Reflecting

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 ESV

I am reminded today of the importance of teaching our children how important our faith in song is. I, like many other parents, know that our children don't all learn on the same level. In fact, not even all adults learn on the same level. Some learn with their hands, some by reading, some are auditory learners, and some, by my favorite, learn by music.

I remember having to learn as a young parent how to teach Ian how to talk and say things that the doctors said he would never say. I did the only thing I knew how to do....I sang to him. I was patient, yet determined. I was kind, but firm. We sang all the time. One of my most favorite moments yesterday was watching a video with him of our first moments where he learned a song. Most of his toddler years were spent singing everything he knew. Others laughed, because it was funny. :) But, I knew that one day, this would get him where he needs to go in life. I am amazed at how far he has come. I didn't pay for therapy, I just mothered him the only way I knew how.

I think that is one of the reasons I find passion and joy in teaching other kids to sing. I'm not the greatest singer...I just love to make music. I love to see the joy in the hearts of children when they find a voice within them that they are comfortable with. With that comes strength & courage to conquer new and exciting things. Believe me, if you can get up in front of people at that age and sing, you will conquer great things later in life. But, it's not just about singing, it's about what song you can find in your heart. When I can't find the strength to do anything else, I sing.

This year we are approaching 5 years of teaching children to sing praises to God. Thinking about that today, I added up all we have done and it blows my mind. I have taught 91 children, taught 103 songs, presented 62 songs, taught 43 kids at workshop (only 16 of those from MDCC), kids recorded on 1 adult CD, kids recorded an entire CD, kids ministered in song to the elderly, kids sang Christmas Carols, and maybe something else that I haven't thought of.

I look at this and think wow! Or...I think I should be really tired! :) It excites me. This is what puts a smile on my face.

I am reminded in Isaiah 54:13 "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children." I love this verse because it reminds me that I am merely a vessel. I am doing nothing spectacular. He is using me to communicate His word and His song to these kids. I often wonder if there has ever been a time that teaching these kids has kept them around. I wonder if what we do with this makes a difference. I wonder if these kids will be having a rough time someday and remember the words of Blessed Be Your Name or Mighty to save or You Never Let Go. Or, if they've ever had a moment where they want to sing Shout Hallelujah, or Shine Jesus Shine. I think if that is one small thing we can accomplish, we might be doing something good.

I once remember looking out into a congregation where some children were not smiling, were not engaged, and definitely would not sing. Today, I sit in a congregation listening to the little voices overpowering the adults as they sing praises and worship to God. I wonder....what it sounds like to Him?

I'm a nobody

I'm a nobody! Who I am and what I am makes no difference to anyone. Why worry with wanting to feel important, or special? Why try to be anything more than I am....a nothing, a nobody.

Some of my most favorite people in the world are those that are not in the spotlight. Those that are meek and quiet. I am most comfortable around them and their silence. They allow this nobody to just.....be. why? Because they are nobody too....and they aren't striving to be somebody.

I'm not the person that I want to be. But, I'm exactly the person He wants me to be. I still have so much work to do on me. I'm glad He has patience working with me and glad He allows me to fail to I can start over.

I may not be somebody to those I try so hard working to impress. I'm still a sombody who's a nobody to the only one who made me who I really am, and that's somethin!!!

Love thy WHAT???

I wish someone would just give me that easy, cookie cutter, answer to loving your enemies! Man....even when I try, it can be really difficult at times. I admit, I'm not good at it. I can get good at it when healing within begins to happen, but when someone picks and picks and picks away at me on purpose, I can feel that love start to fade away. Surely I'm not alone in this.
I've tried to find something to love, but again, it can be difficult when a person really does everything possible to make you miserable. It's such a sad situation.

I know one of the only ways to do this is to let Jesus transform my heart into something that is not there right now. I want to obey the greatest command and these others that I have read:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (Romans 12:14).

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it (1 Corinthians 4:12).

I don't want to be that person in 1 John 2:9-10 that lives in darkness.

I've tried so hard for so long to be Jesus to those that mistreat me. Maybe I'm not doing it right? I suppose they don't see Jesus in me.
I think it's highly possible to have enemies...to have people that mistreat me...but does that make it okay? What if that person always has to be right no matter what? I will never win.

When I take a step back and look I realize it's okay to have enemies. Jesus had enemies. He dealt with it in such a calm manner. I've tried to understand my enemy, but it doesn't help. I've tried to love, but they continue to hurt me. I try not to take things personally and realize, they just need help and I'm not the one to give it.

