Video

I just saw this video posted on facebook, made by RC (who is one of the full time staff), and I had to share it. It shows scenes from Youth Camp and Adult Camp, which I was there for, but also their Family Camp and Ski Camp. It is too good not to share now. And by good, I mean a good video, and it brings back good memories :] Enjoy!

Camp Des Cimes 2010

I was so privileged to serve alongside these people.

I also read a statistic, and tried to look up an actual source, but all I could find were unofficial estimates. All stated that France's population is less then 5% Protestant. No, they aren't what we would consider a 'developing' country, but that doesn't mean they don't need Jesus. Please say a prayer for France. Say a prayer for these kids.

Thank you again, for reading!

"May they be brought into complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them even as you have loved Me."

-Jesus, from John 17: 23.

Adult Camp

I really would come up with more creative titles if I had the brainpower, or time.

Since school has taken from me the luxury of lengthy posts, you will have shorter summaries. Which means that if I don't address something, and you have a question about it, you should ask. I would love to tell stories :] I do apologize for the long time it has taken me to post this, I'm still learning to manage my time better.

Today, I glanced through some pictures from France. Today, I ate my last chocolate bar from Europe. And I said goodbye to one of the girls from my team who came to visit this weekend. And I remembered why I wear the anklet I have with the fleur de lis on it.

Today, I miss my French friends.

If Youth Camp was 'go play with kids', Adult camp was 'go make friends.'

And I miss them.

Adult camp started, like I've said before, on a Tuesday.

And as I said before, I was running very low on energy, and other things I needed to give.

But God came in, and brought some young men and women, who were so very eager to learn and smile, and celebrate life and Jesus that it touched my exhausted heart.

We were supposed to be there to be an encouragement and witness to them, and they came and were that for me. How humbling, and lovely.

I remember meeting each of them for the first time, they a little shy, but soon opening up with us. And talking. And talking. We had fun dong so many things that week and a half, as Adult Camp is quite a bit smaller, more relaxed, and gives a little more freedom to what we can do as a group. We had fun going to an African Pop concert, going to town, rock climbing, on the AC hike (that's almost another story on its own!) and other things, like picnicking lunch on camp, by a fire place, or painting together. So many enjoyable things on a surface level, but there is SO much more. Like I said, we talked- a lot. There were three precious sisters from Poland, Marta, Magda, and Paulina. They are so sweet hearted, and genuine, it was such a joy to talk with them. They have grown up in Poland, so they obviously speak Polish, they are learning French, and also learning English. They were always curious, and never afraid to talk about any certain topic. I remember one day that Marta and I were eating lunch in chairs close to the fire (yes, we wanted a fire in July!) and we talked about school, what we were both studying, what we enjoyed doing, and how it all related, and how we saw God in little and big things. It was awesome! There were other precious girls, like Pricille, Claire Lise, and Sarah, Anais, and Ketsia who had the option to return after going to Youth Camp as well. I just loved being able to get to know them, and share life with them for a few weeks.

Now, I feel like I'm neglecting to mention the guys that were at camp, haha. These guys were great; confident servants, who knew when to have fun and push some limits in wearing their speedos to the beach night event, and also when to be serious and have intellectual conversations. They were intentional leaders. It was great!

I found myself at the end of camp hearing from the other students, that they felt that the camp was too short; they felt like we were all just getting to function like a family, and they treasured that and did not want to leave it.

I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly.

Goodbyes are not easy. But they are good.

We all hope to see each other again, and I pray that we will, this side or the next.

I thank God every time I think of France, and what He allowed me to be a part of there.

I would totally go back if given the opportunity to again!

Here are some pictures to share:

These are my Polish sister friends, Paula, Magda, and Marta.

This is me probably about halfway up our hike the first day of the AC hike.

It was breath taking.

This is me, Elizabeth, Katy, Miranda, and Siri at the African Pop concert. It was great fun!

I will post again, hopefully with some more specific stories of Adult Camp.

Be blessed this week friends, and "let us hold unswervingly to the HOPE that we profess, for He who promised is faithful... so do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

-Hebrews 10:23, 35-36

The Power of Prayer and Dish Soap.

Since I last posted, I've found some other fun resources and pages that you can visit if you want to know more about the staff I worked with, and the camps I helped with.

If you would like to read about the staff, click here.

If you would like to see the Camp Des Cimes facebook page, click here.

There are some videos, and more pictures, and French you can try and read if you like.

I'll try and post with pictures and video next time too :]

I know it's been a little while, but I am holding to the promise that I will continue these.

Even when it's hard to.

Kinda like the few days we had in between Youth Camp, and Adult Camp.

I had been sick the last three days of YC, which is rough on me, both physically and mentally. Add to that the campers leaving, and saying individual goodbye's (it's a little different, but I love it. But more difficult). Needless to say, I completely crashed. Like slept more than normal people should sleep, ate less than normal people should eat, and cared less than normal people should care. I crashed, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I was praying for strength I didn't have, and hadn't had. I was on my last motivation kick, and was running low. I was so blessed that we had two days without campers, so I could sleep, pray, and recover. I was by no stretch of the imagination what I would consider "ready" for new campers to come, and was scared that I in my lack of energy was going to take away from what needed to happen in those next two weeks.

