3 days in the HOT sun painting a trailer. Building a ramp. Subway for lunch. Last week I felt like I was on the gospel version of Extreme Makeover! Missions week was a whole new experience for me. I took the week off of regular camp to sleep in a tent with girls who came to minister the gospel through service. Through it, I learned more about discipleship than anything!
We laughed together, painted together, and just shared life. Instead of having set times to pour into their lives, I had to make the most of everyday, normal life. God taught me to use every opportunity to speak truth into girls' lives and not waste a moment!
But more than anything, He taught me that He is the one who changes hearts. Monday night, I challenged them to grow in their knowledge of the God that they were serving. I was met by mostly blank stares. They grew up in church, what more did they need to know?
The frustrations I felt the next two days brought me to tears. My burden for the gospel overwhelmed my soul. If only they could know the wonder and beauty of a deeper relationship with Him! All day I was waiting to challenge the hypocrisy I saw in their lives - serving Him without a desire to truly KNOW Him. And yet, all opportunities to do so eluded me.
As I lay there dead on thursday night, my face in the grass, (no really, I mean it, I die in our skit ) God spoke to me. "Ellen, will you stop preaching to them and listen to my Spirit? I must do the work in their hearts. Listen to Me. Enjoy the time with them and trust ME. If I give you an opening, speak truth. But until then... " I was humbled more than you know. After the skit we laughed together and the leaders then sent them up to the prayer chapel.
They came RUNNING back an hour later, more excited than I had seen them all week. "Ellen! We all just realized that if we are going to share the gospel, we need to really know it! What can we study? Where do we start?" We talked for another 3 hrs about life and the importance of studying His Word and letting His truth influence every part of their lives! All the while I thought they weren't listening, God was working. One of the girls told me she had been thinking about my challenge all week!
By the end, they had planned a missions trip to Japan and a biblestudy leading up to it for those who were planning on going. Four of the girls have already started reading books of the bible! Is God powerful to save? Why yes. Yes He is =)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
A Heart for the Broken
In ministry, it is easy to become emotionally detached from the heartache that is embedded in so many girls' lives. Not this week. My heart was broken for them, in a way that it has never been broken before. Tears poured down my face on friday because I felt for them in a way that I cannot describe... my spirit groaned with words that cannot be uttered!
My girls this week were desperate for love. No one cared about them at home - their families were either addicted to alcohol or themselves. I spent the entire week, hour after hour, just listening to them talk about their lives, the mundane and the serious.
I was challenged by my own words to them. Do I truly believe that God is enough to satisfy every longing in our souls? Can He truly bring life and peace in the midst of severe trial? As I exhorted them to live for Him, to trust Him to lead and guide their lives, I laughed to myself. How much more do I need to trust Him for the future ahead?!!
After my tears had begun to cease, I went to find my girls and hang out with them. I found one of them in bed, crying over the lostness of girls she had just met that week.What grace God has to give us people to feel with! We talked for an hour, encouraging one other to live for Him - to love those who need Him. As we prayed together, I thanked God with all my heart for her fellowship in the gospel!
It is those moments that make all the trials of camp worth it. The moments when I'm straight up preaching the gospel and the girls can't take their eyes off of me because they are so enraptured with His truth. The times when we talk for hours, pouring His word and encouragement into their lives... even the moments when I'm acting like a maniac and they realize for the first time that being a Christian is a whole lot of fun!
Camp has taught me more than I imagined possible. More than anything, it has taught me that His gospel is the answer to every issue that life brings. His truth is life! So why are we so slack in sharing it?
My girls this week were desperate for love. No one cared about them at home - their families were either addicted to alcohol or themselves. I spent the entire week, hour after hour, just listening to them talk about their lives, the mundane and the serious.
I was challenged by my own words to them. Do I truly believe that God is enough to satisfy every longing in our souls? Can He truly bring life and peace in the midst of severe trial? As I exhorted them to live for Him, to trust Him to lead and guide their lives, I laughed to myself. How much more do I need to trust Him for the future ahead?!!
After my tears had begun to cease, I went to find my girls and hang out with them. I found one of them in bed, crying over the lostness of girls she had just met that week.What grace God has to give us people to feel with! We talked for an hour, encouraging one other to live for Him - to love those who need Him. As we prayed together, I thanked God with all my heart for her fellowship in the gospel!