I'm striving to love my enemies. I have realized, they are going to hurt me. I realize, they may not know better. I realize, I can't change them. I realize, it's not about me. I realize, it's still going to hurt.

But this is the kind of love I want to have/give to everyone. I'm just praying that God helps me with that. Even having just 1 enemy that you find it hard to love, is 1 too many.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

My New Favorite Song

Talk about a song that just speaks to me and feels me with joy and tears. Man...I love this song! I'm so thankful that God has given Laura Story the gift of writing music. Her songs really speak to me.

KPC 2011 - Learning can be fun!

They say the funniest things....

While singing "This is how we overcome"

"Ms Brenda, they spelled mourning wrong!!!"
"No it's right! How do you think it's supposed to be spelled?"
"M O R N I N G"
As I smiled inside...we had a great lesson on words that sound the same but have different spellings and different meanings.
Their reaction was "OHHHHHH"

This one...was more difficult! While singing "A New Anointing"
"Ms Brenda, what is Anoint...ing?"
"What do you think it is?"
"Sounds like a jelly!"
"Well, to anoint something is an act of applying something...like pouring oil."
"So......it's a season to pour new oil?"
"Welllll....it is an act of doing something. It's like making a dedication to something much like they did in the Bible."
"So, it was a new season to dedicate themselves to something new and fresh?"
"YES!...Now...let's sing!" :o)


I love what I do!!!!

Making a difference

Do I make a difference?
In effort to remember and never forget this story....I blog. It all started...20 years ago..and leads to today.

I wasn't a banner student in high school. I was lucky to make D's. I would try, but give up. Eventually, I just stopped trying. I didn't feel smart. I was there for social reasons. I wanted friends...relationships...people to like me. Even in that area, I still struggled.
My senior year brought many new things to our school. New teachers, a new principal, and yet, another year for me to struggle. That part, had not changed.

I had made it through half of the year knowing there were certain things I had to accomplish in school to graduate, but was struggling to reach those milestones. I knew in the next few weeks an English research paper was due. In order to graduate, I needed to do really well on this paper. But, I really was focused on having fun.

I had been assigned to write a paper on Leonardo Divinci, who himself, was not a man who loved to be taught, but rather, loved to work & learn with his hands. The only education he had was a very basic one. He always had one thing in mind, and that was to reach a goal and feel a sense of accomplishment. He was a man with a vivid imagination and felt like nothing was impossible. I became very intrigued with his personality and his personal goal for success. Therefore, I wrote a paper...even though, I didn't really know how.
I had my mom look over it the night before I turned it in, however, she also didn't know what I was really supposed to be doing, other than writing a paper.

The day came to turn in my paper and I was just a little nervous. It was either pass or fail time.
At the end of class, my teacher calls me to the front. "Did you do this all on your own?"
Oh.....I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING UP QUICK!!! Praying "Please God, give me the right answer to say right now"....so I said
"Yes, I did it on my own, but I had my mom look over it last night"
The next words.....so simple....but changed the rest of my year.
As this teacher looked me in the eye, he said: "You did a really good job"

I went the rest of the day with those 6 words in my head, playing them over and over. They were simple, but they mattered to me. For once, someone liked what I did. Someone believed in me. Someone that didn't know anything about me, anything about my past, anything about my family, anything at all......he believed in me.

The rest of the year went by rather quickly. I was making up for lost time in all 6 classes I was trying to do my best to pass. I didn't graduate with honors, but I did complete the goal and felt good about my efforts. After that....I never spoke to that teacher again. I was unable to thank him. I was unable to tell him what a difference he made in my life.

Fast forward 20 years.

I have graduated college and moved on to a wonderful career doing one of the most rewarding things a person can do....save the human life, or be with them as they move on to eternity.

The summer of 2010 was crazy. I had just graduated & was being trained in several different areas in the hospital. One in particular was the Trauma ICU. I was at the end of my training and basically working on my own. I had completed all of the steps but was just being observed in case anything went wrong that I didn't know how to handle.
I went to work, printed off my patient list as usual....but something was different.
This time, there was a name I recognized in the Trauma unit. Could it be? Was it really THAT teacher from 20 years ago that made such a difference in my life? Nah! There is no way.

I proceeded to the unit to get report and heard about this terrible accident involving a man who feel off a ladder and relocating his throat under his left ear. It wasn't pleasant, but we don't always deal with pleasant. Clinically, things were not in this man's favor. At this point, all he had on his side was God, and I was praying they were on the same team. Then....I was told....it was my teacher. The man that made the difference in my life would now rely on me, my skills, my hands, my knowledge.....and I felt so green! I was nervous....but probably not as much as he was!

