36 Hours and Counting!

So, I am sitting here looking at all the stuff that I have to get packed and pondering this summer. When I signed up for this trip it seemed so far away that it almost didn’t feel real but now that I am leaving in a couple days it seems so surreal. There were so many steps between signing up and leaving that had to happen for this trip to actually take place; the countless emails asking shamelessly for money, the fundraising parties, the prayer, and now the packing. There are so many of you that have helped bring this to pass and I just wanted to say thank you. Words cannot express the gratitude in my heart for each and every one of you no matter how small or great the contribution. One of the main things that I have learned throughout this process is that there is no such thing as a small contribution. Every little bit counts and makes a huge impact. I only ask now for continued prayer, not only for myself but for each and every person that I will come in contact with between now and August 10th. I will be posting updates on here but there will also be specific prayer requests. Please Feel free to leave me messages on here, I know that that would be very encouraging to me.
I want to shift gears a little now and write about the camp I am working at this summer. The theme for Camp Life this year is “freedom in Christ!” We are working with kids who have lost parents to the AIDs epidemic and many of the kids have AIDs themselves. None of them chose their state of life but nevertheless they must now make the best of their situation. These children, and even some in their upper teens, have been lied to their entire life. They have been told that they are cursed and not worthy to live. They have been abused physically, verbally, and emotionally . There is a term in psychology called self-fulfilling prophecy where a statement, once made, actually causes itself to become true. This is exactly what happens with these kids. They have been lied to so long that now these lies have become the truth. Please pray that we can break these lies and teach them about the truth of their worth as children of God!