Aswinement '09

I feel like I'm emerging from my death bed.  I've been terribly sick for the past week and a half with a horrible sinus infection.  I never knew that sinus infections could make you feel so bad.  I am glad that I was in Columbus with my mom and Joel's mom so that they could help take care of the kids while Joel was on the senior sailing trip.  

So, I've had a lot of time to reflect on our assignment at Frontier.  It was, no doubt, an assignment to go down in the books.  It was hard and sad at times, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Why would I do it again?  Because, when you're at Young Life camp, you are so acutely aware of the presence of the Lord.  He's everywhere and in everything.  He's the reason behind everything that happens.  He's the reason why everything is done with excellence.   On the flip side, as obvious as the Lord is, the enemy is just as evident and I felt him lurking around all month long....no, not just lurking...attacking.  I have never seen Satan so busy.  Just a few of the things were dealing with the flu, having to send entire areas home early, ending a week of camp early, isolating the entire work crew, and the biggest blow was our camp director, Lynn, unexpectedly losing her husband.  Personally, on a much smaller scale, I have never had a more challenging time as a mother.  All month, I just kept kicking myself for all the other assignments that I've been on without small children and without knowing how hard it can be for mothers, and I never offered to help them out.  I hope to rectify that someday.  I am so grateful to the assigned team wives that helped me out so much.  

I always, always leave assignments with regrets...usually, because I'm so wrapped up in my own world that there are conversations not had and relationships not formed.  Even though I feel like there is a special bond between our assigned team because of the things that we experienced together, I still wish that I had gotten to know the other women better.  Another regret this month was feeling so disconnected to the campers.  I feel like I missed out on so much that the Lord was doing in their lives because I was chasing after a 2 year old all summer.  Basically, this month looked nothing like I was expecting it to.  However, God is good.  He did show up in major ways this summer.  And, I know that He was working harder than Satan.  Hundreds of kids came to know Jesus this month.  Hundreds of kids finally realized that they don't have to carry all of their burdens around by themselves.  Hundreds of kids were released from the chains that were weighing them down.  I did see Jesus this summer.  I saw Him when kids faces lit up as they arrived at Frontier Ranch and saw this amazing camp for the first time.  I saw Him on night 4 every week when kids had the best night of their life.  I saw Him when Capernaum (special needs) kids did the ropes course.  I saw Him in the way that work crew kids loved on Mary Kate and Ford.  I saw Him in the smiles of my kid's faces.  I saw Him in our assigned team.  I saw Him in Lynn as she was about to go home after hearing the news of her husband and she said, "Don't stop telling kids about Jesus."  Yes, Jesus is so obvious at Young Life camp.  Now, I'm home where everything seems so ordinary.  I feel like I have to look harder to see the Lord working.  The same is true for Satan.  He doesn't seem as obvious and I'm more easily deceived.  I don't want it to be this way.  Lord, help me to be so aware of You.  Help me to see you working in the hearts of my family and friends right here in Georgia.  Help me to expect it here like I expect it at Frontier.