There is one phrase I kept hearing though, one I've heard before, but have never had to practice quite like this.

"Fake it 'til you make it."

I was there.

I hate faking it. I have been shown little value in anything regarding the word 'fake'.

I wanted to just be real and honest, and that be enough.

But, you never grow like that.

You have to step up to a higher level than you think you can.

You have to take another step up into who God is trying to make you.

So, at first, you have to fake it.

At least until you make it.

Which, is what I tried to do. I had no other choice if I wanted to be involved in anything worth while, or God-glorifying.

I mean, I was a pretty bad faker. Trust me.

I'm not proud to admit that I probably could have given more during that time than I did.

I had my moments of giving in to weakness. More than I'd like to admit.

I could have pushed myself more.

But, by Friday (the adult campers came on a Tuesday), I had the moment.

The God-given moment where faking it became making it.

We were in a "sports time" where we had to run around to different activities. In one of them, we had to make commercials using a certain key phrases, and a certain few objects. We would perform them later in front of everyone, and have judges. Hilarious, right? We came up with one pretty quick, and developed it throughout the time we had, and then moved on to the next event. We came back, and were one of the first groups to present. A few minutes before, we had a run-through, and it felt like it was missing something.

Let me just say, we were advertising for a hair product that could make your hair grow, and cover those 'embarrassing bald spots'. It can't get much funnier, especially when you are given things like tea cups, a ski mask, a green wig, dishwasher soap, and pieces of what once was a girl's genie Halloween costume.

It was awesome.

But there was something missing.

And then, a light bulb turned on inside my head. (Thank you Jesus!)

Pour the dish soap on your head.

Yup.

Not a big deal in the States, and not really in general if you think about it. It's just soap.

But it was too perfect. No one expected it from me, it's completely not something they would normally do, and I would be showing a little piece of me through all the craziness I felt inside my head.

The judges' faces were priceless.

Our team won.

My hair smelt like lemon-lime for hours.

But more importantly, I learned the value in 'fake it 'til you make it'.

Please don't think I wasn't excited about meeting, and hanging out with, and talking with these students, they were eager, and wonderful and so patient with me. Please don't think that I am some super-awesome person because I 'made it'. Those aren't the reasons I tell that story.

I tell it, because I was literally journaling things like:

"...Lord, I'm scared, because my attitude hasn't yet recovered. Please help me to renew my mind. I feel so 'done', but I am not yet finished... give me energy, help me to mentally be engaged, and help me draw my strength from You. I need you Father, I'm trying to show Your love through. Help me to just love, whatever it looks like, and even if I don't like how, just to love..."

And then I went, and read 1 John 4:16.

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us."

And I heard "Not by strength, not by might, but by Your Spirit." (Zechariah 4:6 )

And I was told to wait in this place. To rest there, for a few precious days.

And then He gave me that light bulb moment, where a little dish soap in my hair was what I needed to think, see, and feel more clearly.

That's all Him. Using broken, silly, and doubtful me. I cannot, and will not take His credit. I had nothing to do with the success of breaking down myself here, and I might have been doing things that were fighting against it. But once I saw what I had to do, and was given the strength, it was just a matter of when I would get a shower to rinse out the goo.

Now, I don't mean to make this story seem bigger than it really is. You may think that I am exaggerating a little dish soap story. And maybe I am. But if I am exaggerating what God did, then aren't I just bringing Him more glory?

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says:

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I had/have verse 9, at least in this story. It's the verse 10 that adds to my list of weaknesses, because I was not as close as Paul was in 'delighting' also in those trials. I was crawling. I'm only just beginning to see, and understand.

Seeing how it's a bit late, and I've written quite a bit, I think I'll pause this for now. There is much more to say.

Thank you all for your patience with me as I wrestle with what to write here.

Thank you for all the prayer I know I had on this trip. Not because anyone told me per say, but because of how it all went. I had to have had prayer.

Thank you for giving me so much financial support I am able to help my other teammates.

(I'm working on the idea of thank-you notes, Sky and I are having communication difficulties).

Thank you Jesus for leading me how you have.

He is so good.

Please say a prayer for me as I continue to transition back to life here. School is about to start, and I fully feel like I am in 'the calm before the storm' in many ways. Part of what was very freeing for me in France was how free of responsibility I was. Well, I had many responsibilities, but.... it's different. I'm just really struggling with the idea of school demanding my attention, effort, and energy. I want to put it other places. I'm impatient to be fully 'here'. But, I've got to wait! And it starts Monday, whether I am ready or not. So it's a little hard to make posts like these, reflecting like I need to, still learning like I should, but also looking forward, and trying to step up into who I need to start being this semester. It's not going to be easy, but it will be good.

Please say a prayer for the students we talked with, and as we have a little continued contact with them. Pray that they would continue to be refreshed, and grow. It's a harsh environment these kids to walk back into, and it will not be easy.

Please say a prayer for Camp des Cimes, and the staff. I miss them dearly, and I know that they all work very hard :]

"The LORD gives strength to His people;

The LORD blesses His people with peace."

