This is my last full week in the state of California (this summer at least). We are leaving next Monday to go to South Carolina for some more FCAV camps, and then we only have a few more days in Cali once we are back from South Carolina. :( I have mixed feelings about leaving. I am so grateful that God has allowed me to come be in a solid, loving community, but I am also exctied to see what God does once I go back to my community in Arkansas.
After a week off of our normal schedule, we are back to our normal work schedule. We had camp at Mariners Christian School where most of the girls in the small group I leave are from. It's so fun to get to know them more and more and see how God is working in their lives. I was the camp director at our last camp, and this week i have a much smaller role- assistant court coach. When I was camp director, it was so much easier to rely on God's strength because it was a big task that I had not done before. As assistant court coach my role is to lead a session or two and encourage/ critique players. Technically it is an "easier" job than being camp director, but I forget that I need God just as much. It is easy for me to forget God in the "small" areas of my life. I think that I can do it on my own because I have done it before. I might be able to get through these areas without focusing on God, but doing these things without focusing on Him is not doing things the way He wants to do them. If I were to focus on God even in the small things in life, I would be able to hear from Him better, and be able to do things in His will and purpose and not my own.
As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I am learning to play volleyball with God. Just as beginning any relationship, including our relationship with Christ, takes intentionality and communication, learning to play volleyball with God takes practice and focus. This week I was able to hear from God as I played more than ever! Before practice I read the verse Philippians 4:4-9,
"Rejoice in the Lord always... Let your gentleness be evident to all because the Lord is near. Do not be anxious abut ANYTHING but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true.. noble.. right.. pure.. lovely.. admireble.. focus on these things."
Before practice I asked myself, "what would this look like on the vb court? To be so secure in Christ that I wasn't anxious about anything. No anxiety about messing up, about winning or losing, about what others think of me, about my stats...? I think that others can know that we are playing with God by the peace and gentleness and confidence I have. It seems crazy that God would ask me to apply this to a sport that is full of competition and sressful moments.
During practice God gave me many opportunites to apply this verse. I practiced with FCAV and was asked to set because there weren't enough setters. I was setting D1 players and against a US national setter and I'm not even a setter! Did I do a good job as a setter? NOT AT ALL! There were so many moments of anxiety. I sure didn't apply that scripture perfectly in the beginning. I was frustrated with myself, afraid that others were frustrated with me, constanly comparing myself to the other setter (I was the better one ;) ).
One of my teammates came up to me and could tell I was frutstrated. He said something simple, "Its okay. We love you and God still loves you. You are free to make mistakes. It's going to happen." Through that accountability, I was able to refocus and find my freedom and identity in Christ. I still made plenty of mistakes after, but my faith and identity was not shaken. I had more peace after that and was able to walk out of the gym without questioning my identity as I would have in the past. I don't even remember if we won or lost the game (I think we lost)! Winning or losing and my performance didn't matter compared to getting to know Christ more in that practice. Isn't is so cool that we can grow in our faith on a volleyball court?
God revealed Himself in so many ways to me and the other interns on Thursday. For me personally, I got to encounter God through the teaching that we had after our workout. A man named Gus from Athletes in Action came and spoke to us about loving God more. As Gus shared parts of his testimony with us, i felt as if God was sitting in that room speaking to us. Gus had such an intimate relationship with God unlike I had ever seen before. He didn't just know about God, he really knew God and loved God. I was in tears. Gus understands the purpose of life- to know God more. The way he loved God, life, his family and others is something I desire to have. Even the hug he gave me put me in tears. It felt as if Jesus gave me that hug.
All of the camps and training we have been doing have been preparing us for our South Carolina trip! We are leaving on Monday at 4am! I will be a gym director and huddle leader and expect God to do some pretty neat things! Can't wait to blog about it :)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Week 7.3
The rest of this week was pretty relaxing. It was nice getting a little break from camps/ a working environment and get to know the interns and others out of the FCAV "working" environment.
We got to spend July 4th on the beach all day! We got to the beach at 6:30 am to reserve a court and played beach all day with the FCAV family. When it was time for the fireworks we all camped out next to each other on the beach. It was definitely one of the best ways to spend the 4th of July! The only down side about the day was having to say bye to our friend, Jordan Cheng, who is leaving for an internship in Taiwan. :( Jordan has been like a brother to all of us. He has an awesome testimony and loves others deeply with all of his heart. The love he displays is a love that can only come from God.
