Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Grace Through Faith

So it is now my second full day with my current cabin of campers. 

Last week was an experience. I had the chance to once again counsel Gracie, and it seems she gets worse every year. Punching other kids, screaming at us til she loses her voice, stealing an entire bowl of parmesan cheese and then proceeding to eat it with her face... and yet, she never failed to tell me she loved me. She has had a terrible life, and we’re told that the week she spends at camp is when she’s happiest all year. She may be a handful, but she was also always entertaining, and even though I was worn thin counseling her on my own, I never felt under-appreciated by her.
This week is an entirely different story.
A group of 10 year old girls who refuse to respect me, who are rude and arrogant, and never seem to get the idea of loving one another. And I know enough to know that it is most likely because that type of love has never been shown to them, but I’m finding it increasingly hard to show them Christ’s love when they are constantly disrespectful towards me, and definitely towards eachother.
Lord, give me strength, and the right words to say.
On an entirely positive note, devotions this week are incredible. Last week the girls just couldn’t sit through it, and were consistently misunderstanding the message Celeigha and I were trying to get across. Simply not the case this week.
They were asking questions, understanding the bible lessons, and even moreso, they were excited to learn more about God. The highlight so far was definitely when a little girl named Madison said to me, “but how do you know God is talking to you?” and when I explained that the little voice inside their head that tells then what to do or what may not be a great idea, it was recieved by a groupwide “OHHH!”.  Or the girls getting REALLY excited about the idea of God watching over them, loving them, and knowing them before they were born. It made their night, and it DEWFINITELY made mine!
It’s time that those that make me cherish my job and thank God for placing this opportunity in my life... I just wish they weren’t so few and far between.
GRACE!
Molly