A First Day of Camp... Hillary's Perspective

Hey all! This is our first day-and-a-half of our first week of camp. I have 5 girls in my cabin; all of which are eight years old. It’s crazy how much personality an eight year-old girl can have. It's really awesome. I think they like me, so that's cool—I know I like them a lot too. I have three full more days with them, and I’m stoked about it. I’m so glad God gave me these girls for the week. They are all really active, and for the most part they are all willing to try anything, so it’s been really fun.

Hillary, front and center. 

She is surrounded by some of our other crazy, yet qualified in Christ staff.

Challenges and ways to pray: It has been thirteen years since I’ve been eight, thus I’ve forgotten how to speak eight-year old lingo. Pray for me as I try to share the truth of our Savior with these girls. When I try to explain the unexplainable love of our Lord, my mind starts reeling because I’m overwhelmed with all these truths I want them to grasp. The result: I sit there staring at their cute little faces with my mouth open—I’m dumbfounded because I’m at a loss for words. How do I explain our Savior? Praise God that He is adequate in all of my inadequacies. Again I ask for your prayers. I need our God to speak through me because just a day and a half into camp, I’ve already been at a loss for words. Though I’ve been a believer for thirteen years, I’m still stumped by an eight year-old girl’s question about God. So please, pray that I stay in the Word daily, that I do not get my priorities mixed up, and that our Lord would give me words to speak.

 My cabin girls are all so hungry for attention; it easy to see that this is something they rarely get at home. They are eager to please, eager to stand out, and eager to be loved and favored. Pray that I love these girls as Jesus does. All five are emotional and a bit moody; I don’t ever remember being that temperamental as a young girl, so I’ve found myself lacking in empathy when one of them starts complaining about only getting peaches for desert. So, yeah. Pray that I have patience, godly discernment, and compassion throughout this summer.

Most of all, pray for these kids. All of them. My girls shared that they all struggle with a lack of friends; I think that’s the case for most of the kids at camp. I can relate, so that’s good, and I’m super eager to show them the friend they can have in Jesus—the friend that will never ever leave them. Please go through this summer praying with me for the kids that are here at camp, and the kids and teens that will be here. Pray for my heart, that it daily, continuously freed from the crippling hand of selfishness. 

Thanks so much! 

Hillary