So this past week, a slue of fabulous Kanakuk directors visited Norman to interview future kamp staffers. It was so fun to have such sweet time with special friends and placed me in a rather nostalgic mood. For those of you who know me, you know I have devoted the past two summers of my life to working at the most blessed location of Kanakuk Kamps in Lampe, Missouri. I cannot even begin to express what a precious blessing it was to be surrounded by such incredible individuals who truly love the Lord above all else -- individuals who are willing to challenge you spiritually and emotionally.
Through working at kamp, the Lord blessed me with so many friendships that I would have never had otherwise, and for that I will be eternally appreciative. But something else I will never be able to thank the Lord enough for are the sweet, little kampers I had the honor of loving on and helping develop into more mature young women in Christ.
I had posted a few of these stories previously on my old blog; however, they undoubtedly some of my favorite stories of all time. So in the spirit of missing kamp, I would love to share them here (along with some random kamp pics -- get pumped.)
Scene: Caitlyn (me) teaching middle school girls how to do back flips, when I myself had never actually done one. (Praise the Lord for his faithfulness, because heaven knows He taught them how to do it through me.) Nonetheless, "Dive n' Wild" was drawing to a close and the girls were growing weary; so we all sat down around the pool to chat...
Kamper A: Caitlyn, what are those names you were writing down?
Caitlyn: Oh just names I really like for my future children! (Did I really just say that out loud?)
Kamper B: Wait, what? You're pregnant?
Kamper C: Is it a boy or a girl?
Kamper B: I didn't think you looked pregnant.
Kamper C: Ya, no, me either.
Caitlyn: Ha nice save.
Kamper C: So, I've always wondered, what's an STD?
Caitlyn: (You're 12. You shouldn't even know those three letters could be combined to form an acronym. Shouldn't you be learning what MSNBC stands for? But then again in your cases, it would probably be FOX News, so that point may be null... Oh Lord, help us...)
We can't forget my conversation with one sweet girl after Purity Talk. My co and I were tucking all of our kampers in, saying prayers, etc. when this lovely conversation came about...
Caitlyn: So, what did you think about the talk tonight?
Kamper 7: It was really good! I love how much Joe White loves his wife.
Caitlyn: Me too! And just think, as much as he loves her, the Lord loves her even more! He loves all of us more than we could ever imagine. That's why it is so important to wait for a man who loves Jesus more than he loves us, because whoever our future husbands are need to point us more toward Jesus in everything they do! Does that make sense?
Kamper 7: Ya, I get that. You know, I liked this one boy this year at school. He believed in Jesus, but he didn't make all of his Accelerated Reader points. So I figured he wasn't for me.
SCENE: Getting ready for the WESTERN PARTY...
Kamper 32: GUESS WHAT??!?!!!
Caitlyn and Chloe: What?
Kamper 32: The longest record for a kiss was 31 hours. That's soooo long.... Can you imagine??
(Awkward silence)
Caitlyn: I mean...
(All girls burst into laughter.)
Caitlyn: What?! When you're married... I say go for it!
(Laughter continues. Caitlyn's face grows redder than normal.)
Caitlyn: Seriously, guys! When you're married, I mean, you might as well try to break it!
(I then proceeded to explain why it's so important to guard your heart and wait for 31 hour kisses, however appealing they may sound, until after marriage. I guess it worked, because afterward the girls proceeded to chant in unison: ONLY WHEN YOU'RE MARRIED! ONLY WHEN YOU'RE MARRIED! Yep... True life...)
And one of my personal favorites...
Scene- After the Worlds Fair party, Chloe, Andrea, Erin, and I were chatting with our girls about the importance of the nations and how we can pray for them daily.
Caitlyn: So girls, why don't we all go around and say a nation that we each want to pray for. We can start and pray for our respective choices tonight and then continue that throughout this school year! Who would like to start?
Kamper 8: I'd love to pray for Haiti.
Kamper 9: I'm going to go with Guatemala. My brother went there on a mission trip.
Kamper 14: Uganda
Kamper 22: Can I say the United States? I feel like we need a lot of prayer.
(Caitlyn's heart melts.)
Kamper 25: Nicaragua! You went there over Spring Break, right, Caitlyn?!
Kamper 24: Russia! Isn't one of your friends is there right now?
(I had told them one of my Megan was in Russia!:))
Kamper 27: I'm going to have to go with... uhh... Iceland.
If I was to pinpoint one specific thing that the Lord stressed to me this summer, it would be this: "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10).
This is a reminder that we can all use on a daily basis. We are not here to please the people of the world but to please the Lord alone. What does that look like in your life? For me, it is serving one another through the love and joy in my heart -- all of the Lord obviously. What value do you place on the approval you receive from others? It is so easy to get caught up in how inadequate we are, because it is true that we are inadequate. But the truth is WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS in Christ who loves us. Claim truth over your lives. I would challenge you to know the Word in such a way that you would not fall victim to the deception of this world.
More to come. All my love!
Cait, my friend Brendon interviewed for Kanakuk last week for the first time. I was able to share with him some of your funny stories and how much you love it!
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