Masquerade

August 29, 2011

Fire

Wow, it's over. Summer camp 2011 is over. I can't believe it. This summer has been a ride, that's for sure. I can't shake the feeling that last night I should've been at staff meeting, and this morning I should've been bringing kids to their cabins. But I'm not, and I didn't, because it's over. Wow.
WBC staff, I love you, with all my heart. I don't even have the words to describe what you mean to me. I look back at encouragement note after encouragement note, and I just think to myself, wow, how did I get blessed with this group of people? This group of people in Southern Manitoba, this group of people who are so out of the ordinary, that all some how ended up at Winkler Bible Camp. How does that even work?!?! There's so much junk out there in the world. As teenagers, we're expected to sleep all summer, to just lounge out, party, drink, swear, date person after person, and just not really care. And here I am, in the middle of over a hundred teenagers who've given up their summers to come to this camp and spread the word of Jesus to these kids; these teenagers who are willing to wake up early in the morning, work all day, and go to bed late; these teenagers who never turn down a request for help; these teenagers who are just on freakin' fire for God!!! I still how no idea how in the world I got put in this crazy place, but I love it. I love YOU! Man, you guys are just awesome. I love watching you serve, I love working with you, I love being around you! Don't let that fire die, throughout this school year, or whatever you're doing this year, please just rely on God in everything. Keep building that fire, it can never be too big!
In the song Hosanna, it says "I see a generation rising up to take their place, with selfless faith, with selfless faith." I proclaim that! And I know it's possible. Why? Because I saw it this summer in each and every one of the wonderful staff that I worked with. We are that generation.
I love you all! Please, please keep that fire burning!
Blessings,
Ariel

August 21, 2011

Alarm The Alarm

Wow, Satan is attacking hard this weekend. I get home, and my mom tells me that I have to clean my room before I can go see my auntie or anyone for that matter. I tend to snap at the littlest things lately. I just got so mad. I went up to my room, and man were the tears trying to make their way out. It wasn't just that though, it was also my week. Satan has been pushing hard on me for the past week.
My girls, intermediates age 12-13 just didn't seem to want to get into God. They were great girls otherwise, at activities and stuff, but when it came to Bible Break and Cabin Sharing, they just didn't care...at all. I was so discouraged on Thursday, I went and talked to my sister and the tears were just poking at my eyes...it was horrible! She prayed for me and I went back to my girls. For devo's we were gonna do a Beauty/Boy talk, we got finished the beauty talk, and the girls had questions about some of the verse I had read, but not about the beauty part of it, about the God part of it. We veered completely off the topic of beauty and they just had so many awesome questions about God and who he is. I was so happy!!! We went to bed around 11:30, and I remember looking at the time after I did this, 11:47, I'm pretty sure I accidentally giggled out loud because I was thinking about the events of that evening. So funny. I woke up at 6:30 just giddy. Man, God was so present! Then on Friday, Bible Break is usually around half an hour; our Bible Break lasted an hour and a half! Woo! It was fantastic!!! Ha :) I love the way God works. I'm just so happy that these girls got to experience God and that this week wasn't just a wasted effort.
So yeah, with the frustrations of the week, I got home and just got even more frustrated. My feelings throughout the summer have just built up higher and higher until the point when, yesterday, I just broke down. I cried like never before, and cried out to God like never before. I remember one thing that triggered it was facebook. I go on facebook and see all these people's status...wow. I just wish they would experience God and that it would change their lives forever. The holy spirit works in mysterious ways...who knows what will happen :)
This week/weekend has just been a crazy mix of every emotion, I look forward to my final week at camp. Please keep me in your prayers.
Blessings,
Ariel

