a little background

this last summer was wonderful- stretching and fruitful. every single day involved something different that was a challenge for me. i had the opportunity to work at Towers, the elementary-aged Pine Cove camp for my 5th summer. although i have been around this ministry a little while, i wasn't able to sink into familiarity and grow stagnant... i was on stage- a lot- and if you know me, you know that’s a humorous picture, not because i’m funny, but that’s just not what i would have ever picked for myself to do. what’s even funnier is that i now really enjoy everything i did this summer- even on stage.

i am convinced i had the most incredibly privileged position in the world. i was with a team of some of my closest friends, guiding a group of phenomenal college students. we got to push eachother toward excellence so we could model the example of Christ, living every moment out of the motivation of Love. i definitely had moments when i got to look around and see the beauty of what we were doing. i was able to witness these young adults help kids understand the Love of a living savior simply by acting like complete fools. one specific moment that i realized the sweetness of our purpose, i was overwhelmed with both tears and laughter. i stood dressed as a girl scout, talking in a lisp, and watching staff run around like buffalo. there in a huge mud pit, civilized human beings forgot how old they were and saw their only responsibility in the world as to play with muddy children. it's not always easy to see the purpose behind what we do, or to enjoy every moment to the fullest. but, life is good because God is good. the challenges of different tasks make the glimpses of goodness that much more precious.

and the challenges continue as i return to camp for the next 8 months. this time i am not there to lead or to teach, but i have the privilege to be involved with a discipleship program where my own convictions will be challenged. how amazing is it that the Truth that we teach during the summer is simple enough for a child to trust... while that very same Truth is so infinite that we will never understand its perfection!!!

it's really crazy to think about what the Lord has in store. He is Good and that's all i need to know. let's just hold on to our seats, laugh, and take it one day at a time... we're off to be refined through The Forge!!