There is nothing like getting called from the intern office by Sharon(head of kitchen) to come quick because there is something going wrong. At about midnight, Sharon came rushing into the intern office asking for Andrew and then requested that the rest of us (me, james and joel) come as well. We come to the kitchen to see that the food storage's roof seems to be raining down. We quickly run up to Capilano which is a cabin right above the storage space to try to diagnose the problem. As we arrive we are welcomed by an inch of water covering the entire floor. We are soon to find out that this water is all caused from an overflowing toilet that hasn't stopped running. We quickly plunge the toilet and stop the water. We close down the night by mopping up the remaining water on the bathroom floor, as well as taking care of the water in the store room. Just a regular emergency call at Malibu at midnight.
The night began with an amazing Thai dinner over at the Goff's with the entire intern community plus the Goff's and the Richerts. The food was amazing and the fellowship was even better. It was a good night to get away from camp.
Let your Light SHINE!
We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. -1 Thessalonians 2:8
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
1 Peter 4:10
Day 1/7 is not named 1/7 because it is the last day for our departing campers and the first day for our incoming camp. I think it is called this because it literally feels like two days are in one. I wake up at 7:30 am to help start loading departing campers bags, this continues through breakfast until the bags are all fully loaded on the outer dock waiting for the arrival of the Princess. The remaining gap between 10 and 1130(lunch) is used for preparing camp for the next camp. After lunch which consist of mac n cheese(in my opinion worst boat day meal), I have about a half hour to rest up before the boat arrives.
As the boat rounds Patrick's Point the camp horn is fired off and everyone heads to the outer dock. Once the boat pulls in I am in charge of catching the bow line and tying it off. Once we get the go ahead from the captain we rush on the boat to prepare the unloading of baggage and freight. The next 45 minutes consists of constant moving of bags on and off the princess. It is quite the extreme process. During this time we will move around 700 total bags and between 10,000-20,000 pounds of freight and freezer.
We get about a 30 minute break and then the ODC heads down to the THQ(trash headquarters). This is where the trash rodeo takes place. During the next hour or so we all sort through trash of campers pulling out nonburnables and recycling. This is also the time where we search for thrown away clothes and food that campers just got rid of just hours before. The last two weeks I have found a pair of jordan shorts, two pairs of nike high top socks, a sweet t-shirt, and a pair of NIKE Ids. The Nike Ids were embroidered on the back with the verse 1 Peter 4:10.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of Gods grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10
It was a verse that I found really applicable for our intern community here. Needless to say I am keeping the shoes.
My night seems to never end because at about 9:15 I go into the kitchen to prepare juice for the leaders to get for their campers after the obstacle course. And by the time all the leaders make it the clock hits midnight. But wait there is more... The left over and extra pizza which was made for the leaders is given to us interns and the boys in Chinook(where i live) stay up until 1 am swapping man stories.
I love Boat Day!!
As the boat rounds Patrick's Point the camp horn is fired off and everyone heads to the outer dock. Once the boat pulls in I am in charge of catching the bow line and tying it off. Once we get the go ahead from the captain we rush on the boat to prepare the unloading of baggage and freight. The next 45 minutes consists of constant moving of bags on and off the princess. It is quite the extreme process. During this time we will move around 700 total bags and between 10,000-20,000 pounds of freight and freezer.
We get about a 30 minute break and then the ODC heads down to the THQ(trash headquarters). This is where the trash rodeo takes place. During the next hour or so we all sort through trash of campers pulling out nonburnables and recycling. This is also the time where we search for thrown away clothes and food that campers just got rid of just hours before. The last two weeks I have found a pair of jordan shorts, two pairs of nike high top socks, a sweet t-shirt, and a pair of NIKE Ids. The Nike Ids were embroidered on the back with the verse 1 Peter 4:10.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of Gods grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10
It was a verse that I found really applicable for our intern community here. Needless to say I am keeping the shoes.
My night seems to never end because at about 9:15 I go into the kitchen to prepare juice for the leaders to get for their campers after the obstacle course. And by the time all the leaders make it the clock hits midnight. But wait there is more... The left over and extra pizza which was made for the leaders is given to us interns and the boys in Chinook(where i live) stay up until 1 am swapping man stories.
