"I Don't Know Why She Does This . . ."

“And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,
Let me now go to the field,
and glean ears of corn after him

in whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.”       

Ruth 2:2 KJV

During morning worship on Sunday, June 16^th as Pastor Sue talked about me serving as a Counselor at Quaker Haven this week she made the comment: “I don’t know why she does this.” I wanted to shout out my answer, but didn’t OR couldn’t. Was it because I felt I had already talked enough a few minutes earlier OR was it because God wanted to share it here. I did, however, jot down the thoughts that were running through my head at that time and thought . . . hummmmmm; this would be an awesome post for the end of my week at Quaker Haven! So, here it is, and I know that Pastor Sue will be reading this.

Let me begin with the thoughts I jotted down that morning during worship . . .

First “I’m not as old as Betty” – you had to have been at Mooresville Friends for worship the week before to understand this; I’m not at Jr High Camp- our nights aren’t as late as theirs; I love going to camp; I loved being at Church Camp – I spent four years at Church Camp (not Quaker Haven) when I was this age as a camper . . . loved every minute of it; I love being up at Quaker Haven Camp – and if you’ve ever been here . . . you can understand this and I love the opportunity it gives me to share God’s creation, His love and His Word with our young Friends.



Now that camp is over, as I sit here and reflect back on the week . . .






Cabin 4 - "Adventure Camp" 2013

I look back at who the 10 girls and the CIT (Counselor In Training) were when they first stepped into our cabin Sunday afternoon and know that the 10 girls and the CIT that went home this afternoon have changed, they’ve grown - I've seen and heard it . . . and I told them so last night. They know that God loves them and cares for them and so do I. It’s like school teachers who say “Those are my kids!” even if it’s been 20 years since they were in their class . . . “These are MY GIRLS!”

I think back on conversations I had with campers, CIT's, Counselors, our session Directors and camp staff . . . before, during and after meals, as we’ve waited in lines, and during games both outside and in the Quack (aka - the gym!). Conversations and sharing while hiking around camp - seeing parts of camp that we don't normally get to see . . . and yes, I lead a group of 13 campers, a CIT and another Counselor in hikes 4 days this week around camp and we had so much fun hiking and talking! The conversations that just 'happened' during free time, hanging out in the cabin first thing in the morning as we woke up and got ready for the day and each evening as we got ready for bed and spent time reflecting on the days activities and during the campfire/popcorn popping/singing.

I think back on Chapel time, cabin devotions and sharing God’s Word and His love with the campers . . . their questions, concerns and the singing . . . lots of singing! Ugh, lots of very LOUD singing. The conversations and sharing of scriptures as we waited out the rain and thunderstorms that altered our scheduled several times. Our morning and evening cabin devotion time . . . and how the girls were so eager to read the short devotionals that I picked out of one of my books and the wonderful conversations and sharing that came from that. How much my girls enjoyed the silly little picture books that I read to them each evening, just before 'lights out' for them to reflect on as they drifted off to sleep and the conversations we'd have the next day about the story . . . and what they thought the hidden meaning of the story was.

And then there was . . . sitting on the floor in the front of the Chapel Thursday night, during the alter call, with MY girls, other campers, CIT's, Counselors and Directors as we talked with them and prayed with and for them . . . the emotions, the tears, lots of tears.

So, let’s go back to Pastor Sue’s comment “I don’t know why she does this.” Well, Pastor Sue, I do it because . . .

• I can;
• I enjoy it;
• The HUGS;
• The smiles;
• It just feels right;
• I get to make new Friends OR is it meet new Friends;
• I get to inspire the campers to be all they can be;
• It’s an opportunity to give encouragement to the campers, CIT’s, Counselors, Directors and Camp Staff . . . and be encouraged by them in the most unexpected ways;
• It’s a way to give back OR ‘pay it forward’ – the Church Camp experience. They may not remember my name, but they will remember some nugget from our time together;
• It’s an opportunity to share the love of God and His Word with our young Friends;
• It’s a warm fuzzy feeling deep down inside;
• OK, I’ll say it . . . it’s a Ministry!

And spending a week up at Quaker Haven Camp as a Counselor blesses me in so many ways . . . it refreshes me, it gives me new insights, it gives me time to renew my relationship with God.

And after another awesome week at Quaker Haven . . .

I’m feeling really Blessed!

“Wonder”

“And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,
Let me now go to the field,
and glean ears of corn after him
in whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.”

Ruth 2:2 KJV

                                            

“Wonder,” happens to be the theme up here at Quaker Haven Camp this summer.

