As PassportKids! East team 2011 huddled up after closing celebration for the last time, our director spoke the most gut wrenching words I have ever heard. "On July 31st at 1:38 p.m., our summer here at camp is officially over." We said goodbye to our last group of kids as we all held back our tears. I don't think they were tears of sadness for they would come later. I think that they were tears of gratefulness for a summer full of blessed conversations, great kids, and great fellowship with the BEST team that Passport camps has ever put together! I am truly blessed to have been on such a great team.
I believe that I have said this over and over again but I have learned so much about myself and the calling that God has placed on my life this summer at camp. God also reviled to me things that He is not calling me to. I am not saying that I was not supposed to work with PassportKids! this summer, but instead I believe that God was refining my calling. I loved the kids so much, but they came with their challenges and I struggled to adapt to children's ministry. It was quite intimidating to walk into Bible Study that was full of 3rd and 4th graders everyday! With that being said, I now have a new prospective on the importance of children's ministry, and how most churches drop that ball in that area of ministry. We were talking to the kids this summer about the Kingdom of God, and what it means to be apart of the Kingdom. Believe it or not, the kids that we ministered to understood theologically challenging concepts. PassportKids! does a great job in that category. I got to see the light bulbs go off in the kids heads when they understood or caught on to something. I got to try and answer the questions that were challenging their childlike faith, and I got to see, first hand the transforming power of Christ in each child's lives. PassportKids! blessed me beyond words can describe. For that, I am grateful for the opportunity to be apart of their ministry this summer.
As I return to school in a few days, I will take with me all of the memories that time will never be able to erase, all of the friendships that I will never forget, and most importantly all of the things that I have learned either about myself or what God is calling me to. I look forward to great year at GWU and another great summer with Passport Camps. Is it summer 2012 yet?
Until next summer...or the nets are full,
Zeke
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Revelation
I was talking to a friend on the phone the other night and the conversation that came about was one that I didn't foresee happening and caught me off guard just a little bit. The propose of the phone call was to catch up with a close friend who is also doing a summer ministry. It is really nice to catch up with her and hear about all that she is doing this summer. Well for some reason, I started venting to her about different things. Nothing big but some things that I had bottled up for awhile that I just needed to get out. I felt really badly when I got off the phone because I felt like our conversation was not a healthy one and instead of feeling empowered and affirmed by the conversation that I had, I felt worse than I had at the beginning of the conversation. The reason that I felt so badly was not because of what was said in the conversation, but instead that I had allowed myself to unload everything that I was struggling with on someone who did not deserve that at all. Well you see, this is where the revelation happened. I realized that I came to camp a very selfish person, and God is really changing my heart in that area, and I will be honest, it hurts.
In my time here at camp and over the past few days, I have realized that nothing that I am doing here is for me...nothing. I thought that I was going to come to camp and be fed spiritually, and that I would be on this "mountain top" all summer. Now I am getting fed, just not from the places that I thought that I would. You see, camp is great! Don't get me wrong, but it has been an adjustment. Camp was always the place that I felt closest to God, and now I am creating that environment (with the help of my team and God) for the kids that I encounter on a day to day and week to week basis. Now this is where the issue comes in. I am pouring myself out and giving everything that I have spiritually to the kids, but I have nothing spiritual coming in.
Ah! Here is the revelation part of my story. First, nothing that I am doing here is for me. NOTHING! It is completely for God and for the kids. It is about getting out of the "me" attitude and getting into the "they" attitude. It is getting out of the selfish attitude and getting into the selfless attitude. Let's look at the definition of being selfless.
Now you see, up until this point, it has been awhile since I worked on this specific post. This has been the hardest post to write this summer. It's sometimes hard for me to write down my thoughts. They sound really good in my head, but when I try to put them into words I struggle. It is something that I am working on and I didn't want to get this one wrong. This is a somewhat incomplete blog and I hope that as God continues to shape me, I can follow-up in later posts.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
In my time here at camp and over the past few days, I have realized that nothing that I am doing here is for me...nothing. I thought that I was going to come to camp and be fed spiritually, and that I would be on this "mountain top" all summer. Now I am getting fed, just not from the places that I thought that I would. You see, camp is great! Don't get me wrong, but it has been an adjustment. Camp was always the place that I felt closest to God, and now I am creating that environment (with the help of my team and God) for the kids that I encounter on a day to day and week to week basis. Now this is where the issue comes in. I am pouring myself out and giving everything that I have spiritually to the kids, but I have nothing spiritual coming in.