I love Boat Day!!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Going Fast
This week flew by so fast here at camp. The second session is already half way through and I feel like they just arrived. It is kind of scary. Time really flies by when God is in the center and you are having the time of your life. Broken Heart went really well last night. Every week is different. Every week a different response from the campers. This week when the new heart(orange) was revealed the kids wanted to clap and cheer(first time that has happened). After the drama a leader came up to me and thanked me for what we put on. I reassured him that it wasn't us but God. He then went on to tell me that it was the most spiritual thing he had seen all week. It was crazy to hear. He then told me about his cabin and I could just feel the passion he had for his guys. He was starting to break down when he told me how much he just wanted his guys to get the whole God thing. These moments are the ones that remind me that it isn't about me. It isn't about this drama. It's all about getting this kids to get a small glimpse of who God is.
Went skiing tonight for the first time this summer. Kind of forgot how to get up at first... then once I was up forgot the technique of the cut. By my second go around I received some pointers and was ready and it was a blast.
"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through"
— Francis Chan
Went skiing tonight for the first time this summer. Kind of forgot how to get up at first... then once I was up forgot the technique of the cut. By my second go around I received some pointers and was ready and it was a blast.
"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through"
— Francis Chan
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Day 5
Hey y'all it is day 5 again. I will be performing in Broken Heart. Please lift up our team in prayer as we present the Gospel in a different way for these kids to see. There are some inner city kids who might need to see something different, so this could be it for them.
Ryan Smith one of the main program guys here on assignment had to leave on a family emergency today, so if you guys could lift him up in prayer that would be great. Prayer for him and his family as well as the program team here to readjust in how they will go about program for the rest of the session.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. God really has blessed my summer so far and I know it has a lot to do with the prayers that you lift up for me. Thank you.
God is good... all the time.
Ryan Smith one of the main program guys here on assignment had to leave on a family emergency today, so if you guys could lift him up in prayer that would be great. Prayer for him and his family as well as the program team here to readjust in how they will go about program for the rest of the session.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. God really has blessed my summer so far and I know it has a lot to do with the prayers that you lift up for me. Thank you.
God is good... all the time.
Monday, July 4, 2011
The 4th of July
I decided that I would try to get on here more frequently to write a small blog rather than write a huge one every month or so. Today was my day off, only fitting that it was also July 4th. My day off didn't consist of much... I slept in for too long, and then went with some of the boys to check out a water fall. After we adventured for about 2 hours we decided to visit the Malibu neighbors the Goffs. While we over there we spent time together hanging out. I was able to get away for a bit and have a great quiet time with the Lord.
I just finished Forgotten God. The book really opened up my views on the importance of the Holy Spirit. It really is an aspect of my Faith that I never really recognized or believed in it enough. If any of you are interested in reading I would definitely recommend you to check it out. It is a very eye opening and convicting book.
So if I graduate with a Health Fitness teaching certificate, I limit myself in areas where I can get a job. I recently was looking at Young Life's job listings. Just browsing. But I came across a job titled Teacher Staff International. It kind of sparked my interest. It would allow me to teach and be on young life staff. Just an interesting thing to think about. Still a ways off before I even have a teaching certificate so really this job listing was just something to check out.
May the Holy Spirit consume you.
"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Acts 2:28
I just finished Forgotten God. The book really opened up my views on the importance of the Holy Spirit. It really is an aspect of my Faith that I never really recognized or believed in it enough. If any of you are interested in reading I would definitely recommend you to check it out. It is a very eye opening and convicting book.
So if I graduate with a Health Fitness teaching certificate, I limit myself in areas where I can get a job. I recently was looking at Young Life's job listings. Just browsing. But I came across a job titled Teacher Staff International. It kind of sparked my interest. It would allow me to teach and be on young life staff. Just an interesting thing to think about. Still a ways off before I even have a teaching certificate so really this job listing was just something to check out.
May the Holy Spirit consume you.