Jordan- Thanks for being a great friend and for hosting us in your awesome home in Utah! You were a great camp director and touched so many lives, including mine. I miss ya already!
Thursday we had a meeting to get ready for our South Carolina tirp. We leave on July 16th and will be running a few camps out there. All of the camp and leadership training we have done up to this point is getting us ready for South Carolina. In South Carolina we will be spread out and have more leadership responsibilities. We will be leading a huddle group and be the "spiritual coaches" to young players. I am getting excited about this trip and am so excited that Coach Witham (my assistant coach at JBU) is coming! :)
Thursday night we had our family night dinner together with the inerns and staff. Family night is always full of great food, great conversations and lots of laughter! After dinner we played some games and watched all of the inern application videos. It is so cool to see how God has worked in all of our lives. Making that video was only the beginning of this wonderful journey. Actually for me it was more of a halfway point since I wanted this internship for so long! I am still so grateful to be here. It is so cool to look back and see the person that I was when I made that video. I already feel like a new person. The things I said in that video were true, but now those words have so much more depth and meaning to them. Praise God. :)
Friday was a relaing sabbath and a supporter dinner at Lauren's house. We are so blessed to be able to have home cooked meals and time to spend with supporters of FCAV. After dinner some of us went and played in an open gym. This was the first time have had the opportunity to play in a game setting- a team, an opponent, and a scoreboard. It was a perfect opportunity to apply all that I had learned about playing with God in a more competitve environment. We lost both of our games but I feel like I played with God more than ever before.
Here is what I wrote in my journal after:
7/6/12
Playing with God give me peace, joy, and confidence in Christ. Playing becomes an act of worship and overflowing thankfulness to Him who blessed me with the body and talent to play the sport that He created. I find peace in the midst of trials and chaos. I don't focus on the score but the teammates and opponents around me. I see the image and characterics of Christ through my teammates and oppentnts. The peace allows me to quickly forgive my teammates and myself when mistakes are made. I am able to rejoice when others succeed because we are a body of Christ.
The week ended with a few hello's and goodbyes. I had to say bye to my investment lady/ mentor, Kelly. I have been blessed by Kelly in soo many ways. There is so much that I could say, but to keep it simple, Kelly has made a huge impact on my life and has given me such great wisom from God. I have realized how important having a spiritual mentor in your life is.
Lastly, two of my former teammates from JBU who live in Cali got to come hang out with me in Hutington. It was so good to see them and share with them about my life out in Cali. I think they are crazy for going to school in Arkansas after growing up in Cali. Who could leave this place? I sure don't want to. :)
We got to spend July 4th on the beach all day! We got to the beach at 6:30 am to reserve a court and played beach all day with the FCAV family. When it was time for the fireworks we all camped out next to each other on the beach. It was definitely one of the best ways to spend the 4th of July! The only down side about the day was having to say bye to our friend, Jordan Cheng, who is leaving for an internship in Taiwan. :( Jordan has been like a brother to all of us. He has an awesome testimony and loves others deeply with all of his heart. The love he displays is a love that can only come from God.
Jordan- Thanks for being a great friend and for hosting us in your awesome home in Utah! You were a great camp director and touched so many lives, including mine. I miss ya already!
Thursday we had a meeting to get ready for our South Carolina tirp. We leave on July 16th and will be running a few camps out there. All of the camp and leadership training we have done up to this point is getting us ready for South Carolina. In South Carolina we will be spread out and have more leadership responsibilities. We will be leading a huddle group and be the "spiritual coaches" to young players. I am getting excited about this trip and am so excited that Coach Witham (my assistant coach at JBU) is coming! :)
Thursday night we had our family night dinner together with the inerns and staff. Family night is always full of great food, great conversations and lots of laughter! After dinner we played some games and watched all of the inern application videos. It is so cool to see how God has worked in all of our lives. Making that video was only the beginning of this wonderful journey. Actually for me it was more of a halfway point since I wanted this internship for so long! I am still so grateful to be here. It is so cool to look back and see the person that I was when I made that video. I already feel like a new person. The things I said in that video were true, but now those words have so much more depth and meaning to them. Praise God. :)
Friday was a relaing sabbath and a supporter dinner at Lauren's house. We are so blessed to be able to have home cooked meals and time to spend with supporters of FCAV. After dinner some of us went and played in an open gym. This was the first time have had the opportunity to play in a game setting- a team, an opponent, and a scoreboard. It was a perfect opportunity to apply all that I had learned about playing with God in a more competitve environment. We lost both of our games but I feel like I played with God more than ever before.