“. . . so that you may proclaim the virtues

of the one who called you out of darkness

and into His wonderful light.”      First Peter 2:9b

As I re-read my first two postings, which I will admit I actually wrote before I came up to camp, I noticed that I had used the word “wonder” and “wondering” in what I wrote. Did I do that on purpose, with the theme of camp this week on my mind? No, but as unintentional as it was, on my part, that I should use those words and post them here this week from camp – I have to go back to a comment I made in my first post “I Shall Find Grace” when I wrote about the difficulty I had in finding a name for my Blog that hadn’t already been taken . . . you remember, that God must have had another name in mind for me to use. Well, I believe that God planted those words in my earlier posts.

Wondering . . . what are they looking at?

In my preparations to come to camp I not only read and thought about the scripture from First Peter, but I also looked up the word ‘wonder.’ I was ‘wondering’ what it meant. Here’s what I found:

Wonder - 1. a. One that arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration; a marvel: "The decision of one age or country is a wonder to another" (John Stuart Mill). b. The emotion aroused by something awe-inspiring, astounding, or marvelous: gazed with wonder at the northern lights. 2. An event inexplicable by the laws of nature; a miracle. 3. A feeling of puzzlement or doubt. 4. often Wonder A monumental human creation regarded with awe, especially one of seven monuments of the ancient world that appeared on various lists of late antiquity.

This week as we talk and share during Chapel time, cabin devotions and at other times with the campers and staff we ‘wondered.’ We wondered about what's right and wrong, temptations - what temps us and why and choices.

What is it that causes you to wonder? Do you ever wonder if you did or said the right thing to someone? OR What the right thing to say is?

I wonder how the campers that are here this week will change, or be changed? What nuggets will they take home with them? How will they share what they learned at camp this week? And with whom will they share it? I can tell you that I've seen some changes in the 10 girls in my cabin already . . . in just a couple of days.

I’m wondering . . . am I sharing the right things with the girls in my cabin? Could I have done or said something differently? What difference am I making in their lives this week? What difference is God make in their lives this week?

Personally, I continue to wonder what God’s plans are for me. Why has God called me to do what I’m doing?

 

I can tell you that something changed for me last night and although I was upset  with the news, I know that it's all a part of God's plan for my life. I know that when God closes one door - He opens another . . .

 

What is God’s plan for me next month on the Pilgrimage in Ireland and Northern Ireland? What is it that God has for me to do after I return from Ireland? Where else will He send me?

I’m still wondering . . .

 

 

“The Meaning of GRACE . . . “

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me not go to the field,
and glean ears of corn after him

in whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2 KJV

 

OK, so I think I’ve got a name for my Blog . . .





Lake at Quaker Haven Camp

But, before I could commit myself to “I shall find grace,” I had to know, what does the word ‘grace’ mean? I did a web search, and wasn’t really coming up with anything that was working for me. I knew that this little piece of scripture, just had to make more sense to me OR it wasn’t gonna work . . . so I kept looking and then I read this:

James Ryle has suggested that “Grace is the empowering Presence of God enabling you to be who He created you to be, and to do what He has called you to do.”

 

WOW! That’s it! Exactly! I shall find what He is calling me to do. I knew when I read this, that I now had the name for my Blog!

 

Many of you reading this know that I work with 3^rd & 4^thgrade Weekday Religious Ed classes – one of the songs we teach the students goes like this:

 

“God has a plan for you and me,

only He knows what we can be.

Follow His teachings and learn to trust.

God has a plan for us.”

 

Wondering . . . what is God’s plan for me?





I Shall Find Grace . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,
and glean ears of corn after him

in whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2 KJV

Picking a name for a Blog sounds really easy . . . until you try and do it. Why? Because, as I found out very quickly the name I had picked and was so right for me and so what I wanted . . . was already taken by someone else . . . OR should I say by several others (different versions of the same). UGH!



Quaker Haven Camp

Was I disappointed, extremely, but then I quickly realized that there was something else going on here. Why when I felt so strongly attached to a specific name had others already claimed it? Why wasn't it there for me to use? Then I began to wonder . . . Was I attached to that name for the wrong reason? And then the thought came to me that God must have another name in mind for me, and that when I finally found that name, I would know it and it would be available.

I was however, stuck that the name for my Blog had to come from the book of Ruth a story that I am very familiar with and one that keeps coming up in my life over and over again for at least the last 35-40 years. So, there is some history between Ruth and I . . . and maybe, someday, Ill get into that, until then . . . at least some of you know a piece of that, and that will have to do, for now.

So, I read and re-read the book of Ruth . . . and nothing. Knowing that there are many versions of the Bible, and since I was at Mooresville Friends Church at the time, I started looking and I read Ruth in several different versions and reread some, and still nothing. Then I started to just read different verses that seemed to jump out at me. And, when I read "I shall find grace" KJV . . . I thought that's it! But, before getting too excited about it, I checked to see if it was available, it was, and I was excited to finally have a name . . .