"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Acts 2:28
Friday, June 17, 2011
Broken Heart
The regular season has begun.... Malibu will officially have 400 kids here for the next 11 weeks! I can already tell that this summer is going to be a great one. Our first session of work crew and summer staff on the ODC are already great. We have some really strong guys which makes our boat days of moving over 30,000 lbs of freight a breeze.
As the first week has ended and all the other interns have finally arrived, it is finally feeling like the summer camping season. Before the season began I was chosen to take a role in a traditional Young Life drama called Broken Heart. The role I was asked to do was Satan. I was excited to be a part of such a impacting part of camp but was unsure of how I would enjoy being the villain. The first week of the drama nerves were racing as the whole cast prepared. As we all bathed it in prayer and told God that it was His thing not ours, He gave me a peace in my heart. As the drama went on, the Lord blessed it. It went so well and the impact on the campers was evident as many stayed afterwords as their leaders comforted them with tears.
The aftermath of playing the role of Satan is interesting. For the last two days of every week at camp I will be recognized by all the kids as Satan. Kids would say "Hi Satan!" as I would walk by them in camp. It is kind of a crappy name to be called.
I just recently started reading a book called Forgotten God by Francis Chan. In this book Chan focusses on the Holy Spirit and how it is a God that we have forgotten within the Trinity. This book has been very influential in my times here at Malibu already. I have really tried to focus more on being more in touch with the Holy Spirit inside me. I think the Holy Spirit is one of the main reasons why I have made a couple of drastic decisions lately.
One of the most profound things that I have learned so far from this book is how forgotten the Holy Spirit is. Jesus gave His disciples the ultimate reassurance; Another Comforter would come. Jesus said that the Father would give the disciples "another Counselor to be with (them) forever" (14:16 NIV). In this case, the Greek word another means another that is just like the first(as opposed to another that is of a different sort or kind). So Jesus was saying that the One who would come would be just like Him!
What an amazingly comforting verse. Even now we seem to prefer to have a physical God when we have the same God dwelling within us. The power of the Holy Spirit is hard to understand but amazing to start to see glimpses of.
As the first week has ended and all the other interns have finally arrived, it is finally feeling like the summer camping season. Before the season began I was chosen to take a role in a traditional Young Life drama called Broken Heart. The role I was asked to do was Satan. I was excited to be a part of such a impacting part of camp but was unsure of how I would enjoy being the villain. The first week of the drama nerves were racing as the whole cast prepared. As we all bathed it in prayer and told God that it was His thing not ours, He gave me a peace in my heart. As the drama went on, the Lord blessed it. It went so well and the impact on the campers was evident as many stayed afterwords as their leaders comforted them with tears.
The aftermath of playing the role of Satan is interesting. For the last two days of every week at camp I will be recognized by all the kids as Satan. Kids would say "Hi Satan!" as I would walk by them in camp. It is kind of a crappy name to be called.
I just recently started reading a book called Forgotten God by Francis Chan. In this book Chan focusses on the Holy Spirit and how it is a God that we have forgotten within the Trinity. This book has been very influential in my times here at Malibu already. I have really tried to focus more on being more in touch with the Holy Spirit inside me. I think the Holy Spirit is one of the main reasons why I have made a couple of drastic decisions lately.
One of the most profound things that I have learned so far from this book is how forgotten the Holy Spirit is. Jesus gave His disciples the ultimate reassurance; Another Comforter would come. Jesus said that the Father would give the disciples "another Counselor to be with (them) forever" (14:16 NIV). In this case, the Greek word another means another that is just like the first(as opposed to another that is of a different sort or kind). So Jesus was saying that the One who would come would be just like Him!
What an amazingly comforting verse. Even now we seem to prefer to have a physical God when we have the same God dwelling within us. The power of the Holy Spirit is hard to understand but amazing to start to see glimpses of.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Heavy Load
Sometimes God gives us challenges that we really don't know how to face. Generally when it seems like a task to big for oneself you look for different alternatives then what God has to offer. Instead of asking Him how to face the challenge He has presented, you run and hide. But running and hiding is the worst thing to do and the challenge that you thought once to be daunting just got bigger and harder to solve.
