The Dream Team

This post is dedicated to the truck, for the many precious moments we had in it.

As I was sitting on the plane getting ready to depart Hawaii I got texts from three of the girls at the same time, all reminding me of something wonderful from the trip. The people I've had the privilege of serving with the last six weeks are some of the most incredible human beings in the world, and I promised them I'd blog about them, so here we go. 

Side note: I'm writing this on the plane, so anything weird that inevitably happens will also be recorded.

Our team was comprised of 11 team members. Six girls and five boys. 

Interruption: I just watched the stewardess in a hula dancer apron wake up a football player who had sprawled out into the aisle. He's mad. 

Back to the team. To protect the innocent I won't use any real names. You know who you are. 

The boys:

Z-Dawg is my twin. It's not really that we look alike or act alike, but we both hate bananas and tomatoes and have dark hair. Somehow, that was enough to convince the junior campers that we are twins. I'm five minutes older.

The Exercise Guys like to workout. They're very good at playing the games at camp, which might be why their team won most of the games. The girls worked out for about two days before giving up on an exercise program called "Guns, Buns, and Abs," so we admire their dedication. 

Lebron wins the most popular male counselor award. A high percentage of female campers had a crush on him, and the guys called him Lebron. He tried to teach me how to do a backflip. Needless to say, I was unable to do it.

Shaggy was also given his nickname by the campers. This was his third summer at camp, so he knew what he was doing and told us what to do. We obeyed because he drove the truck and we had to be nice if we wanted him to take us to get frozen yogurt. We also obeyed because no one else had a clue what was going on.

My homegirls:

There's always a mother of the group, and ours was pretty cool. She always had everything anyone needed, she always knew the answers to my questions, she tucked us in at night, and she glares if you wake her up too early. 

We all liked cheering for our team, but no one loved it as much as the Queen of the Ninjas. I'm glad someone knew the cheers!

Interruption: There's still sand in my hair.

The Northern Belle and I are almost totally opposite. I didn't realize exactly how southern I am until I met her. She doesn't like hugs, so I know when she hugged me* goodbye it meant a lot. We roomed together the first week of camp, and some of my favorite memories are making eye contact from our bunks across the room when our campers talked about all their hair problems.

*I hugged her and she didnt push me away.

The Nurse saved my life on multiple occasions. Well, not really, but when my hypochondriac side got the better of me, she assured me that I was just fine. I would have done anything she said, but she never led me astray. She had the uncanny ability to know what I wanted to eat before I did, and survived a near death experience (aka skit night) like a trooper. 

Last, but certainly not least, Birdface. Bird and I are a lot alike. Imagine me in two years and blonde and from North Carolina. She mocked me the most, and I mocked her the most, and we got along brilliantly. She thinks she does a good imitation of my voice, and I let her think that.

I love these guys SO much. They put up with me for six weeks. They know me really well at this point. They don't understand my love of Vera Bradley and Quik Trip or my freakishly small hands, but they love me SO much too.  

This ones for you guys. Let's hope it gets a lot of hits.

The End?

I'm leaving Hawaii today. At some point I'll blog about camp last week and our last weekend here. I'll post pictures, too, and tell you about our team. They're pretty amazing.

God did some amazing things in my life during the last six weeks. I've been stretched until I thought I might break, but that's when I saw the strength of God. My patience has been tried, my love for others tested, and my total dependence on God revealed, and I'm so thankful. 

I'm thanking God, first, because He is first in all. His grace redeems my unholy moments and uses me for glory. 

Thank you to my parents for loving me and teaching me how to love. So many of my campers' relationships with their parents made me thankful all over again for my MumsiKim and Daddy. You are truly incredible.

Thank you to my friends, old and new. I've been blessed with lifelong adventure buddies who've supported me from day one. Literally. It's been our first summer apart, and that's just made me more grateful for all the time we've had together. I can't wait to hear about what our Great God taught you.

New friends, aka, the team: First, stop reading this aloud in your Margaret voice. I'm about to say nice things about you. Thank you for putting up with my weird sleep habits, my dietary restrictions, my hair...and its issues, my voice and the lack thereof, and my squeaky laugh. You all have been means of grace to me in ways you'll never fully understand. I'll miss your weird senses of humor and your love for life, Jesus, and each other. You've each taught me a lot, mostly good things;) We all got to hang out on his gorgeous island and learn how to love Jesus better. I'll never get over how cool that is.

