It's nice to be home again! At this blessed moment I am enjoying my fuzzy sweats and favorite tank top while sitting on my couch. Yes, it's been wonderful being gone this summer, but right now I'm really glad to have my own bed and my own shower for two or three days. (-:
Youth camp was amazing. I think that I'm too tired to do a complete and coherent summary of it right now, but I'll hit a few of the main points.
- Fifteen kids got saved!!
- "Goin' to the Chapel" ... need I say more? (-:
- YWAM
God is so amazing. I've always struggled with knowing for sure if God is telling me to do something or not... like I always wonder if maybe it was just my weird, random brain making things up or if it's really God speaking to me. And then if things start going wrong while I'm trying to do what I think God has told me to do, then is that Satan trying to thwart God's plan or is that God trying to close doors because I made it all up in my head in the first place? But all of that to say that I am so positive that God is sending me to children's camp for a reason, that I am almost giddy with excitement. I wasn't even planning on going to kids camp until two weeks ago, and I struggled with saying for sure I was going or not because my parents were a little bit upset about it. But since I decided that I really thought that God wanted me to go, and told DeWayne, that yes, I was going for sure, God has just confirmed that decision in so many ways!! I know that God wants me to be at Clearlake next week. I'm so pumped!!
But right now I think that I'm going to crash right here from sheer exhastion, so I think I'll bid you adieu before my head hits the keyboard and deletes all of this. But I have to say one more thing before I go to bed... you guys (my friends) are some of the most awesome people on the face of this earth, and I am so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. Thanks guys for being so incredible!!!!
Mood: Exhausted
Music: "Anticonformity" Krystal Meyers
DISCLAIMER: Yes, Alise, I know that my title is your phrase, but I really needed a title, and it was funny... please don't pummel me!! (-:
Friday, July 28, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
Well, Here Goes
Yeppers, here it goes. My big, long, crazy blog update!! (-: Wow, I can’t even remember what I last wrote about, so I guess I’ll start with Worldview.
Worldview Academy was AMAZING. I am completely convinced that every Christian teen on the planet needs to attend a WVA. I learned so much, that my brain is still spinning! Christianity just makes so much sense!! The speakers were awesome, quiet times were amazing, my small group was incredible, and Ultimate Frisbee was a blast, of course! The coolest thing in the whole week though was on Wednesday when they bussed us into Portland and we had an hour to witness to people in Pioneer Square. I was a little nervous when we started, but when we had to leave, I didn’t want to go. The hopelessness I saw in the people I talked to just broke my heart. Some of these people truly believed that there was no way they could know what happens after death, and that there was nothing they could do about it. I can’t even imagine how pointless life would seem if this was really all there was. I tried to tell them about the hope of Heaven that they could have in Jesus, but I don’t know how much of it got through. God promises though, that His Word will not return to Him void, so I know that many many seeds were planted in hearts that day. It was an amazing experience.
So I got home from WVA on Friday night, did my laundry, repacked, and left for Jericho on Saturday morning. Jericho was another truly amazing week. I’m having a harder time putting it into words though. The people at the churches in Independence/Monmouth were so kind and took such good care of us, that I was and still am blown away by their hospitality. Saturday we decorated for VBS at Independence First Baptist Church, Sunday we went to church, went swimming at Mary’s house (the children’s pastor at Monmouth Christian Church), went to a BBQ at another family’s house, and then VBS started on Monday. Monday went so smoothly, that all I could do was say, “Wow, God!” We had about 150 kids, I think, and everything that I saw went off without a hitch. I met some of the sweetest and most adorable kids I’ve ever seen last week. Man! *sniff*
Monday night though was hard. We went witnessing door-to-door, which I was hoping was going to be as great as what I’d done at Worldview, and I was excited about it, but it didn’t turn out so great for my group. A lot of different things happened that left me feeling like a complete failure. But the cool thing was that I got to spend like two hours with Alise, Kaeli, and Heidi talking and praying with them about what had happened. It was really cool. Yes, my team and I messed up, but God forgives, gives second chances and brings good out of even our mess ups! Thank goodness for that!
