oh man, what a night! wait, i mean weekend!

sometimes we experience things in life that just blow us away. some things are so simple and some so complex. either way it is hard to put into words how exactly you felt. i am relaxing on my day off after an awesome weekend of the first winter meltdown program. i am reflecting on how much God showed up, how much He used us as a staff, and how much i grew as well. i must admit that i was excited for winter meltdown, but i was also so nervous that i wouldn't have minded if it never came. don't get me wrong i really couldn't wait, but you know how nerves can make you feel sometimes! i really had no idea what to expect because we weren't told too much, but we had the big picture just no little details. i guess that is a good thing so we wouldn't go into it with expectations! my role was to recite poems...4 of them to be exact. a few short and a few long. one was about 2 and a half minutes! well, now you see why i was so nervous.. i love being in front of people, but memorizing stuff isn't my thing. now, looking back after the first weekend i am so grateful, thankful, and honored for the opportunity the Lord placed in my hands. i was so far outside of my comfort zone, but so grateful for it because outside of that zone is where you grow and experience God in ways you can't inside your comfort zone. you wouldn't think something as simple as having to memorize some poems would make such a huge difference in my walk with God. i was in constant prayer the whole weekend for the children and for the Lord to be my memory and calm my nerves.. He showed up so big.. each poem went so smoothly and i had no problems! it was not me at all, but the Lord speaking through me. man, i am so grateful for Him in my life! my coworkers and i were in constant prayer for each other as well. it helped me grow in so many ways praying for each other and for the Lord to use us. we grew so much closer as a group. it is amazing when you do something for the Lord. it is easy to get lost in doing things for ourselves, but i pray that i will not get lost in that and that everything i do would be for the glory of the Lord. not only did i grow in my walk, but i also had fun! just because i was working the program didn't mean i couldn't participate with the youth. haha it was a blast. the kids had so much fun as well. the Lord was really moving in their hearts.. around 5 people got saved and some rededicated their lives. we can never truly know the hearts of people, but i so believe that some of these kids came to know the Lord and experience Him in ways they had never before. i am blessed to be a part of this ministry and honored that the Lord would use someone as imperfect as me to give Him glory. i am unworthy and so so grateful.

Lord, thank you for using me for your glory! may i never get lost in giving the glory to myself. keep me humble and continue to use winter meltdown to bring children to You and Your Son!
Amen.

walking in His footprints,
beth.

firsts.

this past weekend i hosted my first retreat.. i was sick as a dog so i was honestly dreading the weekend.. i was afraid i wasn't going to be able to serve the group like i wanted to with the spirit i wanted to. God proved to be big again. why do we even doubt!? why are we even anxious and why do we even worry?! sometimes i don't get why we do all these things when we KNOW he is in control. i guess thats the flesh in us. the group was so easy to take care of. they were so organized and so easy going. it was such a blessing to me because it made my work load light and stress levels low. all which helped my sick body heal. i thought i might not be prepared to host a retreat, but God proved other wise. i may not have been ready, but He was ready to serve through me. He made things smooth and prepared me to work out the details and the requirements that were needed to be done to host a retreat.. what a big God we serve. what an AWESOME God we serve.

the interns and i just got back from our first CCCA (camp and conference center association) sectional conference. it was 3 days and 2 nights in northern pa at tuscarora inn. the camps that were in the region all came together to meet, talk, fellowship, worship, learn in workshops, learn from speakers, and to connect with each other. i was very excited to experience the conference because i knew i would learn a lot from like minded people who were already in the camp ministry. i hear encouraging, honest, real, discouraging, sad, hopeful, and glorifying stories about the lives of people and the situations of some camps. i realized i have been blessed to work at 2 very healthy successful camps. it may not have always been that way and there may be hard times in the future, but i have been blessed to be part of the great times. i have learned so much from sandy cove and rvr about camp ministry and i am so thankful for that experience. i am also thankful to have been able to go the sectional and learn more about other camps and how they run. i went to a marketing class for the fun of it. i have no experience or really knowledge of anything that marketing entails except for the obvious things. the workshop was led by gregg hunter who is the new CEO/president of the CCCA. he definitely knows his stuff and i took 3 pages of notes in the class! i was a little nervous to go to that workshop because i knew it was going to be an interactive one and i knew with my little knowledge and experience with marketing that i wouldn't have much to offer the group or the people. i ended up just listening to the other directors and workers share their situations and the others giving advice and it was very informative. i didn't contribute to the conversations, but i was surprised that i could actually relate and that i did have experiences to share if needed or i wanted to. i guess i sell myself short at times.. another bad habit. :) it was an overall great experience that i got to share with both the interns from rvr and my previous boss' from sandy cove. both groups i consider family so what better way to spend time at a conference. on a side note they brought in a husband and wife who had this hilarious game show set up called the brain show. it was so much fun and i got to participate with 2 other interns.. my previous boss' were chosen to participate as well.. TOO FUNNY.

