I'm not even sure where to begin, to unpack the last several weeks. Yesterday, as our house was full (with 4 extra guys around and piles of camp materials literally everywhere) I said to one of our guests, "The Lord is doing a work in me". And it's true. This is my 6th year helping with the prep and activities for outreach camp and every year brings its own challenges. Each year, we improve and make things better and easier but we still have some obstacles that are hard to get past. As I write, Ivan and his program team are headed to a new camp site for our second outreach camp of the summer. There was a point when we didn't even know if this camp would happen or not, and then it was moved forward 2 weeks which was a bit of a logistical nightmare. Instead of the planned two weeks to decompress, regroup, and rejuvenate between camps we were making calls, loading and unloading, unpacking and repacking (PRAISE GOD FOR MY WASHING MACHINE...which has been going non-stop for the last few days!).
My friends, God is working in my life! The old Rachel would have lost her mind with the constant flow of people in and out of this house. She would have had several melt downs as dates and plans changed at the blink of an eye. She would have mourned the loss of quiet, down time, as a family. I know it is only by God's grace, that I am learning that it's okay to not be in control (not that I ever really was...). I am learning to hold onto my plans much more loosely than before, which has given me a freedom to enjoy moments as they happen. Freedom to spend some time in the pool at camp with new friends, instead of burying my head in a to-do list. Joy amidst the chaos. Laughter instead of frustration. Over and over, Jesus always chose relationship over an agenda. He had places to get to, a task to complete, but time and again He was moved with compassion for the people he saw. He stopped to heal. He stayed to preach, to feed, to love... The day before we left for our first camp site, a group of 5 people showed up at our house, conveniently around lunch time. Our fridge was completely bare as I had been trying to get down to nothing before being away all week. Ivan, with a quick stop at the grocery store, loaded up on ingredients for a lunch and in typical Ecuadorian fashion, everyone jumped in to help prepare a meal. Hours before the bus arrived to be loaded up for camp, we were all enjoying the sunny afternoon, grilling outside and laughing. I had a million things on my mind: a running checklist of things to not forget, last minute tasks, all the typical "leaving the house for a week to-do's". In that moment, I had to trust that God was in control. That even if I missed something on my checklist, He never does.
I am still very much a work in progress, but I'm grateful for what He is doing in my life.
May we be spurred on by His example. May we be filled with compassion for one another. May we be teachable.
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My baby boy turned 2 in July! (Also, such a cute photo...)
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| Impromptu BBQ |
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