Here is what I wrote in my journal after:
7/6/12
Playing with God give me peace, joy, and confidence in Christ. Playing becomes an act of worship and overflowing thankfulness to Him who blessed me with the body and talent to play the sport that He created. I find peace in the midst of trials and chaos. I don't focus on the score but the teammates and opponents around me. I see the image and characterics of Christ through my teammates and oppentnts. The peace allows me to quickly forgive my teammates and myself when mistakes are made. I am able to rejoice when others succeed because we are a body of Christ.
The week ended with a few hello's and goodbyes. I had to say bye to my investment lady/ mentor, Kelly. I have been blessed by Kelly in soo many ways. There is so much that I could say, but to keep it simple, Kelly has made a huge impact on my life and has given me such great wisom from God. I have realized how important having a spiritual mentor in your life is.
Lastly, two of my former teammates from JBU who live in Cali got to come hang out with me in Hutington. It was so good to see them and share with them about my life out in Cali. I think they are crazy for going to school in Arkansas after growing up in Cali. Who could leave this place? I sure don't want to. :)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
week 7.2
We are over halfway through the summer and are switching from sand volleyball to indoor volleyball so we can get ready for our upcoming seasons. I loved playing sand volleyball and hope that I will be able to play more competitively some day. Now it's time to focus on court! I'm still not sure if i like sand or court volleyball more.
Tuesday was our first day to train indoor, other than playing a little bit here and there at the camps we run. It is so funny watching and listening to the excitement of volleyball players getting ready to play indoor. Even at 6 am, everyone was extra awake this morning because of the opportunity of getting to play indoor again. Every time I am able to put on my knee pads and ankle braces is a blessing. I quickly forget how much of a blessing it is.
The first day of playing indoor was an extra blessing. US Men's national players, John Winder and Andy Hein trained us- HOW COOL!?! Both of them do such a great job of creating an environment that allows us to grow both spiritually and physically. Our goal is not only to become better volleyball players, but to connect with God as we are practicing the sport we love and that He created. Today's focus was being in the moment and making the most of it. As an athlete, I create unnecessary extra pressure by thinking too far ahead in games or in life. In reality, I can't control the past or the future, only the present. This idea applies to life also. We constantly plan and worry about the next day rather than being in the moment that God has given us.
One fear that I had before I came to Cali was that I would compare my playing abilities to others. When I found out who the other interns were and where they went to school, I was a little intimidated. The reason why I was intimidated was because I was still finding part of my identity in who I was as a volleyball player and not who I was in the eyes of Christ. Yes, volleyball is a big part of me, but it is not all that I am. When I was younger, I didn't know who I was other than a volleyball player. I was the girl who lived by the quote "Eat, sleep, play volleyball." And as embarrassing as this is now, I was even once a volleyball for Halloween, the best looking volleyball. ;) I realized how much of my life was wrapped around volleyball and how much my identity was in volleyball growing up. Over the past few years and even now I am continuing to learn that I am first, a daughter of God, and secondly, I am a volleyball player, a student, a friend..... When I first find my identity in Christ, I am more free to play the other roles in life.
Even as we learn about our identity in Christ, it is still easy for us to go back to our old ways and begin to compare. One thing we did before practice was pray against the desire to compare and to continue find our identity in Christ. There is a variety of skill level here- girls who played in high school to girls who played at small colleges to girls who played division 1 and plan on playing overseas to men's collegiate and national players. It is such a wide variety of skill level but all equal in the eyes of Christ. God has given us different gifts and talents and together we make a team and become the body of Christ.
Tuesday was our first day to train indoor, other than playing a little bit here and there at the camps we run. It is so funny watching and listening to the excitement of volleyball players getting ready to play indoor. Even at 6 am, everyone was extra awake this morning because of the opportunity of getting to play indoor again. Every time I am able to put on my knee pads and ankle braces is a blessing. I quickly forget how much of a blessing it is.
The first day of playing indoor was an extra blessing. US Men's national players, John Winder and Andy Hein trained us- HOW COOL!?! Both of them do such a great job of creating an environment that allows us to grow both spiritually and physically. Our goal is not only to become better volleyball players, but to connect with God as we are practicing the sport we love and that He created. Today's focus was being in the moment and making the most of it. As an athlete, I create unnecessary extra pressure by thinking too far ahead in games or in life. In reality, I can't control the past or the future, only the present. This idea applies to life also. We constantly plan and worry about the next day rather than being in the moment that God has given us.
