What a week! I'm bummed because the texting to my blog from my phone didn't work again this week. Precamp for this first week went really well. We visited a lot of families and scheduled the projects for our first camp. The kids came on Sunday morning and we played a bunch of games and split them up into their work groups for the week. Every morning during the week we would wake them up at 7, breakfast at 7:30, devotion after that, and then we send them to their projects around 9 am. while the campers were out working, I would go visit them, but mainly I was visiting more families we might be able to work for. We had various worships for the kids every night after they got back from working. On Monday we performed a skit with several of the staff where we were holding candles and singing this little light of mine. One of our staff members played the role of the devil and tried to discourage us. The point was that each of us has a light and we are to shine God's light to the world and take it wherever we go. On Tuesday night we did vespers which is just music and singing. Wednesday night we had a walk through worship where the campers walked to different stations where a staff member had a particular emotion. Then one of our staff gave her testimony and told the campers that in life they are going to go through all kinds of emotions and that they need to give every part of their lives to the Lord. It was truly powerful and we gave the campers the opportunity to come and pray with us or with their friends. Thursday night we had what we call "GT" worship. GT is call Guy Time/ Girl Time where we split up guys and girls and are able to talk about things they are struggling with or whatever they want. Friday night we had more sharing about how they saw God in the day and then "campfire". We couldn't have an actual campfire because we are at a school, but it is a time where the kids can do skits (funny or serious), sing songs, and have fun together. Then afterwards we take communion and the camp director gives her fishhook speech. This is the speech to remind kids to be fisher's of men and to not just live for Jesus at camp. My boyfriend Blake, who is camp director at a different camp also gave his fishhook speech last friday night and I'm really proud of him. :) After the speech/sermon, the staff gives each kid a pin that has a fishook on it to help them remember. Then on Saturday we send the campers off in the morning back to their homes and we finish up any projects we did not get to finish and then do all the paperwork.
We had a bunch of extra bumps in the road for this week. First of all we had a TON of rain! Many of our projects could not be worked on or finished because of it. Wednesday we had a tornado warning and I got caught in the middle of it with some hail and road flooding. On Monday our lead field, Will, hydroplaned and his car fell of the road and rolled on top of a house. He had to be pried out of his car, but praise the Lord he had no broken bones, just some bruising and soreness. One of our campers got bit by a snake as well, but he was taken care of. Other than that, it was an amazing week. The campers had a huge effect on me more than I realized they would. Several came and shared what was on their hearts and I loved having the opportunity to pray with and for them. The families we worked for were so thrilled not just for the work, but that people took time to be with them and talk with them. I am thouroughly enjoying serving the Lord and will be ready to continue serving after a few days rest with family and Blake.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Prepped and Ready to Serve!
Staff training is over and I am home for a few days! I learned so much in just a little over a week. For the first 5 days or so all of the 5 camps and staffs were all training together. Then the camp directors stayed up late one night in order to decide where everyone goes. We have about 35 or so people on staff. As I said in my last blog post I was placed at West Wilkes Middle school. I am really excited about this opportunity to share God’s love up in the mountain area. For those of you that know North Carolina, the counties my camp works in are Ashe, Wilkes, Surry, and Alleghany. Our staff consists of 1 camp director, 1 lead field coordinator, 2 field coordinators, 1 lead program coordinator, and 2 program coordinators (me being one of those). So during what we call Pre pre-camp our staff went to our own camps and visited families who we might be able to work for with the campers. We don’t just go to any random person’s house that looks like they might need some help. We have contacts from people like social services, or mobile meals who give us names people. Then we go to those families and tell them about Carolina Cross Connection with the name of the contact so that they know that we are not trying to scam them and are really who we say we are.
During one of the days we were doing first visits I met this woman named Ruth. She was definitely what I would consider poverty level living with her small rundown trailer with trash all over the place. So we approached her and told her about who we are and asked her if she needed any help. What she said surprised me. This eighty some year old woman whose home was the worst I had seen all day told me that she was capable of taking care of things and that she doesn’t want to take us away from someone who really needs the help, and she will let me know if she will in the future or of anyone else. I was just shocked and in awe of Ruth since she seemed to be the one who needed the most help. It reminds me of how blessed I am in my circumstances and how God provides for my needs.
