I Survived the first week!

Well, we did it! We all survived our first week! Though it was a huge challenge, it was worth it to see how God worked in the hearts of the girls here. From the begining of the week we had a click of 4 girls who were way "too cool" to do anything here. And, they were obsessed with when they were going to get to hang out with the high school boys... every minute they were like "When are we going to see the high school boys?" "Can we have a deck party with the high school boys?".. and on and on! It was really funny to see how boy crazy they all were! We also had three other campers who were attention seekers who were always off the walls. They really grew all of us counselors in the area of patience (as I am sure you mom's out there know full well what this feels like!). Other little things just kept going wrong: our front door broke on the second day so the girls had to use the backdoor and go through our counselor room everytime they had to put their wet bathing suit on the deck or forgot to do whatever they wanted to outside... which was ok, but again tested our patience! One of our toliets stopped working on Friday so for two days we were using one toliet for 29 people.... uh.... i don't think I need to elaborate! It downpoured on us in the middle of the zip lines, but we were able to have a little bit of fun and were singing and dancing in it despite being soaked! The dance was definately the highlight of our week. To cut down on shower times during the week, we all as a cabin shave our legs together on the deck on Thursday mornings in preperation for the dance. No joke, at 10:30 am after shaving their legs the girls were so excited that they were already in the bathroom putting on make-up and straightening their hair for the dance! It was crazy! There were lots of other little moments that have been challenging throughout the week, but we as a cabin of counselors have continued to keep a good attitude and not loose heart. We feel blessed to have been entrusted with such a difficult cabin right off of the bat, that God would consider us faithful enough to him to challenge us. So in the same breath that we said we wish we could give up, we also thank God for the chance to remain faithful. On the last night, we had a campfire time where 4 cabins come together, and the campers get to share things that have gone on during the week. It was really neat to sit on "Canoe Beach" which is right on the lake, watch the sunset and see the moon come out (I really believe the Texas sky is bigger!) and hear our campers go up and share things they learned in our Bible Studies about God, that we thought they weren't even paying attention to! It was a really neat and beautiful moment, to know that the same God who created the beautiful sunset would use me to bring these kids closer to him. In the end, we even had three campers who placed their faith in Christ, which just blows my socks off! So, it has been trying and glorious all at the same time here this past week! I am continuing to learn what it means to be truely self-less and live for others. God is really prying myself and things I crave (like sleep!) from my hands and showing me how to live for the needs of those around me, especially the young ladies that he has placed with us this week at Sky Ranch. I miss you all, but know that I am loving it here! I have to get going for now, time to get ready for the next group of campers! I'm really excited for what will happen this week!

These pictures our from our hero dinner last Saturday night, it was kind of a comissioning to this year's staff and a way to end staff training. We got to change out of swimsuits and athletic clothes and dress up, so it was very exciting!

This is Brittany and I, one of my co-counselors














Paige and I, one of my co-counselors:














This is the group of ladies whom I'm counselors with:














This is Kate, she is from the Milwaukee area but goes to school in Louisianna... yeah we represent Wisconsin!














Kara and I, she is a Sky 4 counselor and is amazing!














This is us befor the campers came last Sunday. We are flashing the "Sky 3" sign (that is the age group of kids we have)














This is Kara and Jeff after our Monday night activity called "Keep your conselor clean". The campers have to manuever their counselors through a bunch of messy things and try to keep them clean. Obviously their campers didn't do so well!














Nap time!














I'm not sure...














Kalli on her bunk














Paige and I














The campers perform "Raids" on each other, where the counselors arrange ahead of time (though the girls don't know this) where one cabin attacks the other one. We got raided, and obvious we knew about it because all of us counselors were inside, but here are our girls getting attacked!




























Brittany and Shameire, one of our star campers














Paige Shameire and I were all rockin' the green and black outfit



















The beautiful sunset on canoe beach














Our girls before a deck party














This is Kalli laughing so hard she fell over....














These are the people I live with.... be afraid....














This is one of our campers dancing with a "gasp!" boy! She didn't say anything really all week except this week was the best one of her life.... lol!