One fear that I had before I came to Cali was that I would compare my playing abilities to others. When I found out who the other interns were and where they went to school, I was a little intimidated. The reason why I was intimidated was because I was still finding part of my identity in who I was as a volleyball player and not who I was in the eyes of Christ. Yes, volleyball is a big part of me, but it is not all that I am. When I was younger, I didn't know who I was other than a volleyball player. I was the girl who lived by the quote "Eat, sleep, play volleyball." And as embarrassing as this is now, I was even once a volleyball for Halloween, the best looking volleyball. ;) I realized how much of my life was wrapped around volleyball and how much my identity was in volleyball growing up. Over the past few years and even now I am continuing to learn that I am first, a daughter of God, and secondly, I am a volleyball player, a student, a friend..... When I first find my identity in Christ, I am more free to play the other roles in life.
Even as we learn about our identity in Christ, it is still easy for us to go back to our old ways and begin to compare. One thing we did before practice was pray against the desire to compare and to continue find our identity in Christ. There is a variety of skill level here- girls who played in high school to girls who played at small colleges to girls who played division 1 and plan on playing overseas to men's collegiate and national players. It is such a wide variety of skill level but all equal in the eyes of Christ. God has given us different gifts and talents and together we make a team and become the body of Christ.
Week 7.1
Initially we were all supposed to go to UCLA FCA camp this week, but things didn't work out so we had a relaxing week and worked on getting caught up on some of our projects.
I was really wanting to go to UCLA so I ended up going to UCLA camp on Saturday while some of the other girls went to Hollywood. UCLA FCA camp is the biggest camp (i think) in the country with about 700 total campers. I got to spend the day down there and loved it! I didn't know exactly what I was going to be doing there but I ended up getting to coach and hang out with the campers for the day. There were about 50 volleyball players there and two of my friends were huddle leaders so it was fun to hang out with them. Had I gone one day earlier, I would have gotten to meet Tim Tebow! Darn :(
At UCLA camp I ended up getting to coach defense with another coach who played at Long Beach State (one of my dream schools when I was younger). ;) It was so cool to build a relationship with her and learn from her coaching. It would have been so easy to step in to that gym with so many great coaches and college players and go back to my old sinful ways. In the past I would have easily compared my playing and coaching abilities to theirs. I would have been intimidated and afraid to play or coach out of fear of what others were thinking of me. I am so grateful that God's grace has rid me of that mindset. Because of His grace I am free to be the player and coach that He has made me. I am not a "perfect" player or coach, don't know the best drills, don't have the vertical or speed of a Division 1 player, or have the experience that some have, but I trust and believe that God has given me the gifts that He wants me to have and has placed me where He wants me to be. Having more security in Christ gives me the freedom to be bold as a coach. God gave me peace and allowed opportunites to speak to the players as I coached them. I was able to share with them how I recognized God in the midst of stressful games. Maybe I can come back next summer and be a huddle leader! :)
One of the things us interns get to do is lead a small group. It has been a little crazy finalizing small groups, but my friend Rachel and I finally got to start ours this week. We were blessed to have a local mom host us and invite 12 pre-teens over to her house for a small group. It was such a blessing to be able to talk to these girls and share my story with them. I have never lead a small group other than a quick 10 minute ones after an FCA event. It was so fun getting to know these girls, hearing their teenage girl problems and being able to listen to God give me the words to say back to them. I am so excited to spend some more time with these girls. :) Immediatley after small groups, one of the girls sent me a sweet text saying, "Thank you soooo much! I alrady feel closer to God." It's crazy how something so simple can make a huge impact.
