"Steadiness. You can count on it. When pain or hardship bites, consistency doesn't bleed. When the majority is tired and irritable, consistency is stable and resilient. Not insensitive, boring...but reliable, faithful. Not opposed to change or reason, but trustworthy. Not stubborn, but solid. Yes, that's it: solid.
One of the most attractive, magnetic characteristics of Christ is His consistency. When you need Him, He is there. He's there even when you don't think you need Him! You're never too early or too late. He's never in a lousy mood nor will He ask you to call back during office hours. He's available....because He's immutable. With Him, there's no new year or old year. He is "the same," regardless.
CONSISTENCY." --Charles Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. --Hebrews 13:8
I like this...a lot. It's exactly what I needed to hear, especially at this exact moment and time in my life. Brand new transition. New environment. New place. New friends. New everything, it feels like. A lot has changed...but when I went to go write and read and spend time with Jesus today, I realized that this was one thing that hadn't changed. My relationship with Jesus hasn't gone away, and the bible I was reading was still the same as it always had been. I know that sounds silly, but it was comforting in a great way. I love everything here and about Houghton so far, but change can sometimes be overwhelming and tiring, especially when there's a lot of it. I took a nap today because I was just so exhausted from the past few days and when I woke up I started reading this book and the bible and it was so refreshing. Not only did the nap re-energize me, but so did these words.
Another thought...God's creation is amazing. Although that is always changing, whenever a beautiful day comes around, it never goes unnoticed. It puts me in such a great mood. And the campus up here helps me to enjoy it all the more. God has really set me in my place to get started in this thing called "college". Yeah its weird being away from all my friends, but I know that God has placed me here to challenge others, be challenged by others, and to reflect and overflow God's love into my relationships here, the classes I will be apart of, and all around campus. And you know what? I have never felt more ready and prepared in my life. I have this unbelievable peace inside of me. I can't even believe it's here, and I'm starting classes tomorrow, but I know that I can do this. God has completely prepared me in every way to live for Him here at Houghton.
Take me, Lord, all of me, and use me to make a difference, whatever that may be, all for your glory.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
He Goes Before Me...
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."--Deuteronomy 31:8
Today is my last day in Maryland for a while. It's kind of weird...weird that I'm leaving my house. Weird that I won't be going to LifePoint every weekend. Weird that my friends have gone/are going different places too. It's exciting, nerve-wracking, scary, challenging, but ultimately indispensible. I can't avoid the fact that I know Houghton is where God has called me to be. I don't know why, nor do I understand what things I am going to face when I get there, but I know that I shouldn't be afraid, or discouraged because my God goes before me. That's good news, it really is.
The past few days have been a little difficult saying my goodbyes to friends and family, but I know that it won't be long until I am back. And in the midst of these goodbyes I've been reminded of how awesome it is to be a part of God's kingdom. Just knowing that regardless of distance and physical death...we are all God's children. We can find hope in the fact that in Christ, there are no goodbyes and in Christ there is no end.
So...this is it! I'm finally going. I'm all packed up for the most part (what a crazy experience by the way...) and I'm heading out tomorrow morning. My dad and I are driving most of the way and then spending the night at a hotel, and driving the rest of the way in the morning to unload and MOVE IN! Crazy. I am hoping and praying that I can somehow manage to fit all my stuff in my room. I trust that it will work out though. I am finding more and more peace about this, now that the day is almost here! Your prayers have been so powerful...so thank you! I will be sure to be blogging more in college to let you in on everything going on! :)
Houghton College here I come...
Today is my last day in Maryland for a while. It's kind of weird...weird that I'm leaving my house. Weird that I won't be going to LifePoint every weekend. Weird that my friends have gone/are going different places too. It's exciting, nerve-wracking, scary, challenging, but ultimately indispensible. I can't avoid the fact that I know Houghton is where God has called me to be. I don't know why, nor do I understand what things I am going to face when I get there, but I know that I shouldn't be afraid, or discouraged because my God goes before me. That's good news, it really is.
The past few days have been a little difficult saying my goodbyes to friends and family, but I know that it won't be long until I am back. And in the midst of these goodbyes I've been reminded of how awesome it is to be a part of God's kingdom. Just knowing that regardless of distance and physical death...we are all God's children. We can find hope in the fact that in Christ, there are no goodbyes and in Christ there is no end.