Psalm 29:11

Youth Camp 2

Ok. So I cannot talk about Youth Camp, without talking about the randonnee (ron-da-nay)

or the hike. It was my first overnight backpacking type trip, and I was naturally nervous, as were a few of the campers around me. But once we got going, and I found my pace, and started taking pictures, I was great. Thank God He kept us safe, and energized; we had already been running around camp for a week, and this gave me the second wind I needed for the rest of Youth Camp. Once we got to our camping spot for that evening, I got to sit with some girls while dinner was generously being prepared, and play. Yes. I said play. We giggled, took jumping pictures (example below), and A girl named Celine and I played the 'figure out who it was that just poked me with that piece of tickle-y grass' game. It was hilarious! What a joy to be, and give the chance to others to be, a five year old kid again. What freedom, and inhibition I was able to see, and know that she was allowing me to see it! And she loved it! It spread fast, (Alisha was soon pulled into our game, and then it grew exponentially from there) and there was a long night of grass-poking. I will never forget the feeling of pure joy I had.

Those leaders really knew what they were doing trekking all 70-some-odd campers and staff up there. The dynamics of the group immediately began a-changing. Funny how that happens.

But I digress. That night, we had a campfire (one of my most favorite things), and sang, along with more giggling and shadow puppets. Some of the girls that were with me don't yet have a high level of English, and I think we all know the extent of my French, but these were such simple joys, that they didn't need words.

Thank you Lord for grass, cameras, and shadow puppets!

The next morning, we all had what is called SOLO time. Where for two hours, you sat. Away from everyone else, undistracted time to do whatever you could think of. Whatever you wanted. It's a great time for the kids, because they may never have had to sit and rest/deal with thoughts for that long alone in God's beautiful creation. Again, how perfectly planned. It's also a great time for us staff, I know that I almost never get two full hours to do 'whatever', much less in that beautiful environment. For a while I journaled, and read, but the rest of the time, I just sat. Tried to wrap my mind around all around me, tried to soak things in. I was able to just sit, and devote my attention to God's incredible creation around me. It was awesome, really. I could talk about it for a long time. The area was beautiful; here's another picture to share:

After that, we had lunch and started the hike to the next camp site. It was also beautiful, and I had the opportunity to stand on the edge of a cliff. I could not take it all in, the scenery looks almost as if you could just jump into it, like a picture, or reach out and touch it, because it's just so big it's hard to grasp. I had a great conversation with a new friend, Debora about this, and other things, silly and serious. It was great to talk with her!

We had our campfire going, and it started to thunder. The clouds moved in, and there was talk of watching them, in case we needed to relocate quickly. How we would have relocated 70 people quickly, in the rain, in any sort of organized manner, I don't know, but thank God, He kept the thunder, lightening, and rain as a show. Oh, we got soggy :] But it was awesome to watch. I can't describe what it was like hearing, and watching, and feeling the storm come in. Experiencing it, staying out in it (yes, I did) and marveling at just the power of it all.

It was one of the best feelings. I never want to forget it.

The next day, we hiked thankfully down to hot showers, and a hearty chicken-pot-pie lunch.
As I mentioned before though, the dynamics f the group had changed; God was opening these kids up from the hike on. What great work He does!

Girls night

Also, another significant event was the Girls Night we had with the campers. The French counselors came to us and wanted us to join, which we loved. It was full of chocolate cookies, tea, and nail painting. You just can't go wrong with that stuff on a girls night :] I also had the opportunity to talk with the girls about how their identity is not in how they look, and how their value of themselves and each other must not be there either. It will change, and fade. I'm only 21, but I do know these things, hah. Also, I got to share about how God loves us no matter what we look like, or how we perceive ourselves. Which is pretty big stuff, if you really think about it; I'm afraid we lose the truth in that because we hear it so often.

Anyway, girls night was fun, and I walked away with the French flag painted on my nails, and hopeful that God was right in saying that His word will not return void. I know that He encouraged me through many of these girls!

Ah. Now, this is no where near the end of what happened at Youth Camp, but it is the end of what I will tell you. Next: Adult camp.

If you could also say a prayer for the camp, it would be great. I know they are all finishing up 'Family Camp' this week, so pray over the exhausted staff who remained, and over the families there they are ministering to.

Pray for those who have gone to Camp des Cimes this summer, the youth, and adults, and the relationships that God began there.

Pray for the girls on my team and I, as I know we are getting ready to go back into school mode, and we may or may not be fully adjusted yet.

Pray for my fellow Aggie friends, we were in at least ten different countries this summer, (and many more cultures) and they may be feeling a bit of this same reverse shock affect.

Thank God for what He did this summer, through these little and broken humans. He is so good.

"And I pray that you, rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

Youth Camp 1

Ah yes. Now it begins. I think I'll start with telling you all about the Youth English Camp, which was the first two weeks of camp at Camp Des Cimes (con-day-seem), or as we would say, Camp of the Peaks.

But first, allow me to introduce the 2010 Sky Ranch Missions France team.

That makes us sound very official.

We're totally not.

We girls love chocolate in a way unlike I have seen any four girls combined ever before, we aren't afraid to share just where we're at with each other, we support one another, and drink more tea than normal.