I was really wanting to go to UCLA so I ended up going to UCLA camp on Saturday while some of the other girls went to Hollywood. UCLA FCA camp is the biggest camp (i think) in the country with about 700 total campers. I got to spend the day down there and loved it! I didn't know exactly what I was going to be doing there but I ended up getting to coach and hang out with the campers for the day. There were about 50 volleyball players there and two of my friends were huddle leaders so it was fun to hang out with them. Had I gone one day earlier, I would have gotten to meet Tim Tebow! Darn :(
At UCLA camp I ended up getting to coach defense with another coach who played at Long Beach State (one of my dream schools when I was younger). ;) It was so cool to build a relationship with her and learn from her coaching. It would have been so easy to step in to that gym with so many great coaches and college players and go back to my old sinful ways. In the past I would have easily compared my playing and coaching abilities to theirs. I would have been intimidated and afraid to play or coach out of fear of what others were thinking of me. I am so grateful that God's grace has rid me of that mindset. Because of His grace I am free to be the player and coach that He has made me. I am not a "perfect" player or coach, don't know the best drills, don't have the vertical or speed of a Division 1 player, or have the experience that some have, but I trust and believe that God has given me the gifts that He wants me to have and has placed me where He wants me to be. Having more security in Christ gives me the freedom to be bold as a coach. God gave me peace and allowed opportunites to speak to the players as I coached them. I was able to share with them how I recognized God in the midst of stressful games. Maybe I can come back next summer and be a huddle leader! :)
One of the things us interns get to do is lead a small group. It has been a little crazy finalizing small groups, but my friend Rachel and I finally got to start ours this week. We were blessed to have a local mom host us and invite 12 pre-teens over to her house for a small group. It was such a blessing to be able to talk to these girls and share my story with them. I have never lead a small group other than a quick 10 minute ones after an FCA event. It was so fun getting to know these girls, hearing their teenage girl problems and being able to listen to God give me the words to say back to them. I am so excited to spend some more time with these girls. :) Immediatley after small groups, one of the girls sent me a sweet text saying, "Thank you soooo much! I alrady feel closer to God." It's crazy how something so simple can make a huge impact.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Week 6
This week has been one of the most challenging but one of the most joyful weeks I have had. It has been awesome! I feel like I am experiencing and understaning the verse 2 Corinthians 12:10 ~ "For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Before I came here I honestly didn't think I was "good enough" to come here. I knew that FCAV was about developing leaders and there was no way I would have ever considered myself a leader. I could give you a million reasons why me being a leader was a bad idea. I replayed the lies of satan in my mind over and over which prevented me from accepting God's love understanding who Christ has called me to be. When I thought about being a leader I thought that I had to be someone or follow in the footsteps of others. Yes, it is good to have role models, but when you are only looking to them it creates a pressure that you have to be someone. When I thought about being a coach, I thought it had to be done a specifice way. I constantly beat myself up when I messed up and thought that I wouldn't be a good coach.
God has given me a boldness to try new things, but once i fail I become scared to put myself in the same situation (sports, jobs, relationships...). The truth is that we are not perfect and we are going to fail. God isn't mad at us when we fail. All He wants is for us to trust Him and learn from Him through the process.
Last week I was able to heal me of different areas of my life and allow me to trust Him and find my identity completely in Him before anything else. I began to stop believing all of the lies of "I can't and I'm not good enough to." I was able to accept His love and seek Him with my whole heart. Fully surrendering to Him creates freedom to do what He has called us to do.
Since then I have had increadible opportunities to be used by God. Last week I was able to minister to some people at beach fest and grow even closer to the girls here. Then someone had a crazy idea to make me camp director at the next camp we went to. At the beginning of the summer I knew that at some point I was most likely going to be camp director and honeslty I was not excited about it.
When I found out i was going to be camp director, initially I was a little hesistant but knew this was going to be a test of faith and something I knew God wanted me to do. I had some doubts because I would be the first intern to be camp director and I found out the night before camp. My role as camp director would be to come up with the spiritual focuses of the week, talk about them at camp, get speakers, and create a free and loving atmosphere for the campers- Oh boy!
There were brief moments that i thought I had to do it all on my own, but then I remembered how impossible that was. I can't do ANYTHING on my own! God is with me and He will give me the ideas, the strength, the energy and the peace. Once I surrendered to Him and recognized that I wasn't alone, there was so much joy and freedom. I was starting to get excited about this position because I knew that it was a chance to get to know God better and trust Him more. :)
Once I surrendered the planning of this camp to Him, my job was easy- to follow Him. He gave me clear direction on what to talk about. The topics I spoke on were things I had dealt with/ am learning now. At every FCAV camp the weekly focus is to play with God and each day there is a daily focus within playing with God.
Day 1: Who we are with God (identity)
Day 2: Taking Risks with God (Trusitng God)
Day 3: Loving others with God (Joy)
This camp was a little different than most of the camps we go to. This camp was outside, co-ed, 5th-8th graders, and most of the kids had never played volleyball and didn't care to be there. It was awesome seeing all the coaches adjust and love on this kids. Some of the kids were harder to love, but the coaches never stopped loving them! It was so amazing to see how God worked this week!
Long story short: "God does not call the equipped, He equips His callers."
