6 days at Rockbridge

We just got home from YL camp and we are exhausted! Bryan is sleeping behind me and occasionally snoring, which is completely understandable because YL Camp = little sleep.

The Salisbury area received the "fill the bus" scholarship for camp this year. What that meant was for every person we took this year over the previous year would go free. The trick to this was, we had to fill the bus completely for the discount to work. We took 28 campers last year so every camper over that went free. Therefore, we charged everyone $299 for camp. Cheap right? I know! Well, we took 52 kids to camp from Salisbury. We had a little help from the Episcopal church in town, who decided to send their kids with us. What that meant for me was, I didn't know the girls in my cabin until I got on the bus!

It was so wonderful getting to know the girls and being able to share Christ with them. I was amazed at how much they connected with the speaker, and how for some of them it seemed like it was the first time they heard the gospel. We had 4 girls and 4 boys begin a relationship with Christ and as they walked across the stage in front of all of their friends, Bryan and I just wept. There were 520 campers and 125 of them accepted Jesus into their life.
How amazing is it that we have the opportunity to be God's hands and feet in ministry?

The way God moved this week was amazing, but I would be lying if I told you it was perfect. One of the biggest and most important nights at camp is the night the speaker tells the kids that they are sinners, separated from God and that there is nothing they can do on their own to reach Him. No good deed they do will fix the condition of their heart. It is a very difficult thing for them to hear and most of the time they come back to the room frustrated and upset.

Right as I am settling everyone down and getting them on the floor, I hear from one of the bunks, "All my money is gone!" Inside I am panicking but I calmly say, "I'm sure you just put it in your jean pocket or you've just misplaced it. Let's look for it after cabin time." She says, "But I had $160. I put it in my wallet in my purse after we went to the store and its all gone!!!"
My stomach drops. 160 dollars? Why does she have 160 dollars at camp?

After I get through cabin time, I learn that she had just babysat the night before and gotten paid for the week. All I can think to do is run to Erin, who is much more experienced than me!
I didn't want to create hysterics and I had heard that usually when things are stolen, it is within the cabin. Erin asked me to calmly walk back in and check my purse...the $60 I had brought was gone. Later we found out that $40 was stolen from another girl in my cabin. Someone made out big! 260 dollars stolen from one cabin! At breakfast I ran to tell the head leader, and another leader was there telling him how much they had gotten stolen. 4 cabins had money stolen all in one building.

Through the week everyone was trying to figure out who it could have been. A girl was observed with a large wad of cash; however, when she was confronted she denied everything. During the week I couldn't help but be distracted. How can someone's heart be that hard? To hear about the God of the universe loving them unconditionally and them going in the cabins and stealing everything girls had? I prayed for the girl but the truth is I was angry. I wanted so badly for the person that took the money to confess and let God change their heart. It was so sad when we all got on the bus and I thought about the fact that someone got away with stealing hundreds of dollars and spent the week at camp unchanged and unwilling to let Jesus into their lives. Usually YL camp is a week away from the world, but this year a little bit of the world leaked in and it was hard to not let it affect me.

Although that happened, God moved powerfully this week. I know there is a lesson in all of this: I should not be concentrated on material things. It is so hard not to get caught up in what we own. I know God is trying to teach me about living simply because of what next year will bring. I can only bring and send so much to Oregon for the year and after that we have no idea what is next. I am learning to trust God with our lives. Sometimes it is so difficult to relinquish control but when we do, God has amazing plans for our lives.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory..." Ephesians 3:20