God is good. That's all. Aloha.

I Am the Tooth Fairy

The last two weeks have been a crazy blur with a weekend of almost non-stop sleeping in between. Camp is exhausting, and besides waking up to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial and Waikiki, we've basically spent the entirety of the weekend sleeping. All the girls, seven total, are staying in one big room at a local pastor's house. The minute we get back from camp on Friday afternoons our luggage goes in one pile, we go in another pile, and it's off to sleep.

With such tight living quarters on the weekends and living with eight year olds during the week it would be impossible for none of us to get sick, and in true Margaret fashion, I led the pack. I spent the entire teen week with no voice, little energy, and four cool girls who went with the flow. It was incredible to see God's strength in my weakness! I had never fully realized how proud I am until I didn't have a voice, but we serve a Great God who delights in using His broken children. Mostly whispering, I was able to talk to each of my campers about things they struggle with, and most importantly, hear their heart for Jesus and for reaching the lost. The messages were on being an authentic disciple of Jesus, something I can only do through the power of Jesus! 

Week ends, insert sleep here.

Zzzzzz.

Sleep ends, week begins.

Our second junior week was a little smaller. I had three campers, ages 8, 10, and 12. We laughed a lot and learned a lot. The junior campers become your best friend instantly, and they hang on your every word. It's nice. My girls asked a lot of questions about everything under the sun, screamed at my ghost stories, laughed at my jokes, and on Wednesday we all wore pink. Success. 

The highlight of the week, however, came in the early morning hours of Friday. The day before my eight year old camper lost a tooth.

So, in those dark hours of the morning, I bravely climbed up to her top bunk bed, carefully slid the little tooth out from under her pillow, and replaced it with money to spend at the Canteen. She didn't wake up.

I am the tooth fairy. And being the tooth fairy is being an adult. Success.

Week One

I'm a camp counselor.

Wow. I never thought I would say that. Never. But it's true. I even own a hot pink baseball cap. I lost my voice cheering, I'm covered in bug bites, and four little pieces of my heart belong to my four precious campers. 

This week I didn't sleep a lot. I ate crayfish caught only a few hours before, I won a belly flop contest, I gave more middle school relationship advice than I care to remember, I was pummeled with pillows, I ate spam, and I loved every single minute of it. 

The word "I" has already been in that post 15 times. That's the problem. Even my ministry is about me. There is no such thing as my ministry. This week was God's gift to me, and it's one I can never deserve.

The lessons God taught me this week are way longer than any blog post should ever be. I am so limited, but His limitless grace is always always, enough.  It is enough at 4:00 am when an 8-year-old wakes you up to play Pocket Pets. It is enough when two girls fight over friends. It is enough when you find a huge cockroach in the shower. It is enough when you get a stewed tomato and hot sauce pie in your face that stains your white shirt. 

My life in Christ is one undeserved gift after another, and this week was no exception. I laughed, I cried, and I absorbed the goodness of God. The messages focused first on redemption, then on growth. My girls weren't as open as I'd dreamed they would be. One on one time was hard, them distracted by bugs and boys and chocolate ice cream, and me distracted by myself and my selfishness.

My God is bigger than me. He is bigger than my pride, and He is bigger than my inabilities, and He was incredibly big this week. He worked in the lives of my girls in ways I would not have imagined. Campers found Jesus this week, and campers saw how amazingly fun serving Him is. Thursday night I listened to child after child tell their friends about their great Savior. I'm a cryer anyway, but when 10-year-old boys cry in front of a group of people when talking about the satisfaction Jesus makes, I'm a goner.

This week was hard. I'm emotionally and physically exhausted, and I caught some kind of bug that's landed me in bed all day. Please be in prayer for the health of all our team members this week. Getting sick isn't exactly in the schedule, and with seven girls in one room, the germs flow freely.

This week was hard, but hard is what my heart needs to grow. 

And So It Begins

Today's the day. Today's the day I'll set foot in my cabin and walk around the campsite. And tomorrow, my first batch of campers arrive.

I cannot wait.

I've spent the last two weeks training for this. We've snorkeled and paddle boarded (yes, even those were part of training) and been reminded of the immense love of Jesus. We've met a lot of the kids and their families, talked to the pastors who love and care for them, and learned how we can best explain grace to them. Tommorrow I'll find out how well I listened. 

