Hey ya'll! I hope you are all soaking up the heat wave that both Michigan and so I've heard Minnesota is having too! Yes it may be a little too hot and gross out but hey let's not complain because winter will be right around the corner. As you may have heard, I was diagnosed with Bronchitis this past week. I had mentioned in my previous post that I was under the weather but didn't think it was anything too severe. I felt great the first few days of the week and honestly had the same amount of energy as before. But my cough kept getting worse and was hindering me so we decided it'd be best to go in. After a FOUR HOUR trip to urgent care on Wednesday I was put on antibiotics and cough syrup and sent back ready to tackle the second half of the week. Unfortunately my desired plan of automatically getting better wasn't God's idea. Thursday and Friday took everything out of me and I was going downhill even more so than I was before I was on antibiotics. It was really tough for me to try and feed all of my energy into my girls, as I was still counseling, but have that energy dwindle literally by the minute it seemed. The week didn't have the greatest of endings and I found myself frustrated with how it wrapped up and somewhat mad with God not allowing me put my full self into it. But then I was quickly humbled by realizing this camp IS NOT about me. It isn't about what I do, what I say, how I play capture the flag, etc. It is solely about God and His work here. If he so desires to use me in that plan then so be it, I feel incredibly blessed but His plan isn't dependent on me and only me. When I am sick or not up to par His wonderful and beautiful plan will still continue and He will use me in a different way and others to provide for my girls and it will all fall into place.
I am starting to feel better thankfully. I definitely am still sick and in need of more rest than usual but things are looking up. If you would please pray for the staff's health, it is much needed. I am the 7th person to have Bronchitis and it seems to be continuing on. Today is actually my last day of antibiotics, which honestly scares me because my cough hasn't been seeming to make a significant improvement but I am trusting God with all I have that He will once again deliver me with the energy and strength allotted that I need to make it through week 6 with campers. Yes, that's right I am already onto week 6 out of 9! Pure craziness! I am focusing now more than ever with living in the present moment. It terrifies me to think of the transition I have ahead so I've inadvertently decided not to for the time being. I know these last four weeks are going to fly by and I get this great sense that God still has so much more in store so I am trying my very hardest to live into that.
A really funny yet embarrassing story from the week involves my cough syrup that had quite the powerful amount of codeine in it. So every single morning we get up at 7am and go polar bearing. The lifeguards wake us up to whistles blowing and lights flickering which we then proceed to jump into the freezing lake go all the way under and then go back to our cabins to get ready for the day. Well on Wednesday night I got up in my sleep (by the way I am a huge sleep walker and talker) and was convinced it was time to go polar bearing. So I start flashing the lights on and off and yelling "Rise and Shine! It's Polar Bear time!!!!" My girls slowly start getting out of bed and about half way through I wake up and realize ohhhh shooot it's only one in the morning! So I awkwardly tell them "JUST KIDDING!!! You still have 6 more hours of sleep!!" and go back to bed. Let's just say the next morning we had some good laughs. Well that's not the end of the wonderful things powerful cough syrup can do to you! Thursday night I end up getting up at 4am and sit at the end of my bed shouting at my girls that they need to line up in alphabetical order to take a picture with our award. Yeah I have absolutely no idea what I was talking about but this carried on for about 5 minutes till my girls finally got me back into my bed to sleep. Needless to say I am looking forward to the upcoming days when I won't need to have this drug overtaking my body!
I have also really been looking into what it means to give God complete control and give my life fully to Him. I have found countless times this summer that I get really frustrated and annoyed with the fact that I feel like I am not giving my full life over to God. I feel as though I keep trying over and over again but I continue to hold onto something or feel like there is something hindering me so I obsess over that. Something I have begin to look into though is if it is completely possible to do this. Yes, I firmly believe we need to be giving God our all and everything we are but at the same time when I am obsessing over the details of what it means and how I can than I am finding myself thinking less about God and His faithfulness and more about the logistics. We are all sinners and always will be, there is no way I will ever reach full perfection so I need to give up this idea of trying to be perfect in giving God everything and rather live to love others and God and focus less on the how to. I mentioned last week just how in love with the Bible I have become and this week it has caught even more on fire! 2 Peter 1:3-9 has been pressed upon my heart lately and I've decided to adopt this as my life passage at least for now. I really encourage you to read it because it has some awesome wisdom on how to further your faith walk and relationships and demonstrate Christ through the position you're in. I promise it won't disappoint!
Prayer Requests:
-The staff here and continued unifying in the body of Christ (and also in health).
-My health that I would be on the uphill from here on out.
-A heart that is content and focused on the here and now and not the uncertainty of the future.
-My youth group and sister back home! They're leaving for Rocky Mountain High is Colorado shortly. Please pray that God would be moving and speaking through that place and that He is so present and their hearts are so open that it'd be near impossible for the to look elsewhere other than Him.
-My past campers...that they would be continuing on in the promises and commitments they made here and realizing that God is everywhere, not just at camp.
-My future campers...that they would be able to let go of anything that's hindering their walk with God and take down any walls they've built up for their week of camp.
-Less of me, more of God.
Thank you thank you thank you for the awesome support I have received while being down and out with this grossness. I have said this once and I will say it again...PLEASE EMAIL ME ABOUT YOUR LIFE!!! I have such a heart for praying for what is going on at home and I so strongly desire how I can be living and active in prayer for YOU! So please send me lots of updates and spend some time talking about your lives haha, I definitely will not think you're being selfish! It is my joy to read about how God is working in others' beautiful stories!
I love you guys. Keep on keeping on, God is faithful, loving, compassionate, the list could go on forever. Dive into His promises and take hold of the blessed life He has given you. Let it not be about how to do this or that but rather simply do it! Live like Christ and show His example to everyone, what do you have to loose? Nothing but the ways of this world.
XOXOXO,
Aunt Laura
2 Peter 1:3-9
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI just love your blog, and also your enthusiasm to share the word of Christ.
I had to look up 2 Peter 3:1-9. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Those are good encouraging words.
I'm sorry you've been sick, and hope the antibiotics have kicked in and that you are feeling better. It's okay not to jump in the lake if you are sick. It's also okay to take a day or two of rest so you can go back to being the great counselor that you are with renewed strength.
You are in my prayers.
Sharon