So, I was at Camp Okoboji and we...
Camp Okoboji has this crazy tradition where...
You hear it from me all the time, and I know it. I fully admit that I never shut up about Camp. I am fully confident that I haven't gone a single day in the past 11 (or is it 12...I have no idea, I lost count...) years without mentioning the name "Camp Okoboji" at least once.
Me and some of my AMAZING friends at the IDW Youth Week 2009 dance at Camp Okoboji.
Why?God often works through important individuals in our lives to help us get back on track. This is why having friendships with strong foundations in faith are so important. Just like your best friend can point you towards that lost term paper buried beneath the left over Ramen and folders on your desk, through Christ, your best friend can be someone to point you in the right direction in your walk with God when you feel like you've "lost" Him, even though He's been there all along.
In my life, many, many times, Camp Okoboji has been that best friend. When I've been burdened by guilt, or pain, or whatever else may be troubling my heart, and I've lost sight of the cross, my amazing friends that God has blessed me with at Camp Okoboji have been right there to point me in the right direction and remind me that God has never left my side. Their love is a reflection of the love that Christ has for us. It may be a blurry reflection (because no one can ever love us as much as Jesus), but to me, it is incredibly precious. These people have loved me and accepted me (no questions asked) for who I am for years. They've been there through tears and laughter. They have reminded me to seek God when I'm feeling down and unloved.
IDW Junior High Week Counselors 2010 with P.R.
I've never really had friendships that quite compare with that of my Camp Okoboji friends. It's taken me years, and I literally mean YEARS to finally be okay with how much love this group of people so freely gives me.
It may be difficult for me to be okay with receiving freely given love, but when it comes to giving it, that's a whole different story. I love giving hugs. I love making people smile. I love brightening peoples' days. It's simply a part of who I am. Christ's intense love for us has inspired me to try to be the same way towards others, and while it's been a challenge to stretch my heart and see everyone with Christ-like eyes, the past year or so (especially these last two months at Camp Okoboji and in Nicaragua), has made me realize that my struggle with accepting that kind of love from others is a much bigger deal than I originally thought.
I tend to feel guilty whenever anyone says something or does something nice for me. I don't know why, I just do. After a lot of prayer and reflection, I'm beginning to see how my struggle with accepting love from others paints a clear picture of my relationship with Christ.
I love Jesus. I really do. He is my rock, my light, my everything, but sometimes, my relationship with Him can feel like it's the same as it is with everyone else. And that's no one else's fault but my own. I'm focusing so much on how I don't deserve His love, that I can't let Him completely into my heart. Christ's gift of love is free! It's not by anything that we've done, and it's definitely not because we deserve it!
After many late-night talks at Camp Okoboji in July, I had a better understanding of where I stood in my faith walk, which was great, but I was completely unprepared for how God was going to put me in situations here in Nicaragua where I was going to have to apply that knowledge and start to grow.
The youth in Candelaria began to break my heart and have love pour out of me from the first time I met them, and throughout my time here this trip, that has only gotten stronger. However, I used to think that I was just another missionary coming through, someone they could hang out with for a few weeks that they'd all but completely forget about several months down the road. But, seeing friendships continue to grow that I formed here in January, and experiencing those friendships getting deeper, it becomes clearer and clearer to me that these relationships aren't just one-sided.
Me with some of the kids during Sunday School in January.
It's so easy to leave a mission base at the end of a trip and forget that after you leave, life goes on. You think of the people you worked with fondly, you smile at the photographs, but as more time passes and your life continues to get busier and busier, those relationships begin to fade. But the truth is, while you're back home, all of those people that you witnessed to...with all of their heartache, with all of their brokenness...they're still there. And believe it or not, they do remember you.
This time, I can't forget about the reality I'll be leaving behind when I land in the United States. I couldn't even if I wanted to. The people in Nicaragua are no longer just people I'm witnessing to that I see once or twice a year. They're my friends. True friends. They're climbing right up there close to Camp Okoboji friends...it's crazy! These people have opened up their hearts to me, and showed me pure, Christ-like love, expecting absolutely nothing in return. And if I'm uncomfortable with it, or if I feel guilty and undeserving of their kindness...too bad! They couldn't care less. I love these people, and I am so blessed to be loved by them in return. Praise Jesus for changing the life of a daughter who came here to change the lives of others.
Anthony, me, and Abel. :)
Please keep the mission in your prayers. Hugs from Nicaragua!
Love Always,
-ellie*
why in youtube talk which illuminate are people of devil how lady gaga,rihanna e etc
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