The biggest and best memory of this summer is the friends I have made throughout the summer. They include my team, the other infinity team, the volunteers, and the hosts. It has truely been a summer to remember.
Liberty (Week 1)- We were together with team 1.
*There was a boy who was autistic and little things would set him off so a girl named Taylor was assigned to him. We were playing rec game and all of a sudden he took off and you hear Taylor go "Oh, thats how my sign". All week we were telling kids not to push. Naturally they asked what Taylor and this kid were doing and I respond, don't worry they are playing their own little game of tag as Taylor slightly pushes the kid to the ground behind me.
*To get to the fields we had to walk down this hill that had a rail made of wood. It was tied to 2 trees and smart me was holding on to it and who broke it, yeah me!
Alexandria (Week 2)- Crazy kids wouldn't listen but we had the best host family!
Greenwell Springs (Week 3)- We had wood floors so I slid everywhere I went. And the girls got my clothes out of my trunk and spread them throughout the house.
*STole Jakes Candy
*Intro to code blue (please ask)
Daytona (Week 4)- Ted never smelled so bad
*We attempted to take an air mattress down the stairs and it ended up in the pool.
*Hole in the wall
Nashville ( Week 5)- We are still here!
-Dolley down the hill.
-Balloon animals
-There are more than 100 Psalms!
-I-70 is odd and it runs the opposite way
Clarksville (week 6)
-Succesful air mattress down the steps
-infinity promos
-anna came to visit
-row row row your boat
- 620 field time
-My brother, Brandon
-BEST WEEK EVER
Murfreesboro (week 7)
-magical fun house filled with big screen tv, wireless, pool table, ping pong table, hot tub
-rainy days and getting soaked
There are lots of random memories that will be continued slowly. Later will bring the more serious side of the summer alongside of what to expect in the future!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
This summer has been one for the record books. Today at dinner we were discussing random things that have happened. I've decided that I'm going to take Bill Cosby's old show Kids Say the Darnest things and do just from this summer. They crack me up. This week has been a good week but doing fitness with 30 something k-2 is not the funniest job I've ever had before. However, the rest of it has been fun. God is doing great work and as tired and worn out I get God still shows me what I need. Most of you know that I can have my deep spirited thoughts/conversations and God gives me those. He also allows me to relax and act like a little kid when need be.
Last week we were in Daytona running a camp for inner city kids. It was a half day camp so in the afternoon we would just go chill and do whatever. Well friday came about and we went to the beach, all great fun and all. However, that night we decided to take a air mattress that had a hole in it down a flight of steps. It's a great idea in theory, really. In the end it didn't work out to well. So we deicded to take the air mattress to the pool. That did provide some quality fun! Then we continued to light a ping pong ball on fire. We thought about lighting our shoes on fire. ( I've honestly never smelt something so horrible in my life!) We are now back in nashville and it provides a sense of comfort and home but at the same time its still camp. I don't really have much to update on. Continue to pray for me, my team, and the campers as well as our safety and endurance as we are all starting to realize that 8 weeks is a long time to be away from family and friends. I will say that I have found a new family in my teammates, the best way to describe our relationship is purely brotherly and sisterly love. Also be in prayer as we get at least one new teammate for the week next week!
Last week we were in Daytona running a camp for inner city kids. It was a half day camp so in the afternoon we would just go chill and do whatever. Well friday came about and we went to the beach, all great fun and all. However, that night we decided to take a air mattress that had a hole in it down a flight of steps. It's a great idea in theory, really. In the end it didn't work out to well. So we deicded to take the air mattress to the pool. That did provide some quality fun! Then we continued to light a ping pong ball on fire. We thought about lighting our shoes on fire. ( I've honestly never smelt something so horrible in my life!) We are now back in nashville and it provides a sense of comfort and home but at the same time its still camp. I don't really have much to update on. Continue to pray for me, my team, and the campers as well as our safety and endurance as we are all starting to realize that 8 weeks is a long time to be away from family and friends. I will say that I have found a new family in my teammates, the best way to describe our relationship is purely brotherly and sisterly love. Also be in prayer as we get at least one new teammate for the week next week!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
It's all for Him
First off I'd like to apologize for not updating as much as I would like to. The past two weeks I haven't had internet access at all. This week it is still very limited. The past two weeks were spent in Louisana. They were completely different from the first couple of weeks. Let me just say there was a lot more of us saying sit down and listen. It was a lot rougher but God made it apparent to me that those are the kids you need to love on even more. The first week I had really gotten to know some of the kids on a more home based lifestyle. Some of the kids were military kids and lots of them were dealing with deaths of parents from cancer or other things. Needless to say it was rough and it made a lot of sense why things were harder.
