Life is a Journey

This is Kevin :) I had a blast getting to know him during this trip! He was really excited about this activity! 

This week has turned out to be refreshing, thoughtful, and reflective, all wrapped into one. 

We are finally down to our last full days, and it blows my mind that I will be leaving this amazing country in a short 5 days. On Tuesday, I met with one of my favorite classes, and we had a lesson in divinity and morality. We have focused a lot on blessings, thankfulness, and showing love to our neighbors, but this week I wanted to shake things up a bit. Once verse that has been pivotal for me on this journey has been Jeremiah 29:11. It reads, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,  plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Life is truly a journey, and the Lord is their guiding us. Although sometimes we approach moments that weaken our faith, He is still there guiding and loving us. This concept of a journey of faith has really been weighing on my mind, and I realized that it is a concept that even young children can talk about. So, I decided that we were going to make maps of our faith journey so far. I encouraged students to write about the times that strengthened their faith, times that the Lord provided, but also about events that they truly found as blessings in their life. I was once again stunned at the creativeness of the 5th graders, and enjoyed being able to listen to their stories about how they have met God and found God at work in their own lives. 

One student working on her map.

I also gave an example to my students about my faith journey. It obviously started with my birth, but it was a great experience to reflect on what has happened in my journey. Once item I added and thought about a lot was the role that my camp played in my faith life. Since 1997, my family has been attending Mount Carmel Family Bible Camp in Alexandria, Minnesota. Through countless hours of kids programming, songs, skits, talent shows, and so much more, I started to really fall in love with God and his role in my life. As a 10 year old, I would have never realized how important camp would be later on in my life as well. 

The summer after I graduated, I accepted a job as a camp counselor at Mount Carmel. Through teaching youth and high schoolers about Jesus' love and about surrendering to Christ, I learned more about myself and my love for the Lord. I also learned that I tend to be a control freak, and that I needed to start working on letting that go and surrendering it all up. I learned that friendships strengthen when you place Christ in the center, and I also learned that in a romantic relationship, God needs to be the focus. I met some of the best people ever, and created memories that still seem so vivid today. I ended up going on to work a second summer there, and now, after taking a summer off, I am going back to camp in a leadership role as a summer programmer. I have been so blessed to be given this opportunity, and I am so eager to see how God will use my life this summer for His glory.

This time around, camp might be a bit different due to the role I am in, but it will also be different because I am coming home and almost straight to camp after completely a very big experience in my life journey. Rwanda has made me think more about equality and social justice, about appreciation, about God's role in the world, and about knowing that what I have is enough. I am thrilled to be able to take this milestone in my journey and share with others. 

Although I am sad about only having a few days left, I am happy to know that I can share my story, and that my story might make a difference or make someone think. I can't wait to see all of you within a week!

With my love,

Leah :)