Week Three, Over and Out

The last week (and if last year is any indication, the best week) starts today. After two Junior weeks, a teen week, and weekends and the beach, it's hard to believe my Hawaiian Adventure is almost over. 

This week is Junior Missions Week. It's a smaller week (last year I just had two campers) and most, if not all, of the kids are unsaved. They come from all over the island, and the incredible generosity of the churches allows them to experience camp for free. Last night we were able to go to a housing complex and play with kids and talk to their parents and invite them to camp. I think a few are going to come, and I can't wait to see them again.

It's amazing to me how quickly you can love someone. A few of the little boys last night completely stole my heart. They asked my if they could pick me flowers, and soon I had a huge bouquet of grass and leaves. When I left one little five-year-old gave me the tightest hug I may have ever gotten. I know I may never see those little ones again, but God really put a burden on my heart for the kids He loves so much. 

I had an amazing cabin this week. The girls made decisions to listen to Jesus, love Jesus, obey Jesus, obey their parents, and stand for God. They cried, I cried, and we praised God together. We wrote letters to our parents, and I was able to be there with my arm around a little girl as she forgave the parents who abandoned her and expressed her love to the one's who raised her. The note, and both of us, were covered in tears, but we felt God so closely. 

My cabin wasn't great at frisbee golf or archery, but I won my first game of knock-out, the Blue team won cheer competition and the week, and my girls may have set a record on number of pixie sticks and hotdogs eaten. Lots of sugar before bed makes for a very tired counselor, but I was more thankful than ever for the Junior week nap time. 

Friday night we crashed for a couple of hours before heading out to night snorkle and attempt to spear fish. I had the spear for probably a grand total of 2 minutes before deciding to just snorkle. We swam over a huge sea turtle and saw some amazing fish (that we then caught, killed, roasted over a fire, and ate like savages on the beach). We slept for a few hours before heading out to the North Shore for shopping, kalua pork eating, stand-up paddling, and shave ice eating, and the team ended the day with dinner and a singspiration at some sweet church peoples' home. They feed us well out here.

Well, We Survived

Newsflash: my time in Hawaii is almost halfway over. Not sure if I've decided to accept this fact yet.

Yesterday was the first day I really missed home. My dad's the best one out there and I really wanted to be with him on Father's Day. Thank goodness for technology.

Teen week was hard. I had an awesome cabin with four awesome girls, but after our whirlwind weekend tour of the island and a double potluck we were all exhausted.

My campers were wonderful. They all came to camp with different stories and were eager to share. Normally I have to purposefully look for time and opportunities for one-on-one time, but this week each camper came to me to talk. How cool is that?

Here are just a few highlights from this week:

1. Teaching my campers "Splish Splash I was A-Takin a Bath"

2. Conquering my fear of slip-n-slides. I've never really liked slip-in-slides. I usually end up bruised, sore, and covered in grass, and none of these things are appealing. Last year I quickly volunteered to hold the hose and re-apply soap to avoid any slipping or sliding. But after a pointed rebuke in staff training (thank you, Jon) I got my heart right and decided to try the thing.

And I loved it. It took me several tries to get all the way to the end, and some people questioned my methods, but I did it. Victory is so sweet.

3. These guys tried to learn us how fo speak pidgin. I'm not very good but I'm trying. Maybe the junior campers can help me out this week.

4. Mrs. Sivnksty, our speaker's wife, spoke to the girls Thursday morning. She so sweetly shared her story and then answered questions. The girls were so open, and by the end we were all laughing and crying and praising Jesus together.



5. We went hiking. I guess this is less of a highlight and more of an accomplishment, but the view at the top was amazing and none of my campers died or were seriously injured and I didn't rip my shorts scooting down the mountain so I'd call that a success.

6. On Thursday nights we sing and make smore's around a fire and share testimonies. I love it for two reasons. First, since I can't eat graham crackers I get a whole Hershey's bar. There have been times when the thought of that Hershey's bar has gotten me through the week. But most importantly, I get to here what the kids and counselors have learned that week. We were out at the fire for over an hour and heard so many clear presentations of grace.  I was reminded again of why I'm here.

To love Jesus and love His children, no matter how old they are. Junior Two starts today, and I'm ready for whatever a group of 8-year-olds can throw at me. Maybe.

