Abby and Eason,
The year I graduated from high school, I decided to add another job to my group of jobs. (I already had several!) A local, Christian school was looking for someone to prepare their kids for cheerleading camp. The kids practiced super early in the morning, so I could do it without disruption to my schedule.
So, I started. It was incredibly fun. There were only like 8 kids on the cheerleading squad which means I got to know each of them personally. I loved watching them grow individually and as a team.
In June, I was asked to go to camp with them. Camp was a great experience. I was MUCH younger than all of the other cheerleading sponsors. So, I decided to participate instead of just watching from the sidelines. The school had sent an employee, so she sat in the training while I had fun with the kids.
The girls did really well, and apparently the camp staff hadn’t seen a sponsor participate before. They thought I was a cheerleading team member!
After camp was over, they asked me to join the staff traveling to universities throughout California for the rest of the summer. I was going to leave all of my other jobs when I went to college a few months later, so I decided I might as well leave a bit early and have fun in California.
The summer was magical. I made close friends with all of the camp staff, but more than that I spent a lot of time with people who had chosen to lead Chrsitian camps because they wanted to tell kids about Jesus.
I knew a lot of stories and information about Jesus, but I didn’t really understand the concept of being passionate to tell people about Him. Candidly, I felt a bit out of place…. mostly because of the guys. They seemed to have no agenda but to follow Jesus. With the girls, I knew how to talk about God. But, talking and living are really different. Talking can just be sharing intelligence from hearing about religion. Living is who you are.
I left the summer with a lot of new thoughts – about Jesus, about friends, and about guys (like why weren’t those guys as dangerous as I thought that all guys were). I cried for like 2 days when the summer ended. I had amazing memories and wasn’t ready to leave.
Here is what I want you to hear in this letter. The Lord directs our steps. I had spent most of my life teaching some form of gymnastics or cheerleading. I knew a lot about that. He knew I needed to learn about Him.
I have no doubt that the Lord sent me to do something I love with people that loved Him. He knew that those were the people who could show me what loving Jesus was all about. And, they did.
I have told you in several letters that jobs can teach us about ourselves – what we like, what we are gifted at doing, what we don’t like, areas where we can grow. My summer job taught me about something much more important. I learned about Jesus – about following Him, his love, and what it means to really be a follower of Christ. (I didn’t accept Christ that summer. I stuck to head knowledge so that I looked like I knew about Jesus. But… It was an important step towards the day when I would accept Jesus).
I love you both so much!
Mom