As I sit in my bedroom here in Kansas City and try to wrap
my mind around how to condense what has been probably the craziest summer of my
life into a succinct blog post for my friends and family to read… I am overwhelmed,
to say the least. These past three
months have utterly exceeded all of my expectations and my brain just feels
like putty trying to put everything into words.
This summer was “The Summer of the Suitcase” because I lived out of
saddlebags, backpacks and suitcases as I traveled around Minnesota, Missouri,
Colorado, Michigan, Iowa and Kansas City.
Here is a brief overview of my summer itinerary:
May 20th, 2012 I graduated
from TheCall Institute.
May 21st – 25th I
traveled across Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa on a fabulous motorcycle
adventure with dad to see the mountains and get back to Minnesota.
May 25th – June 10th
Time in Minnesota hanging out with family and friends!
(Back
in Kansas City! I spent a week preparing
for my summer as a camp counselor at Awakening Teen Camp at IHOP.)
June 17th – 20th I
started ATC with a three-day retreat for all the counselors at the Children’s
Equipping Center (CEC).
June 20th – July 3rd
ATC Main Session One (I lived at the CEC).
(Brief break between camps)
July 6th – 15th
ATC Music Academy One (moved into the hotel ATC uses during the summer).
(Brief break between camps)
July 17th – 30th
ATC Main Session Two (moved back into CEC).
In the middle of that session I went back to Minnesota from the 21st
through 23rd for Christa and Tyler Thielsen’s wedding.
(Brief break between camps)
July 31st – August 9th
ATC Music Academy Two (lived at the hotel again).
August 11th – August 12th Quick trip to
St. Louis for fun!
(Finally a few days at home to rest and prepare
for school)
August 17th – 19th
Quick trip to Michigan with some friends for another wedding.
August 20th My sophomore
year at IHOP University begins!
As you can see, I had a busy summer. Being able to do a lot of fun stuff prior to
ATC was exciting—Colorado was stunningly beautiful and being home in Minnesota
for two weeks was a wonderful treat. ATC
formed the largest part of my summer, by far.
For those who don’t know, I was a camp counselor for junior high girls
here at IHOP for four, two-week camp sessions.
We did such a variety of things at ATC: teaching sessions, loads of
worship, activities, sports, Megabox Warz (putting a giant box over oneself and
blindly running across a soapy, wet tarp while being attacked with hoses and
running into other competitors), room invasions, ministry times, small groups,
camper-led worship sets, Olympic-style games, Q&A sessions, food… ATC is a fabulous camp because it is right on
the IHOP missions base and the teens get a great taste of the IHOP
atmosphere. In total I had 32 young
women come through my groups—girls from all over the United States and even as
far as Egypt! These stunning teens
taught me more than I could have ever expected, as did the leadership team, my
fellow counselors and all the circumstances I found myself in.
I’ll try to summarize some of the highlights and share a few
things that I learned over the summer. I
went in with some natural expectations about how I would lead and how I would
feel, and the Lord turned everything upside down and decided to continue
teaching me about my identity instead.
I’m constantly realizing that my true identity is deep—there are so many
facets to how He has made me!
·
God has taught me that I have a mothering
spirit. That sounds really foreign to me
still, but what it comes down to is the way I care for people. I have realized the amount of empathy I feel
for those around me, and I have touched the emotions of the Lord as I’ve cried
out for breakthrough for these girls. One
day a few of my campers were feeling ill, so on my break time I drove around
getting them things they needed instead of looking after my own needs. I learned to put the girls above myself and
do whatever it would take for them to get breakthrough—this was beyond
difficult at times when I would be tired, sore, sick and hungry, but I wanted
to serve them radically. I got to share
in the way the Lord cares for His own and realized that the Lord is the
ultimate example of motherhood (not in the sense of gender, but in the sense of
how caring and selfless He is). I’m
still trying to wrap my mind around all of this, but I know this revelation is
from the Lord. There is more to it, but
it’s all quite personal and I’m going to keep it between the Lord and me until
I get more clarity on everything.
·
I’ve also gotten much more attached to the
acronym FAT. I was always ranting to my
campers about how we need to be Flexible, Adaptable and Teachable and they
eagerly agreed (most of the time). One
of my groups I lovingly referred to as Women of God, which could be easily
shortened to WOG; so for the last few days of camp they were the FAT WOGS. J
·
I learned to submit to leadership and joyfully
agree with the assignments they would give to me. There were many times I wanted to switch a
room around or work at a different station during an event, but each time I
would just remind myself that the Lord had put me there for a reason, and I
could learn from any situation. Having
this mindset radically changed my attitude every day and I learned to joyfully
serve!
This outlook was vital throughout all four camps. Originally I wanted to work with the older campers in senior high (16-18 year-olds), live at the hotel for the entirety of camp, not have difficult campers, be on a certain team, room with certain people, etc. I was actually pretty anxious about all of this before camp, but as we were worshiping the night before camp began I sang the chorus “Put me anywhere, just put your glory in me. I’ll serve anywhere, just let me see your beauty!” and I told the Lord I would serve wherever He wanted me to serve. The next day I found out I was going to be working with junior high girls (12-14 year-olds), living at the CEC for two of the four sessions, going to be on a different team than I had initially desired, etc. Basically the Lord gave me everything opposite of what I had wanted and I said, “Okay! I trust you! Teach me through this all!” and He did!
