heyhey…
we came out of camp alive! and i really want to go back!! only a few neddle rashes. three days without a shower or bathroom (don’t bother to imagine that one :). the mosquitos wanted to be too good of friends. flies and nats swarmed and buzzed around your head like they were on a merry-go-round gone crazy. the daily diet rejected mr. atkins in all aspects…we ate bread and chocolate spread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. mmm.mmmm. (now i know why kids love to go to camp!)
so the past two weeks my team accompanied the south african teams in “the bush.” to help you visualize this place a little better, imagine travelling for an hour into the mountains. after you reach a certain height, start winding down into a beautiful valley. you are enclosed on both sides by incredible, green mountain ranges. the sun peaks over one in the morning as it rises, and sets over the other in the evening. could it get any better?
from the camp, you can walk about 15 minutes to the lake for a much needed afternoon swim. the water is a bit cold because it comes from the glaciers, but in 100° weather – its welcomed.
now the camp. when we pulled up, i looked around at the large area of land in which we would be working with. it held a few buildings that were still standing from the war. most had ceilings and windows blown out. others were vandalized, and everything was filled with concrete rubble and trash. there were also massive amounts of trees (which i very quickly appreciated for the amounts of shade they provided!). AND the trees were filled with fruit…apples, pears, cherries. i think by the end of camp, they will be ripe. i remember hearing a quote once that still rings true in my mind…
“why not go out on a limb? isn’t that where the fruit is?” – pretty cool if you apply it to your life. ok….getting off track. sorry.
so, we arrived and met the locals who have been working long term with the camp. instead of going day by day, ill just give you an overview of what we did the past two weeks. we began each morning with breakfast at 7, followed by a time of worship and prayer. usually around 8:30 we started the days work. there were many jobs that needed to be completed, so our three teams would split up in the areas where we are gifted. so you may be asking how my prada bag (total knock-off by the way) fit into this picture. well, they would give us the list of things that needed done…
showers needed built. (which also requires plumbing work)
bathrooms built/toilets and sinks installed. (also plumbing work)
massive tents pitched.
coffee bar designed and constructed.
tables and chairs built.
kitchen cleaned out, painted, and organized
small tents pitched for campers.
and then all the small stuff. (fire pit moved, wood area cleaned up, etc)
so you have about 5 guys and like 7 girls. but you can really count the south african girls in the guys’ category because they know as much as the guys dowhen it comes to this stuff. yes, we were really impressed and proud of them!!
so laura started helping out in the kitchen with the cooking. we would all rotate with dish duty. kim, friske, and i did all the odds and ends stuff. you know…like, installing the plumbing for the bathrooms. hooking up the electricity. putting the roofs on the buildings. hehe…ya right.
it was such an awesome time. we usually would work til lunch and then head to the lake around 2:30 to cool off. the afternoons were way to hot to work. we joined back up around 4:30/5 and worked a bit more til dinnertime. after dinner we had more time of worship and prayer. it was just great having the consistent fellowship time and hearing about what the Lord was doing in everyone’s lives throughout the weeks.
i am so impressed with how well the camp turned out. its crazy how transformed it became in such a short time. and it only happened because our team worked in unity and diligently. (more pics of the final work later). we spent hours in prayer for the camp and for lives to be changed. the theme of the campis “made new.”
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19
i don’t know about you, but the promise from God that He is doing new things in our lives is something i don’t want to miss out on. especially if it’s because i am too busy to hear from Him or to let Him work in my heart.
God’s compassions truly are “…new every morning”! And we can agree with the prophet Jeremiah, “Great is Your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:23)
Isaiah continues his words from the Lord to us, “You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” (Isaiah 62:2,3) I’m not sure what being “a crown of glory…and a royal diadem” might be, but it sounds exciting and something to look forward to in His revealing time!
The apostle Paul continues this same theme when we “…have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…” (Colossians 3:10) The potential is limitless for our growth in the Spirit as we look to Jesus, the perfector of our faith!
Again, Paul accents the fact that being in Christ makes us a new creation. “…old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Abiding in Jesus will not only produce fruit in our lives, but will bring His fullness of joy! (John 15:11)
Are you ready for the adventure of becoming something new? I know the thought is stirring in my heart and challenging me each day. I hope it does the same for you!
You know, I am reading this really girly book right now. Don’t be so shocked. 🙂 Anyways, the author makes a great point through the character. She is struggling with the question…”what is success?” And she says, “success is about living the gift. Not impressing the neighbors.” How true is that? Think about it… She also says that she is struck with the Ecclesiastes idea that they mean nothing. (in reference to the corporate america lifestyle)
I was challenged by this in the sense that…am I concerned more about my car (ok, well i dont have one currently…but in the future) and all the hype of material possessions – (yes, even my fake prada bag)…or am i more focused on loving God and loving His people. There can be a balance I believe, but I want to make sure my heart and motives are right first.
ok…sorry this is so long. i’ll post another blog soon about what is happening in our new city…Tuzla.
you are a champ for bearing with me to the end of this blog. impressive! thanks for all your prayers and emails too! they are still as appreciated as in the beginning! you guys are the best and i’m sending much love with this post!
God Bless…xoxo
