Questions Galore...Really?

Well Monday night we always have Bible Study for the first time and boy did I get bombarded by really intense questions. Basically that has NEVER happened to me before on the first night so it caught me a little off guard. Here is some of the questions that I have dealt with in the last 24 hours...

1. Who created God?

2. How did God get the responsibility of being God?

3. If we die and go to hell can we accept Jesus after we already die?

4. Why did God create Satan?

5. Does God love Satan?

6. If Jesus is God's Son how can he also be Mary's Son?

7. How old is God?

8. Who came first the cavemen or Adam and Eve?

9. If God created us then how did our parents also create us?

10. What was Adam's punishment?

11. Are we going to get to fight Satan when Jesus comes back?

12. Why does Jesus ride in on a white stallion when he comes back at the end of time?

13. Where did all the old testament people go after they died if the only way to Heaven is through Jesus and Jesus had not come yet?

14. Why is the mark of the beast 666?

and the list goes on and on and on and on...

its been an AMAZING week of Bible Study so far. My kids are asking questions, they are learning more about God and they are loving every minute of it...I love my job!!!!

No Time Is GO Time...

Well it is officially week 8 and we are now in Lynchburg, VA! I have enjoyed these past 9 1/2 weeks more than I can express in words. It has been a summer full of ups and downs but we have gotten through everything as a team. I have developed strong bonds with quite a few people on the team and I feel so blessed to know them. I cannot even imagine leaving this place in less than 2 weeks.

Our new set of kids arrive today. I can hear them screaming outside which gets me so pumped up! My kids last week gave me a run for my money. They were extremely loud during Bible study and extremely quiet during recreation. It took me all week to figure out how to reverse those two things. I was once again blown away by the way that God worked at camp. Kid's lives were changed forever. It's awesome to witness kids dedicating and rededicating their lives to Christ. It keeps me going, even when my kids are tough to deal with.

Our theme this week is Keep It Real (Respect, Encourage, Attitude, and Love). We have committed to doing everything for the glory of God this week. Can't wait to report how this week goes.

On Saturday I get the opportunity to head up to Washington DC with some of my teammates. I am so excited for this since I have never visited our nation's capital. Since I love politics and history so much I think it is going to be an awesome trip!

Once again I am SO thankful for everyone's prayers and encouragement. When I miss home and really want to just pack up and leave it's your prayers that get me through...

YAY for Atlanta Braves Baseball games and matching t-shirts!!

Diverse City Got Mass Appeal!

Week 5 has come and it has gone and it was absolutely AMAZING! My Bible Study kids were so excited the very first night and they carried that excitement throughout the week during recreation. It makes my job so much easier when I don’t have to pump them up to play games every day. We won the golden globe (which is the recreation spirit award) on Wednesday during recreation and it was so great because normally we are paired up with another Bible Study during recreation but this week because we had an odd number of Bible Studies my kids and I were alone during rec. So, when other teams had about 40 kids cheering we out-cheered them with 22 kids. Talk about being loud! Those are my kind of kids.

Our camp pastor brought it during worship! 38 kids were saved this week, which is the biggest number yet. On Thursday night, I was running lights up in the sound booth during worship and during the invitation I witnessed over 20 kids walk down front. It was a new experience for me because normally I am down in the auditorium during the invitation but to see God literally moving during worship was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen! When 38 kids had their names written in the book of life, it makes the late nights and missing meals all worth it. Our team has learned to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the Kingdom and it has been my greatest joy this summer to see kids get it for the first time. It’s why every single person on my team does what they do. I thank God for this opportunity and for your continued prayers and support!

I got to experience white-water rafting for the first time on Friday. After camp was over on Friday, our team went to the Ocoee River in Tennessee before we headed to Toccoa Falls, Georgia. It was SO much fun! I cannot even describe it! We were bouncing around on the waves and I drank a whole bunch of river water but it was a blast. It was such a good break for our team and an opportunity to do something fun together as a team. Did I mention that I absolutely love my team?

Well, we are back in Toccoa Falls, Georgia for week 6 and 7! Can’t wait to see what God has in store for us in these next two weeks!

So much to write, so little time

Week 4 is over. It has been an amazing week to say the least. We had an awesome group of campers and adults. Honestly, the adults can make or break a week. If they are not as excited as their kids are to be at camp, camp can be really hard for us. This last week, the adults were the bomb.com. They were excited and pumped up and engaged and it made our jobs so much easier. My Bible Study group of kids were really great this week. I connected with a lot of the kids in my group and they really asked some tough questions this week. On Thursday, we talk about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins and my kids started asking some deep theological questions about heaven and hell and the end times. Definitely was not ready for that BUT God was good and spoke to those kids through me. My church group, yay Webb FBC, was so great this week. I got to spend a lot of time with the kids, get to know them, I got my nails done by them which was needed greatly, and I was able to connect with some of them because of my story and where I have been in my life. God showed me how he can use difficulties in life for His glory this week and it was an honor to be apart of it.

All in all, this week was one that I needed. Week 3 was such a tough week, mentally, spiritually and physically, but God provided an awesome group of campers to renew my spirit this week. I am ready for whatever comes our way in these next five weeks.

There are A LOT of personal prayer requests that I have. First, last Monday night I was talking on the phone with Keira and she was in a car accident while I was talking with her. As scary as it was for me, I just ask that you would pray for her healing. She is heading to Peru soon with the high school ministry and has a lot to do to prepare for that, so she needs to be well in order to do all that is necessary to serve the Lord in Peru.

Also, a little girl named Kate McRae, from my home church Cornerstone, was recently diagnosed with an aggressive malignant brain tumor. She had brain surgery on Friday and the neurosurgeons removed about 50% of the tumor. God has already been performing miracles in little Kate’s life. After she got out of surgery she was not talking or moving on her right side.Since Friday, she has said a few words and recently has started moving on her right side. God is SO good!! Please pray for her that God would choose to heal her and use her to draw people to himself. We are simply asking God for a miracle. You can check up on her progress at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate/journal. Kate and her family, Aaron, Holly, Olivia and Will, desperately need your prayers during this time. Even if you do not know them personally, we are asking that you would pray for them as thousands of children of God join in petitioning the Lord for a miracle.

God is good and He is continually showing me that his plan is perfect, no matter what it is!