The rest of the week we did VBS, two block parties and a youth rally. At VBS 10-15 kids got saved (Alise, correct me on that number, I’m not exactly sure), and two more that were saved at the Independence block party. God was working for sure! We met some really cool people from different teams all around the NW, and that was fun too.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of details here, so Alise, feel free to chime in… (-: But overall, it’s been an amazing two weeks of learning and growing in God and seeing Him work, and this summer isn’t even over yet! There’s still youth camp next week, and kids camp the week after that, and we’re possibly going to Basin City again in August. On that note, please pray that my parents will be ok with me going to kids camp and Basin City… they’re already getting tired of me being gone so much, so things are a little stressful, but it’s not too bad yet. Please pray that they stay cool with me trying to follow what God’s telling me to do.
Love you guys!
Mood: Peachy
Music: “The Way to Begin” Krystal Meyers
Worldview Academy was AMAZING. I am completely convinced that every Christian teen on the planet needs to attend a WVA. I learned so much, that my brain is still spinning! Christianity just makes so much sense!! The speakers were awesome, quiet times were amazing, my small group was incredible, and Ultimate Frisbee was a blast, of course! The coolest thing in the whole week though was on Wednesday when they bussed us into Portland and we had an hour to witness to people in Pioneer Square. I was a little nervous when we started, but when we had to leave, I didn’t want to go. The hopelessness I saw in the people I talked to just broke my heart. Some of these people truly believed that there was no way they could know what happens after death, and that there was nothing they could do about it. I can’t even imagine how pointless life would seem if this was really all there was. I tried to tell them about the hope of Heaven that they could have in Jesus, but I don’t know how much of it got through. God promises though, that His Word will not return to Him void, so I know that many many seeds were planted in hearts that day. It was an amazing experience.
So I got home from WVA on Friday night, did my laundry, repacked, and left for Jericho on Saturday morning. Jericho was another truly amazing week. I’m having a harder time putting it into words though. The people at the churches in Independence/Monmouth were so kind and took such good care of us, that I was and still am blown away by their hospitality. Saturday we decorated for VBS at Independence First Baptist Church, Sunday we went to church, went swimming at Mary’s house (the children’s pastor at Monmouth Christian Church), went to a BBQ at another family’s house, and then VBS started on Monday. Monday went so smoothly, that all I could do was say, “Wow, God!” We had about 150 kids, I think, and everything that I saw went off without a hitch. I met some of the sweetest and most adorable kids I’ve ever seen last week. Man! *sniff*
Monday night though was hard. We went witnessing door-to-door, which I was hoping was going to be as great as what I’d done at Worldview, and I was excited about it, but it didn’t turn out so great for my group. A lot of different things happened that left me feeling like a complete failure. But the cool thing was that I got to spend like two hours with Alise, Kaeli, and Heidi talking and praying with them about what had happened. It was really cool. Yes, my team and I messed up, but God forgives, gives second chances and brings good out of even our mess ups! Thank goodness for that!
The rest of the week we did VBS, two block parties and a youth rally. At VBS 10-15 kids got saved (Alise, correct me on that number, I’m not exactly sure), and two more that were saved at the Independence block party. God was working for sure! We met some really cool people from different teams all around the NW, and that was fun too.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of details here, so Alise, feel free to chime in… (-: But overall, it’s been an amazing two weeks of learning and growing in God and seeing Him work, and this summer isn’t even over yet! There’s still youth camp next week, and kids camp the week after that, and we’re possibly going to Basin City again in August. On that note, please pray that my parents will be ok with me going to kids camp and Basin City… they’re already getting tired of me being gone so much, so things are a little stressful, but it’s not too bad yet. Please pray that they stay cool with me trying to follow what God’s telling me to do.
Love you guys!
Mood: Peachy
Music: “The Way to Begin” Krystal Meyers
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