Campfires, Sunsets, and Jesus

So the view right now is... immaculate!! I can't even begin to describe the blend of colors, reflection on the water, horses grazing in the field, mountains in the distance, the sun gently gliding down behind them... AHH IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!
God has been so so so faithful this past week =). Ya know when he reminded me that he will provide me with what I need and when I needed it? Warm Beach Camp. For this week, I am at Warm Beach Camp a little ways away from SAMBICA with 14 other people from camp working with campers with special needs.
I needed rest... we had saturday, sunday, monday, and all nights off.
I needed girls that I could connect with... 13 girls from SAMBICA came and we have had a beautiful chance to get to know each other, have heart to heart talks, be crazy and real with each other, and establish incredible friendships.
I needed to take time to appreciate more of God's beauty... every sunset is absolutely breathtaking and draws me closer to him.
I needed to live out more of my passions and be reminded of the way God has wired me... I get to hang out with a guy with autism all week and remember that God has put a soft spot in m heart for his children with special needs. I never want to neglect that passion.
Seriously, he has just given me so many opportunities to rest in him!
We've also just had and uber amount of fun singing ridiculous camp songs (such as one about a hot dog man in front of a bunch of people that we didn't know at a family camp- the most ridiculous song EVER) and learning about each others' quirks. Smore's are always a camp plus along with getting really dirty all the time and smelling like campfire. whoop.
I am super excited to get back to SAMBICA to see the rest of staff again and to pour into the kids from that area!! It's like my home in Washington and I'm ready to return =).

mmm hmmm

"I will give you what you need, when you need it"
These are the words the Lord continually spoke over me tonight.
It was a beautiful time with Him! The leadership set up stations for us to go through and get our hearts focused on God for journey ahead of us. As we began, FREEDOM kept coming to my mind. The rest of the time freedom rang so true through the stations- watching the crucifiction on the passion of the christ, surrendering our burdens, and being served by leadership.
It was so beautiful having the opportunity to write our burdens on a rock and throwing it in the lake- freedom. I realized that "insecurity" summed up my burdens I have been carrying and defines the sin I have always struggled with. The moment I let the rock hit the water a huge peace came over me knowing that I don't have to worry about those things anymore and the Lord has taken those- forever- like i can't get them back. Then the leadership washed our feet which is seriously like one of the most powerful thing that exhibits the lords love for us!!! absolutely amazing. It was such a beautiful time of surrender and trust!!!!!
He is going to provide what I need and when I need it. And that my friends, is beautiful.

SAMBICA- whoop!

Sooo I have safely arrived at the beautiful camp of SAMBICA and made it through 4 days =)

First impressions- beautiful, simple, small... and a lot of people i didn't know. They stuck us in a fairly tiny room right after arriving and gave us all sombreros to wear and said "go meet people". overwhelming. I don't know who I met or where they came from or if i even wanted to stay- ahhh. And there are people from absolutely everywhere- which is beautiful b/c they were all called here specifically for different reasons =).
I've been able to run every morning with a group of girls- I am officially sore. These girls are stinkin fast and are sooo dedicated that i look like the laziest person in the entire world.
The majority of this week has been training- boring. But we have had some adventures such as taking our swim test in the coldest water i have ever been in- ever. AAaaand tubing was also a blast =).
Everyone is super nice and surprisingly there's a good handful that have really really thick southern accents which i am picking up so fast that i don't want to talk. So don't be surprised if i come back with a huge southern drawl from ... seattle. weird.

Good ol' Derek says it pretty well...

"poverty is so hard to see
when it’s only on your tv and twenty miles across town
where we’re all living so good
that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood
where he’s hungry and not feeling so good
from going through our trash
he says, more than just your cash and coin
i want your time, i want your voice
i want the things you just can’t give me


so what must we do
here in the west we want to follow you
we speak the language and we keep all the rules
even a few we made up
come on and follow me
but sell your house, sell your suv
sell your stocks, sell your security
and give it to the poor
what is this, hey what’s the deal
i don’t sleep around and i don’t steal
i want the things you just can’t give me

because what you do to the least of these
my brother’s, you have done it to me
because i want the things you just can’t give me"


Let's not be neutral. Let's not skid by with the occasional charity here and there and check it off our morality card. He wants all of us.

Wrestle with it, it's more difficult than we think

So I sat down with the parentals when they were watching some TV show where a lady had a solemn look on her face speaking slowly into a radio microphone...
"Sometimes the words just don't come... and we are left with silence."

Sometimes that is exactly what we need. Silence.