today we got back from the sectional after a 40 min stop to change a flat tire.. eh, no biggie for these ranch boys.. glad it wasn't my car or it would have been a few hours.. we ran through our winter meltdown program that starts tomorrow night! yea, it was the first time we ran through it.. crazy i know. my role is to recite 4 poems (from memory!) to a couple 100 kids each session.. yeah, im pretty nervous. ok, really nervous so if you think of it please say a prayer for me! the poems are memorized, but you know sometimes how your mind can blank when you are nervous.. this is something i am trying to trust the Lord with that He will speak through me.. well, here is to tomorrow! Lord, please give me the memory that is strong enough to remember the poems that i have memorized. thank you that they are already memorized.. i know that was You. please use this winter meltdown to touch the lives of the youth who come through and may it all be used for your glory! i love you!! amen,

following Him,
beth.

what hope is found in this..

so, i have been reading a one year Bible every day that takes me through Genesis, Matthew, Psalm, and Proverbs each reading. i have realized i am a huge fan of this. keeps my mind occupied. i must admit that i am excited when it comes time for me to sit down and read. i have never been much of an old testament kind of person (which we should be a whole Bible kind of people! ha), but i have always had a desire to learn from it and know the history of it. yeah, i know the sunday school stories, but i have never taken the time to really sit and read it all. there are certain old testament books that i love and have read and studied quite a bit, but the time has come that i need and want to learn about it all. i didn't really have any expectations about how i would feel or what would be spoken to me reading through Genesis, but i didn't expect to have a passion and desire to read more and more of it. i am loving reading through Genesis. i have loved reading about abraham and his wives and children. when reading about him and his journey i have come across some odd and somewhat disturbing facts about his life and at the same time these facts give me and believers everywhere hope. see abraham lied and said that his wife sarah was his sister. (i know she really was, but he wasn't telling the truth by not saying she was his wife) i realize this was done out of fear and in hopes of protecting both of them, but it struck me as odd. didn't abraham fully trust that the Lord would take care of him?? wasn't that what he is known for? wasn't abraham a man that was so close to the Lord and one that the Lord loved and trusted and saw his complete devotion to him?? yeah, he was. abraham made some weird decisions and mistakes, but the Lord still loved him, called him to greatness, used him, trusted him, blessed him, and called him one of his own! what a hope is found in that we too can be all those things even when we lack faith and make mistakes! abraham was still used by God and was blessed and used immensely. when realizing this my mind was directed to the life of david. david was considered a man after God's own heart after all the horrible things he did!! that should give all of us believers hope that we too can be men and women after God's own heart no matter what we have done. it matters where your heart is now.. it matters what your actions are now.. not what you have done and where you have been. i have a hope that means it is never too late to live for the Lord with a heart that is completely devoted to Him..

Lord, thank you for these reminders through your word and your truth. may i continue to see hope and truth through my readings through all you have written. may i never forget that you love us through everything we have done. may i never look back on where i have been, but rather look forward to how i can grow and serve you better.

filled with hope,
beth.

