Barneyisfat

Tomorrow at noon I will officially be finished with my job at Camp Glisson in Dahlonega, GA. I have had a great summer, really. I had some difficult weeks and some "OPPERTUNITY" campers. Oppertunity camper is our way of saying bad camper. It was a challenging time of growth and maturing for me. I have made a great number of new friends while working here and will probably became fairly active in the YAMT of North Georgia.

Tonight we are giving sacrifice gifts. A sacrifice gift is, in short, something that you don't want to give up but decide that you should - given to a fellow staff member. A lot of people give up stuffed animals or bibles. I'm giving up a condem key chain, a little mouse, and a football shaped paper. I know it doesn't sound like much, and maybe someone who gave up their Bible will be a little upset to recieve it - but, here's the story.

The key chain - My friend Igor in Russia was completely repulsed by the fact that I was still a virgin. In Russia an 18 year old man is rarely a virgin. I explained that I loved God and knew that God had a plan for me. I explained that God had a plan for him and that no matter what he had done God still loved him and had a plan for him. He decided to give me the keychain because he didn't fully understand, but he knew there was something to this God I loved enough to refrain from sex.

The paper in the shape of a football - I decided to serve God in Russia. Not just for the 4 months I was there, and not just for a few times on and off. I decided that I was called to live and work in Russia and that I needed to share the Gospel there. I wrote out a prayer - promising God my life as a servant in Russia. I folded it up and tucked it away.

The little mouse - In Russia I had a friend named Roma. I called him Romachka (the diminuitive form). He was only in 7th grade, and yet he was bold enough to try and talk to me the first day I was in Russia - even when the oldest kids were still afraid to try. He and his mother made me the little mouse made out of beads. I never got a chance to share my faith with Romachka. Some day.

The things represent that God still uses imperfect people who rely on God, that God has a plan for us, and that if we follow him that plan will come to fruition.

I know at first they might laugh at me - I was even asked to reconsider what I would give - but, these are the most precious things to me.