Ah! Here is the revelation part of my story. First, nothing that I am doing here is for me. NOTHING! It is completely for God and for the kids. It is about getting out of the "me" attitude and getting into the "they" attitude. It is getting out of the selfish attitude and getting into the selfless attitude. Let's look at the definition of being selfless.
Selfless: concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own; unselfishCan you imagine how hard those words were to read when I was in this "me attitude" where I thought that I was the one that was going to be fed spiritually? A tough pill to swallow, but a perfect illustration of what God has planned for me this summer!
Now you see, up until this point, it has been awhile since I worked on this specific post. This has been the hardest post to write this summer. It's sometimes hard for me to write down my thoughts. They sound really good in my head, but when I try to put them into words I struggle. It is something that I am working on and I didn't want to get this one wrong. This is a somewhat incomplete blog and I hope that as God continues to shape me, I can follow-up in later posts.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Half Way Through...WHAT!?!
Yes, its true! My team and I are beginning our fourth session of camp out of eight today, and if my calculations are correct, that means that we are half way finished with camp. It's hard to believe and is just a depressing thing to think about, but I feel like it is an appropriate blog to write. What a month of growth it has been since coming to camp!
If you know me well you may agree with me that I am a fairly independent person. When I see something that needs to be done or is given a task, I like to jump in and get it done...myself. Relying on other people is hard for me, but something that I have had to learn to do here at camp. This whole idea of camp is to big for me to have that mentality. Relying on my team and being a team player has been crucial in the success of our ministry so far. Also, not only relying on my team but the people that have been placed as authority figures on our team. Dependance on the Lord has been very important as well. The days that I am completely worn out and have no idea how I am going to make it through, I some how do and the energy that enthusiasm that I exude only comes from the Lord.
Living in community with other believers is fantastic! I am not saying that it is not that way outside of camp, but it is just different here. People that have ever worked camp before understand it. I think that it is the fact that we are all mostly here for the same reasons and we are participating in a ministry that we all love and have invested our lives in (literally!). Being able to come together with a group of people my age that have such diverse backgrounds, political views, educational and professional goals (just to name a few) to further the Kingdom of God is a beautiful thing. Investing ourselves into a different group of kids for four weeks has been emotionally, physically and spiritually draining. Connecting with a group of children and then after four days, shipping them off has been one of the hardest things I have had to deal with. I have been amazed by the bonds that I have formed with kids that I didn't previously know and only interacted for a short period of time.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
If you know me well you may agree with me that I am a fairly independent person. When I see something that needs to be done or is given a task, I like to jump in and get it done...myself. Relying on other people is hard for me, but something that I have had to learn to do here at camp. This whole idea of camp is to big for me to have that mentality. Relying on my team and being a team player has been crucial in the success of our ministry so far. Also, not only relying on my team but the people that have been placed as authority figures on our team. Dependance on the Lord has been very important as well. The days that I am completely worn out and have no idea how I am going to make it through, I some how do and the energy that enthusiasm that I exude only comes from the Lord.
Living in community with other believers is fantastic! I am not saying that it is not that way outside of camp, but it is just different here. People that have ever worked camp before understand it. I think that it is the fact that we are all mostly here for the same reasons and we are participating in a ministry that we all love and have invested our lives in (literally!). Being able to come together with a group of people my age that have such diverse backgrounds, political views, educational and professional goals (just to name a few) to further the Kingdom of God is a beautiful thing. Investing ourselves into a different group of kids for four weeks has been emotionally, physically and spiritually draining. Connecting with a group of children and then after four days, shipping them off has been one of the hardest things I have had to deal with. I have been amazed by the bonds that I have formed with kids that I didn't previously know and only interacted for a short period of time.
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." -Romans 10:15I continue to be blessed by God, the people around me, and Passport Camps.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Two sessions in...
I am finally back in North Carolina, and to a place that I have consistent internet access! I apologize for the delay between blogs but have no fear, I should have internet for the rest of the summer. I am already two sessions into summer camp! I can't believe it. What a great two weeks with kids I have had.