August 14, 2011

Break Free

The one thing I always wish is that the whole world could have a camp atmosphere. To just be able to praise, to be able to break off the chains, to just worship Jesus! This weekend is probably the most I've hung out with any of my friends. I went to the These Kids Wear Crowns concert on Friday for my friend's birthday party. I'm happy that she had such a good time, but it was really heart breaking for me, to be honest. First off, what is the point to concerts with no meaning? I'm going to see Starfield tonight. There's a point to that: to worship God. But TKWC are purely entertainment. And for them being purely entertainment, I was bored. Not to mention I was half asleep for the whole thing (remind me not to go out on Friday nights anymore). I saw another one of my friends at the concert, and we freaked out and hugged. She was with one of her guy friends who you could tell by the way he acted towards me that he flirts with every single girl he meets. So, I was hanging out with these friends and it was so sickeningly worldly. The were smoking, swearing, threatening to kill people (dramatic much?). It made me so sad. So sad. For me, I know why if someone spread a rumor about me I would treat them with love. Sandals of peace. That's what we're called to wear. But for these people who don't have God in their life, and see no reason to have him in their lives, what are we supposed to do? What reason do they have to treat anyone with love? What reason do they have to do anything good? Nothing at all. And if they don't believe in God and don't want a relationship with him, then what can I do? I don't know. I'm so lost, I'm so broken.
I started thinking this week about different religions. Like Buddhism or Hindu or whatever else there is out there. It just breaks my heart because I don't know what I can do!!! I just want to do something! Do they really think that Buddha is real? Do they really think that he could ever love you or do anything for you? If this is their truth, and if they believe it with their whole heart, then how can we show them the real truth? Say someone believed in Buddha like I believe in God. My faith in God is unshaking, and you can't do anything to move me. I know that God is real. I've had my fair share of proof. But what if someone is set on Buddha? Then what? What am I supposed to do????? I just want so badly for these people to be shown the truth. God is good, he'll show himself to anyone who wants him, I believe that full well.
I'm realizing very quickly how I do not want to keep my faith a secret because if I keep it a secret, then I'm basically allowing the people around me to go to Hell. If they don't follow God, and I even try to do anything, then what good am I on this earth? I'm not going to go and scream in people's faces, "YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW GOD OR YOU'LL GO TO HELL!!!!!" No, but I will live my life how God wants me to, and I will be evident and bold about my faith. I want so badly to see the people in my town, in my school, break free from their chains. If God will use me and let me be even a little part in this, I am truly blessed.
God is good.
Blessings,
Ariel

July 29, 2011

Crazy

I figured out this week...that I am not normal. Not even a little bit! You know why? I'm a 16 year old girl who works at a Christian camp, teaching kids about Jesus all week and giving my all, getting up at 7am every day during my summer, working anywhere from 16-18 and even 24 hour days depending on the job, working over 100 hour 5 day weeks, while getting less than minimum wage. Now, if I did not have God in my life, then yes, I would be absolutely insane for agreeing to anything close to this! But guys, I have such a cool opportunity here. 2 of my girls this week became Christians, and one of them rededicated her life to God! I heard of SO MANY kids becoming Christians this week, AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I, for the first time, got to lead a little girl in a prayer to ask Jesus into her heart. God is so so so good. So good.
This week has stretched me so much. Sunday just seems like it was so far away. At the meeting, we were just feeling such pain for these kids. There are kids at this camp who go through so much, and being at camp for one week is the only good thing in their life. We have to go so hard for these kids, no matter how tired we are, we have to be so intentional and make their week great. I had so many kids shouting "Ariel! Ariel!" all week, and I have no idea how they know my name! It's just fantastic that I have the chance to make even just one kid's day.
I prayed for this week that God would teach me to rely on him. Oh man, did he ever! We had one girl whose dad died a year ago today; we have another girl who just has so much spiritual battle, what she described sounded like she was seeing demons. Both of these things became bigger on Tuesday night at the same time, there was so much prayer and comfort, man, God was just moving in me and my co-counsellor. This stuff is something that I never would have imagined dealing with at 16 years old. Dealing with demons?! Telling Satan to get the heck out of our cabin??
The feeling that I'm not good enough for this job never seems to go away. There's other people at camp who are cut out for it, but not me. But I think that this is a good place to be, because that's when God can really work through me. When I know that I can't do it, but God can, great things happen you guys. God has just been working so much through me.
I've seen God so much this week, I am just in awe of his awesome power. I can't understand how anyone would ever just want to live for themselves instead of living for God. He is just so awesome.
Please guys, keep all Christians camps in your prayers this summer! There is such a battle going on; Satan is fighting hard for the souls of all of these kids, but you guys, God is so much stronger! He's proven it time and time again. He never fails. Please also keep me in your prayers, I need energy and wisdom, and I need my time with God.
We're now half way done the summer, it's crazy to think about it. But God is moving here. He is just so awesome! Ahhh!!!
God bless!!
Ariel
2 Thessalonians 3:3

July 28, 2011

The Saga of Gerald and Cledis

So, this is what we do at camp. This is the EXACT note I received from Cailey today. Something tells me she needs a life.