Other than camp, the second best part of the week was the training we had this morning at CDM. John Winder and Andy Hein (US national players) came to train us in sand vb. We have been playing quite a bit, but it was such a cool experience to be lead by Christian US National players who applied their faith to their sport.
Check out the video from our camps!
http://vimeo.com/44987652
Before I came here I honestly didn't think I was "good enough" to come here. I knew that FCAV was about developing leaders and there was no way I would have ever considered myself a leader. I could give you a million reasons why me being a leader was a bad idea. I replayed the lies of satan in my mind over and over which prevented me from accepting God's love understanding who Christ has called me to be. When I thought about being a leader I thought that I had to be someone or follow in the footsteps of others. Yes, it is good to have role models, but when you are only looking to them it creates a pressure that you have to be someone. When I thought about being a coach, I thought it had to be done a specifice way. I constantly beat myself up when I messed up and thought that I wouldn't be a good coach.
God has given me a boldness to try new things, but once i fail I become scared to put myself in the same situation (sports, jobs, relationships...). The truth is that we are not perfect and we are going to fail. God isn't mad at us when we fail. All He wants is for us to trust Him and learn from Him through the process.
Last week I was able to heal me of different areas of my life and allow me to trust Him and find my identity completely in Him before anything else. I began to stop believing all of the lies of "I can't and I'm not good enough to." I was able to accept His love and seek Him with my whole heart. Fully surrendering to Him creates freedom to do what He has called us to do.
Since then I have had increadible opportunities to be used by God. Last week I was able to minister to some people at beach fest and grow even closer to the girls here. Then someone had a crazy idea to make me camp director at the next camp we went to. At the beginning of the summer I knew that at some point I was most likely going to be camp director and honeslty I was not excited about it.
When I found out i was going to be camp director, initially I was a little hesistant but knew this was going to be a test of faith and something I knew God wanted me to do. I had some doubts because I would be the first intern to be camp director and I found out the night before camp. My role as camp director would be to come up with the spiritual focuses of the week, talk about them at camp, get speakers, and create a free and loving atmosphere for the campers- Oh boy!
There were brief moments that i thought I had to do it all on my own, but then I remembered how impossible that was. I can't do ANYTHING on my own! God is with me and He will give me the ideas, the strength, the energy and the peace. Once I surrendered to Him and recognized that I wasn't alone, there was so much joy and freedom. I was starting to get excited about this position because I knew that it was a chance to get to know God better and trust Him more. :)
Once I surrendered the planning of this camp to Him, my job was easy- to follow Him. He gave me clear direction on what to talk about. The topics I spoke on were things I had dealt with/ am learning now. At every FCAV camp the weekly focus is to play with God and each day there is a daily focus within playing with God.
Day 1: Who we are with God (identity)
Day 2: Taking Risks with God (Trusitng God)
Day 3: Loving others with God (Joy)
This camp was a little different than most of the camps we go to. This camp was outside, co-ed, 5th-8th graders, and most of the kids had never played volleyball and didn't care to be there. It was awesome seeing all the coaches adjust and love on this kids. Some of the kids were harder to love, but the coaches never stopped loving them! It was so amazing to see how God worked this week!
Long story short: "God does not call the equipped, He equips His callers."
Other than camp, the second best part of the week was the training we had this morning at CDM. John Winder and Andy Hein (US national players) came to train us in sand vb. We have been playing quite a bit, but it was such a cool experience to be lead by Christian US National players who applied their faith to their sport.
Check out the video from our camps!
http://vimeo.com/44987652
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Week 5
My summer is almost halfway over. The thought of leaving makes me so sad. I've definitely had thoughts about moving out here one day!
Saturday we had a beach day and invited the whole FCA volleyball family out to enjoy one another. It is beautiful to see such a loving and welcoming family interact with each other. The community here is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. FCAV has a goal to simply know God more and from that there is an overflow of genuine love that invites others in. I have never felt as valued and loved as I have here. This is the kind of love that draws people in, allows people to be vulnerable with one another, and grow with one another. This love can only be from God.
God is teaching me so much. I am getting to know Him more and He is reminding me who I am to Him. I've been a Christian for so long but have never fully accepted God's love which has prevented me from accepting others love. God has reminded me of His grace and desire to be with Him. He has satisfied every need of mine and given me a new joy and peace even in the midst of trials.
On Wednesday we got to go line dancing. It was quite the experience. I have never been line dancing before other than what I learned in middle school gym class. We didn't get to the place early enough to actually learn the dances so we went out on the dance floor having no idea what we were doing. I'm pretty sure I was never facing the right direction which made line dancing both funny and frustrating. I did get to learn how to two-step though!