Our first camp session was in Lynchburg, VA at a camp and conference center. It was a beautiful place, but it was perched right on the side of a mountain. Now you may be thinking "That doesn't sound bad at all," but when you think that everywhere on the campus that we went, we were either climbing a steep hill, or walking down the steep hill. This became problematic when we as a staff were extremely sleep deprived and could barely function. When the first group of kids showed up at camp, it was the most exciting and exhilarating moment that I think I've ever experienced. I've learned that when kids are around, it makes every situation that you think is terrible, great! The first week did not come without it's challenges though. I did not expect that managing 3rd and 4th graders would be such a hard task. I knew it would be hard, but I had no idea. I have had my Bible study material for several months now and I thought that I had every thing mapped out before I got to camp and had everything figured out but was I extremely wrong. Everything that I thought would be easy for the campers to understand, they completely did not get, and everything that I thought they would have a hard time understanding, they got the very first time that I explained it. It's amazing how that works. It was also very hard to keep their attention for the hour that I have them in Bible study. I hate to compare children to dogs, but they kind of reminded of the dog in the movie "Up," with its short attention span. Through all of the challenging moments, I saw God's hand working in the children's lives. On my team, we have begun to call them "Jesus chills," and thats when something so spiritual happens that we get chill bumps. God has shown up at PassportKids! in a very powerful way! But hey, I didn't expect any different.
The second session of camp was much easier than the first week. This session was located in Heartfield, VA at an RA's camp. The camp was situated right on a river that was a part of the Chesapeake Bay. It's amazing to me that two groups of children that are the exact same age could be so different. I am not going to lie, my first group was pretty wild and crazy, but my second group, where they had their moments, was pretty calm cool and collected. On the third night of worship, our camp pastor gave a challenge to the children that if they had made a decision during the week, whether it was to become a Christian or anything that God had laid on their hearts, that we as their Bible study leaders would be in the back of the worship center to pray with them and talk to them. You remember when I was talking about Jesus chills earlier? Well I got a major case that night. Just some of the things that 8 and 9 year olds were coming up to me and saying just completely overwhelmed me and it was obvious that the Spirit was present in that place.
Like I said, I am back in North Carolina and have a couple days off ahead of me. My parents are coming for a visit tomorrow and I am extremely excited about seeing them and spending some time with them. It's also nice to be back where there are other Passport teams. My team and I went to the Passport Youth teams opening celebration tonight and it was awesome! I look forward to hanging out with them throughout the next couple of weeks. The third session of camp begins on Wednesday and hopefully by then I will have caught up on my sleep and will be able to function. Continue to pray that our ministry be strong. Also pray that our team continues to bond and that we become closer so that the support that we receive from each other be strong and genuine. I have been blessed with a great team and I am thankful for them and the friendships that we have formed.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
Our first camp session was in Lynchburg, VA at a camp and conference center. It was a beautiful place, but it was perched right on the side of a mountain. Now you may be thinking "That doesn't sound bad at all," but when you think that everywhere on the campus that we went, we were either climbing a steep hill, or walking down the steep hill. This became problematic when we as a staff were extremely sleep deprived and could barely function. When the first group of kids showed up at camp, it was the most exciting and exhilarating moment that I think I've ever experienced. I've learned that when kids are around, it makes every situation that you think is terrible, great! The first week did not come without it's challenges though. I did not expect that managing 3rd and 4th graders would be such a hard task. I knew it would be hard, but I had no idea. I have had my Bible study material for several months now and I thought that I had every thing mapped out before I got to camp and had everything figured out but was I extremely wrong. Everything that I thought would be easy for the campers to understand, they completely did not get, and everything that I thought they would have a hard time understanding, they got the very first time that I explained it. It's amazing how that works. It was also very hard to keep their attention for the hour that I have them in Bible study. I hate to compare children to dogs, but they kind of reminded of the dog in the movie "Up," with its short attention span. Through all of the challenging moments, I saw God's hand working in the children's lives. On my team, we have begun to call them "Jesus chills," and thats when something so spiritual happens that we get chill bumps. God has shown up at PassportKids! in a very powerful way! But hey, I didn't expect any different.
The second session of camp was much easier than the first week. This session was located in Heartfield, VA at an RA's camp. The camp was situated right on a river that was a part of the Chesapeake Bay. It's amazing to me that two groups of children that are the exact same age could be so different. I am not going to lie, my first group was pretty wild and crazy, but my second group, where they had their moments, was pretty calm cool and collected. On the third night of worship, our camp pastor gave a challenge to the children that if they had made a decision during the week, whether it was to become a Christian or anything that God had laid on their hearts, that we as their Bible study leaders would be in the back of the worship center to pray with them and talk to them. You remember when I was talking about Jesus chills earlier? Well I got a major case that night. Just some of the things that 8 and 9 year olds were coming up to me and saying just completely overwhelmed me and it was obvious that the Spirit was present in that place.
