Reflections from a summer at Camp Cho-Yeh

I actually got to work here this summer!!! It was so amazing... Amazingly difficult, and yet so rewarding, and so this post will attempt to sum up the incredible things God has provided and taught me in the last 12 weeks of summer through His Word and all the many trials and opportunities at camp!

On Friends and Co-Workers

Camp was full of wonderful people to work alongside...which made my job this summer so much fun. I was definitely one of the older girl counselors at camp, so I got to take on a mentor-ship type roll, especially in the areas of dating and purity (which oddly enough is where I have so much passion in leading younger girls to avoid all the junk I went through!) At camp there are so many "cho-mances" and crushes that develop due to the unique setting of being surrounded by a ton of godly men loving and serving kiddos like crazy. So with that, and the relationships going on at home AND Tom being there this summer as well, I was continually getting to share our story on the pursuit of purity and encourage them to chase the same thing. God certainly used me and Tom's story a billion times, both in areas of seeking purity and our roles as leader/helper.

On Campers

I was in the cabin for 10 weeks this summer, 7 of them with 15 year old girls. When I was 15, I was already struggling in areas of dating and purity, and certainly not surrounding myself with people who would lift me up. That summer I went to a camp with a friend, and really came to know the Lord and the relationship and obedience he calls us to. That being said, I felt like my job this summer had a huge purpose to it, and looking back I would have LOVED having an older girl warn me about unhealthy dating relationships and press me on towards obeying God's Word and seeking absolute purity.

And HOLY COW sexual sin is running rampant in that age group of girls, and God used my story SO MUCH every week to minister to those girls. I was always so overwhelmed and burdened for those girls to know that God's call for them is life giving and not oppressive, and that they are forgiven and deserve so much more than any teenage boy is offering.On Tom
Oh goodness, did I have a lot to learn this summer regarding this amazing man of God I am so very blessed to be with. It was stinkin' hard! At camp we are asked not to make our relationship known to the campers...which means we have to act purely as friends and nothing else. Which is great for physical purity, but SO HARD when the one person you want to talk to and pray with most is right there, but unable to listen until the one off time we had together that week.

Emotionally I struggled a bunch the first few weeks in questioning how on earth this was good for our relationship and what God's purpose was for us in this summer. It was so tough to get to see that man every day, but only hang out with him a few hours a week. These few hours I initially would always get my feelings hurt because Tom would always plan for us to hang out with other people. Turns out he was protecting our time together and leading us to purity and wanting God to use our relationship even on off time with the other staff members. AMAZING! Isn't it so obvious now why God has the men be the leaders of relationships?!?!! I am so blessed. Blows me away every time.
As always, God had a great purpose for us this summer, mostly in using our story to minister to the counselors and campers, but also in growing us closer in relying more on the Lord than each other. I really did value every second I could spend with Tom and it was so wonderful to see God's will for us unfold in such an exciting way. We really started praying about the future together and---goodness that is one exciting thing to do!

Both Kinds of Gas are Stinky.

THIS IS AWFUL! I am not at all a fan of this $65.00 tank of gas my Camry requires of me... and its a great car! At least 31 mpg on the highway! But still, I absolutely dread filling up so much, that I almost run out of gas every time I am on empty. This summer, I will be at camp, so there won't be a lot of driving during the week at all, but if I want to come back to CS for the weekend, its going to cost me 1/4 of what I will be making each week.

In the paper this morning there was a link to a website with all the driving myths and facts on gasoline. Here is what I learned:

1) It is better to turn your car off then let it stay idle, if you are going to be idle for over 30 seconds. I always thought it would be better to not have to restart the car...not true.

2) Windows down vs. AC....windows down save more gas only if you are going under 65 mpg. If you go over that, it doesn't really matter b/c the open windows will create a draft/suction effect.

3) Driving over 60 mph decreases your mpg. This stinks. I have a lead foot big time.

4) It doesn't matter what time of day you fill up. And gas prices are apparently more expensive in the summer b/c it is hard to process the oil with the heat. Marvelous.

5) Tires need to be filled up. Air filters need to be cleaned. Junk in the trunk is a bad idea.

6) Accelerating and stopping like a madman is obviously a bad decision too. Take it easy, drive like a grandma, and save money on gas!

I tried all these tips today. It's going to take me a long time to learn to drive slow. I guess in the long run---better to be a little late than to pay for MORE gas AND speeding tickets...and who needs more of those anyways?! I'm already on #4.

A Stroll Through Psalm 16

I think this blog is going to be a lot about dating for a while...that is what I have been learning so much about for the last couple of years...and I want to share this new abundance of knowledge in the land of blogging.

