Colossians 4:3,4 - "And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should."
Week One: Staff Training - July 5-7
I have just returned from Staff Training. I have some amazing things to report, and some prayer requests to bring before you all.
God worked on my heart these last few days, He taught me once again the power of prayer, more like reinforced it.
(Colossians 4:2; Acts 4:1-31; 2 Choronicles 20:1-30)
Last summer (July) my friend (and fellow staff member) Stephanie was in a horrible accident, and almost died- to the point they almost gave up on her pronouncing her brain dead. She was in a coma until about December. Last month I had an update that she was doing better. Yet, just today as we were finishing up at camp I decided to ask for an update. She's walking and talking! Walking and talking! While for most of us it's just a trivial thing, we do not realize what a miracle it is to be able to walk and talk, I'm realizing it more and more through this sittuation. More than that though, God's shown me that He does answer our prayers. It hasn't even been a year, and I know, without a doubt that the healing hasn't stopped here. (Reminds me of all those passages where the lame were healed.)
"Pray without ceasing," it certainly works, if not to change the sittuation, but to change our heart. It's not just to pray, it's to pray in faith, believing God will do what He has promised.
Linda (the camp secretary/and in charge of the kitchen) was telling the potential staff a story this morning. The point of the story in the long run is I Timothy 4:12- "Let no one look down on your youth." (The majority of camp staff is teens.)
I almost forgot to mention it. My favorite part of this week was the prayer and bible study time. We have what we call "Shepherd Groups" which is basically each staff cabin seperately praying as a group (each cabin prays together), and then the group stays the same all month. I also have a girl, Karyan, that I am taking time to have a Bible Study & Prayer Time with. Thankfully she & I will be in the same cabin next week!
This week was wonderful! God was preparing us all for the weeks ahead. Please remember to pray for us all. We have only 13 guys this summer, and over half of them are inexperianced. Just pray that God will work through all of us, and that we will all work together to make it fun for the campers, and show Christ to them through our love, and our life.Until Next Week- God bless you!
Week Two: Teen Camp - July 9-14
Wow! It was an awesome week! I was a cabin leader to eight beautiful young ladies. Taffy, Nicole, Meghan, Crystal, Becky, Katie, Heather, and Cerise. I also got to train up Karyan to be a cabin leader, it was an awesome experiance.
I must admit I started out the week somewhat fearful of being a cabin leader, I didn't feel adiquate to do the job, but by the end of the week God showed me how it all fit into His plan. He gave me love for those ladies, and I miss them greatly!
There were at least 6 first time decisions made for Christ that week, and at least 15 rededications made. It was awesome to see God work in the lives of those campers, and in my life as well.The last full day of camp we have a "game" known as the "Big Event." Various staff dress up to the theme (this year it's "Knights of the Realm") and are stationed at different points around camp. Then the campers, one cabin at a time (led by either their Cabin Leader or Timothy*), go all around camp to the verious stations and get bombarded by water balloons, hoses, and any other form of wettness (the lake providing the majority of it).
The "Big Event" went very well! God kept us all safe and healthy, not to mention He gave me energy and strength where I needed it.
Week Three: 11 & 12 Camp - July 16-21
I just finished up Eleven & Twelve camp! It was quite busy! I was the assistant nurse, and it was quite fun. The difference between cabin leading and nursing is that in cabin leading you are busy with campers ALL the time, and nursing you just have certain times of the day when you are really busy with campers. I would have to admit that I would not trade this week for the world (I say that every week)!
The "Big Event" went over well, and no one was hurt durring that time. Over the course of the week, however, we did have a broken pinky finger.
Camp has been going wonderfully. God's shown me so much through it in the past few weeks.
Camp is trying in all ways, so it takes all we've got and more. Reliance on God and team-work is essential, and so.. "whatever you do work at it with all your heart as to the Lord not to men."
I can't wait to add pictures!