It is those moments that make all the trials of camp worth it. The moments when I'm straight up preaching the gospel and the girls can't take their eyes off of me because they are so enraptured with His truth. The times when we talk for hours, pouring His word and encouragement into their lives... even the moments when I'm acting like a maniac and they realize for the first time that being a Christian is a whole lot of fun!
Camp has taught me more than I imagined possible. More than anything, it has taught me that His gospel is the answer to every issue that life brings. His truth is life! So why are we so slack in sharing it?
Saturday, July 2, 2011
ALL THINGS
"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." 1 Cor 9:23
This summer, I have become the intellectual, the athlete, the redneck (haha well at least i tried!) and the crazy middle schooler! I've played hard, laughed loud, and loved the unlovable for the sake of Christ. It has been one of the best experiences of my life!
This week, I duckied (guided single rafts) with a pile of crazy high school girls - who named me "mama duck" at the beginning of the trip haha. Down the river, they managed to get stuck on quite a few rocks.. which meant i heard "mama duck, come save me!" more than enough times! We laughed all the way down, all the while they were stealing my heart. By the end of the week, random boys were calling me that and wishing I was their guide!
The week has taught me that serving Christ in the little things is just as important as in the "big" things. Acting like a crazy girl, screaming and jumping into freezing water doing the "dying chicken" train at the beginning of the week set up the best relationship with a girl I've had at camp. She stayed up and talked to me till 4 in the morning on friday, sharing what Christ was doing in her life!
The exhaustion, the moments of wondering if I'm crazy, all those were worth it for the sake of Christ. He is worth our every moment! All of life should be this way. Every moment lived because the gospel has changed our lives, which makes us want to change others. That girl taught me so much as well "questioning the faithfulness of God is just dumb, He has shown us through the Scripture that He has always been!"
From the mouth of babes eh? =)
This summer, I have become the intellectual, the athlete, the redneck (haha well at least i tried!) and the crazy middle schooler! I've played hard, laughed loud, and loved the unlovable for the sake of Christ. It has been one of the best experiences of my life!
This week, I duckied (guided single rafts) with a pile of crazy high school girls - who named me "mama duck" at the beginning of the trip haha. Down the river, they managed to get stuck on quite a few rocks.. which meant i heard "mama duck, come save me!" more than enough times! We laughed all the way down, all the while they were stealing my heart. By the end of the week, random boys were calling me that and wishing I was their guide!
The week has taught me that serving Christ in the little things is just as important as in the "big" things. Acting like a crazy girl, screaming and jumping into freezing water doing the "dying chicken" train at the beginning of the week set up the best relationship with a girl I've had at camp. She stayed up and talked to me till 4 in the morning on friday, sharing what Christ was doing in her life!
The exhaustion, the moments of wondering if I'm crazy, all those were worth it for the sake of Christ. He is worth our every moment! All of life should be this way. Every moment lived because the gospel has changed our lives, which makes us want to change others. That girl taught me so much as well "questioning the faithfulness of God is just dumb, He has shown us through the Scripture that He has always been!"
From the mouth of babes eh? =)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Oh Life =)
Well. It was bound to happen. After 5 weeks of no sleep, driving 14 hrs for a wedding in two days, and continually pouring into people's lives, I was due for a major breakdown.
After banging my leg, getting locked out of my friend's house where i planned on napping and resting, and trying to sleep in a sauna with the light on - I gave in unashamedly to the natural woman's response to such frustrating circumstances... buckets of tears!
What a week. I started it by becoming deathly ill and ended up spending tuesday in bed with a fever and chills. Still sick, I lost my voice screaming in the river and yelling for the Revelation skit on Thursday. That night i drove 2 hours to Annika's, slept 4 1/2 hrs and drove 4 hrs that morning to a rehearsal lunch. My sad attempt at sleep came after a wedding and a drive back to camp!
To God, it was a perfect opportunity to teach me to rely fully on Him! (Isn't it always like that?) I opened my Bible in desperation, only to be met with Heb 4 "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God". Tears coursed down my cheeks. Oh how I long for that eternal rest!
