Raccoons, Cockroaches, and Jesus

 (Warning: Some details have been modified to keep this story shorter)

This weekend held the most eventful camping trip I have yet to take.  Picture this. 

You are stranded in the woods with 20 or so teens and adults in your youth group family.  You here a high-pitched noise ring through the trees.  You shine your flashlight on the woods in front of you and start to scan the scene.  To your dismay, you see many pairs of eyes looking back at you.

This is almost exactly what happened on Sunday.  We had arrived at the campsite around the time that a group of scouts was leaving.  They warned us of raccoons the size of dogs and cockroaches as big as our finger.  We just assumed that they were trying to scare us, and even the ranger said that if you don’t have food out in the open, you would be fine. 

So we started setting up our tents and moved our backpacks inside.  Then we ate.  As the sun was setting, we noticed a raccoon walking along the path a ways away.  Paying little attention to it, we started singing.  “Light of the world forever … EEEEEE EEEEE EEEEE” The raccoons were out.  It seemed as if they all were let from a cage because you would see them everywhere.  Right behind you, gathered around your tent; they were all over!  When we finally looked at them, we realized that they were trying to break into the tent.  Our youth pastor went to go scare them away, and came back saying that the raccoons had unzipped his tent, and had been walking around inside. 

Instead of leaving, we decided to go to the store to buy some ammonia to keep away the critters.  As one of the ladies reached into the tent for her purse, a raccoon reached for the zipper only inches away from her foot.  When we tried to scare it away, it wouldn’t move!  That was the final straw.  We decided to pack up and go home.  We had to take down a chain, pull the cars through the woods, and shine the headlights at the tents just to see our feet in the dark.

That was when we noticed the cockroaches.  They would scurry over your feet if you kept them still, so we stood on benches.  I have never seen a campsite go down that fast.  A tent it took an hour and a half to put up went down in under 20 minutes!  We quickly got out of there.

We ended up staying at our youth pastors house, or at least the boys that wanted to stay at the camp staying inside.  The girls slept outside in a collapsing tent.  I personally had fun, but I can’t say the same for everyone else. 

All in all though, whether it was fun or not, whether the camping was successful, we did get a lot out of the trip.  An eighth grader that has been coming to youth group since sixth grade accepted Christ as his Savior.  In that case, it doesn’t matter that we had to battle raccoon and cockroach problems, or broken tent poles, because the kingdom of Christ grew this weekend.  And I wouldn’t mind battling rain and snakes next time if it means that the angels in heaven are rejoicing salvation.  This weekend just shows that sometimes, trials can bring triumph.  So lets work to set the world on fire, one wrecked camping trip at a time!

You Move Me

Here's something I wrote in  Creative Writing.

You move me like the cool breeze of yesterday and the light of tomorrow.  A dawn of a new day, an end to all sorrow.  And with every day, I am forced into wonder, of a Savior, a Messiah, whose name brings the thunder. Or the quietest whisper in my ear, spoken so that only I will hear.
You move me like the light at the end of my hall, a constant reminder that you catch me when I fall.  You move me like the sun kisses the water at sunset, and how the moon disappears without a word, and I would be plunged into darkness if you would ever leave me, for only with you can I truly see.  And at night when no one it's near, I call out your name because I can't do it alone and you are the song I am singing.
You move me like the mountains you could, the rain on a sad goodbye, my favorite song, but look : I see the day coming when I can see your face and thank you for your endless love and grace. 
Lord I need you, oh I need you and I anxiously await the day of our rescue.  But until that day I will wait and see, Lord continue to move in me.

Keep the Fire Burning

This week at school and at youth group and with the comments from my blog post last week, I kind of felt God speaking to me.  It really wasn't insane or extraordinary, but it really has given me a new view and purpose for this upcoming school year.  Keep the fire burning.  Yep, that's it.  And I honestly think that my goal for this year, although simple, is pretty amazing. 
Last year, I tried to live by my blog title, set the world on fire.  And this year, the fire that God sparked in my heart will still remain.  I will keep the fire burning.  You all know about the burden that He has placed on my heart for missions; my goal is to keep that fire burning.  The one burning here in my Jerusalem, yep, I am going to keep that fire burning too.
So I will leave you with this.  Whether Christ has been your best friend for as long as you can remember, or you just met Him today.  Whether you have you have acknowledged His presence, or you are still finding your way back home.  Keep the fire burning, and maybe together, with the help of our Heavenly Father, we can set the world on fire.

