Fair Haven Camps

Well, it's been a long time since I've updated this thing. I figured I would write a post at how I am working this summer at Fair Haven Camps in Maine. How did I end up here? Well, that's a long story, but in short, God brought me here. I didn't know anybody when I decided to come and I drove out here from Upper Michigan by myself. It's been quite the adventure being a counselor for teens. I enjoy it a lot, but of course there are many challenging times as well. I have had campers that have had ODD, ADHD, PTSD, Autism and other mental issues as well which all present some difficulties, but overall, it's been super rewarding.

Currently, there is one week of camp left, and I have had 6 weeks done and I will be driving back shortly. I'm pretty excited to get back home, but I will definitely miss the many camp friends that I've made here with the other staff.

There is one main obstacle from me getting home right now and that is having a car that works. It is a really complicated issue that I won't try to explain here, but anyways, we're currently looking into what to do with it and it needs to be fixed in one week from now in such a way that it can make it back to Upper Michigan... so we have to make sure it is indeed fixed.

When I take the time to stop and think about it though, I realize that God is in control of everything and that I don't have to worry about it. I know that whatever happens, He will provide for all of my needs and I will praise Him no matter what happens. So many times in life, trials come and things don't go as we plan them, but time and time again, God brings me through them all while I grow in His likeness.

Hopefully I will get posting on a more regular basis again, but I don't find much time. At camp here, we only get to use laptops on the weekends and our hour off, but I use my hour off to sleep or call people on my cell phone, so my laptop is only used on the weekends where I catch up on my email and facebook checking etc.

Everything good comes from God!

WOW! So God has been doing an amazing work in me lately. I cannot fully describe it, but He's brought me closer to Himself. The Lord brought me to speak at TNT about how He's been answering prayers in my life. I was extremely nervous and it was a huge step out of my comfort zone, but God enabled me to do it. I wish I could have expressed with more enthusiasm the wondrous things that God has been doing in my life.

One example has been two posts ago about how God provided me with a new car. There have been other prayer requests lately I've had that God has answered right away. My green folder with all my school assignments... Well, I lost it and prayed about it having NO idea where it was and in my inbox I got an email saying it was found and where I could pick it up! I couldn't believe the quick answer to prayer! Then I had an exam scheduled on thursday which is the day of TNT... I've never missed a TNT since my first and I didn't want to ever miss one. Well, I prayed about it and God had the teacher change the date to Monday instead of thursday! Is God not amazing. So many times we put God in a box and put a limit on the kinds of things He'll do or we think that what we want to pray for is so insignificant that He won't really care.

God wants to be intimately involved in our lives, we just need to have faith that God will answer our prayers. He doesn't always answer them the way we want him to either. Sometimes we'll ask for something and we'll get something completely different. Sometimes we'll get nothing we wanted but everything we needed.

I place my hope in my eternity and it allows me to fight off sin on a daily basis. I'm far from perfect, but God is perfecting me until the day of His glorious return when He'll take his children home!

To relate to the title of this post, to sum it up, God has been revealing to me that EVERYTHING good comes from Him. Nice weather comes from God. Bad weather is a reminder to praise God all the more when weather is nice. Good grades come from God. He enables us to study. Christian fellowship that builds us closer to each other and God... comes from God. Not getting hurt on any given moment or good health: it all comes from God.

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

There it is in the Word of God. You can believe that and take it to the bank!