Counting My Blessings

God first, others second, I'm third. What a simple sentence but something so difficult to really live out. The I'm third lifestyle is something that we strive for at Kanakuk. I wonder what the world would be like if everyone took the same approach. Looking back at my experience working as a counselor at K-7 this summer I am truly amazed at the growth that I have experienced and everything that God allowed me to be a part of. I now understand what it means to put myself third when it is the last thing I want to do.

As I write this and reflect on the last 6 weeks I have spent loving on kids, having a kingdom mindset, being uncomfortable, annoyed, tested, and blessed beyond belief I can't do anything but praise the amazing God that I serve. I pray that my friends and family will see the change in me that I truly feel. There are so many pieces to the puzzle of camp growth that I have experienced but I think one major piece has come from disciplining myself to spend daily quiet time with the Lord. Some mornings I would wake up at 6:15 asking God, how can I do this again? I'm exhausted, drained, and unmotivated. The last thing I want to do right now is clean for tip top teepee and teach a class in the blazing hot sun. But day after day the Lord was so faithful and taught me that I need to find my joy in Him. Life isn't easy. It's a daily choice to be joyful and love the ones who seem unlovable.

I read Romans this summer and my co-counselor, Lyndsie, and we were convicted by Romans 12 and began to memorize what it tells us. Romans 12:9-12 talks about what unconditional love means.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need.
I think love is something that our culture has commercialized and most people don't really understand the meaning of the word anymore. I am as guilty of it as anyone. I walk around telling my friends love you without even thinking twice about it. But am I really loving them like God calls me to? Is my love sincere, and honoring them above myself? Probably not. I had the opportunity to show that unconditional love that God so badly wants us to give, to my kampers this summer. God taught me that I tend to love conditionally, when I want to and when it is easy. But that is not what He calls me to do. I need to love those girls, the people in my life who frustrate me the most, with the same care as I do my best friends and family. Romans goes on to say, never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Zeal: readiness, eagerness, prompt willingness to spread the gospel. I want to be zealous in all aspects of my life. Ready and eager to share the message of hope, joy, forgiveness, and peace that Jesus brings. And then we read be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Joyful in the hope that the Lord is always with us and has a plan beyond our wildest dreams. Patient through the trials and bumps and bruises that we experience constantly. Faithful in our prayers so that we may know the Lord better and understand who He really is.



I am so grateful that I got to taste what it will be like to be a parent. Being responsible for 12 eight and nine year olds opened my eyes to a world of serving and loving like I never have before. God humbled me and revealed my selfish nature as he showed me how often I am impatient and think only of my needs. At kamp there wasn't enough time in the day to think about me. The Lord began to remold my thinking and gradually transformed my thoughts and prayers from myself to others. He also revealed to me the power of prayer and the importance of intentional prayer. Keith Chancy, the director of K-7, asked the staff, if God answered all of your prayers right now would you even know? His statement really took me back and challenged me to rethink my prayer life. Praying aloud with Lyndsie and other staff as well as writing in my prayer journal changed my prayer life into something much more intentional and memorable. I was able to see God work and answer our prayers in a tangible way.

I could write for hours about what I learned at Kanakuk this summer but this is just a snapshot of my adventure in Lampe, MO. Now it's time to refocus my mind towards another opportunity that God has allowed me to have. Eight days from now I will be on a plane to Panama to spend 12 weeks in Latin America studying abroad. I'm not going to lie, I am a little anxious. I just got home and I am not ready to leave again and journey to a foreign place. But when am I ever ready? I titled this blog I will go because I know God opened this door for me and planned it in His timing. I am ready and willing to serve him as I venture again into unfamiliar territory. I will write along the way and continue to share how God is working in my life and everything that He is allowing me to experience. This will be another chance for me to lean on Him and trust in His plan.

Until next time.
Shelby