Hilarious stuff sometimes....

Today a kid came into the clinic, having thrown up... and his counselor was soooo worried about him- because he was feeling really tired, and he'd thrown up, and he had a tick on him the other day and it was a deer tick- the kind that CAN carry lymes disease and other diseases... but it wasn't a logical thing to try connecting the deer tick with his symptoms, as it hadn't been even 24 hours since the tick bite... so Teresa and I were basically worried he was going to have a stomach bug, and that we'd have to figure out who to have stay with him all day in the clinic- which requires TWO people, as he's a boy, thus I would stay as well as another person, just for the sake of propriety.
So I took his temperature and talked to him... come to find out, there was a very logical cause for his throwing up. LOL. I asked him when he started feeling yucky- and his response was:
"Well, this morning when I got up. I guess it could have something to do with all the junk I ate last night."
"Junk?" I asked him. "Did you eat a lot of candy last night?"
"15 candy bars," he replied. I just laughed and shook my head. No wonder he was feeling sick, and that he had thrown up. "Am I alright," he asked, now. "I feel fine... can I go now?"
"So you don't feel like you're going to throw up again?" I asked.
"No, I feel fine." he said.
"You don't feel tired or sick anymore?" his counselor, James, asked.
"No, not really," the kid said. "I feel fine."
"Did you have a lot of trouble sleeping last night?" nurse Teresa asked.
"Yeah, I didn't sleep very well. I kept waking up in the night." he said.
She looked concerned, as if she was very worried about the fact that he hadn't gotten very much sleep- worried about what caused his frequent waking. "Do you usually wake up a lot in the night?" she asked. He shook his head.
"It could probably be explained by the fact that last night was the first night of camp, and so he was sleeping in a different bed, and away from home," I suggested.
"I have a tempur-pedic bed at home," the kid said. "When I laid down last night, the bed kind of hurt."

And so, the mystery was solved. Illness was determined to be caused by the consuming of 15 candy bars, and the fatigue from a day of camp and sleeping in a strange bed in a hot cabin. No evidence of the tick being involved in any of it at all.

Pictures from camp!

Here are some pictures from camp so far.... :)



Chania, the girl who got saved on Thursday, when I shared the gospel with her... and Anna, my cousin, and her counselor.

aww... Jennifer was at our house today after the picnic while we waited for the laundry to be done... and she took a nap on the couch- she looks so comfortable. lol. :)


The kids going horseback riding this week.

Games last night in the lodge.


Kallie Harris, a little girl who's the daughter of the staff-evangelist, this summer.

More game night last night. They were playing Settlers of Catan.

Registration Wednesday of Jr. Missions week. Waiting for the kids to arrive.

More registration and waiting time.

The sky a week or so ago.

So ends the pictures for today. :) More to come.

An amazing evening

Thursday night I did something that I had never done before. When the evening service was nearly over, Bro. Cajiuat gave an invitation- this after two very clear salvation messages in the days previous. I expected that a few campers would respond, and would be met by the very qualified lead counselors and staff that were already waiting, at the back of the chapel. I was amazed at how wrong I was. About a third of the campers raised their hands in the invitation, and over half of the campers- those that raised their hands, and some that didn't!- rose from their seats, and poured into the back of the chapel. As I watched, all the staff that was available got up from their seats and headed to the back to deal with the kids. And they were met with more than enough kids for each of them- and so I, kind of nervously, got up from my seat and went to the back to help. Immediately a petite little girl was pointed out to me "She needs someone to talk to, still." The little girl looked pretty shaken, and as if she was about to cry. "Hey, what's your name?" I asked her. "Chania" she replied. (which sounds more like "Sha-nee-ah") I started to talk to her as we made our way over to the dining hall to talk. We found a table once we were there, and I began to counsel her, and share the gospel with her, and what it means to be saved. That night she asked Jesus into her heart and got saved. She endured the questioning of both evangelist Brad Harris, and evangelist Dave Cajiuat- and seemed to understand what she had just chosen to do. When we walked out of the dining hall, she looked at me and told me "Now that I'm a Christian, I'm going to read my Bible every day, and go to church!" This little girl is also one of the ones that I had to see every morning and evening passing medicine, so I have gotten to keep track of her a little bit. She is soooo sweet- and when they leave today, I know I am going to miss the darling little girl. It's a reason to go up to Gospel Light church in inner-city minneapolis and help them there sometime, even if only for the sake of getting to see Chania and find out how she's doing. :)

Kristen, one of Chania's counselors, (the other is my cousin Anna) said that Chania does indeed understand that she got saved- and she said she really feels different now, and is so happy that Jesus saved her- I am thrilled that it was a real decision, and not a half-hearted one, or without understanding.
God's Word and prayer never return void- I know that I probably messed up a lot in my counseling Chania- and I know I forgot some stuff, in the rote and suggestions that we were given in training, (when Julie Brill taught me about the counseling after chapel, in our role-play... thanks Julie, you were a big blessing to me!) but the prayers I offered up to God that the kids in the service would be touched by Bro. Dave's message were not in vain, and neither was the scripture that I read to Chania.

"It's not about me- it's all about God"- that's what's on a plaque in Pastor Randy's office- someone gave it to him last year. That's truly what it is. About God.

I ask for prayers for me this summer, that I will consistently show the image of Christ to others- both staff and campers- and as well, I want you to keep in prayer the counselors and other staff this summer, and the campers who are coming to camp for the rest of the summer, and the ones leaving today.


In a little while, I'll put some pictures up from my weeks of camp... you'll just have to wait and see!

I hope to get a picture of me with Chania before she has to leave, too. :)

~Danette

More parallels

Okay; Friday there was an interesting event- I was sitting outside the dining hall here at camp, and the sky was blue, and sunny with some lovely puffy clouds in it. Suddenly, there was this big CRRRAAACK!!! and a tree started to tip.... crashing into the ground with a crunchy noise. When we examined the tree, we discovered that though the branches were covered with vibrant green leaves, the inside of the trunk was rotted and the wood was spongy and soft. Though it appeared healthy, the tree was really dead on the inside.
So it can be with our lives. A person may look like a good Christian, saying all the right things, doing all the right things, looking the right way- but on the inside, they may very well be dying on the inside, full of rottenness and decay.
When the winds began to blow strong, the living trees stood firm and weathered the storm, but the tree that was dead on the inside cracked and gave way, (and ultimately provided some firewood.) and could not stand under the pressure of the wind.
People who only LOOK like good Christians show their true colors when faced with the storm. Christianity through hard times can't be faked.

Psalm 18 is really cool, looking at how God protects and takes care of us as Christians, and just how awesome he is!

~Danette

Psalms 18
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God--his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?--
the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation--
the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.

For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Like a puzzle, every piece of life has its place...

You know you're in the right place, when the pieces start fitting together correctly. :)

I found out my financial information for school today online... and I have enough money in my bank account NOW to pay for my fall school costs with about 300 left... and I still have another paycheck coming! God is good, supplying my needs while I give up making money to work at camp. :)

gotta go...

~Danette

hello again...

I am now sitting at camp, kind of bored, and looking forward to tomorrow, when people won't be sleeping all afternoon. LOL. There's a group of people playing Settlers of Catan... but they're already started and so I can't play. lol. So I am sitting here and watching a bit, and typing on my blog. And now I am done, I guess. I don't know what to write. lol.

~Danette