Almost Home.......

Wow.  What a summer.  And I cannot wait to come home.  I am finally ready to be back and to figure out what this new step I am about to take looks like.  I am genuinely excited to see where God is going to use me and to be surprised at where that may take me.

I have a passion to help hurting kids.  I love seeing victory come through the most dire of circumstances and ultimately for them to finally see how much God loves them.  To see their eyes sparkle as they talk about Jesus and all of the great questions that come with a new walk with Him.

I am in the business of helping kids see Jesus in such an awesome and powerful way that they are never the same.  Not through anything I do, but through what God does through me.  I am His willing vessel.  I want to do this for the rest of my life and I say that with 100% certainty.  And not just kids, but I love to see young adults find their full potential.  When a young person sees their life the way that God does, it is extraordinary.

I want to be in full-time ministry.  More specifically, full-time ministry helping kids who need someone in their life as a mentor or in an after school program.  Something that requires all of me and not just the parts that I let God have now and then.

I want Him to have it all.  I just want to be along for the ride.

So this will change me.  And it will probably eventually change my employment.  And it will probably change my whole life in some fascinating and maybe some difficult ways, but more so this summer than any other I felt God's call to help His children.  To be there for them.  How that is going to look, I don't know.  Where that happens is another big question mark.  However, I have never been more ready for anything in my life than I have been for this these past few weeks.  Being at camp has been such a confirmation of that.  Not just from this year, but also last year.  Looking back at the events of last summer I now see a plan and a purpose.

It is exciting. :)

So, yeah.   Home I go next Wednesday to rejoin my regularly scheduled life and begin to sort through and process what this new direction is going to look like.  I am open to all possibilities. I look forward to catching up with friends and seeing how those relationship will grow and change.  I look forward to rejoining Joppa and getting reacquainted with friends there.  I look forward to getting back into the swing of helping plan YATEC and beginning another school year.  But mostly, I look forward to seeing what God has on the horizon.  Friends, it is going to be an interesting year. God bless.

A New Direction???

Hello friends!  It has been a fun summer.  Right now I am sitting in Spruce (the staff lounge) and listening to some "Manifesto" by The City Harmonic as people around me play cards and check e-mail/Facebook.  I hear laughing and talking and an occasional strange noise from my friend Brad.  This is a good group and it is a good day.  This is my new normal.

In about 12 days this journey of the summer will come to an end.  We will pack our cars, clean our cabins for the last time and go our separate ways.  It will be sad to leave this family we have created, but exciting to pick back up with things at home.

Oh yes.

And I have to say, I am ready for whatever He has for me.  And I am excited to see what that is.

Two Weeks from now......

Wow this summer has gone by ever so quickly.  We are now four camps and two weeks from the end.  Jamboree was a blast, but it was sure good to get back into our cabins and sleep on beds in the air conditioning.  The heat these past two days has been unbearable, but thankfully we have coffee shops with wireless internet around here!  I am spending the day in Cloquet in hopes of spending time with two of my favorite girls.  We shall see.  For now I am just thankful for a nice, cool place to sit and type.

So, in two weeks I will be back to my regularly scheduled life.  I am not sure I am ready for that yet.  I am a little closer to ready than I was yesterday.  I am just not sure I am ready to head back into the routine of an entire school year, even though I know that once I get into the routine it will be fine.  Don't get me wrong, I love what I do the nine months of the school year.  I do.  However, I do believe that God is tugging my heart and passion in another direction and that is exciting and scary all at the same.  We shall see what this school year brings as He draws me ever nearer to His plan and purpose for me and where He is leading.  I am ready, Lord.  Wherever.  Whenever.  However.  I am available and willing.

Equip this servant, Lord.

"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." -Hebrews 10:39

Jamboree!!!!

Oh friends, it has been a fun week.  This week at camp, Northwoods is hosting Territorial Jamboree.  Basically what that means is that ten divisions from the Central Territory are camping at Northwoods for a week of fun.  We have people here from Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas.  It is somewhere around 400 people on camp for seven days. Three of us counselors have been placed with the Northern Division (which is where Northwoods is) and all of the other counselors have been placed within the other divisions.  So far it has been great fun and I have met some really great people.  We have some incredible kids in the Northern Division.  Goodness, there are great kids everywhere!  I have also been able to see some old friends from last year and just have time to really enjoy this week.

Along with all of the other Jamboree participants, 3/4 of the Northwoods staff is tenting.  I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I have so far.  The weather has been so bi-polar this entire week.  We have gone from blazing hot to cold to hot again this weekend.  It is bearable, though.  Audre, Mertie and I came prepared with an electric fan so that we could have some air circulation when it does start getting too uncomfortable to sleep.  Woot!  It's funny, but I have actually preferred tenting out this week.  I will, however, be very excited to see my counselor cabin again and have consistent showers.  

After that, we have four camps left and then we are done.  It is so bittersweet.  This has been such a great summer and I will be sad to see it end.  It's not over yet!  I plan to enjoy these next two weeks as much as humanly possible. :)  Being at Northwoods this summer has given me so much to think about and has really revealed places in my life that I really need to work on.  God is constantly refining and restoring areas of my life that I once thought impossible to see restoration in.  I have been able to redefine those areas using the truth of God's Word.  

It's been a wonderful summer. :)

Peace, friends.

Camp....week ? They all blend together

Hey friends!  Welcome to this blog post.  A lot has happened in the past few weeks. Lets see if I can catch you up on some of it.

So far we have had Service Extensive Teens and Kids camps and Music Camp.  Tomorrow we start Troop Camp and then it is Jamboree.  Jamboree will bring 500 people to Northwoods for a solid week.  We will all be tenting out with the different divisions of the Salvation Army that are coming.  It will be an interesting week and I am sure I will be elated to see a bed again at the end of it. :)

This past weekend we had our four-day staff retreat.  On Friday we boarded the awesome coach bus and headed to Harmony, MN to go and explore Niagara Cave.  It was amazing!  Lots and lots and lots of steps, but worth every second. It was around 45 degrees in the cave and 90 degrees outside.  After we took the cave tour, we panned for precious stones and got to keep what we found.  It was a fun experience.  We finished the day off by stopping at McDonald's for supper and then headed back to camp.

Saturday we went to Duluth and boarded a train that took us to Two Harbors via the scenic North Shore road.  We then got to spend two hours exploring Two Harbors, got back on the train and headed back to Duluth.  It was really warm on the train, but it was a beautiful trip.  We ended that night by eating at Grandma's in Canal Park and had an hour and a half to explore Canal Park before boarding the bus to go back to camp.

Sunday morning we worshiped at camp, celebrated Ellie's 5th birthday and then headed to the Mall of America.  It was pretty fun.  I walked around the mall by myself, went to a movie (Cars 2) and did some shopping.  We boarded the bus in the evening and headed back to camp once again.  Once back, a few of us sat and watched Stranger Than Fiction and called it a night.

Today (Monday), we participated in the Finlayson Parade.  It was SO HOT!  Once the parade was over, we came back to camp and had a pool day.  I am uber sunburnt but had a great time grilling by the pool and swimming.  It was a perfect end to a really fantastic staff retreat.

Now we gear up for another camp in the morning and embark on our last month together here at Northwoods Camp.  One thing I am looking forward to about coming home is sleeping in my own bed.  I definitely miss it!  I know, that's sad.  I also miss all of you! :)

Alright, that is all for now!  Have a great week, everyone, and happy 4th of July! :)