Week One is Done

One week week of Junior Camp, one whirlwind weekend, and we're ready for week two! Not a lot of sleep has happened in the last week, but I'm the good kind of tired, and teens should be easier, right?

This last week I had the privilege of hanging out with "The Butterful Girls of the Centipede Slayer." I'm the Centipede Slayer, btw. I killed three this week, two with shampoo bottles and one with the end of a toilet brush. (Lesson learned: it never hurts to have your campers see you be brave. You'll get a cool nickname out of it.) The "butterful" part came from a discussion of a cupcake delivery service that we'll be starting soon. Stay tuned.

The Butterfuls are 10, 11, and 12. They love Minecraft (not Mindcraft, as I previously thought), mac n' cheese, and talking about boys. I taught them the proper uses of "y,all" and "all y'all" and they taught me all the many ways you can eat Spam. Our whole cabin was drafted to play the parts

of an Egyptian princess (that would be me) and her servants (the girls loved that) in a sermon illustration. They asked really good questions, and when I didn't have answers, which was a lot of the time, we looked for them together. I learned that discipleship can happen during a game of Frisbee golf or when doing an Elsa braid. I learned that girls struggle with the same things whether they're 10 or 20. I learned that when the girls ask what you're reading and you say Hosea, you'll have some major explaining to do, but it's so worth it to see them get their sin and see their Savior. And then they may teach you a thing or two.

On Wednesday night one of my sweet girls came back during the invitation crying. She was burdened for an unsaved friend and wanted help, first with her walk with God and then with her relationship with others. I don't remember the time I cried over a friend's salvation, and her emotion and deep love for the world around her was rebuking. Together we found out what God says about grace and how to live in a way that points to the Cross. It's still incredible to me that God brought me to such a beautiful place with such beautiful children to teach me His truth.

This week of camp was hard. There was a lot of work to do to get the campground ready, so we all started camp tired, but God was more than enough this week. After a relaxing afternoon Friday, we spent Saturday touring the island in an Amazing Race competition. The Blue Beard Buccaneers may have lost the week, but we counselors crushed it as a team this weekend. We ate a 30-scoop sundae in 7 minutes, jumped off a 35-foot rock into the ocean, conquered the world's largest maze, and lei'd a random stranger at the airport. Then we went back to the house and crashed before two Sunday services and two potlucks. We eat a lot here in Hawaii.

Michelle's basically an older, wiser, blonde version of me. She reminds me to laugh at myself and always knows what I'm thinking. You need friends like that at camp, so I'm pretty lucky to have her.

We're leaving for week two pretty soon. This week is teen camp and I can't wait. Please continue to pray for strength and open hearts. God's going to do amazing things.

My God is So Big

Well, aside from being the most unfaithful and sporadic blogger in the world, I’m also pretty stinkin tired. Note to self: mono doesn’t go away when you’re on a beautiful tropical island.

It’s 11:00 here, which is pretty late for a bunch of mainland girls who may not have quite adjusted to the time change yet. We normally go to bed around 9:30 and wake up around 7:30. I keep telling myself the early wake up time is just preparation for camp.

Tonight at 9:30, however, we were leaving a park in Palolo Valley and headed back home after our first Hawaiian Challenge. God brought around 60 kids out to a park in the middle of a low-income housing area to play a version of kickball I’m pretty sure our camp director Jon made up off the top of his head, eat pizza, watch a skit (I played a pregnant woman with the help of one of the kickballs), and hear how much Jesus loves them. I was reunited with some former campers and one of last year’s speakers and made a ton of new friends. The kids we met tonight have the opportunity to come to camp thanks to the incredible generosity of the sweet church people here in Hawaii, and we’re praying they will.

On the way to Palolo tonight the team prayed for a lot of kids who would be excited about the gospel and camp. God answered those prayers as the kids cheered at the top of their lungs, laughed at everything we said, played hard, listened well, and asked questions. Almost every kid left with an application and a clear explanation of the Cross. Please pray with us for full weeks of camp, but more importantly, pray for the salvation of these kids. I pray that the love they received from the team tonight points them to Jesus, who loves them perfectly.

