I never wanna leave.

I love this camp so much. God has taught me a whole lot while I've been at PVM, and the recurring theme has been and continues to be surrender. Surrendering to God isn't easy, but God has taught me to, "Surrender everything you are to the LORD and let Him lead you in accordance to his will. His blessings abound to surrendered hearts."

And I've certainly experienced God's blessings this summer at PVM. God has given me great relationships with people I only just met at the beginning of the summer. He's allowed me to share my testimony with a couple of friends and be an encouragement through words and time spent with others listening to what they have to say.

Some days are difficult and I struggle to control my life, but then I have to take a step back and say, "God, I surrender to your will. Be the LORD of my life today. I will go where you send me." Yesterday was one of those days where I was struggling with several situations in my life and I talked with God about them while taking a walk around camp. It was peaceful and I could freely share my frustration and misunderstandings with God. He understood and led me to 2 Corinthians 12 which talks about Paul's thorn in the flesh and how God's power works best in weakness. Verse 9 says: Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

I'm so encouraged that when I am weak, God is strong. My achievements may not amount to much, but  through Christ, I can do all things.

I'll end with a quote that I read in the book, "Surrender" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss earlier tonight. It speaks volumes about what has been on my heart lately. God wants you and I to be fully surrendered to  him and to live lives of obedient service to him.

Surrender isn't the surrender of the external life, but of the will; when that is done, all is done. There are very few crises in life; the great crisis is the surrender of the will. -Oswald Chambers

God bless you all!
Jess

And here are some pictures of camp for your enjoyment!

Oh, it's June...time for a quick hello.

Sorry you haven't received an update from me for a long time, but I'm afraid that camp has taken over my life (at least on week days). From the time I finish breakfast til the time my head hits the pillow, I've got a camera around my neck or a laptop on my lap. Every day is busy, busy, busy and even though everyone technically gets a break from 3:30-5 pm, I use that time to upload pictures, edit them, start on slide shows for the weekly DVD, and edit video footage. Often at night I'm needed to take pictures of the nightly skits, pool parties, and dance parties.

My job really is amazing, and I still can't believe that I'm getting paid to take pictures! It's a dream come true, but it's also stressful, so please pray for wisdom, strength, and endurance for me as the summer goes on. Thank you!!

Camp life may be hectic, but it's also fun and rewarding. Derek knows how to make campers smile with the funny stories and jokes he loves to tell.

It's great having another photographer around, even though she's a counselor so she spends most of the time with her cabin kids. Sarah is such a loving friend and I've enjoyed talking about photography stuff with her. She's pictured above surrounded by the girls she counseled last week.

So that's what I've been up to this past month, and what I get to do for another seven weeks. It's a blessing being able to work here at Pleasant Vineyard Ministries Camp, and already God has worked in the lives of campers and staff in so many ways. I'll try to pop in every once in while to share what's up with me, but for now, ta-ta. xx

Eighty degrees and sunny.

When it's a hot Saturday, there's nothing better than being outside and getting wet. Last Saturday afternoon Christopher and I played in water in the backyard for a few hours. I had the idea and suggested it to him before lunch. He had to finish the movie he was watching and then we got ready.

Being the slow poke that I tend to be, I took much longer to get outside, and by the time I walked out the back door, Christopher had already set up the little "slip-n-slide". (It's designed for young kids, but is fun for older people to use, too.) I tried to take pictures of Christopher, but he got tired of that quickly because he wanted me to play with him, instead of standing by the side watching him play by himself. So after taking a few pictures, I took my camera inside and played with him. We got soaked and enjoyed ourselves until he decided he was done. Then we packed up everything and went inside to read. :)

An Explanation.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I don't really have an excuse this time, except that I've been taking it easy and getting ready for camp. The closer it gets to the start of camp, the more excited I get! My family leaves on Saturday to take me to PVM Camp, and I still have tons of packing to do. This past week I've spent buying supplies and getting online banking figured out (with my dad's help).

Since I'm going to be gone for most of the summer, my parents have tried to do some fun stuff before I leave, even though my brothers are still in school until the beginning of June. My mom ordered pizza last Saturday night. Our family's spent numerous nights watching movies. We've gone over to friends' houses for dinner and made new friends. Christopher and I donned our bathing suits and spent a few hours getting wet. Knowing that I'm going to be taking lots of photos soon, I've been lazy and have only taken a few photos this past week. I read the entire Hunger Games series and watched the movie twice. (Yesterday was the second time, when my mom took me to the theatre to see it as an early birthday present.) Today we're celebrating my birthday with a special dinner of stuffed peppers and oatmeal rolls, and afterwards we'll probably watch a movie (since I'll be at camp on the real day).

I've been really enjoying this break before work starts. It's been refreshing and I love being at home with my family, but it's time to get busy. :)

And now excuse me while I get back to packing!