partying, partying...YEAH! {Op Camp 2011}

Would just love to jot down a few things that the Lord really taught me while I was at Op Camp. I love that 4-5 minutes I get to share with good friends when I get home either on the phone or in person & it's been a week full of "friending" as well as "working".

It was going to be pretty hard to top what God did in my life at Op Camp last summer, but God is so sweet to me and taught me so many little lessons along the way. He really put it on my heart before I left to pray against the attitude that "I did it better", "why am I not in charge", etc and I'm so glad He did. He really reassured me this week that He has a plan and when I got to hear Kate's (who has my old job) story I was really reassured that God has a plan and it's perfect. I missed getting to know every single high school counselor but I got to get to know my sweet campers more, which I didn't get to do last year.

In the end, God showed me that He can use anyone! Anyone who is willing & available He can use. It's NOT about us, but it's all about Him. So He really doesn't need us, he just chooses to use us - and that is pretty powerful!

God broke my heart for these kids. Almost every night this week I got a little emotional thinking about them. what a shift in perspective - to actually spend some time thinking about and focusing on OTHERS instead of me me me. He broke my heart for them. Once you know them they are no longer "those kids" - they are your friends and you want to do anything to help them. This verse kept coming up again and again...

Proverbs 24:12 (the Message)

^11-12 Rescue the perishing;

don't hesitate to step in and help.

If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business,"

will that get you off the hook?

Someone is watching you closely, you know—

Someone not impressed with weak excuses.

Once our eyes have been open to the hurting, to the things that break Gods heart - we have no excuse not to step in and help them. My prayer is becoming to ask God to send laborers to the Harvest. Matthew 9:37-38 says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” May your heart be broken for what breaks Gods heart & may you be moved to action!

I've been challenged through the "Crazy Love" study I'm doing with my community group girls, to love those who can't love you back. We talked about this week how lukewarm christians only love those who have something that benefits you. My prayer is that I won't only love those who can love me back but I will get out of my comfort zone & love those who can't love me back.

To end this little recap, I just have to say that Op Camp is like family. Even if you haven't seen some of the people since last summer, you get back to camp and it's like no time has passed. It's a very special place to so many people. I just can't help but think what it must mean to the campers - if it feels like home to me, how much more does it feel like home to them? Some of them say it's the "best week of their life".

I'm praying that next year God would send more laborers to Op Camp. It's a week will change your life.

Ok and for a little humor.....

we dance A LOT at Op Camp!