Y2, Day 10. On inspiration and weakness...

Day 10 already?! the first few days seemed to be so long... but now they seem so far away.

On the one hand I dearly miss the team that is working hard back home at haven. On the other hand... God is very real here this week as well... I know I'm where I should be, but I feel the pull of duty and the distance between here and dear friends there.

After the last writing we spent the afternoon at a local church (The Anglican church of the resurrection) and the wee kiddos rotated through activity stations and seemed to really enjoy everything offered them. They got to make crafts, play drums, do a scavenger hunt, make root beer from scratch (and then make root beer floats out of some that had been premade), play a game, hear the bible story for the day, and dress up in costumes to get their pictures taken. As I have very little official responsibility during the day It was a pleasure to bounce from group to group and try to absorb as much of that youthful energy as possible.

After the kiddos returned to the link (a youth for Christ facility we're using as a staging area, also the same one we used during this camp last year) the parents swooped in and took the exhausted tots home. we then made the ascent up the mountain and returned to our evening home.

We ate supper and then swapped a few stories about the day, after which we took a bit of a break and moved on to our evening chapel. worship started out a bit rocky because we were learning a few new songs and everyone was starting to feel the drag of the day, but we pressed on and worshiped together despite the frequent yawns and comfortable seating. After we sang a few songs we moved on to the most stressful part of the week for me (and at the same time one of the most rewarding) It was my turn to speak again...

This week has been a weird experience for me in that I don't get the opportunity to speak/preach very often, and I've never had to do it with so little time for formal preparation. However I have noticed this week that the prep that I've been able to put in usually gets diverted a short time before speaking (last night changed around suppertime) and God lays something a little different on my heart, In an attempt to be obedient to that leading I have thus far scrambled to do what prep I can on that topic (it usually starts out as a minor point to my original plan) and then try to be as honest and challenging about that topic as I can.

Last night we were in 2 Cor. 11 and we went through the list of Paul's suffering as an apostle. and then went on to talk about the strange idea that our weaknesses are not something to be hidden away but instead we can boast in our weakness as Paul did and not to 'win' a competition of who's pitiful but instead to boast as those who are servants of a sufficient God who is strong when we are weak.

God seems to have honored the time and I got a lot of very meaningful feedback from those listening... please keep praying for the remainder of evenings... Speaking is one of those things that I have to fight my weaknesses to do, and God always seems to honor. But in the moment it can be incredibly difficult for me.

Today we are headed to the lake! It should be a great time, and my mission is to not get sunburned today. (I have aquired a hat and a few new bottles of sunscreen to aid me in my mission.

-Nick
p.s. I've added 2 links to great blogs on the right, one is my little sister who is WAY more talented than I am, and the second is a dear friend who works here at Haven, she's taken on the challenge of writing each weekday this summer and that is always easier when people visit your site.