Rejoice in the Lord always

Wow, it's been a month since I have posted anything and in that month just about the whole summer has gone by. So many good thing and just a few struggles. But I will say the struggles have been kinda tough for me. The first two weeks of our summer were just incredible!!! The mission teams came in well prepared and with a great day camp planned and ended up being really blessed through attendance. The third week was another phenomenal week because this group that came is a perennial attender to Branson and they do such a great job helping with the 4th of July! They do so well with their work projects and usually do tremendous with day camp. Everyone has been so excited and so pumped!

This week has been the proverbial train wreck. One mission team we have has clearly come with their own agenda and keep going over our heads to do things their way. It has really been a struggle for us and we keep asking the Lord for patience and guidance. I will say that the members of the group who lead the day camp are really in to it and on top of their game. Just some of the leaders are a bit of a struggle, and the younger boys are VERY disrespectful. Tonight at dinner, though, Lauren had a breakthrough with them. The things she was able to say to them and the spiritual conversation she started really struck a chord with them and I think may have rubbed them the wrong way, but it's something I believed they needed to hear. How she handled the situation was so bold and confident and it really encouraged me. It was such spirit-led and she just let the Lord use her. The whole time those boys were talking to her, though, I really wanted to come unglued because of how disrespectful they were. But again, she handled herself incredibly. I had to stop and think of my attitude at the moment.

I had so much frustration and anger welling up in me that I refused to speak because I was afraid what might come out of my mouth to those boys. This really disabled me from ministering to them and now it really bothers me. I did get a chance to go speak to one young man after I had calmed down, but nonetheless, I should have had that mindset from the beginning.

Before we went out this evening I read from Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it agian: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, Brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I think I read this and heard it, but failed to truly listen to it and take it to heart. The thing in this passage that really sticks out to me is "let your gentleness be evident to all." It took a lot in me (and mostly the Lord working through me) to reach this point tonight. I kinda faked myself into thinking I was prepared tonight and when the time came to act it turned into a fail. But when I did reach that point I think the Lord was still able to work through me to speak to this young man.

This has been a trying week but I know the Lord has a purpose for it all and will use this to mold us, and hopefully the members of this group, and continue to teach all of us to rely on Him and to continually live for Him. Jesus never said following Him would be easy, and this week is a testimony to that.