He had been there for several days and had already undergone a tracheotomy. Today was the day to take him off of life support and make sure that he is going to breath on his own. That's always a scary day....for them...and for me.

I walked in and introduced myself. He didn't recognize me....so I thought. I'm 20 years older, have 3 kids now, and changed my last name. No way he could remember me. I proceeded to to explain what was about to happen. Boy, did he look nervous. He had questions and I took the time to listen and read his lips since he could not speak. He was scared of the unknown. I assured him that if anything happened, I would be right there, and I also had backup ready, so we were all prepared. Once I was able to calm his fears & gain his trust in me, I prepared all the necessary equipment and was ready to shut off the ventilator. But......then.....I stopped.
The next words were what I had been waiting that whole time to say:

"I guess this is probably a good time to tell you that you were my teacher 20 years ago huh?"

Oh my!!! I watched his heart rate sky rocket on the monitor and his blood pressure increased and his lips moving ever so rapidly saying "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"
I'm sure at this point, he was wondering if he had ever given me a bad grade! Ha!
I smiled from ear to ear, and watched his face turn from total fear, to total reassurance and trust. At that moment, he had no where else to go, except to trust me. I took him off the ventilator and stayed by his side reassuring him that he was breathing fine and that I wouldn't leave him. He did very well.

Later that evening, I was able to speak to his wife in the waiting room & tell her the story of how her husband made a difference in my life, and now, I feel I am getting to give that back to him. Yet, he didn't even know what he had done for me. It was time for me to go home for the day but I didn't want to leave him without reassuring him he was going to be fine. I went to tell him goodbye and ended up telling him how much of a difference he made in my life. He just laid there. He couldn't speak, but I could tell....he appreciated those words. I think at that point, he knew he could trust me.

Those days led to many more days of conversations, treatments, and the healing process. He truly is a walking miracle. I prayed and prayed that the man who was instrumental in my success to graduate high school, would continue to live on so that he could make a difference in the lives of so many other students. I am so thankful to God that he completely healed him...and did it so quickly that science cannot explain it.
He was able to start teaching again this year without missing a day. He is making a difference in the lives of kids who will one day make a difference in this world somehow.

He is a blessing to me. A motivator. A friend. 20 years ago, I could have never predicted this would happen this way, but I am thankful for opportunities that give me the chance to tell someone else how important they are to me.

I never had the chance to thank him. Now....I can thank him everyday.

As for that research paper on Leonardo Di Vinci.....I got an A! 99% to be exact. I lost 1 point for misspelling the word "Women" GO FIGURE!!!!

Leonardo said: "There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see."

I'm thankful that my teacher was of the higher class...and could see that I was one that wanted to be shown instead of one that would not see.

I am grateful

It's a very weird feeling to hear someone say to you "You played a part in saving my life....I am grateful"

I don't feel that....and it gives me a weird feeling when I hear that. I understand what they are saying, but in the scheme of things, I am just a small fraction of what God is really doing. He is the one at work.

When I go to work, it makes me so grateful for the things in my life. I am grateful for my family, my friends, the good and the bad situations I am in, and so grateful for another day to start again.
When you deal with people who look at death in the face daily, it's a constant reminder of all of the wonderful things that we live for. Spend a few weeks, days, or hours with the ones that are counting their own moments down, and it will make you see life in such a different perspective.

Hello...my name is...

It's only 2 weeks into a series of classes at church and I really have enjoyed the content so far. A class titled "Hello...my name is Memorial Drive"
Now lets not ever shorten this to "Hi my name is MD" because the medical side of me comes out and says "Muscular Dystrophy". Not sure that has the same context to it.

Thinking about this last night...what if I wore my tag everywhere I went...what whould it say? Would it change from place to place according to the atmosphere, environment, or attitude I carry? I believe it would. At work, would it say "Hello, my name is St. Francis?" or at McDonalds would it say "Hello, my name is McD?"
Of course it would, but it should also say something more important than that. It should say "Hello, my name is believer, servant, christian"

Do I carry that with me? I sure hope so. So when I'm:
At work "Hello, my name is helper"
At McD "Hello, my name is thankful"
At church "Hello, my name is,friend and Child of God"
And so on and so on.

I want to be be all the things that God wants me to be without reservation in all situations. I want others to know where I get that from. Not only do I get that from God, but I get that from a family of believers that I can't imagine life without.

