Photos from my IPhone...

Posing at Garner State Park!

Such a beautiful view at Lost Maples...

Studying through Leviticus.

Dinner at YOUTH group!!! Chili and cornbread night

 

Pointing out my group's campsite at Lost Maples!

sweet.....some PHOTOS :)

TRIPPY picture.... the tree is actually parallel with the ground!

Part of our AMAZING Race at Garner State Park

Pumpkin Patch loving...

Photo shoot at the beach <3

CELEBRATE good times come on! (celebration)

So on the final night at Garner State we made a campfire and everyone sat around trying to stay warm! It was during this time that our leaders shared with us that this was a time to be lifted up by our brothers and sisters.

Well for those of you who know me… this is an uncomfortable spot for me to sit in. I am very much a realist and it is hard for me to not only take compliments, but also be able to think positively when in reality I know how I am treated by those who are to be “uplifting” me. SIDE NOTE: for those of you who maybe haven’t been reading my blog… it has been a challenge to make friends with 18 year olds who show no desire in being friends with a 24 year old. BUT the Lord is good and he used a sweet young man to uplift and encourage me a lot that night.

After reassuring me that yes I am older and yes I have had many life experiences that most of them never have, he lifted me up through his kind words. He spoke of the choice he made to look past my hard, serious, and older outside and chose to get to know me. He shared that once he got to know me he understood me much better and saw the genuine heart that I have. That I do care for each and every one of them, but that it is more difficult for me to connect with them.

He spoke of the things I do in an effort to reach out to the family and the patience he has seen grow inside of me. He just truly spoke some truth and lifted me up. It was a HUGE blessing that I needed to hear and I am thankful he shared! I was glad to know that through both of our efforts to care about the family, we made a friendship!

Sounds cheesy I know.. but it rocked my world and made my night.

Celebrate you my dear friends. Celebrate your loved ones. Tell them how great they are.

-confession-----

So our time spent in conversation over dinner that lone night at Lost Maples was spent confessing to one another the deeds of the flesh we were each struggling with. We each started out discussing our personal deeds we were struggling with and then we had a time spent talking about the topic, ways we personally got through the same situation and praying over one another.

For the sake of my dear friends, I will not share their issues or air out their personal linen, but I will be transparent and I will willingly share my own.

WARNING>>>> may be more information than you want to read or may be too honest.

So the deed of the flesh that I most often struggle with is impurity. From living a life of almost being married to having numerous long term relationships (2 years or more)… My struggle currently is not physically, but in my thoughts. I often have impure thoughts and think of relationships in an unhealthy way. Though I am thankful that I am not acting out on these thoughts, I know that the Lord desires for me to confess and hold myself accountable to these impure thoughts. My friends were very willing to help me, talk to me, and most importantly pray for me. Thank you father for such sweet friends.

Another deed of the flesh that I struggle with is strife… (angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues; conflict). Though I realize this is normal.. my usual approach to this type of problem is to fix it and move on immediately. I am not generally a fan of dwelling in junk and wasting time. But if you read my “run down” blog… you can see that I have had some strife with not only my leadership, but also my WA family. The issue lies in the unwillingness to solve the issues and to move past it. I confessed this with my group and shared with those who I am most often holding bitterness toward. Thankfully, my friends shared with me that I wasn’t alone and that my willingness to confess it to them shows my willingness to take the next step… thus again the initial idea to have a conversation with my leadership. Again… my sweet group lifted me up in prayer! Man they were a blessing…

The most special moment that I felt in this time was when my WA family members prayed over me by name. To feel loved enough to know that each of the 4 members that was with me, that they were willing to not just say they would pray for me, but to actually take the time to right then and there voice their prayer for me. The power of prayer is evident.

Confession. It’s hard. It takes dropping your pride and knowing you can’t change anything alone. It is asking for accountability. It is seeking to grow. It is allowing HIM to help you vocalize your issues. To air your personal junk out. To be transparent. To grow closer to being Christ-like.

Sweet friends… what do you need to confess to the Lord today? He already knows.. just tell him. Give it to Him. Is there someone you can confess that to…? Someone you can tell to hold you accountable? Confess it. It’s a weight that can be taken from your shoulders.

I love you all.

***FeLlOwShIp***

An important part of Walkabout is the time we spend investing in our guests at Camp Eagle… and the time we spend with one another. The guests, the adults, the full time staff – wonderful friendships and conversations…. But my WA family… this has been a challenging topic for me since August.

For those of you who know me very well, you know that I am straight forward, blunt, and honest. I am not one to sugar coat, lie, or ease my way out of rough situations… so when it comes to making friends with 18 year olds. That is a TRUE challenge. Though I love each of my walkabout brothers and sisters… connecting with them is hard. Either I am too serious, too stern, too honest, or something. I am not the type of person an 18 desires to get to know, much less hangout with.

On a lighter note you will see that this trip to Lost Maples and Garner State Park for me was the most encouraging time I have had with any of my WA family. Like I said in my “run down” post about the overall trip… we were split into teams of 5 and we were to spend time with one another… hiking, free time, cooking, confessing, and relaxing. My group, my roommate and 3 young men, was absolutely wonderful!

As we got on trail the first day we quickly moved into great conversation and encouraging words. We hiked pretty quickly to our campsite, got our two tents set up, and cooked lunch all before our designated time to do so. I guess you can say we were excited and ready to spend time in fellowship with one another!

We had a “solo” time alone and read through the fruits of the spirits and the deeds of the flesh. The fruits of the spirit were to serve as an encouragement to see the areas we have grown in and a reinforcement of the areas we need to personally work on. My fruits that I can tell I have grown in are patience and love. Obviously, the other fruits are evident in some aspect of my life… but these two I can visibly see personal growth since August. The fruits that I need to work more on are peace and gentleness. These two are harder because of my style of leadership and my personality. Things are hard for me to hold in and not be blunt about… but I know some people can’t handle stern words or blunt truth. So I desire to find a way not to lie or sugarcoat to them… but to be gentle in my words. We read through the deeds of the flesh in order to think through those we struggle with and those we need to confess to the Lord and our camping group (read confession blog).

