...that they may be life-giving

"...and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."
  -Paul, Ephesians 6:19-20 ESV 

 This verse hit home when I read it today in a book, on emotions, I am studying with friends. I have read it over and over, since then, in many different translations, to try and decide how I should directly apply it to my life. I think the question to me is this, what life am I giving or not giving with the words that come out of my mouth, in the places that the Lord has put me? 
 I have found myself recently wrestling with myself at work when I am short with a coworker, or even with a customer(the one I am there to serve)! The words, tone, praise, direction, and replies coming out of my mouth should be loving, caring, and compassionate. Who knows what life I am hindering from springing forth when I have a snappy reply to a half awake customer who I am paid to service. Who cares if they forgot to tell me that they didn't want whipped cream on their mocha after I had sent it to be made. It is such an easy fix, as well as others, that I find myself hung up on as I continue to interact with the customer, in sometimes an un-like-me manner recently. I have the JOY of the Lord and I am not letting it shine! 
 I have applied so many of the examples and questions in this book to my barista job, since that is where the Lord has me, interacting the most of the general public. It is so easy to be "life-giving" in our friend relationships, and when you don't it is something that can be corrected later in the time after time that you see them. But in my job I may never see each customer again, and I want them to see a light and a joy that IS mysterious and stems from the only truly life-giving Gospel of the One who can save their soul. 

 Please pray that I am joyfully serving those that the Lord has given me to serve, in and out of my daily job. I am the Gospel to these people. I have a hefty job. We have a hefty job as christians. Good thing we do not do it of our own accord! 

What kind of life are you giving with the words that you speak?

-Charli

Homecoming=Over-stimulation

  I attended my first "function" this evening since I have come back to the city. I have spent the last four days in my house, with the kids I nanny, and have only gone to do things by myself. I considered it my "resting time" after kamp. Tonight though, some girls from our church got together for a girl's night! Girl's nights are always a fun thing, involving food, games, and chatting with the people I want to most intentionally know. Thankfully, God has not placed me in a bubble where girls night includes atypical "girly" things, like spa treatments, cucumber eyes, and other sorts of pampering. If you know me, I don't really know how to pamper myself, and would rather just chat and play games. All of this to say, tonight was an interesting night for sure!

 In explanation....
I feel like most people would put a check next to the box that includes words like loud, outgoing, outspoken, and funny(in the "she doesn't really think about the things she says" kind-of way.), if they were asked to describe me by choosing words from a given list. I am these things...usually. I really crave those small group settings though, and one-on-one time where I get to know people and hear their heart. I love these times! I want people to know me, and I want to know them! I want our friendship to be used for His glory! By no way am I saying that in large group settings intentional conversations cannot happen, bringing him glory...but I am trying to say that I feel like I cannot have the conversations I want to have, comfortably, in group settings where my mind is wondering, "what is he laughing about?!", "what are they doing?", and all of the other things my mind bounces to. <<largest run-on ever

 In more explanation...
Most people here in the city I have not seen, or talked to in three months! These people were part of my daily life in the spring. I knew how they were doing on a deeper than surface level. If that wasn't the case, I was getting to know them and they were someone that I hung out with regularly. Then summer...three months!

 Even more...
A handful of these girls were at the girls night tonight. I was really excited to be seeing them! I walked into my friends home who was hosting, and my mind started hurting in no less than three minutes. I didn't know what to do. There were so many things that I wanted to talk to each girl about! I wanted to sit in the corner with each of them and pry their minds on the three months of their lives I had missed. I began to feel very overwhelmed. I wanted to ask each girl a different question. I wanted to give each of them my attention. I wanted to act like the bubbly person I am, but sometimes think that my kamp person and home person are different. Kamp=krazy! Home=less-er krazy! I wanted to do this and that. I really didn't know how to feel, how to act, or what to say. I am feeling my mind go crazy even now, just thinking about this evening.

 It turned out to be a very pleasant evening, obviously, filled with food, a game that I did not like(and not just because I was bad), and a Chiefs game. It was a fun girls night. I am thankful for the girls. I just have come to think about how this small setting made my mind go crazy, and tomorrow I am actually going to church for the first time. Oh my! I love my church. I love the people that make up the church body at The Cause. I just am nervous for...I will see so many people, the ones I have not seen in three months. I want to catch up. There are just so many places to start, and talk about, and figure out, and learn. I want to answer the question that begins every conversation, "HOW WAS KAMP?"...but where do I start, and how much do they really want to hear?!

