First off I'm sorry I haven't updated as often as I thought I was going to be able to. I've barely had time to sleep between running camp, preparing, and spending time with my host family. I don't know if I talked about Ray and Mandy but they are awesome! I love them to death. Everybody in Alabama is so nice that its a whole different experience than what I'm use to. I know you guys want the stories so here we go.
There is a little boy named Kurt that is always on the go and its great. He is so intense with everything but he is adorable. His mom sent us an email of encouragement that said he and his sister fought like cats and dogs. This week his sister decided that she was going to learn to swim so they took her swimmies off and Kurt swam ahead of her and was telling her she could do it and encouraging her. When she got to him he told her to give him a high five. Thats what he have been doing all week and his mom said that he learned it from us and saw us doing it and wanted to be like us. She said that if he gets nothing else from that, him being nice to his sister is worth everything. There are so many stories like this one. Its the little things, moms and dads telling us that we are making a difference in not only their kids lives but the lifes back home and the families. They tell us that they can't get them to shut up about bible story, not sport time or rec or anything else but bible study! How awesome is that?!?!
There is another little boy named Seth who has a form of autisum that we he doesn't understand something or do something right he runs off. Well two girls, Taylor and Anna, have been helping pretty much in charge of Seth. Well we were playing steal the bacon and seth didn't get the ball so he got mad and ran off and all of a sudden you hear Taylor go oh no thats our cue and go running through the kids. Naturally the kids ask what are they doing. The first thing that comes to my mind is oh they are playing their own game of tag, its ok. As soon as I say that you Taylor catches Seth and it looks like she pushed him down because he just falls to the ground. Mind you all week we have been telling kids that when we play tag games you can't push each other. Funniest moment of the week by far!
The church has a slide in it so we have been having fun with it and today was Jakes birthday so it was extra fun! Lots is going on, we do camp all day and come home and do 3-4 more hours of work then go to bed and do it all over again. My bible study is awesome and 4 girls stayed and talked to me about baptisim stuff and one of my boys talked to another leader about becoming a christian and questions along that line. We got to pray for a kid to accept Christ and that one kid is totally worth it! His name is Kessler. After tomorrow the teams split and we begin the real adventure! Its going to be sad, challenging, different, and good all at the same time! We also split from our second group of kids which is going to be sad and weird all over again.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
the little things
In my last blog I wrote about my little buddy Will. Well yesterday we had to leave the camp that we were working. However, we got to eat lunch with the little kiddos but we got in there before the kids. When Will came in, he made it a point to find me and sit with me. How cute is that?!? Anyways we were sitting there and one of the worship guys was sitting across from us and we were talking. He said something about if he wasn't good they wouldn't want him up there doing worship. Will looked at him and said, yeah but it doesn't matter if you are good or not because you are doing it for God! Little kids rock and point out the little things and it makes my heart happy! Nothing else matters except doing your best for God, doing what He wants, and not only furthering His kingdom but glorifying it as well!
The other day something happened and I found it necessary to pull out the poop book. Some of you are reading this and going, omg she took it with her but we all know that it was expected of me! My teammates and I are getting along and I love them. Its going to be hard to leave the other team come Firday but we will enjoy the time we have now before that comes. We laugh until we cry, everytime. They've seen me cry. We have been together a week that seems like forever.
Monday starts our first official Infinity Sports Camp in Chelsea, AL. It'll be fun but its still kind of nerve racking because we've never done it the way its really supposed to be done. By the fifth week, we might, we hopefully will have a system down. At least everybody is hardworkers and do whatever we can for each other! Anyways we are staying in host homes and me and my teammate are staying with the coolest people ever! He's a funny football type of guy and shes an awesome girl. They have a little boy thats 6 but we didn't get to talk to him too much today. They remind me of my uncle and cousin. Its awesome. They have a wii that has a sword game on it and the guy, Ray is going to play me tomorrow! They have a huge flat screen and basically a man's sports room which totally fits me! Free meals, somebody to do my laundry, free showers, free place to stay, and I get to plays sports and teach their kids about Jesus. Then I get paid for that. I've got the best summer job you could ask for! Try asking me in about a 2-3 weeks...haha!
There have been downsides like us getting frusterated at each other but I'm willing to put up with it for the other things that happen in life. The coolest part about it all is that my team is just like my team of friends back at school!
The other day something happened and I found it necessary to pull out the poop book. Some of you are reading this and going, omg she took it with her but we all know that it was expected of me! My teammates and I are getting along and I love them. Its going to be hard to leave the other team come Firday but we will enjoy the time we have now before that comes. We laugh until we cry, everytime. They've seen me cry. We have been together a week that seems like forever.
Monday starts our first official Infinity Sports Camp in Chelsea, AL. It'll be fun but its still kind of nerve racking because we've never done it the way its really supposed to be done. By the fifth week, we might, we hopefully will have a system down. At least everybody is hardworkers and do whatever we can for each other! Anyways we are staying in host homes and me and my teammate are staying with the coolest people ever! He's a funny football type of guy and shes an awesome girl. They have a little boy thats 6 but we didn't get to talk to him too much today. They remind me of my uncle and cousin. Its awesome. They have a wii that has a sword game on it and the guy, Ray is going to play me tomorrow! They have a huge flat screen and basically a man's sports room which totally fits me! Free meals, somebody to do my laundry, free showers, free place to stay, and I get to plays sports and teach their kids about Jesus. Then I get paid for that. I've got the best summer job you could ask for! Try asking me in about a 2-3 weeks...haha!