After we all finished our solo time, we decided to meet back up and spend the remainder of the day fellowshipping with one another through exploring the park! We went in and out on trails, along the riverbeds, up and down cliffs, and took many many pictures! Our group time was spent in a relaxed loving way of sharing time with one another. There were many times I gave God praise for those He placed in my group. He knew exactly who I needed to love on me! Let me tell you these were 4 people I have never really hung out with… this was done on purpose!

We also chose not only to fellowship alone, but to spend time fellowshipping with the other groups. So on our exploring adventure time… we made our way to our leaders’ site first (3 miles or more away). They were not there, but we eventually found them on the trail! After we passed our leaders we made our way to the next group we wanted to visit (another 2 miles away)… this trip was up hill and rough!!! But it was a lot of fun joking with one another and laughing through the calf cramps together J Once we got to this first group, we were greeted with love, laughter, and hugs! We were super happy that we were welcomed into the group. We joked around with this group for about 15-20 minutes before we decided we better head on to the next group’s site because it was getting dark. So we headed to our final group that we wanted to visit and fellowship with (1 mile away). When we got there we were not greeted as loving so we decided to leave after just a good minute or so. On our 1 mile trek home, we continued in our fellowship and laughter now in the dark going downhill! Though the last leg of our fellowship was not as uplifting as we desired, we were all very encouraged and ready for dinner.

During our dinner, which we ate 2 hours late because of our other plans, we discussed and had our confession time over the deeds of the flesh (read that blog). After dinner time, we laughed and told stories together until we were too tired to even stay awake listening to one another!

The following morning we chose to take a long trek (5 miles or more) together for one last round of exploring and fellowship with one another. I will say my group made me super excited to share life together. Each member contributed in an uplifting way and was so much fun. Our group totaled over 13 miles in the 24 hours that we spent at Lost Maples. And as I have said before…. That has been the best 24 hours of my Walkabout experience in terms of being a WA family!

Garner State Park was more focused on the group like most trips are, but the amazing race that I mentioned was for our groups again. This time of fellowship was FUN once again. We raced around together finding caves, painted rock, row boats, rope swings, putt putt, getting in freezing water, finding the dance hall and the list goes on. I was excited to spend time with these 4 people one last time before we returned to Camp Eagle!!!

Fellowship. It is important. It makes friendships grow. It is a time to spend with another person sharing life. It has changed my perspective of these 4 WA members. It has made me feel loved and wanted.

LOST MAPLES and GARNER STATE PARK

During the middle of November, the WA family loaded up for a surprise trip to Lost Maples and Garner State Park! Both parks were extremely fun and served as a time of blessing and growth amongst each of our hearts.

This specific trip we would be focusing on three different spiritual disciplines, similar to how we focused on three different disciplines while at Padre. The three spiritual disciplines this time were Fellowship, Confession and Celebration. I plan to write an individual blog for each spiritual discipline experience so look for those in the next few blogs! But for a simple run down…

LOST MAPLES

 

As we arrived at Lost Maples on our first day, we were sent off to our separate campsites, unlike our usual plan of business. Generally, the whole WA family camps at the same site and stays together, but this trip would be different! Each of our campsites were about a mile apart from one another, some were even further! This gave us the opportunity to get to know our group. Since we were separated you may have already gathered this, but we were placed into 5 different groups to camp the night with. Both groups were filled with a few girls and a few boys!

My experience is based on my own personal group so I can’t speak for everyone or any other group, but we had a great group with two girls and three guys. As we hiked to our campsite, we chit chatted and explored along the way. I plan on telling a lot more about our time spent together during my FELLOWSHIP section of my blog! So look for that blog for more info….

We spent a lot of time getting to know one another through our fellowship and CONFESSION (look for that blog too) time at Lost Maples which made for such a great experience. If you remember from my past blog… I have been struggling with acceptance and love in my WA family. That beach trip was extremely hard…And for once… being placed in this small group of 5 – I felt loved, supported and accepted. These four friends took the time to listen to me, pray over me, and laugh with me. I was SO BLESSED…

We only stayed at Lost Maples the one night, but so far that trip has been my absolute favorite!

GARNER STATE PARK

Another experienced that we shared together followed the first day on trail in Lost Maples… the next two days and nights would be spent at Garner State Park and was a lot different than Lost Maples. We continued our fellowship as a discipline and focused also on CELEBRATION at this site. Look for my celebration blog to know more about that spiritual discipline through my eyes!

When we arrived at this state park, we immediately set up camp, all together this time! We had tents set up everywhere and 5 or 6 of us slept in hammocks! It was more of a relaxing trip with not too much on the agenda. Time to spend alone and focus on fellowship and to think through things going on during our Walkabout experience.

We spent a good about of time in a “solo” during this trip… focusing on our disciplines we were given in the beginning of the WA semester. Mine were to focusing on reading my bible more than reading books and to not complain to the leadership. As I thought through the disciplines and how they were evident in my current experience… I prayed over each one and allowed the Lord to speak to me. I was shown that my current disciplines needed to be added to and taken away from. Personally, I feel that I have done a good job at reading the bible or focusing on a bible study ALWAYS before reading any of my nerdy books that I love to read. So with this in mind, the Lord allowed me to move from focusing on this discipline (removing it from my fake list in my head) and adding focusing on pure thoughts. This addition to my discipline makes more sense if you read the confession session of this trip (different blog post)!

The other discipline about not complaining to my leadership was a lot heavier on my heart and had actually been something I was battling internally and finally was willing to sit down and talk to the Lord more about it. I spent a lot of time in prayer during this “solo”… so it was a lot harder to think through. But ultimately it came down to the Lord speaking to me that I can’t continue to hold this anger, bitterness, and just pure frustration in any longer. I personally removed this discipline from my list and in addition added prayer. Prayer for my leadership and prayer to learn how to submit even when my expectations are not being met and I disagree with the way things are done.

 For those of you reading… please don’t misunderstand the intention of sharing my heart and my struggles. It is hard to be the same age as your leader. It is very hard when I am a natural leader and have to serve under a different leadership style. My leadership always means well and does a great job with the younger students in the program!

Anyway after this solo and the additions and the subtraction of my personal disciplines… a much needed conversation needed to happen with my leadership and my accountability partner.