Like I said, I am back in North Carolina and have a couple days off ahead of me. My parents are coming for a visit tomorrow and I am extremely excited about seeing them and spending some time with them. It's also nice to be back where there are other Passport teams. My team and I went to the Passport Youth teams opening celebration tonight and it was awesome! I look forward to hanging out with them throughout the next couple of weeks. The third session of camp begins on Wednesday and hopefully by then I will have caught up on my sleep and will be able to function. Continue to pray that our ministry be strong. Also pray that our team continues to bond and that we become closer so that the support that we receive from each other be strong and genuine. I have been blessed with a great team and I am thankful for them and the friendships that we have formed.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
Monday, June 13, 2011
Fast and Furious!
What a crazy week this training week has been! I can't believe that I have already been gone for a week now. It seems like just yesterday. I feel like I've known my team for years. They all have become my best friends. I like to refer to my team as "The Dream Team!"
We are now in Lynchburg, VA and the weather is great here! I don't know how it is at home but it is perfect here. The camp that we are at is perched up on top of a mountain and from where we are staying, we can look off the mountain and see the town of Lynchburg. It is really cool at night because we can see all of the lights. It looks like lightning bugs flying around in the valley. The camp is really spread out and since we are on top of a mountain, everything is at the bottom of the hill, or at the top of the hill. What I am trying to say is, my legs are going to be very strong when I leave this place!
Campers come to the first session of camp on Thursday. I am very excited to get camp started but it is also very scary! During these past few days of training, I have realized that I still have a lot to do before the campers get here. That is why I have neglected my blogging. I am the main character in the opening skits and its not really that I have a lot of lines to memorize, but it is four different days of lines and I keep getting them mixed up and different things like that. Also, we do a Chinese night market where our campers get a glimpse of Chinese culture. I am a street sweeper and when campers come to me, I have to give this long speech about what I do. I am also having a hard time memorizing that. Oh yeah! How could I forget Bible studies. While memorizing all my other things that I am responsible for, I also am working on my Bible studies. I'm pretty sure that I am ready for them its just continuing to read over them that is going to make the difference. One of my goals is to completely rely on my memory for my Bible studies by the second session. Its great to see everything come together though. Although I am a little stressed out, I am really excited for campers to get here and get the sessions started.
After today, there is only one day left of training and then we have our day off before the first day of camp. There is a lot to accomplish in that time so I would appreciate prayer that everything gets done and that time is used wisely and that all kinks get worked out before Thursday. I miss all of you, and hope that you are doing well! Welp, its time to get back to work!
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
We are now in Lynchburg, VA and the weather is great here! I don't know how it is at home but it is perfect here. The camp that we are at is perched up on top of a mountain and from where we are staying, we can look off the mountain and see the town of Lynchburg. It is really cool at night because we can see all of the lights. It looks like lightning bugs flying around in the valley. The camp is really spread out and since we are on top of a mountain, everything is at the bottom of the hill, or at the top of the hill. What I am trying to say is, my legs are going to be very strong when I leave this place!
Campers come to the first session of camp on Thursday. I am very excited to get camp started but it is also very scary! During these past few days of training, I have realized that I still have a lot to do before the campers get here. That is why I have neglected my blogging. I am the main character in the opening skits and its not really that I have a lot of lines to memorize, but it is four different days of lines and I keep getting them mixed up and different things like that. Also, we do a Chinese night market where our campers get a glimpse of Chinese culture. I am a street sweeper and when campers come to me, I have to give this long speech about what I do. I am also having a hard time memorizing that. Oh yeah! How could I forget Bible studies. While memorizing all my other things that I am responsible for, I also am working on my Bible studies. I'm pretty sure that I am ready for them its just continuing to read over them that is going to make the difference. One of my goals is to completely rely on my memory for my Bible studies by the second session. Its great to see everything come together though. Although I am a little stressed out, I am really excited for campers to get here and get the sessions started.
After today, there is only one day left of training and then we have our day off before the first day of camp. There is a lot to accomplish in that time so I would appreciate prayer that everything gets done and that time is used wisely and that all kinks get worked out before Thursday. I miss all of you, and hope that you are doing well! Welp, its time to get back to work!
