I am sure that I am not the only one who has ever made plans, only to have them blown out of the water and have nothing go the way you expected it to go. It can be disconcerting to say the least and some what frustrating. My week at camp proved to be a week of changed expectations and it changed my expectations of how God works; in ways I never could have imagined.
After 7, maybe 8 years of being on staff or working in the kitchen at Camp Northwest, this year I was a counselor. My desire to counsel at camp actually started last year during camp. I was working in the kitchen, which I totally enjoy, but I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a cabin of girls while their counselor and her new husband were being treated to a special evening at the lake. I so enjoyed the conversation and interaction with the girls that by the time camp ended I already knew that God was calling me to counsel the following year. When the time came, I submitted my application for counselor. I knew I would get to work with the older teen girls because I am (ahem) an "older" counselor. The theme for camp this year was 'Beneath the Surface' and the teams were Pirates, Sailors, Mariners, and Vikings. The months before camp, anytime I came across anything with an ocean theme, I bought it. About a week and a half before camp, I learned a few things: I was going to be on the pirate team (yay), I was going to be a team leader (yikes), and Jessica Lowder was going to be my assistant counselor (yahoo)! Jess and I spent the whole week planning, buying, and texting each other about decorations, plans, and responsibilities. Some of you may have seen my Facebook page and how I only talked in pirate lingo for that week. By the time we got to camp, Jess and I were pumped and excited for the week to come.
Expectation readjustment #1: God's plans aren't always our plans.
Another cabin on the pirate team had no counselors. The assistant was sick and couldn't come and the head counselor was delayed in returning from a missions trip. Jessica was asked to take the cabin for the rest of the day and night until the head counselor could get there on Tuesday. Okay, not a problem. It wasn't ideal but it was workable. The cabin was next to mine and Jess and I could keep in touch and help each other out. Our first night at camp was great as we got to know the girls in our respective cabins and by the end of the night, Jess and I were already planning for her move back to our cabin.
Expectation readjustment #2: God is really all I needed. Jessica was icing on the cake.
I learned the next morning at the staff meeting that the delayed counselor was now officially stranded in Florida and it looked like it might not be until late Wednesday, at the earliest, before she could get to camp (she never made it, by the way). Bummer. Big bummer. With my added responsibilities as a team leader (a rookie one at that), I needed an assistant. I even made the statement to Pastor Nathan, "I need Jessica." But what were we to do. The girls in Cabin H needed Jessica more than I did. It meant making adjustments, in actions and attitudes for all involved. It really was a great way to start camp; relying on God as expectations changed, for all involved. See, I was planning to rely a lot on Jessica throughout the week and instead, God challenged me to rely on Him. His faithfulness to sustain me, physically and spiritually, throughout the week shone through. I can only praise Him for being all that I will ever need.
Expectation readjustment #3: Teenage girls rock!
Now, I've always known this but I really got to see it play out at camp. My girls had to really step up to the plate and pick up the slack. In the mornings, I had staff meetings at 7:45, which meant that the girls had to get ready, have the cabin cleaned for inspection, be at the morning flag-raising, and then lined up for breakfast on their own by 8:10. They never missed a beat. Every morning, they did it. Every morning, I could find them together. Every morning they exceeded my expectations. Every morning I was beaming with pride (and relief!).
At 5:30 every afternoon, I had to go to a counselor's meeting. This meant that again, the girls had to get ready on their own. They had to be dressed for chapel (dress-code appropriate), at the flag-lowering ceremony, and lined up for dinner on their own at 6. They never missed a beat. Every evening, they did it. Every evening I could find them together. Every evening they exceeded my expectations. Every evening I was beaming with pride (and relief!).
ps.....Jess's cabin did it too although I cannot speak to level of completion and thoroughness. Most of the other counselors had assistants to help with and oversee these tasks.
Expectation readjustment #4: Unplanned moments yield great results.
My plan was for Jessica and I to share the responsibilities in devotions and getting to know the girls spiritual needs. Well, with Jess now in her own cabin, my planned moments became overwhelming and I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to "direct" the girls in "spiritual" moments. But again, God showed me that His plan is always better than mine. I specifically remember one night when I was counseling with a girl after chapel. She had some pretty big things going on in her life and God was really working on her heart about some serious changes. However, while I talked with this girl, my cabin was left without any direction for about 1/2 hour. When I got back to the cabin, the girls were ready for bed and having a very real, deep conversation about that night's message. I did not stop or interrupt the conversation. I listened. I heard their hearts and what was important to them. I learned that God was working through the messages and making a difference in these young lives. I only interjected my thoughts when they directed questions to me and then I let them pick up the conversation on their own. I honestly believe that if I (or Jessica) had been there, that wouldn't have happened.
Some of the best times talking with the girls came when we were getting ready for dinner. Dinner wasn't until 6 but for teenage girls, preparations started around 4. Wednesday, as we were sitting around the table in our cabin, putting on makeup and doing our hair, I shared my salvation testimony with the girls. We also talked about future plans and how to know God's plan. They asked me lots of questions about my life and I learned a lot about each of their lives. It was one of my favorite times at camp as the girls and I bonded. For the rest of the week, many of the girls approached me individually with the phrase, "can I talk to you about something?" Not once during the week did I use any of the planned devotions I brought with me. Again, had Jessica been my assistant, I don't think I would have had the opportunities to have these awesome conversations with these awesome young ladies. But here is the really cool part; God was giving Jessica her own amazing and awesome conversations to bond with a group of girls she had never met before. I know she had some wonderful opportunities to influence and counsel these girls in ways that they needed and that only she, with God's leading, could provide. I got to watch Jessica take what could have ruined her week, and turn it into a real blessing. She was like a mother hen to her girls and I mean that in the best way possible. She led them, watched over them, cheered for them, encouraged them, and showed them (and me) a beautiful example of how to react when expectations need to be readjusted.
As we were sitting at our last counselor meeting on Friday afternoon before dinner, I looked over at Jessica and was just so proud of her. Yes, later that night when she and I had a quiet moment together (well as quiet as it can be with dozens of girls running back and forth from cabins to bathrooms getting ready for bed), I told her how proud I was and how much she impressed me during the week. On the way home from camp, we talked about all sorts of things. But these conversations were different. Our conversations were focused on God and how He worked at camp. We talked about our devotions and what we were learning from them. We talked about music and how God uses it to teach and touch our lives. We talked about future plans and eagerly seeking what God has next for both of us. Yeah, we talked about some trivial girl stuff too, but that's none of you alls business.
And then it hit me. Jessica was no longer the little kid from church who I've known since she was 5 years old. She was no longer the young lady I've watched grow up, who I taught in Sunday school and prayed for when she was in college. She was my peer, my friend, my sister in Christ. Well there's something I never expected from a week at camp.
God is good!
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9
