T.E.A.M.: Work: Week 2

This last week was the first week that we really hit the work hard. On Monday morning I got to work dish pit during lunch and then we cleaned bathrooms. This week was a little different though, we were put with a cabin and we were the junior counselor. Every evening for chapel, we would get to sit with them and then hang out with them until bedtime. The best day though was Thursday when I got to spend the afternoon with my cabin.

My girls and I...

They were all dears and I miss them all.

 

Mary

Cleaning the guys bathhouse after mud pit.

Mary and Laura

 

Skit Night

Who's on 1st, What's on 2nd, I don't know's on 3rd

 

Rainbow Quartet

Flynn Rider

 

 



Then Friday night for our reward, we went out to the middle of Lake Chetek to the sand bar. There we went swimming...(well, not all of us), tubing, skiing, and wake boarding. Then when we got back, we had brownies and ice cream. Sorry that there isn't any pictures, I didn't want to risk losing my camera. We also had a little birthday party for one of the girls after we did devos with our cabin.

 

 

Now there is only one week left.

I have had a lot of fun so far and am looking forward to finishing strong.

I am not looking forward to having to say goodbye to all the wonderful people that I have worked with though. :(



T.E.A.M.: Leadership Training: Week 1

I was blessed to be able to work at Camp Chetek on their T.E.A.M. Program for three weeks. The Lord taught me a lot and I made many new friends. T.E.A.M. stands for Teens Entering Active Ministry. There were 22 of us teenagers that spent three weeks at camp. This week we had about 15 leadership training sessions and by Wednesday we were serving food, cleaning bathrooms and other buildings. Just about every evening we would do some sort of activity. On Wednesday night, we hung out in the upstairs of the Lodge and played games and on Thursday night we played Catch Phrase. Then every Friday night is what they call a "reward night." The first reward night, we had a testimony bonfire with s'mores.

 Wednesday Night

Playing ping pong in the Lodge with Grace, Savannah, and Ruth.

 

Thursday night playing Catch Phrase.

From left to right: Nathan, Katie, and Joe

Left to Right: Philip, Betsy, Jeremiah Hanne, and Todd

Grace and I

Laura, Grace, and I

Ok...funny story behind this picture...

Laura's brother was going to take a picture of Laura, Grace, and I

Well, Laura and Grace didn't get the memo so right as Rory (Laura's brother)

snapped the picture, they turned and Jake photo bombed.

Ahh...good ole memories.

 

I am very excited for these last two weeks of working.

These last weeks are going to be hard, but with the Lord, I can do anything!!



What is the purpose of being disabled?

I have had people ask me this question over and over. As you all know...I have been disabled since birth. Until a couple of years ago, I wondered about this myself until my dad brought to my attention this passage:

 

"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

And his disciples asked him, saying,

Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus answered,

Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents;

 but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."

Acts 9:1-3

 

 

This passage just explains it all for me. When I was younger, I always wondered if I would have a certain special talent or something special I could do for the Lord...I never imagined that I would be able to play the piano and be able to reach so many people through that. Just because I am disabled doesn't mean that I have a good excuse just to sit and do nothing all day...that's not what the Lord wants me to do. Christ made me disabled so that I could show other people the joy of Christ and what wonderful things you can accomplish through Him.

 

Please pray with me and for me as I leave for Camp Chetek for three weeks tomorrow morning. This week is all training and then the next two weeks I will be helping clean and serving/cooking the food. I am very excited to see what the Lord is going to do not only in my life, but also in the lives of the campers.

 

Feel free to email me or send me letters while I am at camp. You can click here if you would like to email me. The mailing address for letters is: PO Box 26, Chetek,WI 54728

 

I will be blogging after I get home what I learned and hopefully some pictures. :) 

Do you love God as you should?

Now you may be thinking; "Ruby, what are you talking about? I'm saved, I love God!" But, I am serious! This last Wednesday night, we went out to Camp Chetek for their music night and Brother Scott Sivnksty spoke. The passage that he spoke on was Mark 12:28-30, "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, I Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

 

He continued then to make four points of what loving God requires. They were: (1) Complete Fixation, (2) Complete Living, (3) Complete Intellectualism, and (4) Complete Exertion. It just really made me reflect on how I live and made me ask myself if I am loving God as I should.

 

If we don't love God, we won't love others; if we don't love others, we won't have a servant's heart. That really challenged me. The Lord has given me the opportunity to work at Camp Chetek for three weeks on their T.E.A.M. Program. We spend all next week in training under Brother Scott and then we work for the last two. I am incredibly excited about what the Lord is going to teach me.

 

If you would like more information about Camp Chetek click here .

 

Feel free to email me or send me a letter while I'm at camp! To email me while I am there click here. Otherwise for sending letters, the address is: PO Box 26 Chetek,WI 54728. 

Thank God I Am Free!!!

 

For a long time I traveled,

Down a long lonely road,

My heart was so heavy,

In sin I sank low.

Then I heard about Jesus,

What a wonderful hour,

I'm so glad that I found out,

He would bring me out through His saving power.

 

Thank God I am free, free, free,

From this world of sin,

Lost in the blood of Jesus,

Been born again.

Hallelujah, I'm saved, saved, saved,

By His wonderful grace,

I'm so glad that I found out,

He would bring me out through His saving power.

 

Like a bird out of prison,

That's taking its flight,

Like a blind man that God,

Gave back His sight.

Like the poor wretched beggar,

That's found fortune and fame,

I'm so glad that I found out,

He would bring me out through His saving power.

 

Thank God I am free, free, free,

From this world of sin,

Lost in the blood of Jesus,

Been born again.

Hallelujah, I'm saved, saved, saved,

By His wonderful grace,

I'm so glad that I found out,

He would bring me out through His saving power.

 

 

I am FREE!!!!! As I think about Memorial Day, that is the first word that I think of. I am free to worship the Lord out in the open and share the Gospel with the people that I meet in my life because of the men and women that have served my country. I am also free from the bondage of sin because Jesus took the punishment. He took MY blame and died on the cross for ME and everyone else in this world.

 

Both freedoms took a payment...and that payment was bloodshed. Jesus Christ died for me so that I didn't have to spend eternity in hell after I die. Also, many men and women have died serving our country so that we could have the freedoms that we have today.

 

I just want to thank all the people who have served, are serving, and will be serving our country.

 

God Bless America!!

Musings

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,

says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil,

to give you a future and a hope."

 

As we get closer to the end of the school year, I have thought about all that I will be doing this summer. I have no idea what all is going to happen this summer, or even tomorrow; but God does. All I know that this summer, whatever may come my way is already in His plan and He will bring me through it.

State Competition

Today I went to State Competition with Cora, Rachel, and Redgy.

I have had a lot of fun with you guys and am looking

forward to playing many more piano pieces with you girls.

Love you guys!