Looking back on the last 6 months it has been very easy to see all the ways God has been working in my life. Don’t get be wrong, I have encountered some spiritual warfare but God has been right by side protecting and guiding me through it.
Three weeks ago I accepted a summer internship at Camp Timberline in Estes Park, Colorado. I’ll be a Counselor and Lacrosse coach while at Camp T. I am so excited to have the opportunity to start this ministry season early before I go on the World Race. This wasn’t an easy decision though. But I decided to listen to God as I was in the decision-making process for this summer. You see, I had a choice to make because I was given two internship offers. One from Camp T and one from Youthworks, which is a ministry that facilitates high school mission trips. There was one main reason why I decided not to work for Youthworks again.
You see, I’m currently trying to figure out what the World Race holds for me, but I’m not investing all my time and energy into it. I’m allowing God to reveal certain things to me slowly. Something that I struggle with is having expectations. I have been trying not to go into the World Race with any expectations. I want to treat each day like the beginning of a marathon. More times than not, you are running on a path you have run before. You know what is around the next corner and what spots have hills. When running a long race, which is what I think about when I think about ministry, I don’t want to know what is around the corner. I want to be surprised by everything I encounter and I want to see it with fresh eyes. That is why I chose Camp T over YouthWorks. Even though I told myself I wouldn’t go in with expectations, I just didn’t feel at peace about it. I had such an incredible summer at YouthWorks 2 years ago and would never trade anything for that. I believe that when God presses you about something you should listen and God is pressing be about Camp T.
So this is it… I leave Madison, Wisconsin in 6 weeks. I’m truly thankful for the time I have spent here. I have grown in many different areas of my life. God has blessed me with a great job, education, ministry, and friends over the past year. I’m going to miss Wisconsin! My parents grew up here and I still have a lot of family here. I’ll even miss the cold and the snowJ. It is not easy leaving this place I called home but I’m excited for the path God is guiding me down.
Continue to pray for my time of transition. Pray for my time back home in Greensboro as I prepare for the World Race. Pray for the kids I’ll be able to minister to at Camp T. Start praying for the 4 countries I’ll be traveling to in Asia, they are India, Nepal, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Thanks for reading! I also wanted to thank everyone that has supported me so far! Your prayers and financial sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. Thanks for blessing me and believing in me!
-Joe Hamann
