So What Now?

I am back in the states now, but it doesn't feel like I am home.
I have been trying to unpack my new room in the Schaaf home, I am stuck in the in-between stage again. Story of my life.

I am excited to see what this semester holds for me, but I don't understand how people go to college for so long! I want to be doing things now. I know that God can use me here and now, but I want to be out there already, making a difference in ways that I didn't even know were possible.

I'm back at work on Wednesday and I can't wait. At least I feel useful there. I can't wait to get caught up with my coworkers and enjoy my time with them.

I need prayer this semester, I can already feel the anxiety weighing me down. I want to make this year great but I'm scared. I'm basically on my own now and I have so much to do. It's as if my insides are screaming "I'm not ready!", and the truth is that I'm not, looks like I am going to be leaning on Gods grace a LOT this semester.

About to Depart

There is no way that this summer could have blown me away more, I am truly thankful for what God did in my life through these camps this summer.
I met incredible teammates who were such encouraging people throughout the summer, I met campers who changed my life, and I got to know my Savior in a real way through a sport I love.

I am sitting in the airport waiting for Stu to get through customs so that we can get coffee before our flights depart. I am a little bit in denyal I think, it doesn't feel like I am going home at all. It doesn't feel like I just said goodbye to six people who now mean so much to me. I am excited to go home and back to work and school though, I know that I will be able to use some of these things that I learned this summer in my everyday life with coworkers and school and who knows what else.

School starts on Monday, yes thats two days from now, and i feel great (incredibally sore but great). What a way to kick off the school year, I can't wait to get out there and start making a difference.

Thank you to everyone who helped me get here this summer, your prayers and financial support have truly blessed my life. I am a different person because of this summer. Thank you for believing in me!

I'll Never Forget Today

What a day.

Today was the best day of the summer. I gave my testimony to a group of 25 teenage boys and girl today, i had been thinking about it from the moment I woke up this morning to the moment I pored my heart out to these kids.
I prayed for two hours before I gave my testimony and just thought about what direction I wanted to go with it and God rapidly brought ideas and verses into my head. Before I was supposed to go I felt sick to my stomach though, which was weird because I don't usually get nervous about speaking. However when I started speaking God just brought the words and the pace and everything those kids needed to hear. I shared parts of my life that I have never shared before and every boy in that room was captivated as I spoke. There was a shaking in my voice for the last half of my testimony but I knew I wasn't gonna cry, God just stirred up so much passion in me. I just hope that my story hit home for one of those kids.

After chapel though I could tell that the kids thought of me differently, yeah all week I was the chill, goofy, girl counselor who they didn't take all that seriously, but after chapel I could tell they respected my ability to get deep and to just help them to understand my snd Gods love for each of them.

I wish I had more time with them for they are just starting to open up, but tomorrow is the last day and it only goes till two.

Thank you guys for your support this summer, God has blown my expectation out of the water, for how will I ever jump right back into school and daily life now?

I Can Feel it Beginning

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from this summer, playing hockey and working with kids? Sign me up! But this summer has become so much more then that; I can feel it, I can feel the change coming and I'm not scared.
All the kids that I have had the blessing of working with thus far have impacted me so much. Most likely they will never even realize this. I can only hope that  had an impact in their lives. Gods is charge of that one.
I'm not sure what God is trying to tell me, but I know that if I could be doing something like this for the rest of my life I would jump at that opportunity.
I don't know if you realize this but Canada loves hockey SO much, so the majority of the kids at the three camps we have done so far are not only unchurched but have herd very little about the gospel! It has been truly a blessing to see some of these kids come to Christ and become fulling willing to serve Him at young age.
God knows what he is doing with me this summer, I can feel it beginning. And I can't wait.

MY TEAM (i finally figured out how to post pics from my iPad)

Mike Suderman and I, rockin the staches

 Kevin Brink and Ancel Schwabe

Me and Stu Guffy

Heather Hogg and I

Colin Ott

Debs, Ancel, Heather, Stu, and Kevin chillin in the van.

 

Ancel and I in the van ready for dinner

Kevin, I, Debs, and Colin

Kevin and Stu

I'm not ignoring you

Let me just take a second to say how sorry I am for never posting awesome things here but during the week we have no Internet and am spending so much time with the kids that I just can't blog.
However this week we have a week off, till Friday, and I am excited to post and keep up with everyone back homes.

Love you all!