 My mind has been at ease since I arrived at home, making lists of what I can do to make sure I am being intentional with every friendship that I am needing to catch up on. Pray that I follow through with these things! Please?! My life is back in full swing this week, with school, Starbucks, church, nannying, and my other various commitments. I want the Lord's hand to be leading each step I am taking, and sometimes think I try to take control when I think everything has to be done at once.

 I am so excited for what the Lord has after returning home from kamp. I can't see all that He has planned, nor should I need to, but am expectant, and excited for this year. He has blessed me immensely. I miss kamp life, but am grateful for what KC has to offer.

What situations over stimulate your mind?!

THE FOURTH OF JULY

If you didn't know already, my favorite holiday IS the FOURTH OF JULY! Barbecue, fireworks, pool time, and more fireworks are just a few wonderful things about this holiday/birthday celebration of our great nation! There is no better place to celebrate than right where I am at...KAMP.  K-Kountry celebrates in the best possible ways and I have been blessed in being here for my last few summers of celebration. There is no way to justly describe the atmosphere that this day has at the kountryside, but I have a few pictures to try.

Everything and everyone is decorated for the Fourth of July. The kids are woken up with firecrackers and given bomb pops. Nothing else says Fourth of July better, right!? 

                                    

  

The group of girls here are our kitchies and kooks! They are faithful to serve us day in and day out. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. They our scrape our plates and do our dishes. This is my first year out of my six at kamp that I have not served a term in the kitchen. I am happy where I am, but love and appreciate the kitchies and kooks and all the hard work they do.


  Brad sang the COOLEST song at our morning freedom celebration/flag. It was really cool! It introduced lots of iconic americans, including the bald eagle, or as I like to call her, my dearest friend Anna!

 

 If you celebrate your birthday at kamp, you get to choose a counselor to throw into the pool. Bubby and America decided to throw all of guys leadership in the pool. 

  For breakfast we had chocolate chip pancake with strawberries and whipped cream on top. I just happened to unintentionally cut a small submarine out of my pancake...or maybe a small fish. When I was finished, I got even more whipped cream put on my plate. Kathryn and Jenn chuckled at being correct in assumption when I pulled my camera out to take a picture of my smiley face.  

  The guy in this first picture is one of our Kanakuk maitenance men, Greg. He faithfully serves us in the background each day as he repairs what we break and keeps kamp(and the pool) running. 

 Kelsey and Elise came for a visit! There is nothing that makes my heart feel more loved than when friends drive to Branson to see me, even if they do have others to see as well. Kelsey successfully crossed the red bridge for the first time ever, even though she did not like the crossing.





 Any day that we have grilled meat at kamp, there is a 15 foot boundary around the grill. Today it was clearly marked for all to see. It made me chuckle! Usually you just get called out and escorted back away from the grill. They cooked our lunch, and the faithful cooks and kitchies did all the somewhat tedious work to get all those garnishes, as well as the other feasts ready for us today.

                                    

 No Fourth is complete without a parade at K-Kountry. Celebrities show up, K-Kountry's Governor and First Lady make an appearance, and Santa obviously ends it. The kids slowly move into the parade path as they try to be the first one to the next piece of candy to be thrown. 

                                      

 One of my top favorite things about the Fourth, and life in general, is that we can buy objects, light them on fire, and they make a beautiful show in the sky for us(or just loud noises). Every kamp Fourth is ended with a firework show. K-1 and K-Kaua'i join us for a pretty spectacular show each year. Making it even more spectacular was the fact that none of the balls of fire headed towards the crowd this year. 

    

 

 Some high schoolers from Springfield K-Life came to serve at K-Kaua'i this week! It has been so fun to see them, since I haven't since last summer when I moved to KC.





It has been one long day, and since the fifth is still happening tomorrow, and I am done with my photo work for the night, I must head to my barn for to hit the hay. :)

 Some things that weren't pictured are the FOB movie, National Treasure and our popcorn for the show, the amount of time that was spent in the water...a lot, and the zipline tickets that were taken from earning freedom tickets. Really, I don't know what I'll do when I am not working at kamp on the Fourth...I'll probably just come visit that day. It is the best day of the summer, and my favorite way to celebrate the Fourth.

How did you celebrate the Fourth?!



friends.