His joy is our strength.

this is this months pathfinder, check it out!!
https://mail.wrbs.com/owa/WebReadyView.aspx?t=att&id=RgAAAAAhrzljgNRzSb%2fi1T2kCxaVBwA2tLD5crKZSrBQK9Ap54jJAAAO9NnZAAA2tLD5crKZSrBQK9Ap54jJAAAZVObvAAAJ&attid0=EACQqntpy%2bPGTbUmxwptSiIo&attcnt=1

i am a blessed girl. i am learning how to be patient and put my hope in the Lord. if He is for us, who can be against us? i mean really, who could possibly match up to our Lord who always take care of us? absolutely no one. take heart in that. no one is bigger than God. no one is bigger than the plans He has for us. what an awesome promise to stand on. keep standing on His truths.

in Him,

beth.

ringing in the new year.

man, it's 4 days into the new year already.. the past week has been a very fun and eventful one. we got back to the ranch last sunday and started work the next day. we did some cleaning and preparing for winter meltdown as well as the rvr staff reunion that was also last week. we had to come back so soon after Christmas because we had a huge group that came last monday as well. so we also helped host the retreat. as soon as the retreat group left we cleaned up camp so that the rvr staff who were coming for the reunion would have somewhere clean to stay :) our job during the reunion was to be present and to have fun/ hang out with the staff. we had so much fun, but let me tell ya i am still tired and haven't caught up on my rest yet. the first night the staff was here was new year's eve.. we made dinner and then we headed down to the inner harbor in baltimore.. it was sooo much fun.. cold and rainy, but still so much fun.. we danced around and walked around.. got some good coffee and the watched fireworks while dancing/ welcoming the new year in. they were the best fireworks i have ever seen. totally legit. the next day we had the traditional flag football game and dodge ball tournament.. dessa and i were 2 of 4 girls who played.. we tore it up. yeah girl :) not to mention we got a little muddy..ok a lot muddy. us 6 interns were a dodge ball team and we tore it up as well. we got 2nd place, but it was a great fight and a really big deal.. :) haha ok it wasn't, but it was still really competitive. haha that night the traditional ranch coffee house took place.. some pretty great acts and pretty funny acts were performed. dess, sarah, and i sang girls just wanna have fun in ridiculous outfits.. yeah, we had fun if you were wondering.. the next morning (sat) the staff ate breakfast and then went back home... as soon as they were gone sarah, taco, and i loaded up my car and headed over to sandy cove for my summer staff reunion there. we were allowed to bring guests and i wanted to show them the cove and spend time with them as well. so, i was in charge of the whole reunion.. i must say that it was a lot more than i thought and i don't usually get stressed out, but i was feeling the stress without being stressed out if that makes sense. we probably had about 50 people show up.. it was such an awesome time catching up on relationships made during the summer. even though part of planning an event is stressful, it is very rewarding.. watching people laughing together, talking together, eating together, and re-connecting was such a rewarding feeling. it did bring me great joy that everyone else was enjoying their time. some of us played games, some just talked, some played hide and seek, some walked around, and some played signs.. i thank the ranch for introducing that game to me.. we played till midnight and had so much fun.. the next morning we had breakfast and then a small service i tried to put together.. Stephen led worship for me, which was great and so helpful to me and then we did a small devotional on living a different story.. living like Caleb who stood out among the others who doubted the land that the Lord had promised them.. hopefully, it spoke to them as much as it spoke to me when i did the devo. i spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching football with Stephen :) for dinner i met on of my bestfriend's danielle and her family.. it was great to catch up with them. they were a 2nd family for me during my senior year of softball at liberty. this brings me to today, which is Taco's birthday! happy birthday Taco! we went snowboarding/ skiing for the day, which ended up being 2 hours because carly got hurt pretty bad. so we got vouchers for a free day later on, which is sweet because we got a few hours free of boarding.. it was almost like the Lord knew what we needed. i haven't sat and relaxed and just spent time reading/ spending time with the Lord in a while.. i have really been on the go for a week straight.. not to mention driving a lot. i don't want to look at this situation as a good one because it's not good she got hurt, but i like to look at it like good things can come from any situation. so the gang were all good sports about it and we decided to leave early. it's like we all needed some rest and down time.. man, Lord thank you so much for working all situations for your good and ours as well. may we always look for the good in every situation. up next is another busy week i am sure, but i know i will be getting more rest! i will make myself! :)

grace and peace,
beth.