About Prince George 7-19-11

This week at Prince George is much different then last weeks camp. It is a day camp, meaning that we get our evenings off which we spend eating dinner and vegging out at the school we are staying at.
It is also a different week because I am not on the ice at all. My new job for this camp is "event coordinator", sounds fancy huh? Basically it means I'm a mini Glen, our our head coach and leader, I make sure everything is running smoothly, I have the keys to the locker rooms (which Canadians only call dressing rooms), its fun to be somewhat in charge but I don't get to know the campers very well :/
I will be giving my testimony today during Coaches Corner, I'm excited about it.

I promise I will post theses posts when we get back to the school tonight! I feel bad that I have just gone off and ignored my blog, but I have been extremely busy till this camp started.

I hope your summers are going amazing without me!

PRBI-First Week of Camp Completed

I know it's been a long time sense I have written, but the wi-fi at the camp was horrible.

Ok, so last week was the first official camp of the summer! It was a stay-away camp, meaning that we had the kids 24/7 and that they stayed at the camp with us all week.

We had a gradnd total of 29 kids, two of which were girls. Alicia(16) and Toni(15). They were awesome! I got to know them really well, especially Alecia. How am I supposed to go off of last week for the rest of the summer? It was SO amazing, surely it can't get much better then that.

Now I am in Prince George at a different camp where we get the evenings off.
Should be nice!

7-10-11 first on ice with campers in PRBI

Today was a busy day. We started our first camp of the summer!
We are in Grand Prairie, Alberta, there are 30 campers two of which are girls :)
After we got the kids checked in at 4pm we headed to the rink for our first ice time. The head coach and I decided before hand that it would be best if I dressed out with the kids and learned all the drills with them instead of being a coach on the ice.
That means every warm-up, every push-up, and every drill I am participating in like a camper while all the other counselors get to coach and torture us. :)

Tonight was great, I feel like I am learning a lot more about hockey and getting better at it already. The kids were great, giving me pointers and helping me out with drills as needed.

I can't wait to get to know all the different kids here, especially the two girls :D

Love you all, please pray that we are injury free this week and that we experience real growth.

Can I Stay Fovever?

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday after I arrived, but it was a busy night and they kept me up much too late.

I love Canada. I don't understand why America isn't more like Canada. The whether here is PERFCT!

I have six teammates for the summer and I love them all already, but if you know me then you know that I tend to love all people really fast.

[Six hours later]

I just got back from our first staff ice time. It was amazing. I was so scared when we arrived to the rink because I am so rusty at skating, stick handling, and being in shape, but everyone was super encouraging. I feel like this summer is going to be exactly what I need, time to just focus on serving others through one of my passions.

Well I'm signing off for now because it's dinner time!

I'm On My Way

Well, what's done is done. I'm sitting on the plane now. No going back.
Middle seat, not great for sleeping, which I am hoping to do seeing as I got two hours of sleep last night.
Paul and mom dropped me off at the airport, I don't know when I will see either of them again, for when I get back from Csnada they will both be living out west. Good luck both of you.
I have to make this fast because we are about to take off. The pilot is funny, I like that, he makes my sleepy morning better.
I'll try to check in from Phenoix.

Please pry that somehow Stu makes the Phenoix flight! His flight out of Chicago got delayed three hours this morning :(

I'm so excited! Have an amazing day. I love you all.

Little Blessings

I'll take what I can gat! I love when God makes the little things fall into place.
I found out yesterday that I would be in the same flight as Stu Guffy, the gollie coach for this summer, from Phenoix AZ to Vancouver! Stu and I are going to be the only two coaches from America, except for Debs but she comes later. I am excited to be able to have someone with me as I try to figure out customs and the Greath North!

Thank you for the little things God.

Tomorrow I'll Be There

Just a quick loot at my crazy day today:

9:30am Vet follow up appointment

11:30am Doctors appointment

2:00pm Dentist appointment

Sometime after 3:00pm Meet with a counselor at NOVA Comminity College, declare a major, figure out loan situation, and try figure out how get my books with loan money if I won't be in the country.

Whenever that is done pm start packing for Canada, pack up what goes back to New Mexico, and pack up what stays here with you in Virginia for next semester.

Hopefully get some sleep before my early flight to Canada!

I could use some prayers :)

7-3-11, Three Days Till Take Off

I am in New York City tonight. I grew up with a spontaneous family, so it just made since to take a trip to NYC three days before I escape unto the Great North (I believe that's Canada).

When I make close calls like this however, I am just reminded of Gods plan in these things. If I forget my toothbrush due to last minute packing then so be it.

I am nervous, yet excited for the rapidly upcoming six and a half weeks. I am going to be in Canada playing a sport that God gave me a passion for, connecting with kids, Lord willing, who will understand and relate to my crazy approach on life.

God, grant me wisdom while I am a leader in these hockey camps. Shine through my many weekness. Help me to disearn your truths.