Tomorrow I'm unplugging. No phone or Facebook or Instagram or Twitter or Skype: nothing. It's only till Friday, but it's looking like an eternity.

I'm excited.

I'm excited to focus. To totally devote my evergy to the 8-12 year old girls in my cabin. I'm excited to stop feeling pressure to record memories and actually  experience them. I'm excited to write good old fashion letters and record funny sayings in my notebook and flip the pages of a paper Bible.

Thank you for those who have been praying. Please, keep it up. Pray for my sweet girls and pray for their sinful counselor. She's gonna need it. 

If I've learned anything in life so far, it's that everything is an adventure, humor is everywhere, and all is grace. 

Hawaiian Hospitality

Hawaiian Hospitality

It's hard to believe that I've been here a week. My traveling nightmare seems like forever ago. I think that one day of traveling was longer than this whole week in Hawaii.

I've already learned a lot. I've learned that I don't like riding in the back of a pick up truck, I've learned that Spam can be used in more ways than you can imagine, I've learned that sunburns itch, I've learned that seven girls can live in one room and not kill each other (so far), and I've learned that the Hawaiian people are some of the most hospitable people in the world.

We've spent time with six pastors so far. We've visited churches, helped with Bible clubs, and attended training sessions win local pastors. We've gone to them, and they've come to us, and we've eaten a lot. Here's a breakdown of the food we've eaten.

Wednesday night: Pastor Rocky took us to a local Chinese restaurant. We parked in a back alley, and we were the only ones in the restaurant. The place was decorated in a combination Chinese/Christmas style. An adorable friend of the pastor cooked for us. We thought she had made us fried rice, which she had, so we politely gorged ourselves. The fried rice was good, although we're still not sure what was in it, but it wasn't alone. Fried rice was followed by beef and broccoli, chop suey, some tomato dish with a still unidentified meat, and battered shrimp. We thought we'd eaten a ton, but apparently not enough for the old lady, who sent us home with ten boxes of food.

Thursday: Pastor Estrella and his family had us over to play games, talk about camp, and of course, eat. Mrs. Estrella can sure cook, and once again, sent us back with leftovers. 

Over the weekend more pastors brought us dinner, several people took us out for ice cream, and Sunday night we had homemade pizza. You guessed it, there were leftovers.

Monday night we went out for Filipino food. Very local, and yummy. Lots of pork and more pork and a little more pork. And rice and pork.

So food is literally piling up. We've filled  refrigerators and the food keeps coming. Then, one refrigerator broke.

I'm sorry, sweet Chinese lady. Your food was great, but we just couldn't eat it all. 

You may have noticed that  I have 1) fallen behind and 2) skipped Tuesday. I don't really have an excuse for the first, but as for the second, Tuesday was one of those days that deserves a blog post all of it's own. 

Agnes

When you read about Hawaii or see TV shows set in Hawaii you see white beaches and green palm trees and pure blue water, and all that is true. We spent time at the beach yesterday, and it was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and I got burned to a crisp. Just as expected. 

But, today was different. Today I saw the raw, pure Hawaii. I saw pineapple fields and red clay and the most beautiful children. We traveled up the mountain to Poamoho to hang out with some kids at their Bible club. From the moment our white van pulled up the kids surrounded us, pulled us into their circle, and became our best friends. The kids were extraordinary, so full of life, so in need of love. They live in tiny, rotting houses, once occupied by their grandparents who worked in the Dole pineapple fields. They run wild, and somehow, through the providence of God, they have run into the care of Pastor Rocky and his wife. The time I spent with them has changed the way I see life and see love. 

This morning in staff training we focused on our knowledge of the love of God. In my life there is not room for pride and love. Today on that empty grass field I saw kids being loved with the selfless, pure, overflowingly generous love of Jesus. The pastors there have given up everything to serve. They are living breathing examples of what a cross-centered, Gospel driven life looks like.

I made a special friend tonight. Her name is Agnes, and she is amazing. She has a beautiful laugh, and I've never heard anyone sing "God is so Good" with so much enthusiasm. Because of her disabilities, Agnes has an even harder life than the other kids in her village, but because of the love the pastor and his wife have shown her, she has found true and lasting joy. She sat on the grass with me, braided my hair so we could be twins, and told me about her Jesus. Lord willing, I'll see Agnes at camp in a few weeks, and I can't wait.

