It's humbling to see how churches and students respond to us as staff and leaders. They do hear us and watch us so its important for us to know that. I was able to learn and see how God rewards those who serve Him. I was at camp working 7-11 everyday and He blessed me with immeasurably more than I could ever ask for. It was very easy to sit back and become in this routine of getting up and going to work, then go to bed. I was bad about not doing a devotional every day. I have been caught in this routine of camp. When I go home I don't want to live on the spiritual high for a week, just as it would be for the campers. I want my spiritual high for the rest of my life! I will be in a routine at Seminary, learning about God and thinking I don't need a devotional today because I had chapel or class. But, I need to stay in the Word and grow spiritually as well as educationally.
One night during camp it was the last week and I sat in with the church group I was hosting. I thought that I was doing a job. I kept praying that God would use me; I did not realize He was using me. I was just blind and could not see it because I really was not looking for it and the students were not informing me of it. But that night when I sat in on Mount Zion's church group devotion and heard, first hand, how students lives were changed through our staff. We did make a difference! We were unable to see it because it was not the atmosphere where the students were comfortable sharing. It's humbling to end the last week with awesome worship and knowing that I did do something this summer. I was beginning to feel discouraged because I didn't lead anyone to Christ but I can't do that. I can share and help people believe but they have to make that decision on their own through the Holy Spirit! I had a grown up in my group the last week wanting to swim and interact with kids but our site was on a field trip day one; they were super late on day 2 and there were no kids at the park day 3. I was even becoming discouraged because we were not able to minister. We were only able to be with the Malvern Hills kids for an hour and within that hour my adult impacted the life of a little girl. The third day my other adult spoke with a parent at the park. God always has a plan even if it is slim! In that church group devotion I had four people from my group and they all shared how they were impacted at site even when we did not get to minister to many people. We played four square within our small group majority of the time. God is amazing and I am so happy he showed that to me and answered my prayers on the last night of the summer.
'And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."' -Revelation 21:3