So...this is it! I'm finally going. I'm all packed up for the most part (what a crazy experience by the way...) and I'm heading out tomorrow morning. My dad and I are driving most of the way and then spending the night at a hotel, and driving the rest of the way in the morning to unload and MOVE IN! Crazy. I am hoping and praying that I can somehow manage to fit all my stuff in my room. I trust that it will work out though. I am finding more and more peace about this, now that the day is almost here! Your prayers have been so powerful...so thank you! I will be sure to be blogging more in college to let you in on everything going on! :)
Houghton College here I come...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Camp Barnabas Update...Finally!
Okay...so as you may know I went to Camp Barnabas the end of July, and it is now the end of August!! I can't believe how fast time flies! I am very busy getting ready for college (I leave Thursday and move-in Friday...I'll blog on that soon too) , which is why I have not yet updated you all on my trip. For those of you who did not receive my sponsor letter, I will post it on here. It is the best I think I can do in explaining a week-long missions trip. It is very hard, especially because this past year there were so many things I did, experienced, learned, and loved! Here's the letter!! :)
Hello again!
I made it back from Camp Barnabas a little over a week ago, and as each day has passed since the day I got home, I’ve been trying so hard to think how I could possibly sum up a week-long missions trip into one letter. It’s a hard task, and very impossible. But I believe in a God who makes all things possible. So here it goes.
On July 22, I set out to Camp Barnabas for my second year in a row. I was so excited this year, with typical anxious thoughts, but overall I was really looking forward to the things God had in store for me. As most of you know, our God works in crazy ways…ways that sometimes throw us off-guard. As we drove up onto Camp Barnabas property in Purdy, Missouri, I knew I was in for something new. A new team, new year, new week, and new people. As I shared with all of you before I left, we went during Autism week this year, and I prepared in the best way I could to care for a camper with autism. However, God had something “new” and different in mind for me this week.
The day we arrived, we were placed in our cabins to meet with our fellow CIA’s (Christians In Action) and the Staff people that we would be serving with for the week. This is also the time where we pick our campers. I was put in a girl’s cabin this year! That was exciting for me, considering the fact that I was with a boys cabin last year, and I was excited to try something new this time around. Everything was going as I had expected up until our staffers started to speak to us about the upcoming week; it was then that God caught me “off-guard”. One of the staff girls turned to all the CIA’s in my cabin and said, “if you didn’t already know, this week you have been placed in a siblings cabin, and you will be taking care of siblings all week.” Now that was something I had not expected! But God surely took the unexpected and unplanned, and blessed my week greatly!
A siblings cabin, if you hadn’t guessed already, is a cabin made for the siblings of the campers that do have a disability, like autism. I was in a junior sibling’s cabin, which meant that every member of our cabin had an older brother or sister with autism and/or some other disability. They have these cabins so that the siblings can have their very own week of camp, apart from their brother/sister. I also learned a lot of things about these siblings; the struggles that they face on a daily basis and the problems that they encounter themselves. My cabin had different training apart from the other cabins that were assigned campers with autism, and there I learned about the various things to look out for when hanging out and taking care of sibling campers. I was told how many siblings can be very hard on themselves (they expect a lot out of themselves) and they develop OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) because they find little things that they can actually control in their lives, since most of them often feel out of control, especially when it comes to their sibling with the disability. I also learned that siblings may develop characteristics of just the opposite. They can be excessively wild and out-of-control, with very little self-expectancy. Above all, I learned that despite everything, each one of these sibling campers would need to be loved and shown much affection throughout the week. This was our time to finally give these kids the attention that they have been longing and searching for all of their life, but have never received. After coming to know all of this, I learned very quickly exactly why God had placed me in this cabin.
I ended up picking two campers this year. Since we were in a siblings cabin we had 11 campers and only 6 CIA’s. This gave us the opportunity to love on more than one camper! I picked two girls who had never been to Camp Barnabas before and were both 7 years old. The first one, Abbie, had a twin sister coming to camp as well, who had autism and some mental retardation. Gracie, my other camper, had a 9 year old sister who had Downs Syndrome. I came to know these two girls very well and completely fell in love with their adorable laughs and beautiful personalities. I also got to know the other nine girl campers in our cabin on a deeper level…they were all so beautiful! If I could sum up the physical aspects for me serving in a siblings cabin, it would be this: many piggy back rides, a lot of tickling, various hair up-do’s, and COUNTLESS imaginative story telling. It was like babysitting for a week and I enjoyed every minute of it!