There have been downsides like us getting frusterated at each other but I'm willing to put up with it for the other things that happen in life. The coolest part about it all is that my team is just like my team of friends back at school!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A Melted Heart
Today was amazing. Lately things have been kinda crazy but today everything was worth all of it. One of our leaders, Jessica, put up papers on the wall that had stuff to pray for on it. One of them was to pray for one of the kids we had come in contact with. The little boys name popped in my head. His name is Will, so I prayed for him and that day he become my little shadow. Hes the cutest little kid! Anyways today, the day after I prayed for him, he came to me this morning and goes "Hey Sara, guess what I did last night. So I asked him what he did. He goes I decided to let Jesus into my heart last night. My heart just melted.
Later today we got to watch six kids get baptisted in the pool. It was one of the coolest things ever because that is the whole reason we are here doing what we are doing this summer! Crazy things keep happening and it just makes me all the more excited to see what will happen the rest of this summer.
Later today we got to watch six kids get baptisted in the pool. It was one of the coolest things ever because that is the whole reason we are here doing what we are doing this summer! Crazy things keep happening and it just makes me all the more excited to see what will happen the rest of this summer.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Ready, Set, GO
We have finished about half of a week so far and it feels like we've been here forever! Our team has meshed so well and we have been slammed with lots of information! I haven't been this productive on consuctive days in I can't remember how long if ever, but it's all good. We have gotten our hands dirty on Monday. We have gotten to run our sport times and just have fun with eachother and the kids. I've loved it and the way things have gone have totally been a God thing!
I've been teaching football and these kids are the perfect kids to run your first camp experience with. I also have been doing some sand vball stuff and I've got a new game to teach everybody when we get back! It's called nukum.
Like I said my brain is fried and you can't think even count your fingers let alone think of something to type except that I love you guys and miss you guys! Keep praying especially as we leave on Saturday for Alabama to do our first real all out camp! Hopefully things will slow down a tad or at least we get in a flow so I can be a little more specific with whats going on!
I've been teaching football and these kids are the perfect kids to run your first camp experience with. I also have been doing some sand vball stuff and I've got a new game to teach everybody when we get back! It's called nukum.
Like I said my brain is fried and you can't think even count your fingers let alone think of something to type except that I love you guys and miss you guys! Keep praying especially as we leave on Saturday for Alabama to do our first real all out camp! Hopefully things will slow down a tad or at least we get in a flow so I can be a little more specific with whats going on!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
here we go
Tomorrow is the big day. I'm nervous as all get out. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. Ive gotten emails with a little more information but I feel like I haven't done enough or haven't prepared enough. The what-ifs have entered my mind and have slightly overtaken the excitement. What if my team doesn't mesh well, what if im not good enough, what if i can't meet peoples expectations. I just keep telling myself what I tell other people. It'll be ok, it'll be an experience, it'll be an opportunity. You can't grow if you don't challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone. God has it all under control but that doesn't help my fear and nerves. I'm prepared to miss home. Its a natural for me, I have an amazing home and really it only keeps getting better. My parents are amazing, I'm finally maturing enough to have the right heart when I visit my grandparents in the nursing home, I'm finally maturing enough spiritually to hold meaningful conversations with my grandparents. My neighbors are as goofy as ever and are that much more family to me than ever. Finally, I have friends close enough to home where its not work and couch in the summer. Life is good but it can always get better. There is nowhere to go but up. Its just the outlook on things.
My past has been haunting me from old friends to old coaches to old teachers. Seeing my friends shows me how I have changed. My coaches show me how capable I am to teach others and my teachers show me what I've learned and where I've come from. Past is a scary thing to come face to face with but it shows you how the present can grow you and how life can change.
"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but its all worth what comes inbetween"
MY Current prayer/ prayers requests:
God,
Thank you for everything you've put in my life. I pray that you continue to put people in my life that will bless me, strech me, and grow me. As my fears and nerves grow I know that you can calm them. Please keep me, my team, and all the people I love safe this summer, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I pray that my team meshs and loves eachother as you have taught us to love. I pray for patience for these kids and that they will hae patience with me for I'm doing something I've never done before. Give me the courage, the ability, the confidence that I can do your work and listen to what you want done this summer. Let me be the person you want me to be this summer.
Amen
My past has been haunting me from old friends to old coaches to old teachers. Seeing my friends shows me how I have changed. My coaches show me how capable I am to teach others and my teachers show me what I've learned and where I've come from. Past is a scary thing to come face to face with but it shows you how the present can grow you and how life can change.
"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but its all worth what comes inbetween"
MY Current prayer/ prayers requests:
God,
Thank you for everything you've put in my life. I pray that you continue to put people in my life that will bless me, strech me, and grow me. As my fears and nerves grow I know that you can calm them. Please keep me, my team, and all the people I love safe this summer, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I pray that my team meshs and loves eachother as you have taught us to love. I pray for patience for these kids and that they will hae patience with me for I'm doing something I've never done before. Give me the courage, the ability, the confidence that I can do your work and listen to what you want done this summer. Let me be the person you want me to be this summer.
Amen
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