"We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses... let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
This week, I have been struck by the realization that the gospel is always the proper response to life. It is the answer to a 12 yr old's question of how to live for Him, the friend who struggles with inadequancy in ministry, the woman who's husband is cheating on her, and my own frustrations and need for encouragement.
It is so simple yet so profound. Christ died to give us life, breaking the power of sin and death! He is all we need for life and Godliness - His gospel is the balm for every wound and the strength we need for each trial. It is the reason we can have true joy!
And so, we "present our bodies as a living sacrifice" for that is our only "reasonable act of service" to a God that has saved us and changed us to be like His Son! We are fellow heirs with Christ - the curve balls that life throws cannot overpower this truth.. if we are immersings ourselves in it!
So I have decided to thank Him for entrusting to me His ministry of reconcilation, especially to those in middle and high school... and to eat a massive steak and maybe some chocolate!!
May the gospel give you encouragement this day as we join together to live for Him!
After banging my leg, getting locked out of my friend's house where i planned on napping and resting, and trying to sleep in a sauna with the light on - I gave in unashamedly to the natural woman's response to such frustrating circumstances... buckets of tears!
What a week. I started it by becoming deathly ill and ended up spending tuesday in bed with a fever and chills. Still sick, I lost my voice screaming in the river and yelling for the Revelation skit on Thursday. That night i drove 2 hours to Annika's, slept 4 1/2 hrs and drove 4 hrs that morning to a rehearsal lunch. My sad attempt at sleep came after a wedding and a drive back to camp!
To God, it was a perfect opportunity to teach me to rely fully on Him! (Isn't it always like that?) I opened my Bible in desperation, only to be met with Heb 4 "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God". Tears coursed down my cheeks. Oh how I long for that eternal rest!
"We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses... let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
This week, I have been struck by the realization that the gospel is always the proper response to life. It is the answer to a 12 yr old's question of how to live for Him, the friend who struggles with inadequancy in ministry, the woman who's husband is cheating on her, and my own frustrations and need for encouragement.
It is so simple yet so profound. Christ died to give us life, breaking the power of sin and death! He is all we need for life and Godliness - His gospel is the balm for every wound and the strength we need for each trial. It is the reason we can have true joy!
And so, we "present our bodies as a living sacrifice" for that is our only "reasonable act of service" to a God that has saved us and changed us to be like His Son! We are fellow heirs with Christ - the curve balls that life throws cannot overpower this truth.. if we are immersings ourselves in it!
So I have decided to thank Him for entrusting to me His ministry of reconcilation, especially to those in middle and high school... and to eat a massive steak and maybe some chocolate!!
May the gospel give you encouragement this day as we join together to live for Him!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
This is Week 2
My life at Snowbird..
Today: Lorelei and I hiked up the mountain next to camp to do our devotions. Our 360 degree view of the brush covered mountains around us was simply amazing! Cliff jumping was next - It just so happened to be raining as we jumped 40 ft off a rock face into the lake below =) We swam across the lake, played with the rope swing and had a fabulous time. We ended the day with coffee, volleyball, and Hercules. Simply amazing.
This past week was very different than the first. The girls that were in my group were 19 yr old youth leaders. Instead of sharing the simple gospel, we dug into the Word to challenge them to live for Him! God taught me so much through our study of Hebrews 1 and the last part of 10. It is not enough to simply look back on how God has changed you and what He has saved you from, one must be faithful and persevere to the end!
If we call ourselves believers, we must strive wholeheartedly after the gospel, immersing ourselves in His word and living each part of our lives in surrender to His will. What a challenge and encouragement! At the end of the week, one of them even became a Christian! She came depressed and discouraged, and left with the joy of the Lord. It was so beautiful to see =)
If I can summarize the week's lesson, it is this: mind, body, soul, and strength should be devoted to serving the Lord. He is so gracious to save us from the pit of sin and self and transfer us into the Kingdom of His light! Living for Christ and through His power is best - in every aspect of life!