So…

We had a great time of celebration (blog) our last night at Garner State Park and had an eventful last day the following morning. This section could go along with fellowship, but I’ll give you a rundown of the events! We basically participated in our own AMAZING RACE throughout the park. It was a time spent running around the trails, trying to find different markings and spots we were to take pictures at! My group, the same 5 people from the Lost Maples group, had an awesome time!!! Hopefully I can post some pictures for yall to see J

Well sweet friends… that’s the summary, but you should definitely read the individual blogs about Fellowship, Confession and Celebration!

PHOTOS

Fun on the South Padre beach trip

Game nights in Mi Casa

Halloween Fun at Camp Eagle

*Fasting* Part 4 of 4

Fasting… Another discipline we focused on during our trip was a 24 hour food fast. For those who have never fasted from food this experience can be hard. There are hunger pains and desires to just snack that play a huge role throughout your time in the fast. These moments are what should push you to seek Him in scripture and allow Him to feed you!

So why fast from food? What is the point? Well our focus on fasting was a time to really rely on God and to focus our thoughts on Him and the things that He provides for us each day. We don’t actually have to eat 3 meals a day to survive, in fact we don’t even need one meal every single day. But something we do need.. is HIM every day. Without Him what is your purpose?

For me the fast wasn’t hard on me physically because fasting is something I have somewhat scheduled into my relationship with the Lord.. When I lived in Japan, this was a discipline we practiced weekly. Back then; this was a very hard task for me. My biggest struggle in these moments are not hunger pains, but just a desire to snack only because I am bored and want to do something. I found that on the beach fasting wasn’t as hard because I didn’t have the snacks that I could have had if I was somewhere else. One really encouraging moment was during our “lunch” when we chose to worship the Father through songs! What a blessing and joy it is to sing with some of my brothers and sisters praises to our King.

But as we fasted for the most part as a Walkabout family, I found that though I personally wasn’t struggling it was hard to help those who were struggling… to focus not on the pains but on the purpose. I understood why it was a hard task and how it over takes your whole body, so I chose to be uplifting or I desired to remain uplifting to those who were becoming hungry as the day went on. One thing I focused on was scripture and reminding them of the “food” the Lord had given us. It was such a blessing to watch as over half of the 30 people on this trip gave their food desire to the Lord and were connected with Him on a much deeper level!

Fasting of food isn’t for everyone so please don’t hear me wrong.  But we are all called to make a sacrifice of some things in our life in order to grow closer to Him. Maybe it is a fast from social media. Or your cell phone. What about even the TV? Anything that consumes you and keeps your focus tied up in whatever it is. Whatever that may be for your life, consider fasting it. During your fast focus on spending that time that you had previously consumed… use it to focus on the Lord.

Use that hour a day you spend on Facebook to read scripture or be in prayer. Use that nightly run, nightly snack time, or nightly internet search to put everything up and take out a bible study and devote that time to the Lord. It is rough. But the Lord is good and can get your though! Love you dear friends.

 

 

 

 

---PRAYER--- PART 3 of 4

The second discipline we focused on during this trip was prayer. Time spent talking to, crying out to, or singing to the Lord. We focused on what prayer is, how we pray, why we pray, and the different positions of prayer. These few hours, spent alone with the Lord were a time set aside for us to not be distracted by anyone else or the beauty of the beach, but to truly dive into prayer with Him.

I found a spot that I was able to sit and relax in the shade with a little bit of sunlight (to still keep warm), but focus on my time of prayer. I began by reading through the different positions of prayer and why the characters of the bible were praying in this way. Times spent praying on knees, on one’s face, with arms raised high to the Lord- these were just a few examples from the bible.

I chose to spend my time in prayer in several different positions, with several different requests. There were times I was crying out to the Lord about things and there were times I was rejoicing and giving Him praise. During these moments of prayer I was filled with the Holy Spirit and a sense of peace. The previous day was spent struggling in solicitude and not being accepted. BUT the Lord is good all the time and He allowed me to use my time of prayer to cry out in these needs and brokenness.

With the result of The Lord reminding me I am His. He has created me the way He desired to. I am called to love, no matter what. When I turn to Him… He will always be there. He may not give me what I want, but He always supplies me with what I need from my time in solitude the day before… my time of prayer was especially good. He continued to speak to me about some deeper issues that I was having.

Part of the feelings of not being accepted came from younger WA students who don’t know me very well. I am called to love them no matter what, but it had become especially hard during moments of immaturity and pride. So during this time of prayer, I cried out to the Lord and He answered with ways I needed to go about the issues. Deal with it. I can’t change who people are, but I can show them who I am. I must love them no matter how much they hurt me. Stop trying to help them, let them make their own mistakes. I am loved by HIM, no matter who else loves me.

What a blessing it was to stand before Him… arms raised high in prayer. To fall on my face and talk to the One who cares about every part of my life. A moment to be on my knees, bowed down before my Father. What a blessing it is to be able to pray to Him!

Prayer… it’s important… Have you talked to Him today? That is all that it is… A connection of communication as you seek to grow closer to Him. Fall on your face or your knees. He is always ready for us to seek Him in a more deeper way. Love you sweet friends.

 

SOLITUDE – Part 2 of 4

Our first discipline that we focused on at the beach was solitude. A time to literally shut up and stop our thoughts in order to allow the Lord to speak. For those of you who know me very well, I am a very talkative person and it is hard not only to sit without saying anything, but to also sit without allowing my mind to run at 100 mph.

My time of solitude was rough. I had a very hard time allowing my mind to stop. It wasn’t as hard as I thought to actually sit and be quiet. I was off by myself… so really there wasn’t anyone to talk to except the Lord. I knew the purpose of this time was for me to not be talking to the Lord, but instead allowing the Lord to talk to me. Well, that is where I struggled the most… I believe I was waiting for the Lord to speak to me audibly instead of allowing Him to speak to me through my thoughts. I was focused so hard on stopping my thoughts that each time a thought came (which may have been from the Lord) …. I pushed it away and made my mind stop. Needless to say, the Lord didn’t speak to be audibly and because I was so insistent in stopping my thoughts, I may have withheld Him from also speaking to me through my thoughts. I was one frustrated girl after these few hours I spent in solitude and became even more upset with myself when I heard everyone tell of how great their personal time spent in solitude was.