Today we went to Huntington beach and got to set up a booth at Beach Fest (a Christan ministry event). Before we set up I got to go down to the sand courts and play with my friend, Mary and a few other girls who were training for the AVP. Mary and I weren't quite at their level but it was such a neat experience. I would love to be able to come out here one day to train. Maybe i won't go to the AVP, but I'd love to see where God takes my passions.
Back at the booth we had the opportunity to tell others about FCAV. At first it was hard to figure out who would be interested in a volleyball ministry. Some of the people i talked to were volleyball players or knew of volleyball players, but most of them had no interest in volleyball. Although I was able to connect a few people with FCAV, I realized that the main goal wasn't to connect them with FCAV, but to Jesus. There was such a diverse group of people who came by the booth.
One guy played some volleyball for fun, but His passion was with motorcycles. He expressed that he wanted to combine his passions for motorcycles and God but didn't see how that was possible.
I began to tell Him how FCAV got started- simply a passion for God and volleyball. I saw his face light up when he realized that He could do something similar with his passion for motorcycles. It is so cool that God has given us passions and unique giftings to bring Him glory!
Another guy I talked to named Rick had no reason to be at an FCAV booth. Rick was about 60 year old and didn't look like the athletic type. I almost ignored him at first because i didn't think that he would be interested in FCAV, but then I began a 20 minute long conversation with him. Within one minute of talking to him he told me that he had a gambling and alcohol addiction. Though I couldn't personally relate to these problems, I was able to tell him about people in my life who struggled with the same thing. Rick also mentioned that he was homeless and had been living in his car for the past 10 years. He told me that he was a Christian but Satan was bringing him down and was being controlled by so many things. He said he felt guilty all the time for giving into sin and not staying on the path that God had for him. Long story short, I was able to pray for Rick at the end of our conversation. Although I didn't get Him connected with FCAV, hopefully He was able to connect with Jesus! :)
Next week (Monday- Wednseday) I will be camp director for our camp! I'm excited and nervous about it but I know that it's going to teach me to rely on God more than ever. I have learned that I am willing to be bold and try new things, but when I fail i don't want to put myself in the same position again. I'm sure there will be many times that I will fail as camp director, but as long as i continue to trust God, it will all work out. Can't wait to tell you guys about it next week! :)
Saturday we had a beach day and invited the whole FCA volleyball family out to enjoy one another. It is beautiful to see such a loving and welcoming family interact with each other. The community here is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. FCAV has a goal to simply know God more and from that there is an overflow of genuine love that invites others in. I have never felt as valued and loved as I have here. This is the kind of love that draws people in, allows people to be vulnerable with one another, and grow with one another. This love can only be from God.
God is teaching me so much. I am getting to know Him more and He is reminding me who I am to Him. I've been a Christian for so long but have never fully accepted God's love which has prevented me from accepting others love. God has reminded me of His grace and desire to be with Him. He has satisfied every need of mine and given me a new joy and peace even in the midst of trials.
On Wednesday we got to go line dancing. It was quite the experience. I have never been line dancing before other than what I learned in middle school gym class. We didn't get to the place early enough to actually learn the dances so we went out on the dance floor having no idea what we were doing. I'm pretty sure I was never facing the right direction which made line dancing both funny and frustrating. I did get to learn how to two-step though!
Today we went to Huntington beach and got to set up a booth at Beach Fest (a Christan ministry event). Before we set up I got to go down to the sand courts and play with my friend, Mary and a few other girls who were training for the AVP. Mary and I weren't quite at their level but it was such a neat experience. I would love to be able to come out here one day to train. Maybe i won't go to the AVP, but I'd love to see where God takes my passions.
Back at the booth we had the opportunity to tell others about FCAV. At first it was hard to figure out who would be interested in a volleyball ministry. Some of the people i talked to were volleyball players or knew of volleyball players, but most of them had no interest in volleyball. Although I was able to connect a few people with FCAV, I realized that the main goal wasn't to connect them with FCAV, but to Jesus. There was such a diverse group of people who came by the booth.
One guy played some volleyball for fun, but His passion was with motorcycles. He expressed that he wanted to combine his passions for motorcycles and God but didn't see how that was possible.
I began to tell Him how FCAV got started- simply a passion for God and volleyball. I saw his face light up when he realized that He could do something similar with his passion for motorcycles. It is so cool that God has given us passions and unique giftings to bring Him glory!
