Prayer

Guys, some of you may know but, my mom has cancer and is in a lot of pain in her back because thats where the cancer has spread. And she is going to the states tomorrow to get it checked out because the pain is so bad she can hardly move, she will have to be in a neck brace and on a lot of meds. Please pray for her, I’m here in Wisconsin and I can’t do anything but pray. I’m really worried not just for her but for my dad and brother that they will know what to do. My dad will be coming with my mom and my brother will be staying there. Pray for my brother, because he’s struggling with this and he doesn’t know how to handle it.

Just pray during this time of uncertainty for my whole family and that we would all be seeking God through all of this.

Wisconsin=Frozen Extremities

So the weather up here has been really weird.  Last week it was in the high 40′s sunny and all the snow melted. Well in the last couple of days the temperature has dropped and right now I’m pretty sure that it’s about -11 with the wind chill. And it’s supposed to be that cold during the day….DURING THE DAY!!!  So it’s recommended that under a certain temperature you aren’t supposed to be outside for a certain period of time. And I’m sure that this weekend will be one of those times that kids won’t be able to be outside for more that 20 minutes for fear of FROSTBITE!!! This weekend we have about 375+ kids coming for our winterXtreme (winter extreme for in case you didn’t get it) camp and we have tons of outside activities like tubing on a hill and tobogganing onto the frozen lake and broomball.  Just pray that kids keep their noses.

Just a quick update on the internship we are on our 4th week of winterXtreme. The 13 interns are in charge of running and programming the camp and it’s just been tons of fun.  What we have is a bunch of youth groups that come anywhere from Minnesota to Chicago and we have lots of activities and food and just a time where the youth pastors can bond with their youth groups and a time for the kids to experience amazing worship and a great speaker. You can read more about it at  http://www.timber-lee.com/youth_programs/winterXtreme/index.html  It’s pretty sweet.

Winter Play

So, for the past several days it has snowed a lot and sleeted a little bit.  It’s really awesome because I haven’t seen snow in 8 years and now it’s a lot of snow, so we’ve (The other interns) have been tubing and other things.  Tonight we decided we were going to take this girls kayak out and take it down a hill and onto the frozen pond.  Now I have never been on a frozen pond before and it kind of freaks me out, so I didn’t do it, but they did it. So one person sat in the kayak and the other on the back, and the first time they did it they ate it half way down and got snow all down their pants. But the second time they made it all the way down and slid across the ice. I was still mastering walking on ice. But all in all it was a productive evening.  It’s still snowing and we should get about 5 inches altogether, and there was about 3 inches of ice and snow. So hopefully the next few days bring snowforts and snowmen.  IT’S JUST SO EXCITING!!!!

Team Building

So today I taught 3 teambuilding classes in a row. For those of you that aren’t familiar with teambuilding what we do is we take a group and in one hour give them challenges that they have to work out together as a team.  That is essentially the basic definition of teambuilding.  Anyways, the groups I had were really difficult and they didn’t care, they didn’t want to work with each other and for 3 long hours I watched kids argue with each other and struggle. Needless to say I was drained by the end of the day.

I realized that through this I learned a lot about myself and how to adpat to certain situations. Especially with different groups of kids and just dealing with different situations that I never could have been prepared for.  But I also find myself not listening to the very things that I teach the kids.  I always tell them to stay committed to the task at hand, and it’s easy, especially after a day like this, to never want to do team building again.  Somtimes I have to refocus and realize what it is that I am doing and why I am doing it.  So right now that I think about all this I realize that I in fact don’t want to quit teambuilding. But look forward to another oppourtunity to serve others and not myself.

Visitation

So my brother Chris has flown in from North Carolina to visit me and learn what I do. It’s nice to have some family here because as you might know having your parents in a completely different counrty makes it hard to see them all the time.

Some of you were wondering what my mailing address was, or you didn’t so I’m going to tell you in case you want to send me mail or bojangles (because they don’t have that here). So here it is.

N8705 Scout Rd East Troy WI, 53120

I’m back.

So I know it’s been a long time since I’ve been blogging but a lot has happened since then, especially since the last 3 1/2 weeks.

The summer was awesome!!! I learned so much about myself and was able to do what I absolutley love to do, work in camp!!!  So at the end of the summer I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and the camp that I worked at got a postcard in the mail about a 9 month internship in Wisconsin to work at camp. I was so excited, called to get more info, decided I wanted to apply, applied, got it and now I’m in Wisconsin for 9 months working in camp!!! It’s been amazing seeing how the Lord has been working to provide me with a place to work and do what I love.

The last 3 1/2 weeks have been a lot of training and learning and getting certified for lifeguarding (which isn’t easy) and start teaching classes. There are 13 interns and they put us in 2 different departments. I’m in the Timber Challenge, the classes that I teach are high ropes, archery, canoeing, rock climbing, team building, GPS, and in the winter cross country skiing. It’s been amazing just being challenged to do things that are outside of my comfort zone, like being on the high ropes course overseeing other kids while I am afraid of heights and not showing that to the kids. God has just blessed me so much with this oppourtunity to serve him here and work with amazing people and learn a lot about christian camping.