Throughout the day though, I thought through my time and allowed the Lord to actually begin speaking to me. I dropped my negative thoughts of my previous time spent in solitude and just begin to focus on His plan for that time. Through this… I was comforted by the Lord and the encouragement that was provided to me. MY walk with HIM is MY walk… I don’t need to focus or be discouraged by anyone else’s walk with Him. In fact, one of the greatest parts of the day was my time spent thanking the Lord for allowing me to not have a good time of solitude when we were “scheduled” to. It is from the discomfort that I experienced that I was able to step away from everyone else and have more time spent in solitude…BUT actually allowing the Lord to speak to me through my thoughts this time.

It was in this “second chance” of solitude for the day that the Lord began to guide my thoughts toward something I was really struggling with… not being accepted. These feelings had consumed me and were influencing the decisions I was making on this trip. I desired to be alone rather than growing closer to any of my WA brothers and sisters. The Lord reminded me I am His. He has created me the way He desired to. I am called to love, no matter what. When I turn to Him… He will always be there. He may not give me what I want, but He always supplies me with what I need.

Friends I encourage you to spend time in solitude with the Lord. It is hard; let me tell you from experience. But it is also very rewarding when you are able to stop yourself from talking or thinking and just allow Him to be the one speaking to you!

 

SOUTH PADRE BEACH TRIP - PART 1 of 4

In late October the Walkabout family loaded up the two - 15 passenger vans and the trailer full of supplies and headed south! What a blast and a wonderful opportunity to get away from the “camp life” and focus on 3 spiritual disciplines that are vital to our walks with the Lord! We were scheduled for a 4 day and three night trip to the beach, along with loads of great food, fun and fellowship!

Upon arrival we began to unload the trailer and get out all the fun water equipment: Poparazzi, Kayaks, knee boards, skim boards, fishing supplies and the list could go on. We set up our kitchen tent, extra large tent for sun shade, 8 tents for 4 people in each, and our fire pit! As preparation for a few days went on… so did the formation of a storm! I went with a our two female leaders back to the visitor’s center to load up on all the water for the 4 days… well while we were there we found out there had been a tornado warning issued and we needed to get out of there ASAP!

No need to worry though.. as a Walkabout class (this year and apparently all the previous years as well) we just expect things to go wrong and you work with what you got… SO we left the visitor’s center and headed back down the beach to find the rest of the group and tell them the news. Once we got there, our leaders decided we would wait it out and load up the larger things in case we had to leave in a moment’s notice. We also moved all of our tents higher into the sand hills and further away from the waves.

Obviously we survived and the remaining days were amazing. We began focusing on the three disciplines of solitude, prayer, and fasting. I plan to blog about each experience… so be looking for that! While we were on the beach, we were given many opportunities to grow in our friendships with one another. We had team building activities, sand castle challenges and many other fun opportunities! It was a great time for us to get refreshed and take time away from our normal days and focus on ourselves if that is what we needed!

That is something I really wanted to focus on during this trip. My previous week had been a really rough one. Feelings of not being accepted or loved in my community were just a few thoughts I was really struggling with. So, going into the week- I decided this time would be spent focusing on my walk with Him and what truly matters. My purpose in stepping into the wilderness was not for the acceptance of others, nor was it to have a great grand fun time every day. I knew this time would be hard… but I also knew I came to be changed and to GROW in a deeper relationship with HIM! Though friendships are great and important for accountability, I was not called into this type of program to just make friends. Instead, I was called to grow in intentional relationships and to love the unlovable… This is something I am focusing on every day.

Two of the three nights that we were there I slept on the beach and loved every second of that. There is something calming about sleeping on cool sand with a little bit of wind blowing. Also, I was blessed financially with the opportunity to buy an awesome sleeping bag… So that definitively helped those two nights! The first night I slept alone, but on the second night out on the beach, I had several WA family members join me. I was blessed by their love and desire to experience God’s creation with me.

It was a wonderful trip that served as a great reminder to why I chose to come out and be a part of this amazing program. The Lord knew what He was doing when He led me here and he has continued to remind me that a life following Him isn’t always going to be easy. I will struggle, but the greatest moments are found when I seek Him in those trying times. He is enough. He is more than enough.

Service

A lot of what I do out at Camp Eagle is cook, clean, and serve in any aspect I am asked to do… AND I LOVE IT! Some may not understand why it is something I enjoy so much… Only one day off a week (with limited access to the world even on the off day). My answer… the joy of the Lord is what keeps me going at all times. I am sure you have read or maybe you haven’t about my hard lonely times out here, but PRAISE be to the one who is always there and even in the hard times.. He is the great One!

Service is all about the attitude you have. If you have a good attitude – It is pure joy to serve people. We don’t just serve people physically face to face. My service comes in cleaning their rooms before they arrive and even cleaning their rooms after they have left camp. Service comes while serving them during their time here… whether it is refilling toilet paper or tracking down a director to answer one of their questions. Service means cooking and cleaning all the dishes after each meal…even at 6 am or 10pm! Service means working the coffee shop, the camp store, or any of the elements. My time here is spent serving and I am enjoying every minute of it!

It is a very humbling experience to be able to serve hundreds of guests each month! I know my impact may not be large, but it is minimal and that is a blessing in itself. We as a Walkabout family have a lot of service we do throughout the weeks. Some days we are serving our guests and some days we are serving one another. The main thing is we are being taught or reemphasizing the huge importance of serving!

It is biblical to not only serve one another with a servant’s heart, but also to serve alongside one another. It is a great feeling to be working hard on building trails in the heat, with sweat running down my face, and look over to see a WA sister working just as hard right beside me! A really fun place that we all serve together is in the dish room for our meal cleans. This time is often spent with music blaring and water spraying everywhere. It may be a messy job… but you make it what you want it to be!

So dear friends how are you serving today? Who are you serving at work? Who are you serving beside in your family? Consider your attitude in service… is it a good one? I love you. Thank you Lord for always giving us the strength to serve.