Enjoy!
[Note 1]
:(|) This is Gerald. He's a happy monkey friend. Gerald likes to ride bikes and swing from trees. He also LOVES to eat turtle and banana sandwiches. but only on rye bread. Gerald's favourite colour is purple. His favourite thing to wear is a purple loincloth (because monkeys aren't a huge fan of clothes)
(turtle) This is Cledis. He's a happy little turtle friend. He likes to have his claws painted and he can ride unicycles. Cledis' favourite food is monkey sandwiches. with peanut butter. His favourite colour is teal. and he likes to wear teal shawls. This (next note) is their story.
[Note 2]
One day Gerald was sitting alone in his tree and he was HUNGRY. So he decided that he wanted a turtle and banana sandwich. At that very moment, Cledis waddled slowly by Gerald's tree! Gerald jumped down and landed on Cledis' back and attempted to stab him with his loincloth, however it didn't work since it was a loincloth. But Cledis was a ninja so he jumped around and stabbed Gerald with his nail/claw polish brush. Cledis has monkey and peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of the week.
THE END
Love, Cailey :)
What a dork!
Strange but awesome things I have done with Cailey:
spatula fight (a silent spatula fight, mind you)
putting ranch on her pizza
getting water poured on my head in the middle of the dining hall

July 22, 2011

Suit Up

I have been crazy busy this month with summer camp. I just finished my 3rd week! It's crazy to think that there's only 5 more left.
For week 1, I was working at petting zoo. I love being on support staff! We have the most amazing group of staff here at camp, and I love them all so dearly. It was a fantastic week, obviously, seeing as most of our conversations during staff meetings revolved around poop. It was ridiculous, actually. The places kids put their poop at camp...ugh! It's just nasty! But makes for such funny stories! I always laugh so hard at evening staff meetings. Imagine this: a bunch of over-tired teenagers just having finished a 16 hour work day, all coming into one humid room to share about their day. Chaos!!! So. Funny. To be a fly on the wall.....
During week 2 I was counselling. I honestly had the perfect cabin. They were very quiet at first, but warmed up pretty soon. They were calm when they needed to be, and got hyper when we weren't really doing anything. They were all such sweet girls and awesome to hang out with. They shared during Bible Break and prayed out loud. I just love them! It was a very hard week for me because my grandma's boyfriend of 24 years and fiance passed away on the Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday were very difficult for me because I saw what it was doing to my family and the people who were close to him. My thoughts that week were that if grieving were a person, I would punch it in the face. During chapel on the Wednesday, I said to God, I want YOUR peace, YOUR strength and YOUR joy. It was like a light switch, I was just so happy, and it lasted all week. That unexplainable joy. God is just so good. I learnt that I was not using my shield of faith. I didn't do devo's on Wednesday either, and I was depressed all day, but when I prayed, God was instantly there.
I will definitely be sharing about week 3 when I'm not ready to crash out! Blessings all.
Ariel

June 29, 2011

Au Revoir, Mon Amis

Today was my last day with my kindergarten classes. When I first started this, it was just something that was mandatory. I thought that maybe I'd have a bit of fun, but I really didn't think it'd be for me. They have proved me wrong...and I'm glad. These kids are the most amazing kids, and I've been so blessed and privileged to work with them. (I'm tearing up as I write this, we'll see if I can get through...)
My morning class is so independent and creative. There's so many kids who are so very talented. Some have stories all the time, others always hug you, others have their nose in a book 24/7, others are great at reading/writing/counting. They're all so different, it so great to see them grow and get to know them. They were quite the dramatic group, but I love them to bits. On my first day, I still remember this little girl coming up to me, quite boldly, and saying, "What's your name!" I had so much fun teaching them how to play Ninja Tag. I love that almost all of them showed me so much love, with many hugs and "HI MADAME ARIEL!!!!" 's whenever they saw me outside of school. I love their drawings and presents they gave me. Je t'aime, classe du matin. Vous êtes un grand groupe d'enfants, vous ne jamais l'oublier. J'espère venir vous rendre visite dès que je peux! Beaucoup, beaucoup de câlins! L'amour, madame Ariel.
Oh, how I love my afternoon class. Both of the classes were so different. Afternoon was more challenging, but in a good way. They have a different energy about them. They showed so much love to me, gave me so many drawings and many many many hugs. I love how they were always positive, and how we got to comfort them when they were sad. They would always make my day better by a great big "Hi Madame Ariel!!!!" when they saw me walk up to the school. One of the girls hugged me today and said, "Madame Ariel, I don't want to leave." The first thing I wanted to do was hug her back, and whisper, "I don't want to leave either..." But I couldn't. I had to pick up my broken heart off the floor and tell her that she would love grade one, and that she would make so many new friends and do so many cool things. Classe après-midi, Je t'aime plus que tu sais. J'ai eu tellement de plaisir avec vous! Vous êtes tous tellement impressionnant, je ne peux pas attendre pour entendre le cri première personne, "Salut, Mme Ariel!" Tu vas me manquer! L'amour, madame Ariel.