Us counselors on closing day

Around Sky Ranch

Howdy ya'll! Hope things are going well! We have the afternoon (it's Saturday) off and I felt like hanging out around camp and resting a bit before all of the craziness starts. TOMORROW! we get our first set of campers, and I can't wait! I feel like this is so much like House Fellowing (and a lot of things in life), where they can train you all day long in something, but until you get out there and do it you will never fully be prepared. This morning we went over all of our opening and closing procedures and how to greet parents and such when they come to drop their children off. I am kind of nervous for all of this, but I am sure it will go just fine... lots of small talk and just making sure everyone feels comfortable with the situation. Also, as a senior assistant, I have to give "head checks" aka lice checks to all of the kids when they come in. I know, how gross! I thought maybe someone more qualified would do this, but supposidly you just have to be able to pick through kids hair... all I have to say is thank God for plastic gloves and the fact that probably no one will have lice! Ooo my head itches just thinking about lice! So hopefully all will go well on opening day tomorrow, I'm just having confidence in the fact that God has me here for a reason, and I wouldn't be here if I wasn't qualified!
Other than that, nothing too out of the ordinary around here. I had my first Sonic experience this week, and it was alirght... but it is THE thing to do here Texas. The Sonic's are huge with outdoor volleyball courts and playgrounds - the whole ten yards. Everyone here had a hard time believing I had never ever been to a Sonic. I also bought my first Texas cowboy hat at Wal-Mart this week - since we have cowboy themed dances with our campers once a week. Yeee-haw!
I just thought I'd post a few pics of what it looks like around here at Sky Ranch... my camera was kind of acting up... so bear with the quality... plus pictures don't even come close to depicting how beautiful it is out here! If I could I wish I could take a picture of the night sky with all of the stars. It is down right gorgeous! I really do think the sky is bigger in Texas! Alright here goes with the pictures:
This is a picture of inside the counselor's part of the cabin, and all of our junk!














This is inside of our cabin where the girls will sleep.














This is me outside our cabin(I took this on a self-timer and a gulf cart with housekeepers drove by while I was standing there by myself smiling.... lol)

Here is my bed... yeah bottom bunk! Oh and you should all send me some pictures to add to my wall! It is a little bare!














Here is the outside of our cabin... yahoo Park's Hall! Check out our sweet deck where we will be having lots of deck dance parties (see why I love it here so much?)














Here is a picture of "Canoe Beach" on the Lake Front














Here is the Day Camp Barn and one of the large "Pavillions" (we're not allowed to call it a tent or circus tent... which is really what it is!) where we have a lot of the indoor activities. And it's crazy, but the tents are air conditioned.














This picture is hard to see, but it is the waterslides. They look pretty tame, but we went down them the other day I was surprised at how fast they were!














This is the Lazy Pool, and yesterday when it got into the mid 90's it was great to just go in there and be lazy!














This one is also hard to see, but it is the dinning hall, called Oak Haven. In here is where we eat and the staff lounge is in there as well














This is inside of the dinning hall. Uh, we don't usually have white linnens on the tables! The staff was getting ready for a banquet we are having tonight to kick off the summer.















This is the staff lounge. It is a really nice escape from all of camp! This is where I can use my computer and am right now! (whoa, I know)














These butts and legs belong the the Wranglers who work with the horses here on camp. I took this picture because they are REAL LIVE COWBOYS and have spurs on their boots. I was just way too excited about this!














This picture was taken on Friday night when we had some time off to go and run to Mineola (a little town about 15 min away). We are chilling at the Sonic, which is really a big deal around here. Whenever anyone has time away they seem to flock to the Sonic! This particular night I think about 100 staff people from camp were there, it was kind of crazy - it was Sky Ranch away from Sky Ranch! These Ladies are my co-counselors: I am the first on the left, Paige (goes to Oklahoma State), Brittany (goes to Mizzou in Missouri), Melissa (goes to Oklahoma Baptist), my senior counselor Emily (she goes to Texas A&M), and laying in the front is Kallie (she goes to Texas State). I am living with these girls all summer and working with them... they are amazing ladies!














This is Kallie and I..... uhh it was really late at night... and somehow we ended up with these hats!

Sky Ranch Adventures

<-- This is from Pirates vs. Ninja's night on Sunday. We all gathered in the tent and they told us we had 20 minutes to go back to our cabins and dress as a ninja or a pirate.... all the girls in my cabin were ninjas.... needless to say it was redicuously fun. We then went back to the tent and played random carnival games against the pirates to see who was better... the pirates ended up winning the games 80 to 81... but it was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures from when we had time off on Saturday... we ventured over to Dallas.

Crown of Creation Women's Ministry!