 

UNDER THE OVERPASS

 

What an amazing book… If you haven’t read this book, I strongly suggest it! I am not sure who the author is because I don’t have the book right beside me.. but I am sure anyone who is interested and looks it up on Google… You will find the author!

So this book is about two young Christian men who choose to live in 5 different major cities across the United States as homeless men. The story is told by one of the guys from his point of view throughout the whole journey. The purpose of their journey was to better understand the life of our brothers and sisters stuck in the homeless lifestyle. A view from the American side of homelessness... and in my eyes a wakeup call to Americans!!!

The book tells stories of churches kicking these two guys off of their property, out of their buildings, and down the street because of their unapproachable appearance, smelly clothes, and numerous other ridiculous reasons. THE CHURCH kicking those who desire to be in such a building…. What are we saying as Christians??? Isn’t this the place where we are ALL welcomed!? It should be at least. Sadly, I can say I have fallen under the group that has often overlooked the homeless people in our nation. It is easy to walk by people on the streets without noticing their state of being or asking what they need. It may just be a hug – Quit being selfish!

I am glad this book has opened my eyes to my selfishness… many homeless people do not need loads of money or you to buy them brand new items. Some just need you to get them a meal because they haven’t eaten in days or need you to give them a pair of shoes that you hate (that has sat in your closet for months) because they are without shoes and their soles of their feet are busted up. Both situations were true stories from the book… both of which many people walked by or drove by ignoring a simple situation that could be easily fixed.

The Lord definitely spoke to me during my time of reading… He showed me the love of Christ isn’t only shown through our service in places we love to be, but also places where we often do not go. Places in which we can reach out to those who just need people, a little food, or encouragement in life. Our desire to be intentional with HIS people (everyone) should be one of the most important aspects of our Christian life.

If you haven’t read my blog about San Marcos... please do. I wrote about a sweet man Cassidy that the Lord blessed me with on that trip. I was in tears as the Holy Spirit spoke to me and allowed me to take the message of this book and put it into practice with my new friend. I can definitely say I will never be the same and hope that I will never overlook my brothers and sisters who live under the overpass.

Sweet  friends. I encourage you today to find someone who needs some help. Maybe you are not financially well off (most of us are not), but praise be to the Lord who provides ALL we need. Your faith in reaching out to those in need will be multiplied and you will see the Lord work through your efforts!!! To the homeless people in your area that you help… Praise be to HIM as you reach out to their sweet souls! We are called to love and serve EVERYONE!!!

 

K-money and Finances

A look into one of the many things I am learning while out here in the wilderness is a look at finances! Through a few classes that I am enrolled in, I will be provided with a biblical way to look at finances. There is a quote that I do not want to misquote, but I will try to paraphrase… Basically we all have a good understanding of how 10% of our money should be handled (tithe), but most of us do not know how to properly manage the remaining 90% of our money.

One way that our discipleship program is teaching us about finances is by allowing us to work on our own budgeting skills. We pay FAKE bills with FAKE money (called K-money). A look at our bills includes $36 in rent per paycheck… the pay check is $50. With the remaining money we have a choice of what to do with “our” money. We are allowed to tithe, buy a movie $8, buy internet for a day $5 or go to town $15. Internet and town purchases are only available on our actual off day. Also we can be fined for not paying bills on time, not turning in our lease, stealing internet, being late to work, or anything that is not practicing responsibility.

SO JUST A SIDE NOTE… IF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY I HAVE NOT POSTED IN A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME… IT IS BECAUSE I HAVE CHOSEN TO NOT SPEND MY MONEY ON INTERNET.

So with this lesson on finances, some of my WA family is learning quickly you will not always have money to do the things you desire to do. Sometimes you have to go without and sometimes you have to save up your money from a few paychecks to be able to do things. Another opportunity we have been given to make more FAKE money is by creating our own business (or having a second job). This business includes writing a business proposal and actually working extra to be able to make the money.

My current business includes cleaning houses for the full time staff. The other side jobs with this include laundry and organizing! If you know me… I enjoy doing these things, so it isn’t much of a job for me! I just started my business and currently have two customers and am working on convincing the third customer to let me clean their house. You may not know this, but all the full time staff members that live here and are not married are around my age and a lot of fun to be around. This is where my customers come from. One house is two of my really good guy friends (volleyball teammates, camping friends, and skydiving partner)! While my other customer is a WA brother who allows me to do his laundry for K-money!

All in all, I am enjoying the opportunity we have been given to learn about a biblical look at finances. I feel that it is super important and I am learning just how important it is truly is to be good stewards of our finances… I could go on but for everyone that is reading sake… I won’t J

Sweet friends… thank you for staying in touch with my growth and learning over the next 9 months. And another thank you to those of you who budgeted being able to financially help me to get where I am right now through my fundraiser. The Lord is good!

Friendships

New friends are super fun and a joyful addition to my life! I have made several new friends while living out here, some in my WA family and some on the full time staff. The main thing that I love about each and every one of them is the encouragement and the accountability that they provide me in all situations out here at Camp Eagle.

During our time that we are not serving – we are allowed to hang out in public settings with one another. One of my favorite places to be is in Mi Casa (which is like our dining room) with a group of friends playing board games. I have a feeling now that it is getting colder, this will happen a lot more! Before the cold fronts started coming in, we enjoyed many late nights playing volleyball out on the sand volleyball courts! If you know me well, you will know that these were some fun intense volleyball games!

My accountability partner, Leeann has become a great addition to my life in which she encourages me to just let go of things that are hurting me or keeping me from seeing the goodness of the Lord. She is young, but very wise for her age and I am so blessed that the Lord placed her as my partner while we are here. We both share a passion for soccer which is always exciting and she is a great friend to make me laugh. I am blessed dear friends by her unconditional love and acceptance of me… even when I am being stubborn!

Two of best friends here, Suzy and Sky – man are they the BEST! I can easily say for only knowing these girls for two months, this is the closest I have been with girls since I met my Japan best friend Katrina in 2009! Both of the girls are very open and honest with me and I with them. This is in every aspect of our walk with the Lord and our personal life in general. We are able to open up to one another and share our joys and our struggles. The Lord is fast to remind me of the goodness He has planned for my life through these girls. Both serving as strong women of God, holding me up in my weakest moments. Neither of the two is afraid to confront me on issues that are keeping me from the Lord and I am super thankful for their guidance in my life. The Lord is so good!!!