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Resting
Goodness! Am I tired! If you saw my facebook status this morning, it referenced me being tired. Now that may not seem like a big deal to anyone, but as my day went on and the more tired a got, I quickly realized that my focus was drifting away from where it was supposed to be. Believe it or not, the devotion that was taught by my assistant director tonight was on rest, and the fact that it is okay to rest. She referenced the book of Genesis to a story that is very common in the Christian faith; the Creation story. If you re-read that story, God rested on that seventh day after He created the Universe. He blessed it and designated it as the day of rest. In the busyness of camp, I have quickly learned that it is a necessity to rest. When I say rest, I don't mean taking a nap, which I hope to do on my first day off. What I mean is for me, resting could mean just slowing down, and taking a deep breath to remembering who is really in control.
Well you now know how tired I am, but let me tell you about my experiences thus far. I love Passport, I love camp, I love my team, I love everything about this place. I have met a lot of people, and made many new friends. I have learned a lot in the three days that I have been here. My brain is on system overload. I am doing things this summer that I would never in a million years thought that I would ever do. I am going to be one of the main characters in the skits that take place every morning during our "morning celebrations." I'm pretty outgoing, and don't mind being in front of a lot of people, but when it comes to memorizing lines...it could get a little sketchy! I'm not really nervous about it at all. In fact, I am really excited about it. I could go on and on about all of the end and outs of camp, but I don't want to bore you.
Tomorrow we (my team, and myself) leave Wingate and all of the rest of the different teams and we will head to Lynchburg, VA to finish up training and start our first camp session! I am so stinking excited for the first group of kids to get to camp. We have been praying and preparing for months and it is finally time! All of this time that we have spent this week, learning everything about camp and working out all of the kinks will finally pay off in just a few days. I am so excited to see everything come together.
Well, it is time for me to rest. Tomorrow is going to be an early morning. There is tons more that I wish that I could have written but that will have to wait for another day. I hope this gives you all a little glimpse into my life at camp. I miss all of you back at home and hope that you are doing well.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
Well you now know how tired I am, but let me tell you about my experiences thus far. I love Passport, I love camp, I love my team, I love everything about this place. I have met a lot of people, and made many new friends. I have learned a lot in the three days that I have been here. My brain is on system overload. I am doing things this summer that I would never in a million years thought that I would ever do. I am going to be one of the main characters in the skits that take place every morning during our "morning celebrations." I'm pretty outgoing, and don't mind being in front of a lot of people, but when it comes to memorizing lines...it could get a little sketchy! I'm not really nervous about it at all. In fact, I am really excited about it. I could go on and on about all of the end and outs of camp, but I don't want to bore you.
Tomorrow we (my team, and myself) leave Wingate and all of the rest of the different teams and we will head to Lynchburg, VA to finish up training and start our first camp session! I am so stinking excited for the first group of kids to get to camp. We have been praying and preparing for months and it is finally time! All of this time that we have spent this week, learning everything about camp and working out all of the kinks will finally pay off in just a few days. I am so excited to see everything come together.
Well, it is time for me to rest. Tomorrow is going to be an early morning. There is tons more that I wish that I could have written but that will have to wait for another day. I hope this gives you all a little glimpse into my life at camp. I miss all of you back at home and hope that you are doing well.
Until the nets are full,
Zeke
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Camp is just around the corner!
Over the past several weeks, people have asked me the exact same question: "Zeke, how are we going to keep up with you this summer?" Well, as I began to realize how shallow it was to continue to give the answer, "well I guess the best way is through facebook," I decided that I would create this blog to keep everyone "up to date."
I have no clue what to expect from this summer, but I can tell you I already know that God is going to do big things in my life over the next 9ish weeks. I know this because He has already started doing/preparing my heart for great things and wonderful learning opportunities. I leave for camp this coming Sunday (June 5) and I will be heading to Wingate, NC for a time of training before the first week of camp begins. I should probably give you a little bit of background information on just exactly what I will be doing during my summer. I am working with PassportKids! camp in various locations in the east. I will be at a total of 4 different camp locations so you can just imagine how busy the summer is going to be. My official title is Bible Study Leader for kids that are in the 3rd-6th grade. Among other things, I will be teaching bible study to the students everyday that they are at camp and we are doing around 8 camp sessions. Places I will be include Lynchburg, VA; Hartfield, VA; Wingate, NC; and Crossville, TN.