After a little confusion, and a change right at the end, the official team is made of the four of us girls, plus our fearless leader Glenn (not pictured), whom we fondly refer to as Uncle Glenn.

He doesn't mind so much anymore.

The four girls are Elizabeth, myself, Lydia and Katy.

Elizabeth is the sarcastic, genuine and funny one,

Katy is the goofy, expressive and warm one,
and Lydia is the energetic, on task and friendly one.
Oh, and me- I laugh a lot, and do not share the obsession of the other three with Harry Potter.

(I think they have forgiven me).

The four of us have learned so much together, and I loved being with them throughout this entire adventure; God truly blessed us! We had a ton of fun, though it seems the only time we spent together was in getting ready for bed- we went days where we wondered where the others had been, even if we were always within 150 yrds of each other. The camp is pretty small in area, but beautifully laid out in the extremely small village of La Rivoire. (Here are some pictures!)

This is the house we stayed in for the first two weeks.

At one point we looked down on camp from up there!

Now, of course we weren't the only staff. Camp des Cimes has an incredible staff, who is very competent, and aware, as well as fun loving and hilarious. There are 11 full time staffers, each leaving their valuable, individual impression on me, and the campers within a short amount of time. (I would go into their stories, but we would be here all day). They all work toward the goal of Camp des Cimes, to be "a haven in France for God to save the lost and strengthen the found.” They manage sound, activities, schedules, and more importantly, relationships with people; we had 54 campers one camp, and 20-something the next. I am very glad that I got the chance to rub elbows with them!

There are also a number of other volunteers, couples, and French counselors, who were great to work with! I learned a lot from everyone, that is for sure, and by the end had made some very good friends.

Now that I've introduced the staff, and the camp itself, let's talk about Youth English Camp 2010. There are a bunch of pictures, people, memories and ideas that come to mind when I think of it, so I've tried for our ease and convenience to organize those thoughts into topics... some to be covered now, and some in the next post. Forgive me when it sounds impersonal, or removed. We'll start in the background, and work our way forward. Kind of like painting a picture, or setting a stage.

The first thing my parents asked once driving me home from the airport was, "So, did you learn any French?"

They are not the first, nor will they be the last :]

Language difference/communication:

Anything deemed necessary was said in both languages, such as lessons/messages or instructions for a game. But the little individual conversations with kids were always an adventure.

Most of the campers had fairly good English. At any rate, their English was better than my French (I have managed to pick up just a few phrases). This "complication" turned out to be a fun one more often than not. Why? Well, how do you look when you are trying to communicate without using your language as the primary means? You make lots of funny faces, wave your hands way to much, and slow down your speech to about half the speed. Hilarious. I was particularly excited when I discovered the pure joy the kids took at teaching me French words and phrases, and listening to me butcher them. Really. With French, unless you say things with an exact accent, they will have no idea what you have just said. Which, combined with an anglophone's (big word, I know.. it means 'English speaker's') way of saying our "R's", and a francophone's way (theirs is not like Spanish, much more throat) provides endless entertainment. Through many training sessions with my friend Celine, I have officially been determined incapable of pronouncing the French word for 'tree'. But I did learn a few phrases, including how to say "Hello, my name is Lauren, I am 21 years old, I am from Texas," "I am a rock," "I like stars" and other random words like "today," or "aujourd'hui" which is my favorite to say. (The best phonetic spelling I can come up with is oh-jou-dwee). Regardless, we got a kick out of all of these exchanges. More importantly, whilst we were so gracefully butchering the French language, the kids became more comfortable with speaking in English. Which is great, because that is part of the attraction in coming, and because of the two languages, it's the one I speak fluently. I firmly believe that this is one tool the camp has figured out, and that God uses in this camp. The English language... who knew an idea so simple would work so well? I think that God uses this in many ways, two of which are 1) the parents love that their kids are going somewhere to practice a valuable language, and 2) the kids love coming and having fun, while being in a supportive learning environment for their English. And that supportive environment, runs deeper than just the language. Whether they realize it or not.

Now, I also want to take the time to point out something I will no doubt point out again: A lot goes unsaid in the French culture. Granted, a lot is said, and they aren't afraid to speak their mind, but a lot is unsaid. Maybe I picked up on it because I was in a different culture, or maybe just because I was watching. Either way, something that I was pleasantly surprised with at the camp is that Jesus is not one of those things 'that goes unsaid'. I was expecting to have to be a lot 'sneakier', and more restricted with my "Christian language" than I actually had to. Which was great! We encouraged the kids to consider a bunch of ideas, all of which were core Biblical issues and topics, and to really encounter them. The theme of camp was "Think Big, Live Different". So, we would listen to staff members speak on different ideas, give testimonies, or even watch a movie like 'Invictus', and talk about the core ideas promoted in the movie. I had the chance to share something, which I will talk about later. We encouraged them to really think about why they do what they do, and how God in our lives should affect that. They learn a bit more about philosophy in school than we do in America, so this 'encouraging them think about The Truth and giving them opportunity to talk about it' thing is a window into talking with them about The Truth.