Be praying for me as it gets colder because I’m not used to 29 degree nights in September (yes that was the low the other night) And I don’t have any winter gear. Slowing but surely I am aquiring what I need to stay warm. Also I am in need of someone to take on my part of the lease at my apartment back in Greensboro because I didn’t know that I would be here. So I am having to pay rent and pay for the program here, and my money is running really thin. Also that I can dedicate this time to the Lord’s ministry, because I want to grow as much in this ministry as I can.

Keep on the lookout for more updates.

Passion

Tonight a guy from the church that owns Camp Merriwood came tonight and talked with us. I really like him because he is just out that and says whatever and is not afraid to challenge you.

He talked with us about Paul in Acts and how passionate he was about the church, and how we should be that passionate. Basically if Paul wasn’t passionate about the church then we wouldn’t be here right now. I’ve heard other people talk about Paul in this regard and it just hit me tonight. I want to be that passionate about my ministry, so passionate that whenever people think of me they think of someone who loves the Lord and is extremely passionate about his ministry. I know some of you know how passionate I am about camp, but I want the Lord to shine through this and not myself. I don’t want camp to be about me and having a good time or whatever personal agenda I have.  I want the rest of this summer and the rest of my life to be to serve God and do whatever it is he wants for me, and I want to be passionate about it, so passionate that people will believe what I am doing is for the Lord.

Camp

Alright 2 blogs in a matter of minutes!?!? I know what you are thinking…”He’s crazy!!” I have just had a lot on my mind and staff training starts today at Merriwood Christian Camp and I’m very excited. If you have talked with me about camp you would know that I would not do anything else for any amount of money. I love camp, I hope to be the direcetor of a camp or someday start my own camp.

Last year the director, Jeff, stepped down because he felt he was called to another camp, he had been there for 17 years and he made Merriwood what it has become, awsome. And most of the staff felt the same way. This summer we have the highest percentage of returning staff, ever. I just want to ask for prayer for this group of young men and women. The thing is the guy who is doing his job this year isn’t Jeff, and the staff need to realize that when we are getting the program ready and with the way things are handled, I have complete confidence that this man will be able to take over and make this a great summer program. Just pray that people, (myself included) won’t be frustrated with each other and that our focus won’t shift from what it needs to be.

On a similar note, during the week of June 11th-15th we need male volunteers for day camp. All you do is pair up with a counselor and help him contain these rowdy but cute day campers. Lunch will be provided and I’m sure I could swing dinner also. The campers come around 9 am and leave right before dinner around 5pm. It’s only a 30-40 minute drive from greensboro, unless you live where Mike Reeve lives, then it will take about 1 hour. If you are interested just leave a comment or send me an e-mail at vargas_vargas @hotmail.com.

More than a feeling.

Yesterday I went to a lot of churches, I went to 3 services all at different places. (I know what you are thinking, I’m really holy) But anyways, I went to Mike’s church plant with I’ve been wanting to go to for a while, I went to The Ridge where I normally go and then as I’m eating lunch with my roomate Brian he askes me to go to his church, which starts at 3 by the way because it’s predominatly college age/young married couples age. I told him no at the time that I had to get back to camp and get ready for the staff that comes today. And as I was driving to the interstate I just had this feeling like I should go to this church, I can’t explain it and I certainly don’t get these feelings often, or ever. I just felt like the Lord wanted me to go.

Now I really don’t know why he wanted me to, but I turned around and went. I saw some people that I knew because they hang out with Brian and I have just become friends with them in the process, and the pastor and his wife are awsome. So I’m sitting there waiting for this divine intervention from God telling me why I’m here and what I’m supposed to do with it. The singing passes, and this girl Brandi whom I had met and hung out with a couple of times gave her testimony, powerful stuff mind you, then the pastor spoke a little and I left. As I was leaving I’m thinking to myself “Why was I here?, Why did I feel so strong about going?” You know maybe I shouldn’t have been just sitting there looking for the sign because I probably missed it, or it just hasn’t been revealed to me. But I’ve never done that before, just have that urge to do something like that. It’s just like Brian flipped a switch in my mind when he asked me to go to church with him. I don’t understand it.

Last Day

It’s such a relief to say that tonight was my last night at Rockola. I have worked there for quite a while and frankly it was getting old because I could not see myself working there for the rest of my life. (let alone the rest of my college career) But the reason that I am quitting is only for the summer so I can do what I am crazy passionate about….CAMP!!! I love working at camp. Especially Merriwood Christian Camp because it’s amazing. When I think about it I just get uber-excited. Just the thought of spending a whole summer serving God and working with kids and being able to be a kid, in case you all didn’t know I’m a kid at heart. As soon as school was over a little load was lifted off my back and I was able to breath a little, now that I’m done with work my lungs are filled with fresh air and I am exstatic about this summer.

I can’t remember ever being excited about something before for so long. Ever since I left camp last summer I have been literally counting down the days when I could go back and just do what I believe God wants me to do. I’m sure hanging out with youth for a whole summer would drive most of you up a wall, I thrive on it. I love working with youth, they bring something out in me that nothing else can, I feed of their energy as much as they feed off of mine (and I have a lot). Right now I look forward not only to this summer but to the up coming years praying to God that I will be able to do this, and that I will be in a ministry that is truley blessed by him.

I ask of all who read this to pray for me as I face many challenges of kids who are homesick, or have “it” as we like to call it, kids who have questions that we as adults would never think to ask, and just being able to keep up with them all summer. And pray that I will let God work through me.

I leave on Tuesday for camp and could not be any more excited.