I am happy to report that the camp in Ohio went awesome!! I really enjoyed being able to help out with the girls that attended. I had the privilege of giving the camp devotions to the girls, assisting in coaching and teaching, and then even spending the night in the dorm a few nights.
Here is a picture of my friend Stacie and I below. She was a trooper during the camp. We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun times.
One other opportunity I have had this summer is to help out at a local food pantry in Lynchburg called "The Daily Bread". I was able to go along with my mom and some of my sister's co-workers. What an absolute blast to be able to be the hands and feet of Jesus and serve food to people. It makes me extremely thankful to be able to be a part of something like that. We all have opportunities each day to show and share Jesus with those we come in contact with. What are you doing today for the Kingdom?
We had a little bit of an unexpected wrinkle in our routine, when our power was out for almost 4 days due to a storm that came through a lot of Virginia at the end of June. Once again, I found myself thanking the Lord for all the times that we do have electricity and running water. It made me think of people in third world countries who don't even have a house, running water, or a consistent food supply. Sure, I was hot and at times not comfortable, but in comparison to what other people are experiencing on a daily basis, I really had no right to complain.
I was reading this morning in my quiet time from Psalms and these verses stuck out to me:
"But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me." Psalm 13:5-6
If you think about these verses - WOW!! The Lord truly is amazing. We have a personal relationship with a living God who loves us at all time, in all times, and through all times. He is our rescuer. What a stronghold to be able to lean on and go to in times of trouble. When circumstances come up in our lives that are unexpected, or things happen that we don't understand, we can still SING to the Lord because He truly is amazing!! The Lord has been showing me this summer the importance of maintaining joy despite the circumstances around me or circumstances that I am going through. When we take the focus off of ourselves and look up, we realize that there is a whole lot more to life than what is going on around us. My challenge to you and to myself is keep your eyes focused heavenward!! Maintaining JOY despite our circumstances is not always easy, but when we do, what an awesome opportunity to display the love of Jesus to this around us. It isn't always what we say, but a lot of times it is how we are living ours lives on a daily basis that can speak volumes to those we come in contact with.
This year for July 4th, I spent it in Tennessee with a wonderful family. We had a lot of fun hanging out and spending time with one another. What an awesome family! It is great to cross paths with a family who loves the Lord, and who strives to serve Him. Here is a picture with some of the family: Beka, Caleb, myself, and then Josiah and Micah are in the front. Thanks to Mrs. Leuzinger (the mom) who took the picture :) Great job!!
Megan