The Weekend And Rental Camp Week

Time has flown quickly since being here in Alaska and working around camp. God has faithfully been working in my heart and continues to humble me daily as He shows me where I need to grow and how much I have to work on. This past week we all jumped into Rental Week in all it's crazy busyness! It was a very tiring week and we had several adventures! The Lord saw us through them and we have all emerged tired, but safe and sound!

 Another sleepover came during the weekend prior to the Rental week! Knowing we would soon be very busy, we took advantage of the free time! We had a very good time.;)

 This evening we were all invited to a cook-out at the Craven home!

 After roasting hot-dogs and marshmallows everyone piled on the truck....

....and we drove over to the field to play volleyball!:) This game was accompanied with much laughter and lots of fun!

  A trip to the Moose Is Loose Bakery......they have all sorts of donuts!

 A funny shirt....the suspenders on display we actually bought for Daddy last year, for Father's Day!

 A trip to Sportsman's Wearhouse....those fish on the wall are mounted taxidermy. Look at their size compared to the fake deer!:P

 Stopping at the local Fred-Meyer....

 A special picture for my friend in Pennsylvania, this is for you, Susie! We certainly miss you this summer!;)

 Working back at camp on signs for summer camp in July....

 Angela learning to use the sander....

 Rental camp was a blur of activity and work! There really wasn't much time to take a whole lot of pictures but much was accomplished! Here our hardworking waitresses were setting out a staff lunch for us to eat...

 Taking a moment during the busy schedule to laugh and release some of the tension that comes with making and serving enough food to feed 104 people..;)

 Each day the waitresses worked really hard to reset these tables more than 4 times a day!

The kitchen staff from the past rental camp just before I came, had made matching shirts to wear that week. The logo says "Clean ALL The Things!"

 One of the biggest adventures was a power outage a few hours before dinner one night. We found out the power was out not only here, but all the way down to Homer which is an hour or so south of here. All we could do was sit and wait on the Lord to bring the power back on. What a good reminder of our dependency on the Lord in all areas of life! Praise the Lord,  it came back on a quarter of the way into dinner and everyone was eager to get back to work!

 Bee, one of our very hard workers in the kitchen for the week, busy making cupcakes....

Working on breakfast, sausages and egg casserole with hashbrowns.....

 The rental campers enjoying a meal....

 Meanwhile in the kitchen, one of the guys Jonathan was keeping our kitchen staff entertained here...

 Another wonderful adventure was a thick grease clog in the pipes connected to the dishwasher, girls bathhouse, and lodge bathrooms. We had to close down those facilities, split the boys bathouse in half for the campers and all the dishes had to be taken to the Craven's home a quarter mile down the road from camp and washed in their bathtub!

We had to change things around several times to accommodate the water situation and it was a real character building time. Here the clean dishes have returned and are waiting to be put away. Laundry baskets were extremely helpful here.;) We were all so very glad when the pipe was unclogged the next day! Dishwashing was never so exciting as it was after that!!

 Having fun cleaning the bathhouse...

 Hanging out with some of the babies we had that week here was a real blessing. There is something about being with little ones-the Lord uses them to teach us so much about our relationship with Him!

 Thursday, amidst everything going on, we had the opportunity to stop and celebrate Yukon Craven's birthday! He had been counting down the days!

 Enjoying a rest...

Yukon was more than willing to share his birthday cupcakes and kept telling everyone that they could "have one without his permission!":)

The week ended well and all of us were very ready for it! It was a good opportunity to serve and God was really working in our hearts. As the week began the Lord gave me a verse in Nehemiah that I really held on to during the days.

It is easy to be overwhelmed and feel done, but the Lord is always with us and the key thing to remember is that our strength to keep on going does not come from ourselves. It does not come from the desire in me to keep going on if I will only try hard enough. It comes from the Lord who will always give it to us as we are in need. We can trust Him to get us through the tough times, no matter what the situation may be. He will be our strength and give us the joy to face the trials of life whether big or small!