My back is sore from piggyback rides and my voice is hoarse from back to back nights of cheering, but I couldn’t be more excited for the dozens of piggyback rides and cheer competitions that the next four weeks hold. God’s spent the last week humbling me and lovingly pointing me to my need of continual, never-ending grace, and pretty soon, I get to tell my sweet girls all about that grace. God has so much to teach me, and He brought me to Hawaii to do it. How cool is that?

Unaccompanied Minor(s)

 Good morning from 35,000 feet. As promised, I have quite the story for you.

My flight out of Atlanta was scheduled to leave around 7:30, meaning I needed to get the airport around 6 because Atlanta is crazy. My parents and I came to Atlanta last night, knowing that a three-hour drive from Greenville at 3 a.m. did not sound appealing. As we got ready to leave the hotel this morning our car died…only to miraculously start after I was already on the shuttle and running late. Thankfully I made it through the world’s longest security line and to my gate just as they began to board.

Let me introduce you to the other occupants of row 30. In seat A is 8-year-old Joselyn. In seat B is her 5-year-old sister Alisha. In row C is Margaret. Joselyn and Alisha explained to me that they are on their way to visit their grandmother at Disney Land (“But we really just want to meet Elsa, but don’t tell her that.”) The stewardess explained to me that they are unaccompanied minors and the flight crew would be keeping an eye on them during the flight.

I’m not sure where the flight crew has been for the last three and a half hours, but so far this has been the most hilarious and entertaining flight I’ve ever been on (and I’ve been on quite a few. Remember the honeymooners of last summer?) Here’s what’s happening:

1. Combined, the girls have eaten:

·      A box of Oreos

·      A bag of Doritos (more on this later)

·      Two packs of gum (minus one piece that Alisha put in my mouth when I stupidly thought this flight might involve a nap)

·      Two airplane snack boxes (containing crackers, pepperoni, cheese, candy, trailmix, chips, and a cookie)

·      Four cups of apple juice

2. The girls have not had to use the restroom. This is a miracle, but I still have an hour and half left.

3. The three of us (and the two little boys behind us) are completely covered in orange dust from the aforementioned Doritos.

4. When asked what they’d like to watch they chose a documentary on Alaskan crab fishing. 

5. The man whose chair Alisha keeps kicking asked my to please control my daughter.

6. They have played every game on my iPad.

7. J & A just finished singing through the Frozen soundtrack and accompanying themselves with their tic-tacs.

8. We have planned out their weddings, which are, you guessed it, Frozen themed. I’ve been asked to play the tic-tacs at the weddings.

I’m running out of ideas on how to keep up morale on Row 30 for the remainder of the flight.

Nevermind, I’ve just been cast as Sven the Reindeer in the Row 30 Classic Player’s version of Frozen. The other two members of the group will be taking on all the other roles.  I’m really just the understudy for Sven. The pilot was their first choice, but Joselyn said, “you’re better than crashing.”

This has been flight number one. Join us in San Francisco for the big trek across the ocean.

Margaret Meets Hawaii 2

Well well well, if it isn't your favorite blog, back for another exciting adventure. I'm headed back to my favorite tropical island to work at my favorite camp. The blog is my way of keeping you updated on the crazy things that happen to me in airports and the amazing things God does at camp. It may look a lot like last year's blog or it may be totally different. Only time will tell.

I fly out early tomorrow morning from Atlanta. I'm supposed to go from Atlanta to San Francisco to Honolulu. But, if you remember last year, travel for me seldom goes according to plan.

Please pray for safety and smooth travel. Pray for the unity of the team and for the kids coming to camp. I can't wait to meet them and introduce them to you. Pray for health. I've had mono all semester, and still get tuckered out pretty easily. Not sure how that will go with a cabin full of 8 year old girls. Thankful I'm not doing this alone.

I'd love to hear from you while I'm gone! The United States Postal Service delivers mail to Hawaii, since it is indeed in the United States (something everyone who asks if I have my passport ready seems to have forgotten.) Send me a letter and I'll send you back a postcard from paradise!

92-1042 Kanehoa Loop, Kapolei HI 96797

I'll try to keep the blog, Facebook, Instagram, etc. up to date with pictures, but no promises. The beach beats the blog any day, and during camp I'll be totally unplugged. I can't wait to get started!

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.