Never stop abiding, never stop learning, never stop serving, never stop fighting. In this is life =)
"Be Killing Sin or Sin Will be Killing You"
Today: Lorelei and I hiked up the mountain next to camp to do our devotions. Our 360 degree view of the brush covered mountains around us was simply amazing! Cliff jumping was next - It just so happened to be raining as we jumped 40 ft off a rock face into the lake below =) We swam across the lake, played with the rope swing and had a fabulous time. We ended the day with coffee, volleyball, and Hercules. Simply amazing.
This past week was very different than the first. The girls that were in my group were 19 yr old youth leaders. Instead of sharing the simple gospel, we dug into the Word to challenge them to live for Him! God taught me so much through our study of Hebrews 1 and the last part of 10. It is not enough to simply look back on how God has changed you and what He has saved you from, one must be faithful and persevere to the end!
If we call ourselves believers, we must strive wholeheartedly after the gospel, immersing ourselves in His word and living each part of our lives in surrender to His will. What a challenge and encouragement! At the end of the week, one of them even became a Christian! She came depressed and discouraged, and left with the joy of the Lord. It was so beautiful to see =)
If I can summarize the week's lesson, it is this: mind, body, soul, and strength should be devoted to serving the Lord. He is so gracious to save us from the pit of sin and self and transfer us into the Kingdom of His light! Living for Christ and through His power is best - in every aspect of life!
Never stop abiding, never stop learning, never stop serving, never stop fighting. In this is life =)
"Be Killing Sin or Sin Will be Killing You"
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The First Week
The first week of camp is over! I am so exhausted but yet so fulfilled; there is nothing like sharing the gospel. I have learned so much already and heard the Lord's calling on my life more strongly than I ever have before. Hopefully, it will encourage and uplift your hearts!
This past week, I have fallen in love with six 12 and 13 yr olds =). Most of them come from families who only use Jesus' name in vain - yet they had such a thirst for the knowledge of God. In our small group times, they asked all kinds of questions: How is God 3 in 1? What is hell like? Why did Satan think He could win against God?
But the question that got me the most was "How do missionaries know that they are called?" I explained that God lays a burden on their hearts, and they can't imagine doing anything else - they MUST share the gospel. The camper than asked me "Ellen, were you called to Snowbird?" I stopped.
God had called me here and laid it on my heart to share the gospel to young women! In fact, He had been calling me to that through high school and college. As i knelt before the altar on friday night, tears streaming down my face, I finally acknowledged that this is what He has created me to do, I must share the gospel to the women of this world. Do I have a clue where that will lead? Nope. But I know that He will lead and guide me all the way.
After the sermon on missions, I held six weeping girls in my arms. Their families are not Christians and destined for hell. As we talked, I challenged them to be missionaries to their families, to read and study His word so that their lives would be a reflection of Him! I write this so you may be encouraged; God is working in the lives of young people even today. They promised to read and study - the book of John first. Pray that the Lord would continue to grow them even amidst adverse circumstances!
My favorite part of the whole week was studying the first chapter of Mark with them. 12 girls came to me and asked if I would do a biblestudy with them! For a whole hour, I taught about John the Baptist, Jesus and His ministry, and how we can correctly respond to His words. What a blessed time! After a semester studying the Life of Christ in Israel, I cannot help but smile - He has prepared me for this. I showed them pictures of Israel that pertained to the chapter - the wilderness where Jesus was tempted, the synagogue at Capernaum etc.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is changing people's lives, even before my very eyes. Is it changing yours?
This past week, I have fallen in love with six 12 and 13 yr olds =). Most of them come from families who only use Jesus' name in vain - yet they had such a thirst for the knowledge of God. In our small group times, they asked all kinds of questions: How is God 3 in 1? What is hell like? Why did Satan think He could win against God?
But the question that got me the most was "How do missionaries know that they are called?" I explained that God lays a burden on their hearts, and they can't imagine doing anything else - they MUST share the gospel. The camper than asked me "Ellen, were you called to Snowbird?" I stopped.
God had called me here and laid it on my heart to share the gospel to young women! In fact, He had been calling me to that through high school and college. As i knelt before the altar on friday night, tears streaming down my face, I finally acknowledged that this is what He has created me to do, I must share the gospel to the women of this world. Do I have a clue where that will lead? Nope. But I know that He will lead and guide me all the way.