My closest guy friends are super fun to be around! Whether it is camping, board games, volleyball or potentially sky diving… I am always laughing when I am with any of them! A group of us (girls and guys) enjoy going out to camp in our hammocks on random nights together. We usually end up staying up late enjoying a campfire and laughing at random things. We are often able to share detailed stories about our lives with one another, further building all of our friendships. The board games and the volleyball games that I mentioned above bring out the competitive side of me! The guys are always fun to beat of course… but don’t worry I don’t always win J As for the potential skydiving trip that I went on… (it fell through because of the weather)… now that was a super fun trip with one of my guy friends! I am looking forward to the ACTUAL skydiving trip!

I am super thankful for the Lord’s provision in my life, especially the friendships He has placed in my life at this time. I ask that you will lift up my named friends in your prayers and also lift up the rest of my WA family. Unity is important and I hope to grow closer to not only my current close friends, but several more as the 9 months continue.

Thank you sweet friends!

 

 

San Marcos Trip

Our Walkabout family was able to enjoy an October getaway trip to the San Marcos Recreational Area! This has been a busy month in which we didn’t go on a long adventure trip like we will most months, but we were able to step away from camp for a day and unite together in the beautiful water!

We headed out early that day and had no idea where we were going. The only reason I knew anything beforehand was because I was one of the drivers! J  So, we all got in the two 15 passenger vans and headed out! On our drive we enjoyed breakfast on the road made by our lovely Camp Eagle staff and worked hard to help one another memorize scripture. My van had a fun time singing and talking to one another during the 2.5 hour drive. Once we got to our location, we were all super stoked to enjoy the water and have some relaxing fun together!

We got out of the vans and went to explore all that we could do in the area and quickly found things to enjoy! There were rope swings into the water, tubes to float on; water “shoots” to slide on, and other fun rocks to climb on for fun pictures! We all decided to pretty much just get changed into our swim wear and jump in! It was fun to see everyone release a sigh of relief and freedom from working so hard… and then just enjoy a day off.

I started out on the rope swings with a few of my close girl friends. Swinging out and being dropped into the water was much easier than walking into the chilly water myself! I swung in and plunged for the clear blue water and instantly started having loads of fun! I ended up making my way down to the “shoots” which were manmade cut outs in the rush of the river that would shoot us down either solo or on a tube! These were a lot of fun and everyone in my WA family ended up spending most of their time out in this area of the water throughout the remainder of the day!

While we were away from camp, we were also able to use some alone time to read the Word and focus on some time spent with the Lord. I was super excited to spend this time alone from everyone out on the water. It was the first time I was actually able to use my waterproof bible for purposeful reasons… in the water. Usually, I am just thankful to have it in the rain, but not this time. I chose to stay in the water, going down the shoots and floating the river while reading some chapters in the Bible. What a beautiful sight it was for me to experience. Growing closer to the Lord while also enjoying His creation!

After our sack lunches (again made by our lovely Camp Eagle staff), we enjoyed many more hours of recreational fun and laughter. The unity among the group is always very encouraging when we are out on our trips. When we are home, there are many days that most of us do not see each other at all. So time spent together in San Marcos was a lot of fun and good for our group! A few hours after our lunch and before we would be leaving for our dinner and escape back to camp, we were flooded with rain! It was pouring like crazy and just so much fun to be out there in the water or on the land in our swimsuits dancing in the rain!

In all the confusion of the rain, most of us ended up under a large pavilion area waiting for everyone else to join us for our WA brother’s story (testimony). It is here when the Lord definitely showed us he had a much different plan for the next hour. We were joined by some sweet men, who lived as hippies out of their car, working to make money by building palm tree branch flowers and playing the guitar. Cassidy was the guitarist’s name and Eleanor is his best friend (guitar). It is in this setting that Cassidy shared his heart and his music with my WA family.

I will tell you in another blog about a book I was reading at this time, but for your understanding I will just explain that it was about homelessness in America. Anyways, it was during this sweet hour with Cassidy that I was saddened and in tears, but also filled with joy as he was able to share his passion of music and dreams for his future. I encourage each of you dear friends to maybe find him on Facebook if you can… Cassidy and Eleanor is his page name and it may be without caps or spaces and maybe the & sign instead of the word… but I am sure you will find it with just that information.

This trip warmed my heart and encouraged me in any ways. Not only was I able to grow closer to my WA family and enjoy time away from hard work filled days, but I was also able to open my eyes and heart to the ways the Lord had already been speaking to me through my book I was reading. I don’t know where Cassidy is today, probably still in the San Marcos area, but I pray that we as Americans and most of us as Christians can show him the love he deserves and encourage him in every way he may need.

We ended our fun filled day with a trip to Cici’s together and a 2.5 hour trip back to Camp Eagle. We were all glad to return and get some rest before the next day arrived!

Youth group growth and curriculum

I am so excited to be able to share with you the growth within the youth group that I am helping at! We have been working hard to reach out to the Rocksprings community and have been very blessed and thankful for the turnout with the youth group!

From the first meeting, we had a great turnout of I think it was 12 or 13 kids… most of these kids ended up being under the age for “youth” group, so our group became smaller upon our second visit the next Sunday! The Lord is good though and He is able to work through all things. With some curriculum planning, meal preps, lots of prayer, and some intentional conversations… The youth group is thriving and we are not averaging over 15 students each week. Our leadership is very excited about this growth, not because of the numbers, but because of the impact we are able to have on each of these youth’s lives!

Most of our kids are now regulars and are also working hard to invite and bring their friends. If you read my post about the block party we held for the Rocksprings community you may remember me mentioning a mini football game that we held that night. Some of the guys that we invested in that night have turned into our regular youth group guys! We are all very excited to pour knowledge into the students, especially those who already play a huge role in their school. These guys bring a lot of laughter to the group as well as some competition during our schedule games each week!

We started a curriculum by LifeWay on our third meeting time and this has been going great! We started at the beginning of the Bible and are working our way (by video, paperwork, and discussion) through the stories of the bible! This past Sunday we covered Noah and the flood! Needless to say, I am super excited about the stories these guys are learning and their excitement to learn more each week! We now have students telling us they can’t wait to see us next Sunday… very humbling for each of us. The Lord is so good!