I want to keep adding to my tag. I want to be those things that I see in others. I want to be those things that He sees in me so that I can pass that along to people who have yet to know Him like I do. I, just want to make a difference.

My Family

Can't tell you how pleased I am by the skills of Jenny! She does an amazing job capturing the heart of my kids! Love it! Today was just one of those amazing family days! Relaxed all day, spent the afternoon with Jenny and took the kids out for Pizza....where a football game was playing of course! LOL! :o) We had a good day....I am so thankful!

Amazed

I really am amazed at how things work in our life. I'm amazed at how God works.

Looking at my blog today, it was 30 days ago I posted about how proud I was of Ian's accomplishments. It's funny how drastically things can change in a short amount of time.

We've had to make some hard decisions regarding his education, but one thing has not changed....I'm still a proud momma!

Nobody will ever understand him like I do. Nobody will ever see in his eyes what I can see. I love him. I want the best for him. I want the world to see how big his heart really is.

The hard part is when I can't "make" that happen. I can't make someone like someone else. I don't have that kind of power. But what I can do is pray. I can pray for others to have eyes like Jesus to see Ian the way He does. To love him the way that He does. To have a heart like He does.

As a mother, it is so hard to watch your child go through hard times. Regardless if they have a disability or not. But if I know anything about my kids, I know they will be strong and stand firm in their beliefs and they will not torment others because they don't measure up to the worlds expectations. I want them to look at the world through the eyes of our Father and see it for what God intended it to be....instead of what man has made it.

I use to laugh when I heard my parents say the line "This will hurt me more than it will hurt you." Today....that line rang true. But because of my faith in God, I know that the clear answer was to make changes. I felt confident that I made the right decision. I felt peace.

I amazed by my son....and I am amazed by our God.

Proud Momma!

Wow...it is really amazing what a differnce a year makes.

Yesterday I had the chance to meet with Ian's teachers. This is normally a very emotionally taxing day for me. I went with great anxiety....but did not allow Ian to see that in me. But somehow, I think he senses it.

He introduced me to each of his teachers one by one. I stood there....waiting....but they said nothing other than it was nice to meet me. Um...WHAT???

Each teacher commented on how nice it was to have him in class and what a great, hard working student he really is. (Imagine me with my mouth hitting the floor at this moment. I felt like I was on candid camera or being punked)

Finally we had a chance to sit and talk with the Ian's special education coordinator. Ian was forced this year with his IEP to only get to choose 1 elective instead of 2. He choose mens choir. For the second choice he was placed in a special education class titled "study skills". Ian knew from the first day that this was special ed. But he was okay with it and never complained.

As we proceeded to talk, she says...."I don't think he needs to be in here. I do not see a problem"
She proceeded to tell us that she keeps track of Ian on a daily basis and is in constant communication with his teachers and none of them have any complaints at all. They all say he is a hard worker and is making lots of friends.

Do you know how long it has taken us to get to this point? Do you know what we have been through? Do you know how long we have waited to hear those words spoken? I did everything I could to hold back tears in front of him.

So....because of his hard work.....at the end of the first semester, if this continues, they will allow him to get out of "study skills" and get in a more interesting class that is fun and exciting for him. ALSO.....they said that he only missed his reading test last year by 4 points to get his drivers permit....so they will be giving that to him again next week and they are sure he will pass it. Um...I'm a little scared on the driving permit...but hey....I have to let him grow up sometime.

So many have prayed for Ian. So many have loved him. So many have been great mentors for him. I pray they never quit.

For 15 years, we have put in a good fight all the way for him never letting him down and never letting him lose or get beat down. We've tried to teach him to be such a good young man never reallying knowing if we were going about it the right way and praying that God would guide us in the path. I feel at this point....we have done....at least 1 thing right. :o)

Our battle in life with him is not over....but....we see a HUGE light at the beginning of a new tunnel!!!! That gives me so much reason to praise God today for the lessons He has taught me through this amazing child!

Do They See Jesus in Me

One of my all time favorite songs.....and really really really on my heart today.
I want to be everything this song says....and more.
I thank God for putting this on my heart. I need it.