After the sermon on missions, I held six weeping girls in my arms. Their families are not Christians and destined for hell. As we talked, I challenged them to be missionaries to their families, to read and study His word so that their lives would be a reflection of Him! I write this so you may be encouraged; God is working in the lives of young people even today. They promised to read and study - the book of John first. Pray that the Lord would continue to grow them even amidst adverse circumstances!
My favorite part of the whole week was studying the first chapter of Mark with them. 12 girls came to me and asked if I would do a biblestudy with them! For a whole hour, I taught about John the Baptist, Jesus and His ministry, and how we can correctly respond to His words. What a blessed time! After a semester studying the Life of Christ in Israel, I cannot help but smile - He has prepared me for this. I showed them pictures of Israel that pertained to the chapter - the wilderness where Jesus was tempted, the synagogue at Capernaum etc.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is changing people's lives, even before my very eyes. Is it changing yours?
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Welcome to Snowbird Camp! In the last week, I have danced, dressed up, and shared the gospel more than I ever have in my life. It has been a crazy roller coaster but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else =) God has certainly called me to this place.
Snowbird is different than any other camp I have experienced. The staff is committed to sharing the true gospel, and not pressing campers into emotional decisions. We are entrusted with the gospel, and we preach it to them multiple times a day!
A brief schedule so you get a feel for the camp.. Mornings we have a worship/sermon time - so fun because we get crazy and dance while they enter in! - and then breakout sessions for extra learning (how to study the bible, hell, preaching the gospel, modesty etc). Lunch is next! After lunch, the students leave for recreation - hiking, biking, canoeing, horse back riding, white water rafting etc.
I work the skeet shooting rec and guide down the Nanahala river - white water rafting. So much fun! After dinner is another session for woship and preaching. Each night we have a different activity after our sermon: tues night we do a slam dunk contest, wednesday we split up the girls and guys and have a talk.. with a girl dance party in-between! Thursday night is a re-enactment of Revelation 17.. Satan and his demons kill the martyrs and Christ comes to save his people and throw Satan in the pit! More on that later!
The staff here is a gift from God. We learn, serve, and love one another for the sake of the gospel. Every week we are so exhausted, but we find encouragement through our fellow brothers/sisters in Christ. It is a blessing to be apart of the body of Christ.
Each week, I am assigned to a specific church and the girls they bring. Our job is to spend time with them and pour into them for the purpose of sharing the gospel. We lead share groups after each night session with those girls as well. It blows my mind how open they become after you share a solid week with them!
I have already learned so much from 2 weeks of staff training and 1 week of camp.. but since my intro has been long enough, you'll have to stay tuned for lessons learned!
Snowbird is different than any other camp I have experienced. The staff is committed to sharing the true gospel, and not pressing campers into emotional decisions. We are entrusted with the gospel, and we preach it to them multiple times a day!
A brief schedule so you get a feel for the camp.. Mornings we have a worship/sermon time - so fun because we get crazy and dance while they enter in! - and then breakout sessions for extra learning (how to study the bible, hell, preaching the gospel, modesty etc). Lunch is next! After lunch, the students leave for recreation - hiking, biking, canoeing, horse back riding, white water rafting etc.
I work the skeet shooting rec and guide down the Nanahala river - white water rafting. So much fun! After dinner is another session for woship and preaching. Each night we have a different activity after our sermon: tues night we do a slam dunk contest, wednesday we split up the girls and guys and have a talk.. with a girl dance party in-between! Thursday night is a re-enactment of Revelation 17.. Satan and his demons kill the martyrs and Christ comes to save his people and throw Satan in the pit! More on that later!
The staff here is a gift from God. We learn, serve, and love one another for the sake of the gospel. Every week we are so exhausted, but we find encouragement through our fellow brothers/sisters in Christ. It is a blessing to be apart of the body of Christ.
Each week, I am assigned to a specific church and the girls they bring. Our job is to spend time with them and pour into them for the purpose of sharing the gospel. We lead share groups after each night session with those girls as well. It blows my mind how open they become after you share a solid week with them!
I have already learned so much from 2 weeks of staff training and 1 week of camp.. but since my intro has been long enough, you'll have to stay tuned for lessons learned!
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