The counties are divided up among the staff, so I am going to be in charge of Ashe county. This being the top left corner of NC, I ended up driving to Tennessee and Virgina as I was driving to houses located very near the borders. J Most of my days will be spent visiting contacts and doing first visits. During camp weeks, the first one coming up this Sunday, we will organize the campers into major groups splitting up the churches, best friends, boy friend/girl friends, ect so that we can avoid cliques and focus on forming the Christian community we are striving for. Then a field and a program will be in charge of one major group and they will be with that group for the whole week. We will be scheduling and going to the work sites for the campers as well as give them worship and community in the evenings. Each smaller group of 6-7 campers that was divided among the major group will work at about 4 families houses throughout the week ranging from painting and yardwork to building porches and wheelchair ramps.
There is a lot of work to be done before the campers arrive such as more first visits, visiting contacts to get new names of families, scheduling the projects by visiting the families a second time, delivering any needed lumber, and preparing for the skits, worship, and activities for that week. During the days the campers are here, while they are at the work sites, I will be visiting them and helping as well as visiting new families. I am really excited about this opportunity and following God’s leading to work at this camp. It is so much more than what I would consider a normal camp and it is exciting to be able to minister to my ‘neighbors’ here in North Carolina. I will do my best to update the blog as much as possible!
During one of the days we were doing first visits I met this woman named Ruth. She was definitely what I would consider poverty level living with her small rundown trailer with trash all over the place. So we approached her and told her about who we are and asked her if she needed any help. What she said surprised me. This eighty some year old woman whose home was the worst I had seen all day told me that she was capable of taking care of things and that she doesn’t want to take us away from someone who really needs the help, and she will let me know if she will in the future or of anyone else. I was just shocked and in awe of Ruth since she seemed to be the one who needed the most help. It reminds me of how blessed I am in my circumstances and how God provides for my needs.
The counties are divided up among the staff, so I am going to be in charge of Ashe county. This being the top left corner of NC, I ended up driving to Tennessee and Virgina as I was driving to houses located very near the borders. J Most of my days will be spent visiting contacts and doing first visits. During camp weeks, the first one coming up this Sunday, we will organize the campers into major groups splitting up the churches, best friends, boy friend/girl friends, ect so that we can avoid cliques and focus on forming the Christian community we are striving for. Then a field and a program will be in charge of one major group and they will be with that group for the whole week. We will be scheduling and going to the work sites for the campers as well as give them worship and community in the evenings. Each smaller group of 6-7 campers that was divided among the major group will work at about 4 families houses throughout the week ranging from painting and yardwork to building porches and wheelchair ramps.
There is a lot of work to be done before the campers arrive such as more first visits, visiting contacts to get new names of families, scheduling the projects by visiting the families a second time, delivering any needed lumber, and preparing for the skits, worship, and activities for that week. During the days the campers are here, while they are at the work sites, I will be visiting them and helping as well as visiting new families. I am really excited about this opportunity and following God’s leading to work at this camp. It is so much more than what I would consider a normal camp and it is exciting to be able to minister to my ‘neighbors’ here in North Carolina. I will do my best to update the blog as much as possible!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Staff Training
Hi Everyone! So i tried to post onto my blog through my cell phone and it did not work so I need to work on that. Right now I am at a house up in Wilkesboro and I am borrowing someone's labtop. But I found out that I am going to be at West Wilkes Middle School for camp! The mailing address is:
Carolina Cross Connection
Robin Betsch
West Wilkes Middle School
PO Box 1292
Millers Creek, NC 28651
I am really excited about what we are going to do in Wilkesboro! My staff is up in Wilkesboro now working on planning for camp and doing first visits. Already I have seen the great need in the area for our work and God's love. I am going to be in charge of Ashe county which involves me driving all over Ashe county visiting families to see if we can help them out. I will explain more later but I am having a wonderful time and when I get home for a few days I will go into more detail as to what I have been doing. I have to go to a staff meeting right now so I need to run and even though I am not getting much sleep from all the work we are doing, it has been worth it! More to come!
Love,
Robin
Carolina Cross Connection
Robin Betsch
West Wilkes Middle School
PO Box 1292
Millers Creek, NC 28651
I am really excited about what we are going to do in Wilkesboro! My staff is up in Wilkesboro now working on planning for camp and doing first visits. Already I have seen the great need in the area for our work and God's love. I am going to be in charge of Ashe county which involves me driving all over Ashe county visiting families to see if we can help them out. I will explain more later but I am having a wonderful time and when I get home for a few days I will go into more detail as to what I have been doing. I have to go to a staff meeting right now so I need to run and even though I am not getting much sleep from all the work we are doing, it has been worth it! More to come!
Love,
Robin
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