Is the face that I see in the mirror
the one I want others to see
Do I show in the way that I walk in my life
The love that You've given to me
My heart's desire is to be like You
In all that I do, all I am

Do they see Jesus In Me
Do they recognize Your face
Do I communicate Your love, and Your grace
Do I reflect who You are
In the way I choose to be
Do they see Jesus In Me

It's amazing that you'd ever use me
But use me the way You will
Help me to hold out a heart of
compassionate grace
A heart that You're spirit fills
May I show forgiveness and mercy
The same way You've shown it to me

Now I want to show all the world who You are
The reason I live and breathe
So You'll be the One that they see
When they see me

Listen

I've learned from a wise person over the past few months to ask God to help me to be slow to speak, and quick to listen so that I might be able to hear God, instead of me always searching for answers.
That's comes as a challenge from time to time and situation to situation.

I use to think I couldn't hear the message that God was sending me. Nah...I know I can. What happens is I have to be quiet long enough for Him to get a word in. :o)

This practice is not always easy....and it's not easy to teach my kids. But I hope they can learn by my example when I am able to do it, and do it well.

On those other days, I pray for grace.

What is important?

Several weeks ago,I cracked the face of my phone. It is no longer pretty and has flaws, but it works.

Once upon a time, I would have been a person that rushed out to get it replaced as fast as possible. Not because I needed to, but becuase it doesn't look good.

Things have changed. Not sure where they really changed along the way but they have.
When it broke, I remember looking on the computer and calling the sprint store to see about getting a new phone. My contract is up, I'm well on my way to getting that really nice phone now, but I stopped.

Haven't looked at it again since.

Sure, it would be nice, but I went down the list of things in my life that I need and the things I don't need and the phone just didn't make the cut. I just don't feel the time is right and God is putting it on my heart to spend wisely right now.
I admit, I'm not one of those that feels I hear clear answers from God, but this has been one where he says "You don't need it"

Satan puts lots of things in our paths and clearly makes us feel that we need the things in this life that we really don't. I, for one, am going to listen to the message that God is giving me right now and spend money on the more important things in life.

For the first time in life, for as long as I can remember, I have the money to go buy something I want.....and I am not doing it.
Will I ever get a new phone? Yes, I will. But I will wait patiently until the timing is right.

There are just more important things in this life.

Blessings

Tonight we had an opportunity to go sing in the community at a retirement village. I didn't realize how much I would feel blessed after doing so.
I love the elderly population and how much life they have in them. Their dreams are still alive more than ever before.

I loved to look into their eyes as we sang. I did my best to make eye contact with each person in the room. Some of them made me laugh as they would just smile when they noticed they were being looked at. Some of them almost made me cry a couple of times. But most of all, I could see their hearts. They really loved having us there. I enjoyed my conversations at the end the most.

One woman told me "We have people come and sing, or play music, but not very often do we have kids that will come sing to us"

I told another woman I could hear her singing along with us and she said "I once sang in my high school choir! This brought back that memory"

Another woman said "I came down here just to hear you....and I live on the 3rd floor...so it's a journey!!!" She was so thankful she made the trip! I told her I hoped it was like a mini vacation and she just laughed!!!!

I observed at the end a man coming up to another woman (not his wife as neither were married I found out) and he said to her, "Now I will be back in 10 minutes to pick you up over there (the courtyard) so we can watch our show"

A gentleman sitting alone appeared unapproachable said in a very slow and stuttering voice "I'm really glad you came tonight. Singing makes me happy"

I could go on and on about the things they said in the short time we were there but most of all I know my heart was touched by just looking into their eyes tonight. It wouldn't have mattered if I sang or not. What mattered is that we took the time out of our lives tonight to invest in others that have invested so much in this world already. I was honored to have this opportunity.

I hope when I grow older, people will come to visit and bless me.....so that I can take my turn at that age, and bless them.

A new favorite

I have become a huge fan of Joyce Meyer. This woman just floors me at her depth of her own spiritual walk with Christ. I love to listen to her. I am drawn to listening to her. She speaks in ways that I understand and that can help me in my walk with Christ.

Her biography caught my attention and after reading her life story, what she has lived through and how she survived a hard life. Now she takes her life and her story and turns it around for the better. She preaches the word of God with such passion and grace.

She has a new book coming out in September called "Power Thoughts" and I can't wait to get a copy. I've never read any of her books, but I look forward to reading them and becoming closer to Christ through some devotions with her.

I love it when I find a new author/teacher that I really like.

The Last Night

Well....its now 1:20am and I'm back to my cabin. Today and tonight were amazing. Connections were made, friendships built, all for the sake of glorifying God together.

The worship tonight was unbelieveable. Didn't matter if it was in key or not....it was powerful. I remember hearing worship like this as a teen, but never remember it being quite this powerful. My breath was taken away tonight by the hearts engaged in worship. I couldn't even sing for a bit. I just had to sit and take it all in.