Also this week I received a phone call from my dad, one of my best friends, Brittany, was in a car crash in North Ireland, where she had gone on a missions trip. Her pelvis was shattered. I was able to call her, which helped a lot, but I sure spent a lot of time in prayer and tears.Week Four: 9 & 10 Camp - July 23-28
I continued on into this week as the assistant nurse. There were about 200 campers there this week, and it was packed! The first night they had a skit, with the theme being "Knights of the Realm" they had the royal knights and such. Each week they have someone that they arrest, this week it was me. The Black Knight (aka Jerry) read the arrest warrent, and described me as, "standing four foot two, fifty-eight and a half pounds, one Karen-Nicole--" it was pretty funny. For the rest of the week I had campers asking me, "are you really fifty-eight and a half pounds?"
And I said something like, "James Bond can't open the door!" What was funny was the next day Mr. Nick was telling me that all his campers wanted to come see me in the nurses station, and that he thought they all had crushes on me, and I replied, "yeah, that's 'cause I'm so buff," flexing my muscles (what there is of them anyway) "I can open a door and James Bond can't!"
The 'highlight' of the week was yesterday (Thursday), for more than one reason. Firstly it was "Big Event" day, and secondly THE FLU WAS GOING AROUND!
Boy, did that make my day interesting. Also, there was this cute little camper, Mr. Zack, he was too funny. He told me the best stories, I don't think I've ever laughed so much.Oh, and Mr. Nick A. (James Bond) had a little trouble one day. He and this other guy (Mr. Chris) were co-cabin leaders (also Zack's cabin leaders). Wednesday they were locked out of the cabin, so I got the keys and gave them to Nick to unlock the door. So about 20 minutes later there was Mr. Nick still trying to unlock the door. He had already tried all the keys. So... I walked over and decided I'd try. The second key I stuck in, it unlocked. His campers just laughed.
I was taught a lot that week. God especially talked to my heart about concentrating on Him, and working only for Him, with ALL my heart, all I've got and more, which is found only in Him. "I can do all things through CHRIST who gives me strength."
When I got home on the weekend there was an article in the paper on Brittany. Her parents were trying to find a way to get her home. I called her at noon, and they had found a way to fly her home! It was amazing! God answered prayers!
Week Five: 7 & 8 Camp - July 30-August 3 It was a great week overall. Wednesday at 2:30am I was awakened by a cabin leader to help with a sick camper (I am the assistant nurse/night nurse), so I got up and helped. After that there was a pretty steady stream of campers coming in aprox every half an hour. It got to the point where I had no clue as to where I would stick the next camper that came in. Well, I think it was 3:15 when I opened my Bible, funny how it opened up to Psalm 33. I was stunned out how much I needed that at the moment (and I suggest you all read it), about God's unfailing love. I was able to make it through that night because Psalm 33 would pop in my head, and I'd remember to pray. I didn't get to sleep until around 9:30, it was really neat to see how God came through for me, He gave me strength to get through it all, and especially when I was cleaning up various messes, cleaning out bukkets, washing their faces (it was 7&8 camp). I think that we sent at least 15 campers home sick, and two cabin leaders. Once upon a time, there was this boy named Justin, and there was me. I kept running into the boy named Justin, it was like wherever I went he kept following me. So what did I do? I asked jokingly, "hey, are you following me?" With a funny look on his face he replied, "Yes I am!" So from that point on whenever I would see the boy named Justin I would ask, "hey, are you following me?" To which he would reply, "Yes, I am!" He would sit by me at lunch, and before too long another boy came along named Lucas Eugene and he too was following me. From that point on whenever I saw the boy named Justin, and the other boy named Lucas Eugene, I would ask, "hey are you following me?" To which they would reply, "Yes, I am!" And then for 5 minutes after that it was as if I just couldn't get them to leave me alone, and they'd sit by me at meals, and make me laugh so hard I could hardly eat. Then one day I decided they needed to be marked, and so the boy named Justin, and the other boy named Lucas Eugene sat while I drew a star on their right hand. And that is the story of my two "stalkers," the boy named Justin, and another boy named Lucas Eugene.
Mind you, that whole stalker thing is just a joke, Luke and Justin were not in any way stalking me, we were just playing around, and it was pretty cool.
I get to go see Brittany the 12th! God is so amazing the way He's worked every thing out for her, and He's shown me so much through it!
1998 Camp Year | 1999 Camp Year
American Missionary Fellowship (AMF)