I just got back from Plano, where Tom's parents live. This has been our notorious place of stumbling our first year of dating, so it is always tough to go visit in absolute purity. It was a great trip! We had so much fun finding other things to do other than sit on the couch in the dark watching TV. We even played GOLF. HAHAHA....oh the fun. It was a blast! We just strolled around the course, breaking the majority of the rules (and there are A LOT of rules).

There has been so much sweet victory in us, in terms of purity, and Psalm 16 has spoken quite a bit to my heart...

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."

It is so important to constantly remember that without the Lord, I have nothing! I am nothing! A boyfriend does not take me to a new, greater status. It is in the Lord that we have salvation and grace, and I can rely on nothing else!

As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.

SO great! How often girls chase after these boys they quickly turn into idols, thinking "they will make me happy." or "If only he would..." When we do this, our emotions/sorrows only increase! How many times I have been upset over a boy not doing what I expect (because I had created an idol out of him and expected perfection and nothing less).

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Lord, you have set the perfect boundary lines of purity for us. You say not even a hint of sexual immorality. You say to treat all boys as brothers with absolute purity. Your plan is life-giving. Not legalistic or overbearing. Not depriving. My sins deprive me of good. You don't ever deprive me of the things I need. Surely when I follow your plan for purity before marriage, I will have a delightful inheritance with my future husband!

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

When my focus is on the Lord, and not on a boy, I am steady. I am at peace. When I am walking in purity for the Lord, guilt does not reign in my heart. I am not constantly worried if I am "good enough." When the Lord is my only God, I am at rest.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

When we realize His way is the life-giving, abundant way, the joy is incredible! (WAY better than any temporary "happiness" found in disobedience). Can you believe that I have never felt so wonderfully led and cared for by a boy who no longer holds my hand or tells me he loves me? I do! My heart is glad in the Lord. It no longer depends on Tom to satisfy me. My body does rest secure in treating this brother with absolute purity. I don't need the physical affirmation the world tells us we need.

You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Amen! Eternal pleasures....ah.... can you imagine?! I have been FILLED with joy in walking in obedience in this whole strange dating thing. I'm not going to pretend its not hard. Sometimes it seems impossible! Many times I have had to quote John 10:10 over and over and over to remind myself that this way is abundant and not depriving. But its worth it. I promise. The joy found in obedience is unbelievable.

Permissible? Beneficial?

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 1 Cor. 10:23-24

Should we kiss? Should we hold hands? Should we ever be alone together? What does "not even a hint" really mean? Does a hint begin at a simple touch? Doesn't immorality mean something really awful?

These are the questions I battled for a LONG time. All those terms of sexual immorality are so relative...at least that is how the world makes them. I can define my own terms of what a "hint" means. However, 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 is so wonderful to encourage us in evaluating every provision we make for the flesh. For example...

Holding hands. Is it permissible? Yes. absolutely. There is no where in Scripture that says holding hands is reserved for marriage only. We hold hands with our parents and friends. But is it beneficial? If either one of the hand holders is in anyway stimulated in this hand holding, is that beneficial? Does that encourage keeping our minds fixed on Christ? (Col. 3:1-2) If one of the two of you is stimulated, doesn't that usually lead to maybe a little thumb-rubbing....hand massage...back rubbing...it goes on! The kicker is that this doesn't happen every time! Holding hands walking down a sidewalk may not being this effect AT ALL. But that doesn't mean you can do it late it night alone on a couch--how could you get the butterflies in your tummy!

Anyways, in my own dating relationship with Tom, I know that holding hands "gets him going." He's told me! I've always been so offended by his caution in holding my hand. But when considering this verse, if I am not seeking my own good, but the good of Tom, I will JOYFULLY lay down this for Tom, as to not be a stumbling block to him!

We've experienced so much wonderful freedom from sexual sin in slowly laying down each area of selfishness and areas that we claimed as "our own." I've had to learn over and over that Tom is not my own! He fully belongs to the Lord--his emotions and his body. Just because we have learned this term of "boyfriend" from the world does not give me free reign on him at all! If you think about it, holding hands as "a couple," signifies that "he is mine." It screams to a watching world that THIS IS MY BOYFRIEND! I belong to him, and him to me!

But shouldn't any relationship we have scream to the world that we belong to Christ? Should we partake in any action that signifies belonging to anyone other than Christ (unless they are our spouse)...?

Its about time....

Hi Friends! Well, I've become such a blog-stalker that I decided it would just be easier to make my own. Commenting as 'anonymous' is no fun anyway.

Just so you know, it has been a HUGE blessing to get to read your blogs over and over. I know sometimes it is for silly fun things, but when you are sharing your lives with younger college girls who are seeking desperately for truth and wisdom...oddly enough, blogging is a good way to start.

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. (1 Thess. 2:8)

So continue on! I love reading about your lives. I have learned SO much already from you, and I promise I will actually come hunt you down if I need some 1-on-1 time to really learn about certain issues and the godly ways to handle this stuff.