Our worship each week has been great. We have several full time staff from Camp Eagle who have worked with the youth group in the past years.  They drive out with us and help invest in the kids. One of these full time staffers serves as our worship leader and does a great job leading through songs. Throughout the next couple of weeks, we hope to also get the youth group involved in singing praises to our Father... They are still a little shy J

Another bonus to our youth group time is our meals that are provided by a lovely older couple from the church. Each week she prepares meals for the students and the leadership to enjoy before starting games, worship, video and small groups! Her husband is helpful through serving everyone and the setting up /taking down of all the chairs and tables. Such a sweet servant couple that I truly enjoy seeing every week!

With much excitement I ask that as you stay involved in my blogging, you will also participate in praying for this youth group! Whether the group grows larger or stays where we currently have it, we solely desire to help these students learn more about the Lord! Blessings to you sweet friend and thank you for your prayers for our youth group!  

Where I am...

An update on where I am would most likely be something you would like to know.. and just a fair warning on me being transparent.

Well though there have been many blessings and encouraging moments since the last time I posted… I can say there have also been some enduring, straining times as well. As a part of a Walkabout family, like any family, there are brothers and sisters who really push your buttons and test you. Though I love each of them, I have been deeply hurt by a few and have struggled through those times. Moments of not considering others or thinking before speaking have turned into nightly crying sessions and separation from those who have hurt me.

Through these times I have been reminded of the pain and hurt I have caused and endured with my own family. Though I love each of them, OF COURSE.. we have all hurt each other through these same actions. The experiences here have helped me to see how relationships in my own past have not been very loving and encouraging. Through those moments of weakness, I wanted nothing more than to talk with my sisters and just tell them how much I love them and hear them both tell me they love me back. Sappy… I know. But it is the truth.

I have also been experiencing some spiritual warfare as I try to dive deeper into the Word. Satan knows my weakest areas and he continues to use them to try to pull me away from Father. Moments of impatience, annoyance, and pride have led me to bitterness and stubbornness. These then feelings have led me to desiring to be in control, something I expressed last time that I am working on. All in all, I know that Satan is not in control and I will not let him win this battle.

I have since picked up my Beth Moore bible study through James… once I put down about two years ago when my world came crashing down. I just picked it up today, so I don’t have much to say about it, but I do know and am very excited about the things the Lord is going to show me as I pursue Him! Sweet friends I encourage you to be invested in the Word.. some way, somehow.

Beyond the brokenness, hurt, blessing and encouragement.. I can say I am SO happy to be here at Camp Eagle. If I ever imagined what a dream “home” could feel like.. this is it. A location in the wilderness that is away from everyone and all distractions of the world! An area that is so dark at night, no street lights, no city lights, an area that the beauty of creation is demonstrated to me every day and night! A time in my life to grow in my personal walk with Christ and His leading for me to follow His will! Honestly, I can’t express the overall happiness that surpasses all the negative or upsetting feelings I have ever had, all the trials I have ever faced, or anything else I could ever come up with!

My current book read...

Well currently I am reading “Passion and Purity” during my moments of silence. Actually this has been a book that I have been unable to put down and actually plan on finishing today! This book has caused much joy, doubt, happiness, and pain… BUT praise God for redemption and grace. Fair warning, I am about to be transparent..

The message of this book is focused on a sweet couples’ story of courting and waiting for marriage to share with one another. She writes as an encouragement for the reader to be patient in the Lord’s guidance and presents a wonderful message for Christian women to consider in moments of doubt and loneliness before marriage. Many lessons were to be learned by me as I picked up this book.

Several things have stood out to be in this book and have really rocked my boat a bit.. Though I am unable to change the events of my past, I am saddened by the choices I made in past relationships that cause me to doubt the provision of the Lord for my future spouse. The impatience I held in my life to find the “one” and the actions I have taken to fill needs only the Lord can fill right now has been so discouraging to me as I read.

Much doubt has set in previous to this, that the Lord will be unable to provide a loving, forgiving, Christ seeking husband for my life. One will see my story as a story of redemption and mercy, love and God’s grace! Several tears, sad moments, and hard conversations were held during this past week of my reading. But what joy I have found in sharing with others my hurts and pains. As I long for a spouse, this book has continued to show me ways in which I need to be seeking the Lord in this area of my life.

The message of this book has been more of an encouragement than anything. She writes about how we as women need to give our desire for a particular person to the Lord. If and when He chooses to allow that partner to feel the same way, the man needs to be the one in connection with the Lord to express His desire to pursue after me. What a joy and sigh of relief this was for me.. Finally I can understand and give up on finding the man the Lord has for me. My job is to give it to the Lord when these feelings for someone occur. In the past, I have wakened feelings that may have not been present yet, by expressing my desire to get to know someone deeper. Now, I have a greater understanding that in order for me to give Him control… I don’t need to be the one expressing anything BUT trust in my Father.

I will ask for prayers in this though. Some of you may not know this, but I was previously almost engaged… My father had given his blessing to a young man that I was dating; we had picked out the ring and had set a date. But through the guidance and stirring of the Lord, I stepped out of that situation and am no longer in that relationship. Through this book, Passion and Purity, many doubts have flooded my mind about that break up. Was this the “one” the Lord provided? Did I hear from the Lord in leaving that situation or was I being stupid? And the list of questions goes on… basically I ask for prayers of comfort and understanding that He is always in control!

The Lord knows who He has set out for me. Whether we have met before or won’t meet for many more years, I am praying that as I grow closer to the Lord, he also desires to seek the Lord’s will for his life. That his walk with our Father is just as important to him, as it is me. That his heart will be prepared to forgive and love me despite the past decisions I have made in relationships. That we will be able to fulfill similar ideas presented in the book I have been reading, waiting patiently on the Lord until we are rightfully and lawfully one in Him!

SNAIL MAIL

Thank you everyone who has send a card, a letter, or a package during my first month away! I enjoy these encouraging methods of communication more than you will ever know! I have heard from friends I haven’t seen or heard from in years – what a blessing! Some of you, my very best friends, have encouraged me in my hardship and are willing to write back with even more encouraging words! The packages of goodies, games, books, and the list goes on is not only fun to open BUT a huge blessing!

