This last week was a great week! My two co-counselors and myself had 15 wonderful girls, from 8-10 years old, who got along great, kept themselves entertained when we needed them to, and at least half of them were serious about growing in their relationship with the Lord! They were honestly a big encouragement to me, one of them in particular was really mature and she would come up and ask "so, how's it going?" It felt like I was talking to one of my friends and she really became that by the end of the week.
From the beginning I was determined to pour my energy and love into the girls and because of that they got me to do several crazy things that I wouldn't normally do. One day, in order to be dismissed early for supper, they begged me to do the chicken dance while hopping up and down on one foot in front of the entire dining hall. I attempted to do just that while turning bright red from embarrassment and laughing with my girls, but we succeeded in being next to eat. The following day two of them buried me in the sand at the beach. Yesterday I had fun getting covered from head to toe in the Mud Pit. :) I also had fun making up stories and singing to them every night to put them to sleep (which made me think of my awesome mother who used to do the same for me).
Going into the summer I knew I would have a hard time having spiritual, one-on-one conversations with my campers, and on Wednesday night that's what hit me. I was having a lot of fun with my girls, but I wasn't making much of an eternal impact in their lives. I asked God to help me be purposeful in that area and between Thursday and Friday I had at least 5 good conversations toward that end! Three of the girls in particular were craving for someone to step into their life and explain what it's like to grow in their relationship with God and how to live for Him. They needed to be encouraged not only to be reading their Bible, but where to read and how. They had been silently crying out for someone to take an interest in their spiritual walk and teach them and the most surprising thing to me was that all three of them come from families that love the Lord.
Obviously looking back there are some things I wish I would have stepped up and done to make things go a little smoother but overall I'm thankful for this week and the girls I had.
Please pray for me for this coming week. I will be switching to counseling the Middle School age group which will take some adjusting to their different needs and schedule and I currently have a sore throat. I feel very refreshed by this past week and know that God will continue to be with me, helping me, giving me strength but I also know how easy it is to lose focus. Thank you for your prayer support, it is extremely appreciated!
From the beginning I was determined to pour my energy and love into the girls and because of that they got me to do several crazy things that I wouldn't normally do. One day, in order to be dismissed early for supper, they begged me to do the chicken dance while hopping up and down on one foot in front of the entire dining hall. I attempted to do just that while turning bright red from embarrassment and laughing with my girls, but we succeeded in being next to eat. The following day two of them buried me in the sand at the beach. Yesterday I had fun getting covered from head to toe in the Mud Pit. :) I also had fun making up stories and singing to them every night to put them to sleep (which made me think of my awesome mother who used to do the same for me).
Going into the summer I knew I would have a hard time having spiritual, one-on-one conversations with my campers, and on Wednesday night that's what hit me. I was having a lot of fun with my girls, but I wasn't making much of an eternal impact in their lives. I asked God to help me be purposeful in that area and between Thursday and Friday I had at least 5 good conversations toward that end! Three of the girls in particular were craving for someone to step into their life and explain what it's like to grow in their relationship with God and how to live for Him. They needed to be encouraged not only to be reading their Bible, but where to read and how. They had been silently crying out for someone to take an interest in their spiritual walk and teach them and the most surprising thing to me was that all three of them come from families that love the Lord.
Obviously looking back there are some things I wish I would have stepped up and done to make things go a little smoother but overall I'm thankful for this week and the girls I had.
Please pray for me for this coming week. I will be switching to counseling the Middle School age group which will take some adjusting to their different needs and schedule and I currently have a sore throat. I feel very refreshed by this past week and know that God will continue to be with me, helping me, giving me strength but I also know how easy it is to lose focus. Thank you for your prayer support, it is extremely appreciated!
What a wonderfully written blog that expresses your heart in this work you are doing this summer. Every week will be a week of growing for you as well as for your students and you will come out of it all with God's grace shining through you as never before. Will be praying for you!
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