Hey all! Check out this promo video for our new Crown of Creation Women's Ministry! Look for more information over break! Holla at me if you want to help out in any way - we're looking for talents of all sorts. Peace out. 

Olympic craziness

I have been one of "those people" these past 15 days. I am fascinated by the Olympics and have become captivated by the hype created through out the world over the games. There is just something so invigerating about watching some of the best atheletes in the world competing for the gold. It is so cool to see people who are using the best of the gifts and athletic talent they have been given to shine in the spotlight. There is just something so exciting about watching people perform at their highest potential and what they were made to do.

This has got me thinking about my own life. What would I "specialize in" in the Olympics of my life? I know this sounds kind of hokey, but it is true. God has given each of us something to specialize in, a gift or talent that I can only utilize. I know I really haven't found that something yet, but I know that when I do it will be a beautiful display of God's work in me. And when he reveals our gifts and talents to us I can see his glory being magnified on earth. There is something so awesome about watching people perform at what they excel in best. It is as if their environment and resources around them become one with their being, and it all makes sense.

So I will watch the closing ceremonies tomorrow night and will be sad, but I guess it is true, there is a bit of the Olympic spirit in all of us.

"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will recieve a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:10-11

Gotta get closer....

I was just talking with someone about what I will call the "Oprah phenomenon". Today on her show she was down in Houston TX where she was handing over the keys to a bunch of new homes that with her help and lots of other people's help from across the nation had built. Story after story of what these families had been through was traumatic to hear, they all had triumphed over hardship and now faced a new start in their brand-new homes. At the end of her show, Oprah gave away 15 more houses to unexpecting audience members who had been on site just watching her show. They were all victims of hurricane Katrina, and needless to say were thrilled. I was telling one of my residents about it and she said "Well, I'm surprised the people didn't suspect it, Oprah is always doing things like that". And we went on to joke about how if you hung around Oprah enough you would be bound to get something, she just always seems to be up to something and giving things away.
I was instantly reminded of the woman who in Mark 5, is just desperate to touch Jesus, to be around him, in hope that he would affect her life.

"A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a women who had be subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet insisted on getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought if I could just touch his clothes I will be healed." - Mark 5:25-27

I was thinking, would have the same desperation to touch Jesus as I would Oprah? Would hang around Jesus with the same intent? Sure Oprah may be able to get me a new car, a new house, even the year's best gadget, but can she give eternal life? We know the answer to the question, but somehow in the managled media and ideas of the world, we sometimes forget. I just pray that we would have the same desire to hang around and be by Jesus, to be near to God just to know that he is present and he is near, and he desires to give us the pleasure of our heart. And unlike human love and human gifts, his love will never fail or let us down. In the meantime, I still will be watching Oprah, but admiring the way she is God to the people of New Orleans, but not making her a god in her own.

Character over Comfort

As I was walking down State street today, umbrella in hand on this particularily gloomy, rainy day (which I love by the way)... listening to the rain fall against fabric of my umbrella and watching the way it fell from the sky and was dripping off of the trees and buidlings, it was rather beautiful. It was just one of those moments that I know God had to coordinate, that I a simple little human being could find joy and awe in this moment. It blows me away sometimes that God made everything in the universe to worship him. The rain falling from the sky, the trees it was dripping from, even the buildings and the sidewalks... even the rythmic patter of the rain against the earth, all of this is for the Lord. And he created us; you and I to join in this worship. It is just incredible to me to think that the whole earth, even the whole universe is crying out to the Lord, and he invites us to join in the song. How beautiful, how wonderful. Us. Just as we are to join in the chourus of worship with the world.

Sometimes I wonder if I really get it. If I as an ambassador of Christ I know what it really means. I wonder if my mind and soul were really one with Gods if I would make the same choices, or even care about the same things. I know on my way home on State Street I passed people who were homeless, who probably even needed money or food. Would God have passed by so quickly? Besides worshiping God, our only other purpose on this earth is to love our neighbors as ourselves. And if we really felt this, if we really knew what it meant, wouldn't we share the love and hope we have in Christ with them? I feel though as a body we are taken back when things suddenly become risky and less comfortable. It is far easier to think about joining in the worship of God, to be caught up in the beauty of his creation, than to think about the eternal seperation from God our loved ones will face. This is reality. God is real. Eternity is a long time. I pray that we would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, to never settle for a faith that is just comfortable. Rather we would be a generation that would be more caught up in what God thinks than what the world thinks.

God as we worship you and your creation, help us to step out in faith.