This year God taught me the usual things: more patience, self-sacrifice, pure joy, unconditional love. But on top of that God revealed to me exactly what it means to meet others where they are and accept them at that place (Romans 14:1-4). That was a big lesson for me that made itself known throughout the week. One more thing that was really evident was how much God makes Himself present in the “unplanned”. In other words, our unexpected events are more than often His most intended happenings. About mid-week, my one camper, Abbie, was taken home due to the fact that her twin sister had 34 seizures within 24 hours, and needed to receive more medical attention than what Barnabas could offer. So I rode with Abbie and this very sweet lady named Laura, who worked at Barnabas, all the way to Springfield, MO to drop Abbie off with her parents. That day was hard for me to see Abbie leave. She had been enjoying herself so much and I had invested so much time getting to know her that it was hard to let her go so soon. However, that two hour ride to Springfield and two hours back was one of the most rewarding, greatest, and best times I had all week long. On the way back from dropping Abbie off with her parents, I talked with Laura about my life story, Camp Barnabas, and all these things that I never thought I would tell someone I had just met. That day I developed this incredible friendship that I know will last for a long time. God really made Himself known in the most unexpected and unplanned time, and He taught me that just because I didn’t plan it, doesn’t mean He didn’t have that moment arranged for me all along.
This year set itself apart from last year in so many ways, and I had the best time! I enjoyed every moment…everything from the kids covering me in mustard & chocolate syrup (yes, it was disgusting) to the amazing bible studies we shared together every morning, I loved it all because the campers did! There’s this overwhelming joy that radiates from the campers to you when you serve at Barnabas, and it’s an incredible experience. So much so that I have made the decision to apply for a staff position next year. I would absolutely love working there for half my summer. I think it is something that God is calling me to do because He knows I need the challenge, and I believe He can work through me in great ways. Thank you all for supporting me in every way possible. For devoting your time to pray for me (I have no doubt it’s immense help throughout my week), for trusting God with your money to send me there, and for being by my side every step of the way. Your support through prayers and finances, not only sent me to Camp Barnabas and helped me while I was there, but they opened up opportunities for God to use me, speak to me and through me, and opened my eyes to see God in another new and amazing way. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You all are amazing to me. Thank you for allowing God to use you to support me in the way you do so well. I love you all, and I couldn’t thank you enough!
In His everlasting grip,
Kelsey
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." –Jeremiah 17:8
Me with my two adorable campers! (Gracie left, Abbie right)
Hello again!
I made it back from Camp Barnabas a little over a week ago, and as each day has passed since the day I got home, I’ve been trying so hard to think how I could possibly sum up a week-long missions trip into one letter. It’s a hard task, and very impossible. But I believe in a God who makes all things possible. So here it goes.
On July 22, I set out to Camp Barnabas for my second year in a row. I was so excited this year, with typical anxious thoughts, but overall I was really looking forward to the things God had in store for me. As most of you know, our God works in crazy ways…ways that sometimes throw us off-guard. As we drove up onto Camp Barnabas property in Purdy, Missouri, I knew I was in for something new. A new team, new year, new week, and new people. As I shared with all of you before I left, we went during Autism week this year, and I prepared in the best way I could to care for a camper with autism. However, God had something “new” and different in mind for me this week.
The day we arrived, we were placed in our cabins to meet with our fellow CIA’s (Christians In Action) and the Staff people that we would be serving with for the week. This is also the time where we pick our campers. I was put in a girl’s cabin this year! That was exciting for me, considering the fact that I was with a boys cabin last year, and I was excited to try something new this time around. Everything was going as I had expected up until our staffers started to speak to us about the upcoming week; it was then that God caught me “off-guard”. One of the staff girls turned to all the CIA’s in my cabin and said, “if you didn’t already know, this week you have been placed in a siblings cabin, and you will be taking care of siblings all week.” Now that was something I had not expected! But God surely took the unexpected and unplanned, and blessed my week greatly!
A siblings cabin, if you hadn’t guessed already, is a cabin made for the siblings of the campers that do have a disability, like autism. I was in a junior sibling’s cabin, which meant that every member of our cabin had an older brother or sister with autism and/or some other disability. They have these cabins so that the siblings can have their very own week of camp, apart from their brother/sister. I also learned a lot of things about these siblings; the struggles that they face on a daily basis and the problems that they encounter themselves. My cabin had different training apart from the other cabins that were assigned campers with autism, and there I learned about the various things to look out for when hanging out and taking care of sibling campers. I was told how many siblings can be very hard on themselves (they expect a lot out of themselves) and they develop OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) because they find little things that they can actually control in their lives, since most of them often feel out of control, especially when it comes to their sibling with the disability. I also learned that siblings may develop characteristics of just the opposite. They can be excessively wild and out-of-control, with very little self-expectancy. Above all, I learned that despite everything, each one of these sibling campers would need to be loved and shown much affection throughout the week. This was our time to finally give these kids the attention that they have been longing and searching for all of their life, but have never received. After coming to know all of this, I learned very quickly exactly why God had placed me in this cabin.