We had our Senior coffee tonight and they made me laugh all night. I have had one amazing ab workout.

I bonded with kids this week that I never knew. I have memories to last a lifetime now. I can't wait to come back again and do this all again next year.

Day 3

Today seemed like the long day to me, but yet, another fun one.
I have become Chads right hand woman in the kitchen. Seems appropriate since I don't have a small group to lead this week. Being the nurse, I get ALL of them when they are sick! We are making a great team.

Today was filled with the same rotation of activities and classes. I sat in on Brians class today which talked about how each of us are unique but we strive for perfection. Even when we can achieve it in our eyes, we are perfect the way that God made us.
Tonight we had the drama portion of the camp talent show. Tomorrow will be the music portion. All I can say is I am totally impressed with the creativity that these kids can come up with. I laughed so hard. UNTIL.....the last skit involved a dead fish that was caught earlier in the day. The skit ended when they came toward me with the fish and I took off running down the hill and Nick and the fish chasing me. Oh my goodness. I have never ran so fast in my life!!! And he finally caught up with me and touched me with it! Ewwwwww!!!!!!!! He's lucky I like him or he'd be getting a payback tomorrow.

Our devotional tonight was long and filled with such strong emotions. Seems like the middle of the week is when that always happens. But to hear the hearts of these teens is so inspiring. I have to say, the devotionals are probably my most favorite part of camp.

We had another baptism today. This one from our youth group. Its always so refreshing to watch someone give their life to Christ.

Until tomorrow......

Day 2

Today I am reminded of the verse.....do everything without complaining. That's been my goal since Sunday...and I have had plenty to complain about, but I've prayed it away and been content with my circumstances.
I'm staying in the nurses cabin....which on a normal day is great. Comfy beads, no kids, and I'm all alone. :-) that's the good part.
However, the air conditioner has not worked well and has been getting hotter each day. I mentioned it to the camp directors, but they were not going to fix it. By today, it was obvious it was cooler outside in the 95 degree heat than it was in my cabin. Kids no longer want to retreat to my cabin for rest as its like a sauna!
I was encouraged to move, but its just easier to stay as this is where the kids know to find me. And if someone needs me in the middle of the night, they won't wake anyone else this way.
Tonight I decided to take matters into my own hands and take the air conditioner apart. And guess what I found? ICE! It was frozen solid! The front of it behind a nasty dirty filter looked like an ice rink. So I called Chad and asked for some suggestions. He came down and I started drying it with a hair dryer! (That just added MORE heat in the room) He checked out side and the lines and pipes were also frozen solid. So at 10:30 at night when everyone else is resting, he is out there trying to thaw that line with buckets of water.
Well, IT WORKED! My cabin is now SO COLD!!!! YAY!

I can finally sleep well tonight.

As for today at camp...we had a GREAT day. I sat in on Brads class where he did an excellent jon on teaching about Joseph. He talked about how Joseph landed in prison but was still promised a land of his own. Brad spoke about how we all of lands of our own....its just how what we do with our land that's important. So how can we work the land today to show our love for God? It was a really good class. And of course I loved it because he played a song with Donny Osmond singing!!!! :)

Tonight we had the Game Show Guy and I truly love him being here. He is really so much fun! I think the kids had a blast!

2 girls gave their life to Christ tonight and it was such an awesome experience to be there and witness the outpouring of love for them.

The moonlight praise and worship tonight was so amazing. These kids LOVE to sing!!!!! They are never at a loss for songs! Their hearts could sing all night! I love that!

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Day 1

Wow! We had an awesome day today! But why does the temperature always seem hotter when you are at camp? YIKES!!!

The day was filled with things like pool relay games, hockey on the ever so nice NEW basketball court, inside games, and human bowling!!! that is where you put people inside huge tire inner tubes and roll them to hit cardboard boxes. Um.....I laughed very hard!!!!! It looked fun, but I'm not trying it!

The praise and worship tonight was amazing. Its always good...but there was an extra element of goodness tonight that I loved about it. One thing I love about these groups is that they love to sing. No matter where I go, someone is always singing....and if they aren't, you can see the song in their heart and step.

Classes went well today and Nick taught a great devotional tonight on gentleness and he spoke of how gentle Jesus was with the woman in John 8:10 and how he showed an incredible amount of gentleness and mercy.

I think I can think of a few...no, make that many, times in my life where I want Jesus to look at me and be that gentle with me.

Tonight....that is my prayer.