Spencer Lake Christian Camp

my girls from camp called me up a couple days ago and have decided they want to get together next week and hang out. i can't believe these are the same girls who i was sure hated me at the beginning of camp - what a blessing...i realized i hadn't posted about camp...so here's a quick summary...

i agreed to be a camp counselor for a week - at a camp i didn't know and for girls from a church other than my home church. i was real nervous about the whole deal...and when i got there...my greatest fears were confirmed (i thought). the girls told me that i had been given the worst cabin, that last year they made their counselor's time so bad she swore she'd never come back, and said, "if you're smart you won't fall asleep" - - YIKES!! i wanted to go home...was sure i'd never make it. the week ended up being AMAZING. by the second day we were all getting along really well, had gotten to know each other, and i even got to pray for them during the service time. crazy. they became some good friends and i was so blessed to be their counselor. by the end i figured out why (i think) God specifically put our group together. i know what it's like to be misunderstood and need a second chance - and also being afraid that God wouldn't want to risk giving another chance to someone who might mess it up. a couple of them had that fear and i was able to speak the same encouragement i felt God was giving me about that sort of stuff in my own life. i was talking to our youth pastor Jason about life and he said that he keeps thinking about a specific verse when we talk...i've never thought about a "life verse(s)" but he said he thinks i should consider these verses from 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."

anyways - so many changes that week. tought outer shells broken thru, people who said not to expect them to participate because they'd be sleeping most of the day showing up and cheering and participating, girls who were/are very VERY different defending each other. God showed up and the time was SO good - and i'm blessed to be able to remember it today - even though it was weeks ago. a lot of times i forget the times when God showed up in a big way when i couldn't see good coming from a bad situation...but now it's written down and i'll be able to look back...here are pics of my cabin :)

the last day...sad to leave (but you'll notice...this time we're all smiling :)

(l to r - nicole, elise, heather, me, danyele, leighann, shannon)

LeighAnn and Danyele

Elise

Spencer Lake

Heather

Nicole

"the tattoo" - they saw me doodling in my journal...thought it was cool...and insisted i draw it (with a sharpe marker of course - i was sure i'd get in trouble...this is church camp!) on everyone's righ forearm so people would know who's cabin they were in :) what a compliment!!