I have no idea why God has called me to this awesome camp, or what my purpose is going to be but I guarantee you He will reveal it to me in a way that is undeniable and unmistakeable. The road to where I am now has not been an easy one and there has been a lot of conviction in my heart. I have realized that I have a major impatience issue and what I have learned most is, nothing is ever going to happen on my time. If it is in God's will for my life, it is only going to happen when He wants it to happen. Thats a pretty hard lesson to learn when not only do I have an impatience issue, but I also have a little bit of a control problem. Mix those two together and it is a pretty messy combination and really only leads to frustration. If you can imagine, this is how I spent most of my year at Gardner-Webb. Hurry up, get the application done, and wait. Interview, and then wait. And then, when the frustration got to its highest point and my impatience was out of control, I find out I am put on the alternate list for Passport. Everything that I thought was right and in God's will seemed to be wrong and crashing around me, or so I thought. Well I was faced with a couple of options, wait and see what Passport had to offer if anything, or look for other options. I chose the second option and I found out real quick that I had picked the wrong option. I ignored it at first, but then it was back to waiting. Lets just say I am a "waiting" pro these days...literally! Two weeks after Passport put me on their alternate list, I got a call from them offering me a job. The feeling I got when I received that phone call was a feeling that I could never begin to explain, but if I had to put it in words, I would say that its like the first time you lose a tooth and you're scared to death to pull it out but when you wake up the next morning, you have money underneath your pillow from the tooth fairy. Wow! That was a terrible description of the emotion that I felt but, hey...it will do. So here I am, finishing up my last preparations to embark on a summer that I will probably never forget.
Now, if you have ever worked camp (which I am talking with great inexperience) you know that spare time is really hard to find, so this will not be an everyday blog. As part of my quite time, I am planning on journaling everyday. So, hopefully once a week I will get to share with you all a journal entry from my journal that will be stored in my backpack all of the time. I look forward to sharing with you "word snapshots" of my summer. Prayer would be greatly appreciated throughout the summer.
Zeke
I have no clue what to expect from this summer, but I can tell you I already know that God is going to do big things in my life over the next 9ish weeks. I know this because He has already started doing/preparing my heart for great things and wonderful learning opportunities. I leave for camp this coming Sunday (June 5) and I will be heading to Wingate, NC for a time of training before the first week of camp begins. I should probably give you a little bit of background information on just exactly what I will be doing during my summer. I am working with PassportKids! camp in various locations in the east. I will be at a total of 4 different camp locations so you can just imagine how busy the summer is going to be. My official title is Bible Study Leader for kids that are in the 3rd-6th grade. Among other things, I will be teaching bible study to the students everyday that they are at camp and we are doing around 8 camp sessions. Places I will be include Lynchburg, VA; Hartfield, VA; Wingate, NC; and Crossville, TN.
I have no idea why God has called me to this awesome camp, or what my purpose is going to be but I guarantee you He will reveal it to me in a way that is undeniable and unmistakeable. The road to where I am now has not been an easy one and there has been a lot of conviction in my heart. I have realized that I have a major impatience issue and what I have learned most is, nothing is ever going to happen on my time. If it is in God's will for my life, it is only going to happen when He wants it to happen. Thats a pretty hard lesson to learn when not only do I have an impatience issue, but I also have a little bit of a control problem. Mix those two together and it is a pretty messy combination and really only leads to frustration. If you can imagine, this is how I spent most of my year at Gardner-Webb. Hurry up, get the application done, and wait. Interview, and then wait. And then, when the frustration got to its highest point and my impatience was out of control, I find out I am put on the alternate list for Passport. Everything that I thought was right and in God's will seemed to be wrong and crashing around me, or so I thought. Well I was faced with a couple of options, wait and see what Passport had to offer if anything, or look for other options. I chose the second option and I found out real quick that I had picked the wrong option. I ignored it at first, but then it was back to waiting. Lets just say I am a "waiting" pro these days...literally! Two weeks after Passport put me on their alternate list, I got a call from them offering me a job. The feeling I got when I received that phone call was a feeling that I could never begin to explain, but if I had to put it in words, I would say that its like the first time you lose a tooth and you're scared to death to pull it out but when you wake up the next morning, you have money underneath your pillow from the tooth fairy. Wow! That was a terrible description of the emotion that I felt but, hey...it will do. So here I am, finishing up my last preparations to embark on a summer that I will probably never forget.
Now, if you have ever worked camp (which I am talking with great inexperience) you know that spare time is really hard to find, so this will not be an everyday blog. As part of my quite time, I am planning on journaling everyday. So, hopefully once a week I will get to share with you all a journal entry from my journal that will be stored in my backpack all of the time. I look forward to sharing with you "word snapshots" of my summer. Prayer would be greatly appreciated throughout the summer.
"Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives." -Francis ChanUntil the nets are full,
Zeke
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)