I enjoy the list that dictionary.com gives as definitions of a "friend". I want to share a few.
  1. A friend is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
  2. A friend is a person who gives assistance; a patron; a supporter.
  3. My favorite, the verb tense of "friend": to add (a person) to one's list of contacts on a social-networking 
  web site.
The Bible talks about the friendship of David and Jonathan and how their souls were knit together. What a 
 neat(and perfect) way to describe friendship! 
I often think of Proverbs 27:17 when I think about friends. "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens
 another."
My friend, Gracie Lou*, says that a friend is "there for you always, lifts you up when you're down, and
 someone that always tells you the truth, no matter how hard it is."

 People always comment, saying, "You know everyone" and "You call everyone your best friends". I love friends!

Today I have been particularly mindful of friends, and what I consider "a friend". I had to hug friends that were leaving kamp, people who I had just gotten to know two weeks ago, that I don't even know very well, but I love because of the time we have spent together, the jokes that we have made, and the shenanigans we have done. I was extremely sad! Even just after two weeks! These were/are my friends! Here they are:

Back: Kristen, April, Me, and Kristen
Front: Kristen, Margaret, Amy, and Haley

In the video I just posted, there is a guy who talks about how he counts down the days 'til he sees his best friends, the ones at kamp. I do that! There is just something about friends made at kamp! Oh yeah, a girl on that video said something about the basis of the friendship, the Lord. Our souls are knit together! ...I mean, right!? My best friends are ones who share a love for the Lord that I have! The essence of my soul, and hopefully the incense! Jess and Anna are two kamp friends who are the Lord in tangible form for me on the hot, long days of summer...and in the off season. They love me for me, always have open ears in "rags and brags", always correct me and have a better view when I am "raggin'" too much, they are kind, and know my heart, even beyond what I am saying. They are my friends. Here they are: 



**Anna and I's friendship is also one of learning...how to not blink with a flash.

These are girls I count down the days to see! But besides all my kamp friends, I also count down the days to see other friends. These are the ones I have been friends with since "those awkward years" of middle school and even elementary school. The ones I get to see once a year or less, but still have the same bond with as if we see each other every day. Here are a few of those friends...and some a couple new husband friends:

Back: Michael, Robert, Amy, Kelsey, and Leigha
Front: Casey, Me, Jenny, and Garner

Sometimes I think that I call people my friend just because I laugh a lot with them, or laughed a lot with the one time we hung out on the trip I went on five years ago. Sometimes I make friends...Most of the time I make friends very easily, instantaneously sometimes. I really just need one "bond" to consider people as a friend. I think that sometimes it has to do with the love I want to have for all people. I am friends with the homeless people sitting outside my workplace, and the ones I tend to cross paths with often. These people have stories that I love to hear. I love to hear stories, and to tell stories, even though I am not good at telling them.

My friend Ed is one friend I have had for just about a month. He is a security guard at kamp, and keeps me safe on my late night walks back to my cabin from my office. The first time we met I heard his story, his story of life, work the Lord has enabled him to do, and the spirit he has had as the Lord has taken him through ups and downs in that work. He gives all glory to the Father, and loves the place I love...KAMP! I loved his story about how he didn't even know about kamp on his ventures from his AR home to Branson as a teen,  how he heard about it, and about how he sees the vision that kamp has. He is a cool guy. Here he is:

I love friends! Hopefully I can tell you about more later. AND Hopefully more of my "friends" will write me letters while I am away from them, at kamp. Confession: Sometimes I think people really aren't my friends when I don't get a letter for a few days. I should be a better friend when it comes to thinking about my friends! ...and I should write the ones back who have written. I know that friendship isn't just about getting letters at kamp...but it sure does make it better! ;)

I should probably consider each and one of you a friend if you made it through this whole blog post. 

What do you think makes a friend, a friend?

*Gracie Lou really is my friend, Lauren S, who requested anonymity for some crazy reason. She probably won't read this to find out that I took the mask off. :)

Memories and Moments

I've watched this video so many times. I watch it when I miss kamp in the off season, along with many others. I stopped doing what I was doing to watch it just now. I believe in what this video is all about...KAMP. I could watch it a million times.

KAMP.

Again and again I have said, I am not good at blogging. So...in my best efforts, here are some photos I have taken this summer so far. It is so hard to believe that the summer is almost halfway over. The Lord is working here, and I hope and know He is working wherever you may be and wherever you are going. Please pray for me, my fellows, my kamp, and this ministry as a whole. "You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." 2 Corinthians 1:11

Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will have time to blog about these pictures and more to come.