SAM_Lauren

July 2, 07
It’s late, I’m exhausted, but I am super excited about tomorrow! Campers arrived today and tomorrow I get to go with Five Forks to our mission site to do a soccer ministry camp thing with kids from little bitty to high school. I don’t know what to expect but I imagine we will get the chance to love on some kids! As I think towards tomorrow with great anticipation, Ephesians 3:20 stands out in my mind: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” I expect to be awed by God this week and stand in wonder at His greatness, love, mercy, and power. I hope I will always be willing to be used and let anything hold me back. Dear Lord, please help me be always willing, always loving, always encouraging, always patient, and always forgiving of myself when I fall short in this list of “always”.

July 3, 07
Today was amazing! After Bible study, I went to meet Five Forks, packed lunches, and headed out. When we first got to the field, not many kids were around because some were eating free lunch at the church and others were at summer school. But with the kids that were there, we got out soccer balls, nerf footballs, & frisbees and just threw around. One little bitty boy, John, had just turned three and would close his eyes and hold out his hands to catch the ball. He was precious! As time passed, more and more kids showed up and the Five Forks group got some 3 on 3 soccer games started.

It was really cool to see the progression of the group in just a few hours today. At first, the youth group and neighborhood kids didn’t mingle much, but after awhile there was a lot of one on one conversations and pure fun playing together - whether it was sports, crafts, or just sitting and talking. All the people involved seemed to have a great experience.

One boy I spent a lot of time with was Darnell. He was four and could go from loving you to hating you to loving you again in 2 minutes. It was fairly obvious, from things he said or yelled, that his home environment was not very uplifting. He seemed to not know what to do with undivided attention, and he seemed to jump back and forth from trusting to not trusting. One girl from Five Forks, Melissa, did really well with Darnell. At first, she was unsure of how to handle him, especially when he yelled at us, but she stuck with him, and after I left, I heard that she was tough loving him at times when he acted up, but that Darnell cried when Melissa had to leave. Lives were definitely blessed all around today. I’m excited to be where I am with the people I’m with and going back tomorrow!

P.S. The weather was fantastic!

July 4, 07
Can I say amazing again? Today at the ministry site was even better than yesterday. The kids knew we were coming and so they showed up right after we arrived. The campers were much quicker to take the initiative and get involved in playing with the neighborhood kids. Soccer games started up immediately and the kids loved it. Little John asked to throw football, so we did that a little too. John would soak up love from one person after the other and all the campers seemed willing to give it.

I was sad to find that Darnell couldn’t come play today because his mama said he was mean yesterday. After soccer, the kids got big catcher containers and nets and became engrossed in catching anything and everything that moved from crickets and lizards to spiders, roly polys, hornets, and flies.After awhile, we went to an old golf cart path in the woods to hunt snakes. That hike was short lived due to bees and the firecracker that was thrown and exploded right behind me. Then we went for snack time and a Bible story that taught the 10 Commandments with hand signs. All went well - we did have a short break when the container holding the spider came open in the middle of the kids.

I heard one adult leader talk individually to some kids about Jesus, I saw kids in laps, smiles, and squeals of delight. Everyone had a great time. It was amazing! Thank You Lord.

July 5th
Today was different. I definitely was surprised. Things started out pretty frustratingly (I’m not sure if that’s a word); there were only 2-5 kids for a long time, and when a couple of others finally came, most of the tired campers were sitting and not going to the kids that came up. One girl left after 3 minutes. It was frustrating, but it was also very hot which slowed the kids down and also possibly kept some of the neighborhood kids indoors as well as summer school.

Things eventually did pick up though around snack time. We also read a story about heaven and talked about the gospel story. The kids remembered the 10 Commandments from yesterday and really participated today! That was exciting!

When I left, the kids and youth were all interacting much better. We had an airplane throwing contest and got up some soccer games. As more and more kids showed up, the energy increased. I think the campers became less discouraged. The kids did thank us for spending time with them and I do believe that all involved were blessed.

Also, the youth later reported how deeply they had been affected by the kids, their needs, and their appreciation. Even when we are tired, hot, and uncomfortable, God can do incredible things, and change lives.

July 6, 2007
Camp is over; campers are gone; stuff is packed up. As I reflect on this week, I can honestly say it has been my favorite week of Seesalt in the two years I’ve been here. Working/Playing/Observing at the ministry sitethis week with Five Forks and Showers of Blessings have been a huge blessing and a great overall experience. It’s one thing to talk about serving, but it’s another thing to actually do that - it is incredible.

I loved being able to serve alongside the youth groups and develop relationships with them as we’ve worked towards a common goal. It was really exciting to be invited to join up with Five Forks on their mission day in the fall. Seeing the passion, excitement, and commitment to serve was so encouraging! I hope it works out to join them again for that mission day.

This week was also added to because my home church came. It was really special to share in my summer experience and see how much the enjoyed it and worked hard. My family is very important to me and I wouldn’t trade anything for the opportunity to talk through my sister Ashley’s testimony during Tuesday worship. I’ve been reminded this week of how richly I have been blessed and how rewarding it is to be able to share these blessings with other people.

Now I look forward to going home and spending time with my whole family and then coming back for the last two weeks of camp! I look forward to the unimaginable experience yet to be had.

The names of children mentioned in this journal have been changed to protect their privacy.