I ended up picking two campers this year. Since we were in a siblings cabin we had 11 campers and only 6 CIA’s. This gave us the opportunity to love on more than one camper! I picked two girls who had never been to Camp Barnabas before and were both 7 years old. The first one, Abbie, had a twin sister coming to camp as well, who had autism and some mental retardation. Gracie, my other camper, had a 9 year old sister who had Downs Syndrome. I came to know these two girls very well and completely fell in love with their adorable laughs and beautiful personalities. I also got to know the other nine girl campers in our cabin on a deeper level…they were all so beautiful! If I could sum up the physical aspects for me serving in a siblings cabin, it would be this: many piggy back rides, a lot of tickling, various hair up-do’s, and COUNTLESS imaginative story telling. It was like babysitting for a week and I enjoyed every minute of it!
This year God taught me the usual things: more patience, self-sacrifice, pure joy, unconditional love. But on top of that God revealed to me exactly what it means to meet others where they are and accept them at that place (Romans 14:1-4). That was a big lesson for me that made itself known throughout the week. One more thing that was really evident was how much God makes Himself present in the “unplanned”. In other words, our unexpected events are more than often His most intended happenings. About mid-week, my one camper, Abbie, was taken home due to the fact that her twin sister had 34 seizures within 24 hours, and needed to receive more medical attention than what Barnabas could offer. So I rode with Abbie and this very sweet lady named Laura, who worked at Barnabas, all the way to Springfield, MO to drop Abbie off with her parents. That day was hard for me to see Abbie leave. She had been enjoying herself so much and I had invested so much time getting to know her that it was hard to let her go so soon. However, that two hour ride to Springfield and two hours back was one of the most rewarding, greatest, and best times I had all week long. On the way back from dropping Abbie off with her parents, I talked with Laura about my life story, Camp Barnabas, and all these things that I never thought I would tell someone I had just met. That day I developed this incredible friendship that I know will last for a long time. God really made Himself known in the most unexpected and unplanned time, and He taught me that just because I didn’t plan it, doesn’t mean He didn’t have that moment arranged for me all along.
This year set itself apart from last year in so many ways, and I had the best time! I enjoyed every moment…everything from the kids covering me in mustard & chocolate syrup (yes, it was disgusting) to the amazing bible studies we shared together every morning, I loved it all because the campers did! There’s this overwhelming joy that radiates from the campers to you when you serve at Barnabas, and it’s an incredible experience. So much so that I have made the decision to apply for a staff position next year. I would absolutely love working there for half my summer. I think it is something that God is calling me to do because He knows I need the challenge, and I believe He can work through me in great ways. Thank you all for supporting me in every way possible. For devoting your time to pray for me (I have no doubt it’s immense help throughout my week), for trusting God with your money to send me there, and for being by my side every step of the way. Your support through prayers and finances, not only sent me to Camp Barnabas and helped me while I was there, but they opened up opportunities for God to use me, speak to me and through me, and opened my eyes to see God in another new and amazing way. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You all are amazing to me. Thank you for allowing God to use you to support me in the way you do so well. I love you all, and I couldn’t thank you enough!
In His everlasting grip,
Kelsey
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." –Jeremiah 17:8
Me with my two adorable campers! (Gracie left, Abbie right)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Laugh WITH Me, Not AT Me...
A musical note walks into a bar and goes up to the bartender standing behind the counter.
"What can I get for you?" The bartender asks.
"Um, I'll take a beer."
To that the bartender replies, "Sorry, we don't serve to minors."
"What can I get for you?" The bartender asks.
"Um, I'll take a beer."
To that the bartender replies, "Sorry, we don't serve to minors."
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Going broke just to buy a trashcan? Some ppl are...
All I want to know is who is paying $179 for a trash can? Seriously. What could possibly be so important about a TRASHcan that you're willing to spend one hundred AND seventy nine dollars for it?! I honestly don't know how to answer this question. Any ideas?
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