Atlanta. So maybe I can be more than just a small town girl : )

I am in Jasper, Georgia for the summer. Honestly, I’m not sure how I even ended up here. My mother often tells me I make decisions on a whim and this was definitely one of those decisions. There are many reasons why I am here for the summer and some I have already discovered…

My first week was very challenging, but also very encouraging. I have traveled to third world countries to work with children before and working at this camp has been very similar. I was changed. I could tell you many stories about different children I encountered at camp this week, but I’ll just share a few. I deliver the children’s medicine to the cabins at night. The night before the children went home, I went into one particular cabin and found this little boy sobbing so hard he was gasping for air. My first immediate reaction was to hold him. I just held him and rubbed his back. He was not easing up at all. This child was crying because he knew that it was time to go home. He shared his story with his counselor. His dad had died less then two months ago in the war and his mother had a hard time dealing with it. He said “My mom is sad and takes it out on me.” That night, as the counselor carried him to his bed after he had cried himself to sleep, the sand poured out of his shoes. He put the sand there because that’s where his dad fought and died. God spoke to me through his story. I have always had a heart for children and I travel miles and miles to help children in Africa and South America. I am called to help those in need wherever I am at the moment. I have shared experiences this week with children who do not have food or shelter on a regular basis. A lot of them are lacking the most important thing, love. I can see in their eyes. They just want someone to hug them or to play with them. It was my job and the rest of this staff to show the campers that God loves them and we love them.

There are many things I have taken for granted and family is at the top of that list. I am so grateful for my mom and dad, who have invested so much in helping me to know God and how much he cares for me. 

“The One who called you is faithful and He will do it.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:24