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
               Nehemiah 8:10

Alaska Week One-Slideshow

The Shooter's Retreat went well but I never got any pictures of the shooters. I've been playing around with my picture program and realized I could make slideshows so I'm going to experiment and see if this works well when posting. I will try to write somewhat of an update on each post even if I am sharing a slideshow though.

 

 

......that in all things He might have the preeminence...

                                                                                 Colossians 1:18

 

Week One

It's hard to believe it's already been more than a week since arriving! Camp was full of life when I first got in, but slowed down greatly with all the guys leaving for Canoe Camp last Monday. The staff like to call this the "calm before the storm" as Rental Camp is waiting right around the corner for us this coming week!

Rewinding here briefly, this is a picture of my first flight to Anchorage....

While waiting in the airport, birds were flying overhead inside and eating crumbs on the carpet! It was quite the sight and a pleasant change of scenery for the airport.;) They were getting in through an outdoor restaurant's patio.....;)

 Jumping to the present! We had several different jobs last week, among which was painting! Working together on every job gave Angela ( my roommate for the summer) and I the perfect opportunity to get to know one another better!:)

 Letting the first coat dry...

 On break times, I really enjoyed skyping with Ryan at Ironwood-praise the Lord for a strong enough connection!

 As well as our good friend Susie from last summer...

 ...who introduced me to her two roomates at college, Bella from Korea....

 ....and Michelle from the Bahamas! It was neat to be able to have some brief fellowship with this sisters in the Lord.:)

 And of course there was a phone call for me from 10 very special people from CA over the Skype one night.....:D

Introducing Angela....the wonders of technology these days!!

Another day found Angela and I cleaning windows. Here Angela is braving the ladder...;)

Two nights we girls had a sleepover with the younger Craven girls.....

Time for some Skip-Bo with Sierra and Angela!

This next set of pictures spills into this week. While we've been busy around camp, we are constantly surrounded by the beauty of God's creation. It often amazes me how many lessons the Lord teaches us through it!

The girls bathhouse, which has to be cleaned every weekend, gives us quite the workout. Some of our cleaning tools include a long garden hose, a huge squeegee, a extra big sanitizer spray bottle that takes two hands to use, and a nice long scrub brush!;)

Mealtimes we've been busy in the kitchen-washing hands is a must before each new job is begun...

The dining hall as seen from the kitchen doorway...

Mrs. Craven (the director's wife) gave some of us older girls the job of making lunches...

Working with Cheyenne and Angela on burritos for lunch here...we've had a lot of fun together staying in the cooks' cabin and working around camp. Cheyenne is the oldest daughter of the Craven family, and is in the cabin with us while her Grandparents and Aunt are visiting.

Angela cutting up lettuce.....

As soon as dishes are no longer needed, they go to the dishwash where they are sprayed clean with water and set through the sanitizer....

Some of the Craven children keeping themselves occupied while waiting for lunch with a game of Dutch Blitz.....

Lunchtime.....This particular day Mrs. Craven had taken her mother and aunt on a boat tour, so it was just us girls and Mr. and Mrs. Garris.

 

The Lord has been teaching me a lot about looking to eternity and not letting my affections be caught up in this life. While our hopes, desires and dreams may be good things, even honoring to the Lord, one day this life will be gone-eternity with Christ is what will last! Thinking on this I would like close with two new songs I have learned this summer. I hope the words are an encouragement to you.:)

Only One Life

 

Only one life and white are the fields!

With compassion, this great need I view;

This one life that I have I will yield,

And the little I can, let me do.

 

Chorus:

 

Only one, life to give!

I could never withhold it from God!

Only one, life to live,

I must not miss the "Well Done" of God!

 

 

What Grace Is Mine

 

Chorus:

So I will go wherever He is calling me.

I lose my life to find my life in Him!

I give my all to gain the hope that never dies!

I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him.

 

 

 



I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

                                                                       

                                                                                                                               Galatians 2:20