My eyes were opened tonight, but the beautiful energy of the boys and girls wasn't what did it. After Bible club one of the missionaries sat down in the grass with my team and shared his burden for Hawaii. 

This place is so in need of Jesus, and for six short weeks, I get to be a part of the work. My God is so good to me. 

(Tomorrow I'll write about the sketchy Chinese restaurant we ate at. Oh my. Stay tuned.)

Here's the Thing About Airports, Part Two

Today hasn't gone as expected.

The above statement is the understatement of the century. 

But I should probably fill you in on my flight from Charlotte to Dallas. I was in a row with a honeymooning couple. There were three chairs, but only two were really used. I'll leave it at that.

Halfway through the flight the new wife got motion sick. She proceeded to throw up in her motion sickness bag, her new husband's, and then mine. This was after her very flustered new husband spilled water all over me. 

Throughout the flight I was keeping a close eye on the time. We left Charlotte very late, and there was crazy turbulence, so I knew I'd be cutting it close to make my connection. 

You are reading the blog of the possible world record holder for fastest sprint across the Dallas airport. The very nice hate agent told me that. After she closed the cabin door.

I have officially missed my first flight. I have also been to Los Angeles. The next flight to Honolulu was taking off from sunny California, so that's where I went. The flight was mercifully uneventful. There was an extra seat next to me, so I ignored the Kiera Knightley movie being shown, and slept. 

I'm minorly disappointed by the fact that I don't get a meal on the way to Hawaii, but I had a bag of chips and a bottle of Smart Water, which I couldn't open. I know. I wanted a hamburger, but my options consisted of a bar and a bakery. The LA airport is huge, and that is all they can offer me? 

This flight has been delayed too. It's not my day. I have no idea where my luggage is or what will happen when I arrive, but for now I'm content to watch a girl try to flirt with a boy who doesn't speak English. 

It's almost boarding time. I can't wait to be done with today. 

Here's the Thing About Airports, Part One

It's 10:11. I've been up since 6. Please consider this an excuse for any mechanical issues this post contains.

We got to the airport two hours early because we wanted to leave room for early morning work traffic. It's Memorial Day. As always, my time in the airport so far has been an adventure.

When will airlines ever learn to have more than one employee at the desk? That poor lady was in a heated discussion with three customers when we got in line. While she attempted to deal with a combination meltdown/midlife crisis, the line snaked around the desk and into the middle of the airport. The girl standing in front of the desk was in tears, the older last kept shaking her head in confusion, and the man with them kept saying, "Calm down. We are going to get home. We will get home." It seemed very heroic of him, but in the end the American Airline employee announced there was nothing she could do for them.

Thankfully the Stegalls were there in ample time. I checked my bag, went through security, and found my terminal. 

My flight has been delayed. I'm waiting for it now. Apparently there is a part missing and "the mechanic assures us it is a quick fix." (The stewardess has said this probably 34 times in the few minutes I've been here.) I'm a little worried about my connection in Dallas, although she assures us we will be on our way soon.

It's crazy busy in the terminal, and there aren't many seats available. I found one, but as I sat down, an older lady said to me, and I quote, "Ma'am, those seats are taken. They're for my two sisters. You can't see them because they're invisible."

I've always said I am a weird people magnet. 

I rest my case.

A New Adventure

It's been awhile. I know. Glad we got that over with.

This blog was created to chronicle a trip I took to Vienna two years ago, and it served its purpose well. I had great intentions of keeping up with it after I got back, which I did for a little while, but life happened, and in the long list of things to do, Life Out Loud got put way, way back on the burner. But, I'm traveling again! I figured it was time to dust the ole blog off and try this again. 

I'm leaving in the wee early hours of tomorrow morning for Hawaii! I'll be working (yes, cynical people, working) at Camp Kupono in Waianae Valley, Hawaii. I'll be counseling junior and teen campers, as well as visiting churches. God has so clearly opened this door, and I can't wait to see what He has to teach me. 

Provided I don't get scared to death by a rodent in my cabin or drown in the ocean (and let's face it: either could happen to me) I'll be back in G-Vegas on July 10. Until then it's beaches, sunscreen, and lots of middle school girl drama. I can't wait.

Here's the camp's address, for those of you (Grandma) who want it. 

92-1042 Kanehoa Loop, Kapolei HI 96707

You can also find out more about the ministry at campkupono.org.

Keep me in your prayers, and I can't wait to share my adventures!