One Moment

It is amazing how one moment in time can be life-changing. 
     For those of you that don't know, this summer, I took a week long trip to Nicaragua.  It was the best week of my life and I am still amazed at how much God changed me on that trip.  I still remember sitting on the plane in Fort Lauderdale and awaiting my next footstep into Nicaragua.  I vividly remember the first hotel we stayed in, and waiting for the bus to come that first day.  However, as distinctly as I remember everything, I am still so sad because I am forgetting what if felt like to be in Nicaragua. 
    One of the days I remember like yesterday was on the Tuesday that we were there.  It was the second day of VBS and we were at the village of Mateare.  I can recall how badly those kids needed love, and how we were so willing to give it.  One girl in particular stuck out to me.  I remember her being the one that didn't only want a hug, but she wanted me to hold her.  I held her for about 10 minutes when she wanted me to take her to her house.  I had to say no because I couldn't go unaccompanied.  I thought that I wouldn't see her again, but a few minutes later she was back and in my arms.  I can still see the people and feel that gentle breeze as I held her that day and gazed up at the mountains and thought about the song "This is Home" :

This is home

Now I'm finally

Where I belong

Where I belong

Yeah, this is home

I've been searching

For a place of my own

Now I've found it

Maybe this is home

Yeah, this is home
I thought about how maybe God was calling me to Nicaragua, or maybe it was to show me that I can do that in Florida, but I left that day knowing that God was calling me back.  Maybe not to Managua, maybe not even Nicaragua, or even South America, but I knew that God was calling me into missions.  So I decided that I would go where He wants me to, and right now, that means being a missionary to my Jerusalem, here in Land O Lakes, but I know that His plan is best, and I will follow Him where He wants so that I can set the world on fire!

"Dear Maddy" , My Guide to Middle School

This coming school year, my sister, Madelyn, will be going into middle school. I want her to get the most out of it, so I have decided to write her a middle school survival guide.

Dear Madelyn,
Welcome to the wonderful world of bells, 6 classes, and crazy personalities.  Middle school will be a big change from 5th grade.  Here are some tips I have for keeping your head on straight and having successful character.
1.  Make sure you are willing to break apart from the majority.  Don't worry about fitting in.  You might not be the picture perfect popular girl, but don't feel like you have to be.  Stand out.  Be different.  It will get you a lot further than fitting in.
2.  Keep a good relationship with Mom and Dad.  I cannot understand why my friends hate their parents or don't want to stay in touch with them.  They love you, so don't treat them like dirt.  Plus, keeping a good relationship means less yelling and more fun.
3.  Choose your friends wisely.  You reflect your friends, so be around the people that you want to be like.
4.  Don't let others words get to you.  You might get lots of negative comments from a lot of people (but I don't know why because you are an amazing girl), just don't let there words bring you down.  You are worth so much more than what other people think of you.
5.  Keep your eyes on God.  His opinion matters most.  Stick with Him and always know that He will be there to catch you if you fall.  Make sure He is the center of your years and they will turn out great!

Love you sissy,
Abby <3

My Fear of People (Well sort of)

I get scared sometimes.  Okay, I will admit; I get scared a lot.  I am afraid of things like snakes, lizards (don't even ask why), an over-attachment to Facebook (yes, that scares me).  But what scares me most, is that people that I walk by everyday won't be with me in heaven.  That they won't ever get the chance to hear the glorious news of Christ.  I am afraid for people I don't know.  And do you know the worst part?  I won't be able to tell all of them.  I could always stop people in the hallways, but there will be that person that walks to fast for me to catch.  How am I supposed to tell ALL of them?
That is where you all come in.  Not only is it my job to tell them, but it's your job too.  We are all called as children of God to be lights to the darkest corners.  We all need to share Christ instead of hogging Him.
So this week, I challenge you.  Be a light to ONE person (or more if your heart so does desire).  You don't even have to pick a stranger, it can be a friend.  Tell them about Christ, or even just invite them to church.  I want God to use us this week.  Help me get over my fear, and lets be the sparks to set the world on fire.

Psalm 69

I read this week during my devotions and really fell in love with it.  David really pours out his heart and begs for God to rescue him.  This really fit what I was going through.  Saturday, I felt like I couldn't feel God, and that I was just going through the motions.  But then, when I read this, I was encouraged to keep marching on.  Although I really like verses 1-19 (and really encourage you to look at them), my favorite part was verses 29-33:

²⁹ But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
    may your salvation, God, protect me.

³⁰ I will praise God’s name in song
    and glorify him with thanksgiving.
³¹ This will please the Lord more than an ox,
    more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
³² The poor will see and be glad—
    you who seek God, may your hearts live!
³³ The Lord hears the needy
    and does not despise his captive people

I realized that the Lord does hear me, and that He does care, and even though we have hard times finding God, He will still use us to set the world on fire.