If we present our problems directly to God when they happen things become much easier to cope with. “He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . .” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The previous sentence is something that I read in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It rings true in my heart right now. While here at Malibu, dwelling in prosperity seems much easier than back in the real world. Maybe it is due to the feel of this place. Some call it a thin place, meaning its a step between heaven and earth. It feels that way to mean. Life at times seems so much more clearer while I am here. Life is more at Peace.
So as these worries, tribulations and challenges come our way we need to turn and present them to the Lord. "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. By the Peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heard and your mind in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7. Let us present our request to God with everything that is on our hearts. For as we walk with Him, He will guard and guide us in the ways of righteousness.
One of the ODC's challenges for work today consisted of moving an 11 ton generator. For those of you who don't know what 11 tons are.. that's 22,000 pounds of machinery. Well this problem was one where if I faced it alone.. I would have no idea how to solve it. You see, we weren't moving this 22,000 pounds with a tractor or lift. We were doing this with our hands, chains, jacks, wood, straps, pulleys, I-hooks, and metal bars. The first step which I wasn't there for and probably took the most time was raising the generator 3 feet in the air. Oh one minor detail if the generator fell backwards away from where we were moving it to, it would fall into the ocean. So slowly and carefully Gil(single handedly for the most part) raised the generator up 3 feet. This step took about a week or two since Gil didn't really focus on it all at once.
The second step to moving the generator happened today. As an ODC which consisted of me, Bruce, James and Gil we managed to move the generator a total of 15 feet and turned it 90 degrees. So to perform this ridiculous human feat we used wood to make skids for the generator to "glide" down. Then we used come-along pullies that were chained up to the generator to pull the thing the distance we needed. We used metal bars and placed them under the generator (with jacks) to help with the gliding the beastly thing. As we pulled from different I-hooks with pulleys and there you have it, 11 ton generator moved. I will soon have pictures hopefully. We also took a time lapse of the process which I hope to have up here at some point.
May God guide our lives constantly.. not just in the heat of battle.
If we present our problems directly to God when they happen things become much easier to cope with. “He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . .” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The previous sentence is something that I read in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It rings true in my heart right now. While here at Malibu, dwelling in prosperity seems much easier than back in the real world. Maybe it is due to the feel of this place. Some call it a thin place, meaning its a step between heaven and earth. It feels that way to mean. Life at times seems so much more clearer while I am here. Life is more at Peace.
So as these worries, tribulations and challenges come our way we need to turn and present them to the Lord. "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. By the Peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heard and your mind in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7. Let us present our request to God with everything that is on our hearts. For as we walk with Him, He will guard and guide us in the ways of righteousness.
One of the ODC's challenges for work today consisted of moving an 11 ton generator. For those of you who don't know what 11 tons are.. that's 22,000 pounds of machinery. Well this problem was one where if I faced it alone.. I would have no idea how to solve it. You see, we weren't moving this 22,000 pounds with a tractor or lift. We were doing this with our hands, chains, jacks, wood, straps, pulleys, I-hooks, and metal bars. The first step which I wasn't there for and probably took the most time was raising the generator 3 feet in the air. Oh one minor detail if the generator fell backwards away from where we were moving it to, it would fall into the ocean. So slowly and carefully Gil(single handedly for the most part) raised the generator up 3 feet. This step took about a week or two since Gil didn't really focus on it all at once.
The second step to moving the generator happened today. As an ODC which consisted of me, Bruce, James and Gil we managed to move the generator a total of 15 feet and turned it 90 degrees. So to perform this ridiculous human feat we used wood to make skids for the generator to "glide" down. Then we used come-along pullies that were chained up to the generator to pull the thing the distance we needed. We used metal bars and placed them under the generator (with jacks) to help with the gliding the beastly thing. As we pulled from different I-hooks with pulleys and there you have it, 11 ton generator moved. I will soon have pictures hopefully. We also took a time lapse of the process which I hope to have up here at some point.
May God guide our lives constantly.. not just in the heat of battle.
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