Another guy I talked to named Rick had no reason to be at an FCAV booth. Rick was about 60 year old and didn't look like the athletic type. I almost ignored him at first because i didn't think that he would be interested in FCAV, but then I began a 20 minute long conversation with him. Within one minute of talking to him he told me that he had a gambling and alcohol addiction. Though I couldn't personally relate to these problems, I was able to tell him about people in my life who struggled with the same thing. Rick also mentioned that he was homeless and had been living in his car for the past 10 years. He told me that he was a Christian but Satan was bringing him down and was being controlled by so many things. He said he felt guilty all the time for giving into sin and not staying on the path that God had for him. Long story short, I was able to pray for Rick at the end of our conversation. Although I didn't get Him connected with FCAV, hopefully He was able to connect with Jesus! :)
Next week (Monday- Wednseday) I will be camp director for our camp! I'm excited and nervous about it but I know that it's going to teach me to rely on God more than ever. I have learned that I am willing to be bold and try new things, but when I fail i don't want to put myself in the same position again. I'm sure there will be many times that I will fail as camp director, but as long as i continue to trust God, it will all work out. Can't wait to tell you guys about it next week! :)
Saturday, June 16, 2012
week 4
It's already been a month! This summer is going by way too fast. It's definitley going to be hard to leave. My mom got to come visit and I got to spend some time with her when I had some free time.
This week we got to help with and run some camps. The first camp we helped with was sponsored by in-n-out for foster kids and we got to lead them through basic drills- I had the ladder station! :) We couldn't explicitly share our faith the way we would at the camps we run, but we got to love on these kids and speak truth into their lives.
We ran our first camp this week at Salem Lutheran. It was so fun and yet so different than any other camp I have been to or coached. Coaches were being intentional in making Christ the center of camp by finding simple ways to allow the girls to get their minds forcused on the eternal. At the beginning of camp the director for the week made sure the girls knew that they were valued regardless of ability and that mistakes were going to happen but don't define them. There was so much freedom for the girls to play in an environment like this. It was obvious that the camers understood what playing with God meant. At the end of camp, one of the younger campers closed with a simple prayer. "Dear Jesus, thank you for being here with us and playing volleyball with us. Amen."
One of our tasks is to create a project that helps save the world through volleyball. Maggie and I decided to create a blog that allows coaches and player to share how their faith has impacted how they play and coach. check out the website: http://playingstronglivingstrong.blogspot.com/.
Personally, I feel like I am learning so much spiritually and constantly learning from God. One of the best things about this internship is our sabbath days. I have always known that the Sabbath was important but it is so hard to do as a college athlete. Having a Sabbath day has been so great and has allowed God to speak to me and give me rest. In college I constantly filled my time with more thing to do for God but never had the time to process all that He was teaching me or even time to rest. I thought that by doing more I would be more successful but God wants to spend time with us and allow us to rest.
This week we got to help with and run some camps. The first camp we helped with was sponsored by in-n-out for foster kids and we got to lead them through basic drills- I had the ladder station! :) We couldn't explicitly share our faith the way we would at the camps we run, but we got to love on these kids and speak truth into their lives.
We ran our first camp this week at Salem Lutheran. It was so fun and yet so different than any other camp I have been to or coached. Coaches were being intentional in making Christ the center of camp by finding simple ways to allow the girls to get their minds forcused on the eternal. At the beginning of camp the director for the week made sure the girls knew that they were valued regardless of ability and that mistakes were going to happen but don't define them. There was so much freedom for the girls to play in an environment like this. It was obvious that the camers understood what playing with God meant. At the end of camp, one of the younger campers closed with a simple prayer. "Dear Jesus, thank you for being here with us and playing volleyball with us. Amen."
One of our tasks is to create a project that helps save the world through volleyball. Maggie and I decided to create a blog that allows coaches and player to share how their faith has impacted how they play and coach. check out the website: http://playingstronglivingstrong.blogspot.com/.
Personally, I feel like I am learning so much spiritually and constantly learning from God. One of the best things about this internship is our sabbath days. I have always known that the Sabbath was important but it is so hard to do as a college athlete. Having a Sabbath day has been so great and has allowed God to speak to me and give me rest. In college I constantly filled my time with more thing to do for God but never had the time to process all that He was teaching me or even time to rest. I thought that by doing more I would be more successful but God wants to spend time with us and allow us to rest.
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