Workshops/Sports:

Another important aspect of camp involves the workshops. We had quite a few- music, dance, watercolor, drawing, video, drama, and a camp newspaper. It was great fun! What happpens is the campers pick one, and stick with it for the two weeks. I helped a wonderful woman named Rose with the watercolor workshop, or Aquarelle, though I felt like I did nothing different than the kids. I learned a lot from it! And most of what I learned has nothing to do with art. Much of it had to do with the kids. I was given so much insight into the kids thoughts just by watching them in watercolor. You didn't need language to do that, and though some things are definitely culturally different, people will read the same to an extent. We often went outside to paint, which helped give us more to talk about. There were five girls, and one boy in there. I loved getting to know each of them, whether through their art, or conversation, or both. Sarah was so careful and had a steady hand, and an eye for detail, Lea told the best riddles, and was brave with her art, Noemi was friendly and painted with a broken elbow, Violaine was sweet and enthusiastic, Katarina was talented at different styles, and Theophil got his inspiration straight off the top of his head, knew what he wanted it to look like, and made it happen.

I really think that the workshops are valuable in that they gave me a window into the kid's heads, and time to relate better with them. It gave the kids an outlet to express themselves in a new or familiar way, and have fun. And, there is a lot to be learned from painting. People who would walk up and watch us, would want to try, and quickly become frustrated. Things that Rose would say in encouraging out little Picasso's would click immediately with a part of me. "Don't be afraid to leave some blank spots, in fact, it looks better if you do." Or "Put it down, and come back to it in a little bit, that will help. Then maybe look at it from across the room."

I see such parallels to life there, not just paint!

During the sports times, I learned more about the kids as a group and about the French culture. How they respond to things, what they think about things; who knew you could tell so much just from interacting on a team with kids while swimming through soapy water on a tarp and performing a dance on a balance beam? The team sports times were fun, and even though I am not incredibly competitive, we of the Orange team managed to do pretty well. (O-O-Orange it's magic... ya knowwww, never believe it's not so!) We also had sports workshops with the kids, and I helped "coach" volleyball. Another wonderful woman named Amanda and I ran through the basics with them, tried to show the importance of communication and a unified mind, and watched them try and embrace it all in three days. I was delighted when they did well, and even more that they had fun, and most of all that they ran with the opportunity to be friends with it. A bit more of that supportive/constructive environment was put into their camp lives there. God taught me a bit too, putting me in the co-coach position (ha!).

There is more about Youth Camp to come soon, I promise! Thank you for reading, I do hope that these posts do provide you with some small picture of what God did during those few weeks, and encouragement of what God is doing in France, as much as they remind me of that fact.

'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.'

2 Thess. 3:18

Home.

Hello again!

After about 20 hours of travel (with only one incident... don't leave your camping knife in your carry-on backpack), dinner at Cracker Barrel with my family, and sleeping in my own bed, I can finally say that I am home.

Or am I?

In the last few years, I have called many places home.

Dallas

College Station

wherever my friends and family are,

Quapaw, Oklahoma,

and now perhaps even La Rivoire, France.

It makes me think of Luke 9, where Jesus says that ' Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.' No place here to call home. Leaving little pieces of your heart in different places, but not claiming them as home.

There is so much I have to tell you. So many wonderful and exciting things.

I'm trying to form the list of posts that I will be making to tell you of these things.

It could get long. So far, my predictions are that I will need at least seven posts.

Pictures, stories, and names will all be intermixed into these, along with some tears and fond memories. Right now, the trip seems a cross between a dream (in that 'did this really just happen' sense) and a concrete and awesome step that I miss very intensely now that it is complete.

Or is it?

Is it complete, or has it just begun?

As I reflect back on the trip as a whole, but before I have had time to really separate things into events and file them into my memory with less emotion, I recognize the pocket of possibility

that I am in. We will see what comes next!

Getting water from the sink is weird.

And so is air conditioning.

And concrete.

When I walked through the airport in Dallas yesterday, through customs, they asked me what I did in France for a month. I simply had to say, 'worked at a camp with students'.

But there is so much more.

Soon you will hear it all.

I promise to tell you of what God has, and is doing. Just give me a little more time, and sleep.

I cannot be grateful enough to God, and you, for helping me on this adventure.

Until soon,

"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 1:10

Short Update

Hello internet world, friends, and supporters!

I just wanted to write a quick post to let you know about a few things!

1) Yes, I am still alive. And I did in fact make it to France. As I'm sure you know, or have assumed by now :]

2) This will not be a book post. Sorry to dissappoint, but everytime I type up a post, I am unable to write without sounding a big fragmented, and I can't seem to finish them. So I think that when I get home, I will sit down, say a prayer, start writing down the important stuff and expanding. I just can't write you an unfinished post. It would go against my conscience! So, you must wait for all the details, I am sorry.

3) We only have 8 days left, including today.. Which is crazy! We have had overall a fantastic trip, and I am excited about seeing how God will use this next week, and about coming home to you. Tomorrow we leave on our second hike, which I pray goes as well as the first. Hiking makes me nervous. Well, I think it's trying new things that makes me nervous. After that, we will have four days left with the adult campers before we leave next Sunday morning, probably around 4:30 or 5am.