The following week we were still in Louisana. This church was better, we managed to have fun even though I've never been in a more humid place in my life. The best part were our volunteers and how they were there for the kids. They were all high school kids and we really connected with them as well as the kids. Seeing where their hearts were and how we were all working for the same purpose was just an amazing thing to see. I got the opportunity to talk to one of our volunteers one on one for a little while and we were both able to share with eachother what God is doing in our lifes and what our outlook on life is. That week also had a lot of fun for us outside of camp. I have become known as the story teller of the group and they mostly revolve around pranks and my friends back home. One night when I went to get in the shower my other 3 female teammates got into my suitcase and proceeded to spread my clothes throughout the house. Don't worry I left them there for a couple of hours until they got tired of looking at them so they picked them up...haha.
We also stole of the guys candy that he left in our van. After several days of holding his candy hostage and eating it we left a scavenger hunt for him. The girls found it funny but I don't think he did. Lots of inside jokes are coming through as our team only grows closer. It's amazing to see how tightknit we have become over just a month of being together. God has blessed us in amazing ways. We are able to be ourselves and feel no shame for our past or what God has placed in our lives. We also all come from very different backgrounds which allow us to relate to so many people in so many different situations.
This week we are in Daytona working a half day camp. I know its the rough life. On Sunday we went to church and got introduced and we noticed there were several college aged kids around. Come to find out there are a ton of college aged kids from Georgia that are living here for the summer doing a variety of different things as an outreach. We got to meet them and spend time with a few. We also found out that the church was making our camp an outreach for the inner city of Daytona. I never thought of there being an inner city Daytona, but there definitley is. It is very surprising and heart breaking/warming to see these kids. Its obvious that they just want to be loved on. It makes this camp extremely different than any camp we have worked this summer, but what is life without a challenge? The ages also run from 4-16 instead of a 5-12. After the first day we could tell that God is going to use us to make a great difference in Daytona.
We had the afternoon off today which is really nice considering we don't really get time off except Saturday's to travel. We ended up going out on a boat and played with crabs, sand dollars, and sting rays. Just go with it....
Pray for safety and that we continue to impact lives through God and that He not only work in these kids lives but also in our own. Hopefully as we travel to Tennesse for the last 3 weeks of camp I'll be able to get internet back and be able to update more!
Don't ask questions about what God is doing, just do it!
Love life, Love people, Love God
The following week we were still in Louisana. This church was better, we managed to have fun even though I've never been in a more humid place in my life. The best part were our volunteers and how they were there for the kids. They were all high school kids and we really connected with them as well as the kids. Seeing where their hearts were and how we were all working for the same purpose was just an amazing thing to see. I got the opportunity to talk to one of our volunteers one on one for a little while and we were both able to share with eachother what God is doing in our lifes and what our outlook on life is. That week also had a lot of fun for us outside of camp. I have become known as the story teller of the group and they mostly revolve around pranks and my friends back home. One night when I went to get in the shower my other 3 female teammates got into my suitcase and proceeded to spread my clothes throughout the house. Don't worry I left them there for a couple of hours until they got tired of looking at them so they picked them up...haha.
We also stole of the guys candy that he left in our van. After several days of holding his candy hostage and eating it we left a scavenger hunt for him. The girls found it funny but I don't think he did. Lots of inside jokes are coming through as our team only grows closer. It's amazing to see how tightknit we have become over just a month of being together. God has blessed us in amazing ways. We are able to be ourselves and feel no shame for our past or what God has placed in our lives. We also all come from very different backgrounds which allow us to relate to so many people in so many different situations.
This week we are in Daytona working a half day camp. I know its the rough life. On Sunday we went to church and got introduced and we noticed there were several college aged kids around. Come to find out there are a ton of college aged kids from Georgia that are living here for the summer doing a variety of different things as an outreach. We got to meet them and spend time with a few. We also found out that the church was making our camp an outreach for the inner city of Daytona. I never thought of there being an inner city Daytona, but there definitley is. It is very surprising and heart breaking/warming to see these kids. Its obvious that they just want to be loved on. It makes this camp extremely different than any camp we have worked this summer, but what is life without a challenge? The ages also run from 4-16 instead of a 5-12. After the first day we could tell that God is going to use us to make a great difference in Daytona.
We had the afternoon off today which is really nice considering we don't really get time off except Saturday's to travel. We ended up going out on a boat and played with crabs, sand dollars, and sting rays. Just go with it....
Pray for safety and that we continue to impact lives through God and that He not only work in these kids lives but also in our own. Hopefully as we travel to Tennesse for the last 3 weeks of camp I'll be able to get internet back and be able to update more!
Don't ask questions about what God is doing, just do it!
Love life, Love people, Love God
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