It's no secret that being on the world race has been the biggest challenge I have ever faced. It's no secret I struggled with homesickness, actual sickness, finding out where I fit in on my team, and other various emotional and spiritual things. I have tried to be 100% honest to tall of you. I held no secrets back except for one that was a secret to even me until this past debrief. My squad leader Abby called me out on it and helped me work through it. I knew something was still off, but I never really knew what it was so that's why I never really brought it up. The truth is that I have a divided heart. It's split between being on the race and knowing how blessed I am for this opportunity and being home, more importantly being back at Camp Geneva.
Camp Geneva is the place where I really opened up for the first time and allowed other people to help me. Two years ago was my first summer working there and I before that a whole bunch of chaos entered my life. I didn't always know how to handle it all and I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. God placed me there that summer for a reason. The people I worked with loved me for who I was and where I was at. They laughed with me, cried with me, and encouraged me every step I took. I honestly don't know where I would be if God hadn't placed them in my life. After camp ended that summer I stayed to live and work there while still attending school. I was one of the hosts for all the retreats. I lived in what is lovingly dubbed the "phat pad" with 3 other people who continued to pour into me as I poured into them. I became more confident and continued to grow closer to God. When this past summer rolled around I was back on staff and still loved it. There really are no words for the past staff I worked with and the past summer so instead of trying to explain why I love camp so much maybe I can show you. By the way I threw in a few photos from my first summer.
How could you not love camp…
…when you get to work and love on beautiful girls in middle school
…when your staff room whiteboards look like this? (I'm the fish because I'm scared of them)
…when you have hoedowns?
…when playtime consits of the GREAT SLIDE RACE to see how many daycampers you can get down the slide in 1 minute?
…when your day campers act like this?
…when the people you work with make up a musical based on day camp life and then make sweet T-shirts?
…when your swimming pool looks like this?
…when the people that you work with give you almost $10,000 of the $14,300 you need to raise? (Mark was one of my top 5 supporters out of everyone who supported me!)
…when you have giant slip 'n slides to ride down on?
…when your fingers constantly look like this?
…when it's normal to dress up as super heroes?
…when you can go down to the beach and watch the sunset?
…when you get awesome day campers who participate in dress up days? ( note the boys as cinderlla, the alien from toy story and a pirate)
…when you get to paint your face and become a rainbow warrior and chase kids around?
…when you celebrate the 4th of July on the 3rd of July because you have to work on the fourth.
The World Race has been wonderful too. I have seen God physically heal people. I have seen God heal my family. I felt God move through me and speak through me. Twice I have spoken in tongues. I never thought this could be real life but it is. If you have kept up with my blogs you have probably seen some of the changes that have occurred. It kind of saddens my heart knowing that there is a little more than 11 weeks left, but I am ready to come home and show you the new me. I don't think I would be where I am now if I had not come on the world race and had gone back to work at camp, but it doesn't make the heart ache less. I am in dangerous territory now because I know that a house divided cannot stand so it must be true for the heart. Pray for me as I continue these last few weeks that the devil would not use this weakness as a point of attack. Pray that the Lord strenghtens my heart and that I am all in for the last few weeks.
women in Costa Rica who just wanted freedom from the past for Christmas
doing construstion in Guatemala
serving up Thanskgiving dinner in Nicaragua.
teaching art classes in the Philippines.
loving on some women in Thailand.
travelled all around Malaysia preaching
made friends in Cambodia
went door to door in Kenya and made friends who we want to go back and visit