Say a prayer for the relationships we are building with these campers,
pray that we would continue to live out Camp des Cimes' motto, of being "a haven in France for God to save the lost and strengthen the found."
Pray for the youth campers we had the two weeks previous to this one, that they would find outlets for questions, and encouragement,
Pray for the staff here, as we are all fighting either exhaustion or sickness
pray over the hike, that we would stay warm and not be injured or ill, and that we would connect with each other and God in a new way,
pray that we are able to take hold of what God has set before us to do
that we would finish well, and leave a touch of His hand.

Thank you for all the prayers you have said for me, our team, this camp, and the students. I assure you, God is moving in Camp des Cimes. You will hear how I have seen it soon enough!
Until then, God bless. I will leave you with a verse that has been particularly encouraging to me in the last week:

"And so we know and rely on the love that God has for us..."
1 John 4:16

So close...

...I can smell the bread.

I bet you didn't know that when you signed up to be my supporter, that I would be giving you books to read.

Summer reading if you will.

I always did secretly like summer reading.

Yes I am a nerd. But it's getting me a degree :]

I really do want to say thank you again, for all of you who have given support to me in this whole adventure, whether through prayer, monetarily, or in encouraging words. I cannot tell you how much of a blessing it has been! It helps me keep going, and helps give me reassurance, and adds confidence. Not that I find my confidence in other's encouragement, no. That would be wrong. Not confidence that I am able to handle this- no. Because I know that I can't. Oh no.But it is still so nice to hear the encouragement that I have heard. And to know that money wise, God has provided. And to know that I have people praying for me.. crazy. Thank you so much.

As I enter this adventure, I am very aware of the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. I have never been a camp counselor. I have never gone backpacking, I have never been taught or played soccer successfully, and so many other little things that I will be experiencing over the next few weeks. BUT God knows everything. I can't handle this, but He is more than big enough.

I go between finding comfort in the idea of not having any idea what I'm doing, and being a little panicky about it, haha. Maybe it means God is going to guide it all, and I just need to trust Him more.

Here are a few more specifics about our trip:

We fly out this Wednesday (tomorrow!), at 5:30p, and will arrive at the camp sometime Thursday evening. The following two days (Friday and Saturday) will be spent in training for us. From July 4-18, we will be doing camp for French youth, ages 14-18 years old, will all levels of English. So French high school students. There will be 40-50 of these kiddos.

The next two weeks (July 20-31) We will be doing camp for French young adults, 18+, with 'good' levels of English. There will be 20 of these people.

After this, we will be flying home, and should be back in Dallas by 3:40pm on August 1st.

We will have worship twice a day, and a message from one of the English counselors (us) or one of the French counselors (who we will be working with). We will also do a lot of hiking, and physical activity (It's camp!) like soccer, volleyball, photography workshops (and other creative workshops) self-expression times, games, art, rock climbing, etc.

I know, sounds like I'm not going to have any fun with these kids :p

I hope they have a blast, and see Jesus through it all.

That is the schedule for those of you who have asked to pray over flights and such (which I greatly appreciate). Please please be praying over these students, as we try to live out Jesus to them. We are not there to beat the Bible into them. We are not there to give them altar calls until they come crying down the aisle. We are there to love them, and share with them the truth of how a relationship with Jesus is the greatest thing you could ever have. It's culturally different, and difficult to be verbal with them about Christ first, you have to kinda 'live them into talking about it'. I'm a very verbal person, so I hope that God speaks louder than I do.

Good thing He's bigger.

Other than this light schedule outline, I have no idea what I'm walking into. And I'm learning to love it.

Which is really weird for me, if you know me. It's taken a lot of work from Jesus for me to say that. And prayer.

I couldn't ask for more. I don't even deserve this.

It amazes me that God loves, and wants to use broken, doubtful, and frustrating little human beings.

It amazes me that God loves and wants want to use me.

What an awesome Father. Teacher, Lover, Friend.

Gah.

Lately, a certain Bible story has been hovering in my mind. And also lately, a similar song on the radio has been standing out to me. I finally re-read the story and looked up lyrics, and, well, you'll see. They speak a lot for themselves. I know that I need to 'hear in between the words' of both, so I thought I would share. The passage is from Matthew 14:

25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Emphasis added).

The song is called 'Walk on the Water Too', by Britt Nicole:

You look around and staring back at you
Another wave of doubt
Will it pull you under
You wonder
What if I'm overtaken
What if I never make it
What if no one's there
Will You hear my prayer?
When you take that first step
Into the unknown
You know that he won't let you go

So what are you waiting for
What do you have to lose
Your insecurities
They try to hold to you
But you know you're made for more
So don't be afraid to move
Your faith is all it takes
And you can walk on the water too

So get out and let your fear fall to the ground
No time to waste, don't wait
And don't you turn around, and miss out on
Everything you were made for
Gotta be, I know you're not sure, more
So you play it safe, you try to run away
If you take that first step
Into the unknown
He won't let you go

So what are you waiting for
What do you have to lose
Your insecurities
They try to hold to you
But you know you're made for more
So don't be afraid to move
Your faith is all it takes
And you can walk on the water too

Step out, even when it's storming
Step out, even when you're broken
Step out, even when your heart is telling you,
Telling you to give up
Step out, when your hope is stolen
Step out, you can't see where you're going
You don't have to be afraid
So what are waiting, what are you waiting for