I may have said this before, but I can say it again! I enjoy looking up at night and in the morning when I wake and being able to see the many cards and letters of encouragement. Through my weakest moments, I am reminded of the prayers being lifted up and the many people who believe in me! The brightly colored cards, hand written letters and the cute drawings bring an instant smile to my face.

THANK YOU!!!

Training

A large amount of our time these past few weeks have been spent in training. Before groups arrive and activities begin, we all must be trained on the different elements, different parts of camp, and just the basic run down on how everything is ran down here at Camp Eagle!

I have been encouraged to see how well the staff and families involved at this camp truly take care of the facilities that they have been blessed with. Each element, each building, each trail.. the list goes on as to how much time, effort, and care is put into this place! The Lord is good and so are those training us how to also care for this facility!

Our training mostly started with all of the cleaning and taking care of camp. Each building has specific needs that vary as far as inside and outside. Obviously hotel like facilities are cleaned a different way that hostel style rooms. These details are very important, which is understandable! One thing I enjoyed in our training in the kitchen and the taking care of this area is the positivity that everyone had about taking care of the resources. This 1,400 acre area has reached so many people and has brought so many of those people closer in the walk with Father. It is our duty to take care of such a beautiful place!!!

We have also already been trained on all of the high elements out here! I can now officially run the Zip3000, Zip850, Sherpa, Rock Climbing, Repel, Super Swing, and a fun activity barn we have out on campus! There may be more elements that I am forgetting, but I am sure you get the idea J

During this time of training, I was overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord. The provision He had through the history of this camp is so amazing! If you don’t know the story of Camp Eagle… maybe I can share with you the goodness of the Lord, the redemption of this beautiful land and the amazing impact it has now on so many!

Okay off of my soap box…

We also endured lifeguard training! For those of you who know me, yall may remember that I was a lifeguard for three years! This training is an intense, information overload filled into just 4 days! Y Walkabout family was broken into two groups. Through this we endured the physical testing and eventually the classroom setting. I must say that I was very encouraged by the importance that Camp Eagle places on having certified lifeguards for our huge waterfront here at camp! The picture above of all the water and the fun equipment is the area in which I am now certified to lifeguard at, as well as the pool of course!

Training is now over, I think! Haha… Walkabout loves surprises.. so we never really know! I am thankful for the knowledge that I have obtained through these weeks. An understanding of the breakdown of how this camp is run and the importance of all the facilities and equipment!

Class time and book study!

CLASS TIME

As some of you may remember, these 9 months is about growth and discipleship. Through that we are enrolled in classes that help us learn and draw into deeper issues of our beliefs. Our first class is over the book “Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know”. So far, we have only begun the class with the study of chapter one – What is the bible? In summary, the bible is God’s word broken down into four categories. These categories include authority, clarity, necessity, and sufficiency.

I am looking forward to a continued study time of these concepts and 20 beliefs! I know that for some they may seem minimal and common sense, but I also know that in my own life I need to be broken down to the very bottom of my faith in order to act out in the way in which I was called. If these “common sense” beliefs were so easy, I would already be radically living my faith out for Him. Unfortunately, I was not there and am blessed by this first class and the opportunity to grow in my understanding of Christianity!

Book Study Session!!!

As a Walkabout family, we have chosen books in which we desired to read and hold a study session over. This time is spent in discussion of the content of the book and the ways in which we as Christians can use what we have learned or read about in our own walks!

The book I am reading and involved in is “Love Does”! I have been truly blown away by the first few chapters we have read and discussed. Though my desire is to read the book all the way through.. I am waiting and only reading the specific chapters that we discuss at our weekly meetings!

This book is about what Love actually DOES and not says. The action that our love is able to show is so much greater than what our love through words can do. I don’t want to give much of the book away because it is definitely one of those I want to encourage each of you to read for yourself! Whether you believe in God or are a firm believer in something else. Your love still plays a huge role on those you influence!

 

Youth Group

WOO HOO! So for those of you who know me well, you already know my heart is in reaching youth aged students! Well during my time as a Walkabout student, the leadership here has given me a weekly responsibility of serving with the youth group in Rocksprings! Through this, I will help lead the Sunday night youth group meetings in Rocksprings! Praise Him for opportunities!

Block party

In order to get started with youth group, the Camp Eagle Walkabout students and leadership held a block party in which we invited all of the Rocksprings community out to join in a fun get-together! We were able to advertise a few days before the event, much of which was spent walking around the small town and having meaningful conversations with those we came into contact with.

One of my favorite conversations was held with a middle aged woman who expressed to me how much she enjoyed hearing about the services of Camp Eagle. She was interested in helping donate to our block party and anything else we might need. She served as such an encouragement to find a fellow sister in Christ and be encouraged by her. After the conversation, she allowed me to leave over 20 handout cards about the block party in her business!

The actual block party had such a great turnout! We had close to 75 people show up and spend time with different Walkabout students and staff that also came along! We all enjoyed kettle popcorn, hotdogs, lemonade, and chips! Activities like Gaga Ball (a big event a Camp Eagle), freeze tag, potato sack races, football, and dancing took place! The event took place from 6 pm to 9 pm and we were all very blessed by the turnout! One of the largest activities was a mini football game that we had later in the evening. Most of the kids were youth aged students that we may be able to have an impact on through our efforts to reach out to this community!

First Youth Group Meeting

The following day after the block party, we held our first youth group session and were very happy about the turnout. We had 13 students who made it out to fellowship and bible study with us that Sunday night! The students enjoyed some awesome food served by a sweet sweet couple who will serve us each week, some fun games and a short introduction to what our time spent with them will be about!

I was encouraged by the number of students who mentioned bringing a friend to the next meeting and their expression of how much fun they were having. I look forward to the opportunities of investment that the Lord is providing for each of us leaders that are involved. An opportunity to help guide these students closer to the Lord and an encouragement to walk out their faith through their daily lives!

I know the Lord has such great things in store for this ministry and I am blessed to be a small part of the greater plans He has for this community!