Well that said, this lengthy blog post will ease some of the stress I'm feeling :)
Frontier Ranch
Earlier this year, at the end of March, I completed Young Life Leader training and was placed at an Austin area high school that....HAD NEVER HAD YOUNG LIFE BEFORE. Rather than be daunted, I knew the Lord was going to use my enthusiasm (which can be ridiculous at times) to help HIM establish a Rouse YL club and a relationship with the high school students there. For the months of April and May, I worked alongside my Rouse team (more like a family) and together, the seven of us have begun to reach out to kids who need Christ.
Young Life became my highlight of the week: club on Mondays and lunch at the high school on Fridays. And each time I interacted with the kiddos, my new best friends, I found a new level of joy and love.
And then, something amazing happened. God provided the means for 6 Rouse high schools girls and 1 boy to attend camp!!! So for the past week, I have had one of THE BEST WEEKS OF MY LIFE. I attended Frontier after my sophomore year, but returning with six girls who I have been praying for and building a relationship with, made this experience even better!! Granted, I went into the week feeling anxious, inadequate, and unwise. I was the youngest leader at the camp BUT I was surrounded me with fellow leaders who filled me up with scripture and praise and help.
The girls themselves also filled me up. Over the course of the week, I watched them play volleyball, tackle fears of heights, and give little thought to their appearances (a mighty feat considering we girls love to pamper ourselves). But most importantly, I watched them open up and become vulnerable during cabin time. I watch their hearts melt from stone and listened to them as they shared the pains and temptations they face in life. As the week progressed, I listened to them answer questions about why they wanted to live for Christ and I got to share in their pain during one-on-ones. Even better than this though, I got them to pray with me at the end of each one-on-one. And many of the girls had NEVER prayed aloud with another person. It was amazing to see this level of trust and faith in a high school girl.
Even better than this however, on the last night of camp, the speaker Glenn Austell invited all four hundred campers to stand and proclaim if they had accepted Christ into their lives at camp that week. Well God is truly good. Several of my girls stood and announced how they had "rededicated my life to Christ this week" and "found strength in the Lord."
And now I am back in Houston, preparing for my trip to Guatemala, while my heart longs to be in Austin or back at Frontier with my girls, just living with them each day. I guess, thank goodness for technology and iPhones and Facebook and Skype and HeyTell (it's an app). But more importantly, thanks be to God for this summer of wonderful events.