So what are you waiting for
What do you have to lose
Your insecurities
They try to hold to you
But you know you're made for more
So don't be afraid to move
Your faith is all it takes
And you can walk on the water,
Walk on the water too

Ok. When I hear or read these words, I am able to see how they parallel a lot of the feelings I'm having right now, as I near the jumping point of this adventure. And they both have a lot of truth that speak to those feelings, truth that brings me little pieces of peace (ha) as I float between being nervous and excited. I am very thankful for this peace. I need it so strongly. I know this is only a month, but a month is eternity when you can't feel God with you. (Or is it just me?) Good thing I know He is :]

I'm also thankful that this is not the first time I have felt these things. I've mentioned my first time at camp... It's a fantastic story of God at work, but not the one I have time to post yet here. Just know that I felt very similarly then :] God did fantastic work that summer, last summer, and I know that He will do no less this summer. It is my highest hope that He will use our team and the camp He has set up in France mightily in the lives of the people we will be working with.

Paul says in Acts13, referencing Habbakuk 1:5:

"For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if someone told you."

Pray for this. Pray that God would move and 'do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us'.

For me, Sky Ranch, for France, for Europe, for the United States, for Ghana, for Japan, for China

for the world.

²⁴"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. ²⁵And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. ²⁷God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

²⁹"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. ³⁰In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ³¹For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

-From Acts 17.

There is much more I want to write, but I haven't the time right now. Man, I edit these things so many times before I write them. I have this one too, but not as much as I like. Maybe later I will come back and explain things better. Maybe not. My suitcase is still just over 50 lbs.. so I'm packing things in the backpack tight. I'm really glad I have a bigger backpack now, haha.

Edit: Here is my address there if you would like it, and if you would like to send something, please try and make sure mail would come when I am actually there, hah.

Lauren Capps

Camp des Cimes

La Rivoire

38520 Bourg d'Oisans

France

Thanks!! Love.

And so now I leave you, with much love and blessings. May you truly seek out HIS purpose for your life in His plan. He's the playwright. Find your role, and play it. Dare to make it real. That is my prayer for you.

A Peak.

If I ever doubted the fact that I write enough for a book, this post blows that out of the water. It's probably the longest yet. But I do think every word necessary, and I pray you do too.

Enjoy the story :]

As some of you know, I have spent the last 24 days traveling. A lot. I'm not sure I even knew exactly the extent of it until now, when I'm home. My Mom, brother and I have been on five flights, multiple busses and trains, and now my brother and I can say that we have visited 12 new countries. Going into, and coming out of this trip, I have had many mixed feelings. But I learned a lot, and despite the pace, was able to get some rest and retreat. I will say more about this trip, but I am going to try and keep it limited to how it relates to the purpose of this blog for sake of length and focus.

On this trip, as we traveled, we saw and heard many different things about the people and countries we were in. We had many experiences, with both positive and negative. Everything from seeing a special practice parade of the Queen's guards for her birthday celebration in London, to seeing our tour guides purse stolen right off our bus in Rome. There are so many stories :] The first few days were rougher for me, I'm not always the most willing morning traveler, but once I got into the routine, I absorbed everything I could.

Just about the time we hit... Paris (?) I had enough traveling behind me to do some reflecting. No, It was Copenhagen. So after the first 14 days. I felt heavy, and exhausted. I was wondering how in the world I was ever going to be ready for France if I had another ten days like the first fourteen. So I sat on the couch in our hotel room after dinner, and journaled, prayed and read. It was a good time, and a few things were revealed there. One thing that I was shown was one reason I felt heavy- all I felt had seen for the past two weeks were people who were broken. Governments who had big problems, and people who had bigger ones. I cannot even tell you how many churches and cathedrals we went into, (there are literally so many I don't remember), that were beautiful. Really, like nothing else I have ever seen. I was left awed at architecture, and how they built these great buildings as a parallel for how they viewed God, and at their persistence over literally hundreds of years to build just one. It was, and is, considered an extreme honor to be buried in one. And each one is different. But when I walked in, few made me feel. (And I feel a lot). I ache because I fear for the minority who come seeking, but who are blinded by their expectations, and traditions. It's a pretty heavy thing. I'm not sure I can even put into words all of the how and why, but they felt empty. The very places that God was supposed to be the most, His house, felt empty. And that just scared me. Sure, it was just a feeling. God IS everywhere, and He is working everywhere- that is still the truth. But they felt empty. That isn't ok.

Of course, when I reached this point in my learning, I was exasperated. All of these countries have so many problems, the people I see have problems, and the very cathedrals feel empty. It was quite a weight. But then God turned the page for me, and started telling me of His love for these people. For these nations. How He is working in their lives, even though they may not know it, and even though they may never attribute it to Him. Even if they can't see it, and even if I can't see it. History and the ideas of the past and tradition are huge in Europe. But God is working there now too. I journaled:

Being a tourist is difficult for me sometimes. I see so many problems, that I have no time, authority, not to mention skill or wisdom to help fix in a single sightseeing trip, or ever. It hurts my heart to see so much broken, and frustrates and overwhelms me that I am unable to help. We as a world are so broken Lord. I am glad that you are more than enough for me, and for the world, as deep in trouble as we have gotten ourselves. We are never too far, Your love reaches farther than our disobedience. Thank you!