This outlook was vital throughout all four camps. Originally I wanted to work with the older campers in senior high (16-18 year-olds), live at the hotel for the entirety of camp, not have difficult campers, be on a certain team, room with certain people, etc. I was actually pretty anxious about all of this before camp, but as we were worshiping the night before camp began I sang the chorus “Put me anywhere, just put your glory in me. I’ll serve anywhere, just let me see your beauty!” and I told the Lord I would serve wherever He wanted me to serve. The next day I found out I was going to be working with junior high girls (12-14 year-olds), living at the CEC for two of the four sessions, going to be on a different team than I had initially desired, etc. Basically the Lord gave me everything opposite of what I had wanted and I said, “Okay! I trust you! Teach me through this all!” and He did!
·
During Music Academy One, one of my campers
shared a dream she had that set me on this journey of obsession with Revelation
21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling
place of God is with man. He will dwell
with them and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as
their God.’” Also Revelation 22:4 “They
will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” The reality of my eternal future began to hit
me in a fresh way and I realized I will one day be with God. I will see His face—something even Moses
couldn’t do. Jesus desires to show us
His glory (John 17:24) and I WILL SEE HIM AND DWELL WITH HIM! HEAVEN IS COMING DOWN! This excites me. A lot.
·
Three days before the summer ended, ATC
partnered with the Circuit Riders (a 10-day intensive with YWAM and IHOP) for
their opening service so that we could share the FCF building. I missed most of the worship and the opening
of the message to go listen to one of my campers lead worship in another
building. That night I was feeling
really sore, tired, frustrated and depressed—I was under such attack from Satan
I was about ready to quit! Oh, how the
enemy didn’t want me to hear the message that night… When I returned to the service I was
surprised by the passion and zeal of a man preaching whom I had never seen
before (I later found out this was Andy Byrd).
Immediately he began to speak about how these 70 years we have on earth
are our only opportunity to voluntarily worship God while we are sick, tired
and depressed—because in eternity we will never be sick, tired or
depressed! We will always be full of
joy, health, excitement and passion! But
in this life we have trouble—we know this to be true, so we must strive to give
the Lord all we have!
Andy talked about how our generation must stop being so self-focused, ungrateful and being ‘entitled’ to everything. Our culture says that when I want a cheeseburger I can stop everything to go get one and get it without pickles and extra onions and if you don’t make it right I can force you to make a new one for me so that I can get what I want and you better do it quick because I’m in a hurry! We think the world revolves around us, but it doesn’t—it revolves around Christ! We have to start serving other people like He did. We have to wake up in the morning grateful for running water and electricity and the provision of the Lord. The whole message shifted my perspective instantly and I was so eager to do outreach the next day—we cleaned bathrooms, scrubbed floors, evangelized and prayed at a local homeless ministry called Hope City. We did this every camp session, but that final time was by far the most powerful for me personally because my whole heart attitude had shifted.
Andy talked about how our generation must stop being so self-focused, ungrateful and being ‘entitled’ to everything. Our culture says that when I want a cheeseburger I can stop everything to go get one and get it without pickles and extra onions and if you don’t make it right I can force you to make a new one for me so that I can get what I want and you better do it quick because I’m in a hurry! We think the world revolves around us, but it doesn’t—it revolves around Christ! We have to start serving other people like He did. We have to wake up in the morning grateful for running water and electricity and the provision of the Lord. The whole message shifted my perspective instantly and I was so eager to do outreach the next day—we cleaned bathrooms, scrubbed floors, evangelized and prayed at a local homeless ministry called Hope City. We did this every camp session, but that final time was by far the most powerful for me personally because my whole heart attitude had shifted.
·
I got to meet so many new people this summer—not
just campers, but IHOPers! Now I get to
go into my sophomore year at IHOPU knowing many more people and I’m really
excited to be more connected with my classmates!
 |
| (Counselors and some of the leadership after Main Session Two... This was such a crazy fun group of people to work with!) |
·
A sweet moment with the Lord came one morning at
the prayer room when we began to sing “How He Loves.” The Lord hit me with such a feeling of
nearness to Him—I had to sit down as I felt His presence just wash over me and
refresh me. For five minutes I felt such
a tenderness and peace… it was so sweet.
·
I learned alongside the campers during the Music
Academy sessions all about the power of one’s voice. Terri Terry, one of the professors at IHOPU
who has multiple doctorate degrees, discussed the ways musicians and singers
bring light into rooms when they worship.
I learned that sound is slowed down light (what?!) and all sorts of
crazy scientific things that have melted my brain. I’m really stirred up to sing more because of
the depth of science and spiritual power behind it! I also intend to audit one of Terri Terry’s
classes because her teaching style has enraptured me, even as a
non-musician!
·
Our director shared a powerful quote that has
been called the “Fellowship of the Unashamed,” author unknown.
"I am a part of the
fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been
cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple
of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am
finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees,
colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed
goals.
I no longer need preeminence,
prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be
right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by
presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My pace is set, my gait is fast,
my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my
Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised,
deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in
the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the
table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.
I won't give up, back up, let
up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and
stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go
until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He
comes.
And when He comes to get His
own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for
"I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16)."
So, as you can see,
summer was nuts. Many more things
happened and the things that I learned were incredible. Thank you to everyone who prayed for my
leaders, my campers and me—we had a phenomenal time and I’m eager to see what
the Lord has in store for me this school year.
Thank you for those of you who put up with the long times of not hearing
from me—camp was so crazy busy I hardly had time to even text! I’m excited to reconnect with everyone this
school year, which I know is going to be remarkable.
Thanks for
everything, you guys! Be blessed and be
a blessing!
Rachel
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