goes nothing to throw out there what I learned/experienced the first week of camp. It started the day I arrived, May 20th. I checked in and realized that I didn’t know any one, or where to go, or what I was really getting myself into. There was a bit of panic as some answers were brought to my attention: there were like 17 leaders in training, most of them had previously met at a leader’s retreat, beside the retreat many of them seemed to have connections to each other, and I was the second oldest. “God, what in the world is going on? Am I really suppose to be here?”. Thnx to some awesome prayer warrior friends, words of encouragement where texted my way and Monday morning came with a breath of fresh air, a wave a determination, the sense that it wasn’t going to be easy but that I was exactly where I needed to be. It was a long day – 5 hours of worship followed by the phenomenal movie/documentary Finger of God (about a guy who kind of doubted that the Holy Spirit still worked today, and then went around to different cities praying for healings and saw people healed). I was still shook up as unfinished business from my 11 month trip began to surface; but again, my friends were there with words of encouragement and challenges that I needed to hear. As God would have it, two girls in my room needed prayer in the middle of the night for sleep: as if God was reminding me that I had a place on this team. Tuesday night I learned that the way we view our mothers effects the way we view the Holy Spirit, the way we view our earthly father(s) effects the way we view God and the way we view our friends/siblings effects the way we view Jesus. Wednesday we started to do some ministry planning and holy moley was that like a crash course. Planning in a group of 9 people was one of the hardest things I have ever done; ideas flying around, getting to know personalities, limited internet resources, miscommunications and uncertainties galore! As I was falling asleep/praying- I got a picture of a man covered in tattoos (it’s important later) Friday we got to learn how to restrain a child who is going out of control – that was fun! And we learned our model of care: Positive Peer Culture. Then we watched Furious Love, done by the same people who did Finger of God. This time the movie is about God’s love over coming darkness and the demonic in the states and abroad. And THEN came the big whopper of a day. The treasure hunt. What does this even mean? Well that is a good question. We loaded the vans and started to drive (after a coffee stop!!) and then began to pray for pictures, words, etc from God. We wrote them down and stopped at Lord’s Park in Elgin. The group I was in got pictures of kids at a park before we even knew where we were going – pretty groovy! About ten minutes before we leave there are a few dads that come to the park with their children and I find myself wanting to go talk to the one dad, ask him how I can be praying for him and give him a note that had been previously written. I talk to him briefly and then we head home after a great day of just loving on parents and their children. As I journal that night I remember that the dad in the park I went up to was covered in tattoos  Coincidence? I think no – thank you God for reminding me that I do hear from you!

You Want me to Give Up What?

As many people know about a month ago I was accepted to work at a summer camp. Everything came together and the absolute last minute. When I arrived for training, all I knew what that I would be working with teenagers in some capacity, that it was run by a church whose desire was to show God's love and shift the spiritual atmosphere in youth's lives, and that I believed in the mission statement of the organization at large (fox valley christian action). I had no ideas what training was going to be, what policies were, or any other details. Soooooo, I get there and the first full day of training they tell us they have good news, they are going to let us keep our phones. My first thought was "excuse me, why wouldn't I be able to keep my phone? It's my phone". My frustration rised a bit as I continued to read through some of the policies, a form I knew I would have to sign. No alcohol, no tobacco, no non-christian music, no movies above PG and not just while on campus but off campus as well. Oh, my brain about lost it. I heard that, saw that and was like "whatever, they can't keep tabs on my when I'm home. I'm far older than any body else here, I know what I can handle. I know what stuff effects me negatively. They can't tell me what to do." Well, the next week came and they collected our phones, to help us focus, to not be distracted and to help us build community. I'll tell you that was a hard act to follow through. I mean didn't they know that there were people I NEEDED to talk to? But, I kept my thoughts to myself (a real shocker I know) and went along. As this second week went on I really began to think differently about these "policy/guidlines" that were in place. I didn't feel like I was under anyone one's thumb. I started to think about sacrifice. I remembered something from my trip last year, a little phrase that was running thorugh my head "giving up something that you love, for something that you love more." Hmm, I sure do love my phone, my wifi, my interenet, having a few drinks, heading out for hookah, listening my whatever music I want, and watching movies; they are part of my every day life. BUT, would it really kill me to give them up for 3 months? FOr three months to let go of some distraction, to give up the things I love doing for the summer so that I can be more focused on God and more focused on the youth I serve. I no longer had the rebellious attitude to come home and go out for hookah, or to go out for a drink, or to watch movies because I caught a small glimpse of the bigger picture. There are people around the world (even in this country) who give up a lot more on a daily basis. Maybe because they don't have the money for it, or because their family doesn't accept them, or because their government suppresses them. SO this summer, my desire is to (well of course, love the teens I work with and be there for them) but also to not sit around and focus on what I don't have or what I have given up for 3 months; rather, to fully invest in what God has for me this summer. It is just a small sacrifice- not like God asked me to sacrifice a beloved family memeber like He did for us. PS there will be more to come once I get my lap top and my power cord in the same place at the same time with some wifi :-) So, next weekend!!