My First Cabin, Clementine Five!

This is a little late, but here we go.

I had my first cabin Week Two at Pine Cove Ranch!

I was blessed to have some great 6th grade girls in Clementine Five.

They were incredibly precious!

So, of course I was nervous about my first cabin, but the Lord calmed my heart. 

I was put in a cluster with such great friends to lean on all week. So precious.

So, I'm jumping in the gauntlet (a huge welcoming for the campers) and my name finally gets called to go back to my cabin and meet my girls for the first time.

I run back to clementine where I meet my Senior Counselor, Apples, who gives me encouragement before I go ahead and meet my cabin. So Sweet!

I walk in and meet their parents and the girls. Just answering questions and having small talk. 

After the parents left, we had our first cabin meeting going over rules and the schedule and such.

Once we were done we headed to flag and dinner. 

At this point, it hit me "Ohh hey, I'm a counselor." CRAZY!!!

I can't tell you enough how much I LOVED my girls. 

Although by Monday my patience was running thin.

I remember on monday during F.O.B. (flat on back, aka time to rest in the cabin for an hour), Apples came by to check on me. She said, "Leap Frog, how are you doing?" My answer, "I'm good....(then tears start flowing). Don't get me wrong I loved my girls, but my patience with them was getting low. Apples looked at me and said, "It's okay to cry. I know it can be overwhelming, but you are capable."

That moment I learned I could not do this on my own. I have to rely on the Lord for everything. 

When my girls were asking me constant questions like, "Hey Leap Frog, when's dinner? What time is it? What's my next activity? Can I wear sandals? What's the theme night tonight? What are we doing next?" But, finally I just told my girls to stop asking about the future and to live in the present and enjoy it because you won't get it again. After that little talk, no more questions. Bliss!

Then it came time for Bible Study, and I was nervous. BUT, I prayed before for the Lord to speak through me, and He totally did!!

I got SO excited each day for Bible Study and my girls LOVED it! They asked great questions and understood what I was saying. It was bliss!

Then from activity to activity class and from meal to meal and so on, I was praying over my girls for them to understand how much the Lord LOVED them and cared for them. I have never prayed so much and long for a group of people before.

Then came my hang-times (one on ones with each camper). I was talking with this one girl and at the end of our conversation I felt lead to speak wisdom into her and pray over her. Then after I said Amen, I looked up at her and she was crying. I said, "what's wrong, are you okay?" And she preceded to tell me, "Leap Frog, no one's ever told me how much God loves me or cares for me, or told me I'm a leader or that I'm precious." My heart bursted I'm pretty sure. The Lord spoke through me in such a beautiful way. This moment will always be with me.

So as my week progressed, my girls kept asking more questions and more questions about Jesus. 

At one point they asked me if we could take our one hour of F.O.B. to just read the gospel. UHMM... YES OF COURSE WE CAN!!!

They yearned for growth and maturity. 

Now, these girls were not always perfect, but they sure did warm my little heart. 

Throughout this week a few things I learned:

-Ask the Lord for more patience.

-Rely FULLY on the Lord for everything.

-Love on my girls even when I feel I don't have anything left to give.

-Ask the Lord for Joy each morning.

-I can't do anything on my own.

-Let the Lord use me.

I could go on, but this is the big things.

I am BEYOND thankful for getting this job at Pine Cove Ranch. 

I love investing in girls and loving on them and growing in my faith. 

I will always remember my first cabin and what a blessing they were to me!! 

The Lord sure is taking me to higher places.

Beautiful Bliss :)

Take me Higher

I am now done with Orientation for Pine Cove Christian Camps!
For all that don't know I am going to be a counselor for first half at the Ranch.
My camp name is "Leap Frog."(mail me if you feel lead!)
Okay, so the first few days last week, it was a little overwhelming, but I am now feeling so much better about it all. It took some getting out of my shell, but I'm good now.
So, the Lord is of course teaching me so much. Shocker right?! NOPE!
I know that I will have days where I just feel exhausted and achy and sick, but the Lord pulls us through and carries me.
I think that those days to come the Lord will be carrying me every step throughout my day constantly saying, "Lindsay, my daughter, let me carry you, let me take over, and come and find rest in me."
One counselor asked me this week, "What are you most excited about?"
Well, my answer is a little odd. BUT, here we go.
I am excited to struggle.
SAY WHAT?!?
YES, I am excited to struggle.
I learn so much from the Lord while struggling.
To lean on the Lord for everything instead of myself.
Whenever I go through a hard time, the Lord is always trying to teach me something.
I yearn to GROW!!
Before I left for camp, I had coffee with one of my friends from my new church, Mosaic Birmingham. After talking a while, she looked at me and said, "Lindsay, I sense that the Lord is going to take you to higher places this summer." Like straight up just randomly said this to me. CRAZY RIGHT?!?
I am BEYOND excited for the Lord is take me higher and higher.
To stretch me to my core.
To use me for His will.
To teach me hard lessons.
To MAKE me rely on Him.
To understand His everlasting love.
Tomorrow marks my first day of "actual" camp.
I will be on Work Crew (a team of about 18ish people helping cook and clean all week) the first week. It will be a great week to serve the Lord and also, finish everything I need to for my first round of campers next week! I am so blessed!
Send me lots of prayers when you think about it and write me some mail :)
And I encourage you all this summer, to let God also take you higher. Submit to Him. Love Him intimately. And take time to dig deeper in His word.
Love to all!!