It's true. He is moving.

Another insight I was given into why I had been feeling so heavy was because I deeply missed camp and friends in Cave Springs, and all my close friends from A&M who are in many more countries than I will go to. While missing all of this, I was given windows into how things were going in those places, blogs, pictures, texts. So I missed them more, and felt a little jealous for not being able to be these places. Today, God whispered why. My heart has still ever-so-slightly been hanging on to these people and places. Yes, they are part of what has made me me, but they are not part of who I am. I know, that reads a little weird. English can only go so far to describe what I mean :] But if you think about it, it makes sense.

Whew. I feel like I should take a typing break. So if you feel necessary, please take a water break :]. I've covered two of four weighty ideas, just to give you an idea of where I'm going.

Aaaaaand we're back.

Quick recap.

I love Cave Springs, and I love my friends. God has spoken very loudly through both, and I have been impacted and influenced very heavily by my experiences with both. But they are not who I am. Realizing this is a big deal, and it is something that I must remember. We will come back to this idea.

To zoom out a little, I'm briefly going to put this post in context with some ideas from previous posts...

My struggle with my latin class, with my perception and value of myself, and so many other things, have been stepping stones. The insights and words of encouragement I have been given, and how I act on them are stepping stones. Steps I had to take in faith, steps that were in front of me, but I didn't know why, or how I was going to take them. I've made it this far, stumbling the whole way up through Him, by Him, and for Him.

I feel sentimental looking back, but I know that I MUST move forward. I must let go of the past, or I will once again risk defining myself by it. I must let go of the ideas, people, and misconceptions I have been trying to define myself by, and I must not forget the truth and love I have felt and learned, not forget the support I have that goes with me, not forget who I am, and JUMP.

At camp in Cave Springs working the zip line started out as the most scary part of my job. Then, it became my most cherished. For so many reasons. One of the reasons is, once a kid (and more adults than you would think) lets go for the first time and jumps, trusts me, the equipment, and God that nothing bad is going to happen to them, and they feel that rope catch them, their eyes instantly light up. You see it every time, EVERY time! And it never gets old. It is beautiful. Going to camp the very first time, not knowing anyone, and being in the physical health, and mental state that I was in is MUCH like this; I felt completely unprepared. I was absolutely terrified the first two weeks. But God caught me, and He taught SO MUCH including how to just enjoy the ride, and to be better with 'ziplines'. Last summer, it was more concrete, I was really comfortable with heights. But you are always attached to something up there. Jumping; that free fall... that's a completely different sensation. Fear and adrenaline and excitement are still all rolled up inside me with that sensation. And I here I stand, at this peak, and I am being asked to jump. It's almost time.

God has used all these seemingly random things I have included in this blog, and the dozens I have left out for sake of space, to bring me to a peak. One that is both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time just to stand on. One that I'm not meant to stand on long, I must jump off of. For now, I get to rest, listen, and absorb all thats around me. In one week, I will jump. Jump also implies that all of me will go; I go physically, mentally, and emotionally, with all my doubts, all my fears, and all my hopes and prayers.

And then I will feel it. I will feel Him catch. When I jump, I jump into His arms. I jump to Him.

I don't mean to make this experience of getting ready for, and going to France more than it is; it is just a chapter in the book of my life, just one peak of one mountain I have, and will climb. But here, right now, and on this blog, it is the one I am here to tell you about. I tell you all of these things, with the hope you will be encouraged in what you read. If there has been any insight in this chapter of my life that I have learned, or that by grace you have learned, I thank God for it. I know I am a mess, (we ALL are), but I serve a God who uses broken and messy people. And I couldn't be more grateful.

I think I'm going to have one more post before I leave. Once I get to France, we will have a few days training before we start camp. Once we start camp, we English counselors are said to get one day off a week. I am very hesitant to take my laptop, because I know it would be a huge distraction.. so I will need to rely on office computers for updates, and on days off. I'm not sure just how reliable updates will be, but if I can't blog while I'm in France, I will journal specific updates and post them after. I did want to let you all know a little more of what to expect :] Funding wise I am completely covered, Praise God!

Pray for Europe, and that God would shine His light brighter in the darkness there.

Pray for France.

Pray for the students, that their hearts would be open, and that God would open their eyes.

Pray for my team, as we get ready in this last week to meet up and be counselors.

Pray for us, as we fill the roles of counselors, examples, friends, teammates, hikers, workers, and whatever other role we are called upon to fill.

Pray for our leaders, they have a big job :] (God is bigger!)

Pray that peace would guide my heart and my mind as I continue to prepare, and pack.

Praise God for the work He has done so far in Europe and France. In Japan, in Montana, in Southeast Asia, Africa, Haiti... everywhere I read He is moving. Praise Him!

Praise Him for the work He has done in my life, and in your life.

If you can't see Him moving, pray that He open your eyes, because He is moving.

If you see Him moving, and you aren't moving with Him, go where He is moving.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
-Romans 15:13