SAN DIEGO

Let me just start off by saying, I'M GOING TO SAN DIEGO! Not to rub it in or anything, but I'm going to San Diego!! I'm so excited for this opportunity to be able to serve in such a beautiful location I can hardly even put it into words. That and the fact that my dad is going to be serving as our volunteer for week two is pretty stinking exciting.
However, as stoked as I am to be spending the summer in San Diego, probably the best part of this summer will be that I get to spend it working with Miss Kaitlyn Gathje! I think I must have a thing for Caitlyn/Kaitlyns from the midwest, or God just thinks he's really funny by giving me another partner named Kaitlyn. Prepared to be confused my friends, Caitlyn and Kaitlyn are two different people! But I am really excited about being able to spend the summer with Kaitlyn. Even in just the first few days together I can tell we're going to make a great team, eating chocolate, being sarcastic, loving on San Diego, and following the Lord.
That being said, let the training commence! The past week here in Colorado has been a bundle of fun and hard work at the same time. As trainers, we arrived on Wednesday the 22nd and worked hard preparing these two weeks of training, loading equipment, planning out our position training times, practicing program, and just generally making sure everything was ready for the rest of the summer staffers! Monday was all excited with our location and partner announcements and all but Tuesday quickly followed. While the program presentations were troublesome and obviously very nerve wracking I think we have a lot of potential in these program leaders. I'm so excited for them and the leadership they bring to week of hope and the passion for the lord that they have. These program leaders are gonna rock it! Of course I'll be pushing them hard and we still have a lot of work to do. But they are SO capable and definitely the cream of the cream of the crop. I can't wait to hear about all the wonderful ways God uses them this summer!
These next few weeks are going to be crazy and hard and intimidating but I can't wait to see what God does with my seven full weeks in San Diego.
One thing I ask of all you wonderful people reading this is that you would pray for Kaitlyn and I. Pray for our relationship to be strengthened in Christ and that we would be prepared for the challenging summer ahead. Also, I ask that you would keep 1 Thessalonians 1:3 in mind. We talked about it and prayed this verse over each other this morning in our devotion and I think it is just so fitting for this summer that is just beginning:
"We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
My prayer this summer (and maybe you'll want to pray this for us too!) is that our work is not done out of selfish consideration but an outpouring of our faith in the Lord; that our work that turns to labor continues to show the love of God and the love we have for him; and lastly that as our labor turns to the need for endurance (as in week 6/7) that we would be reminded and inspired by the hope we have in Christ Jesus.

San Diego. Get ready.

Summer Staff: Round 2

I can say right now, I'm way more excited for this summer than I was last year at this point. If you all reminisce with me, about a year ago my family and I were wrapping things up in Minnesota after my Grandma's passing and I was a hot mess of emotions. But last summer proved to be way more than I could've ever expected, God stretched me in incredible ways and I can hardly begin to describe the ways in which He strengthened my faith in Him. I headed back to school in August exhausted after my summer adventures, but full of stories about how I experienced God's grace, strength, and peace as well as a new best friend.
Now as I'm sitting in my kitchen, only 6 short days from heading to good ol' Colorado, I'm very much anticipating the challenges God will bring this summer. I know there are going to be early mornings, late nights, days where I can hardly imagine doing program, moments where everything seems to fall apart, and so many other taxing things but through all of it God will teach me. He will teach me how to follow Him, rely on Him, and be able to stand for Him even when all I want to do is sleep. I'm so looking forward to all the ups and downs that come with being a summer staffer.
Two things I know for sure that will be different are my partner and my role during training. There's very good chance that the only time I'll be seeing Caitlyn this summer is during training and that's just something I need to get over. Sure, she was a big reason why last summer was so incredible but that doesn't make this summer any less awesome. I'll just have someone else to laugh with when I do stupid things like clear the details from an entire camp week (reason #1 I'm not a Project Leader!). The other thing, is that this year I get the responsibility of being the Program Leader Trainer. Super awesome and intimidating at the same time. It's going to make training a lot more interesting than last year that's for sure! I know that by the time we all leave Colorado everyone will be ready to rock program and call youth leaders and order food but I'm not sure how that's going to happen! It'll be an adventure for us all! :)
Is my program memorized like it was last year? Nope, we're not quite there yet. Do I know where I'm spending my summer? Nope. Although both my parents know since my Dad is joining me for week 2 as my HTM! Am I ready for another incredible summer of serving our awesome God? Absolutely. One thing remains: God still (somehow) trusts me to run camps, train others, and be a representative of Him to all the students and adults I'll be in contact with this summer. He's in charge, I'm just pointing people to Him.