Pentecost continues...

Composition date: June 12, 2006

“Pentecost continues...”

...read the bulletin insert at our church this Sunday.

During our Pentecost celebration last Sunday, I sat in the midst of our entire congregation holding candles, all attired in the red color of Pentecost. I felt only embers in my heart. Who or what threw sand on the flames~the passion I had for serving my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Then, within a fragment of time, He began to fan my ashes and the embers began to ignite. As the candles were extinguished, I was invited to serve Him, once again.

Several weeks ago, my husband volunteered to serve as adult leader for our Confirmation campers. Since my husband is a youth group leader and not one of the catechism teachers, he was not the pastor’s first choice to attend. In addition, my husband would only go if our family could join him at camp. With those things in mind, we wrote off the possibility of us serving in this way.

God had flames to fan~

At the conclusion of our Pentecost service, one of our youth volunteers informed us that my husband would be going to be the adult leader at Confirmation camp and our family had been approved to stay at the camp with him. So, next Sunday, my husband, almost three year-old, and myself will be heading back to Stony Lake Lutheran Camp. It will have been 27 years since I had my last Stony Lake adventure and 33 years since my husband last graced her shores.
The picture on the left is my husband when he was on the maintenance staff at Tecumseh Woods Lutheran Camp, the "sister" camp to Stony Lake in 1973 or 1974. I have a picture of him at Stony Lake, but he's holding some "girlfriend's" hand and I can't seem to find it. (Smile)
The picture on the right is me at Stony Lake the summer of 1974. Last night we were laughing at the irony of the fact that my husband was on camp staff the same summer I went the first time. Our church used to alternate between the two camps, and it was just happenstance that I went to Stony Lake instead of Tecumseh Woods in the first place.

But wait, there is more to the story~

I mentioned to the woman making our camp arrangements, that while I am officialy going to camp because my husband is going, I am interested in working with the church's youth as well. She e-mailed me back sharing a "desparate need" for women to work in small groups with middle school and high school girls. They need women who do not have children that age. Like myself, the woman I was speaking with doesn't, but her third baby arrived last Thursday. I fit the bill it sure seemed like God was dropping a bit hint.

Earlier this year our church held a simulcast of "Every Young Woman's Battle". I was unable to attend, but I had expressed an interest in this type of ministry. Apparently, I didn't speak loud enough, since I missed several meetings on the subject. After I talked with our "camp arranger", I spoke to our pastor's wife who is working on establishing this ministry and we met on Monday. We are going to meet with some middle school age girls tonight.

I have a lot of passion for this kind of ministry. I think we are in a spiritual battle today and young women and men need to be equipped. My life experiences have led to this point and I know God can use me...so I release this to Him. But boy, am I getting nerv...I mean excited about tonight!!!!

...Sunday's bulletin insert concluded with Matthew 5:16, my Confirmation verse:
"Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven".

and so I shall~