I'm Back!!!

Well long time no talk readers.

Thanks for your prayers, I had quite a week. See, Friday night I was quarantined at our camp with a fever of 101.3. The fever continued until Sunday afternoon when they moved me to another camp because our camp doesn’t have the accommodations or the help for a fully sick person. I had been feeling good up until Sunday, when my fever spiked to 103.8, then I was just tired all the time, I had what I thought was a little congestion and was frustrated to be moving to a camp other than my own. When I got to the Shores camp the full-time nurse listened to my lungs and put some device on my finger that I later came to find out checks your oxygen levels. After all that, she proceeded to call some people and order a chest x-ray, an oxygen tank, and started me on a nebulizer treatment. I got my chest x-ray and they kept threatening to put me on the oxygen tank if I didn’t keep taking deep breaths. And let me tell you, for someone who is normally not sick for more than 24 hours, plus I wasn’t feeling that bad at the time of all this happening, I was a little scared.
Turns out I had bronchitis, and I am now on an antibiotic and an inhaler. I was stuck at the Shores camp until Tuesday morning because my fever kept insisting on going back up until then. So have no fear friends. I’m feeling good, so glad to be back at camp, almost all the congestion is out of my chest and I feel like I have full capacity of my lungs.
I was so excited to write about last week (week 3), so it pained me not to be able to. Week 3 was a good week. I know a lot of families week 3 and quite a few mom’s who have kept up with me over the year, and in fact read this blog now. Shout out to Mrs. McClellan, Mrs. Guy, and Momma Wendy. Week 3 was neat because I felt known, like I was able to pick up with people where I left off and they already knew me. It also was the most comfortable I’ve felt with my job up to date so things were just running along smoothly there. I also got adopted for the week and got to spend time with a good friend. My running buddy from last year, Ryan, and his family came week 3. Ryan and I were on leadership together last year and our programs were together a lot, and I have the immense privilege of working with is sister on leadership this summer. Their family is just really neat and they adopted me for the week, and it was great to have a momma and a daddy for a week when I missed my own family so much. I got to sing on Thursday night at the family banquet night and that was an amazing experience. I’ve always grown up watching my parents be able to move people through singing and the Lord allowed me the opportunity to do that on Thursday. I sang Amazing Grace and it was so neat to sing and be reminded of the awesomeness of God’s grace, and be able to remind people of that at the same time.
This week we just ended, week 4, was a good week… really interesting. I never realized how vital the first day and a half of camp were until I came back from quarantine. Showing up to camp on a Tuesday morning was a little awkward, and I felt a little out of sync the entire week, it was hard for me to reach out to families and be intentional with any of them and normally week 4 has been my week of connections.
I was really convicted about something this week. See, we have a staff bible study every Wednesday night led by a Pine Cove full-time staff member named Matt Lantz. It is an amazing study, and I’ve gone for the last 3 years and every year I feel like my eyes are opened so much to the richness and depth of God’s word through the study. Anyways, after bible study this past Wednesday, the girls in my cabin were commenting about how well Matt knows the bible and one of the girls challenged us and said we can know it that well. It got me to thinking… claiming to believe in something is a big deal, and if that something you believe in has a “guidebook” per say, you would expect that person to know it backwards and forwards. For a bad example, lets say a person said they fully believe in the Chick-fil-a way. That they were going to live their whole life for Chick-fil-a and follow all of the Chick-fil-a rules for the rest of their life. You would expect that person to know the Chick-fil-a handbook really well. You would expect them to know the inner workings of the company, its history, and what they stand for. You would expect if you asked a question that they would be able to point you to the exact spot in the handbook where that issue is discussed. Now I ask you, why aren’t Christians that way? I ask myself, why aren’t I that way? It is so easy to say that I believe in the Bible and that its true, yet I don’t read and know it like I believe its true. To say that you wholly believe in something is a big deal. If that belief is accompanied with the very words and the Creator of that belief, you would think the followers would desire to know the book.
So that is where I am right now. Praying that the Lord would give me an unsatifiable hunger and thirst for His word… not books written about being a believer, but the very words of God Himself. The Bible. I want to be satisfied with that and that alone.
Ok, I’ve talked your ear off enough for one day. One last thing… last night I got to watch 2 of my fellow past Pine Cove Staffers marry each other. It was an amazing ceremony and the most scripture-saturated, God-honoring wedding I’ve ever been to. It was such a blessing to celebrate with them on their happy day.
Thanks for reading. Love you all.
In Him,
Raychel

Qaurantined

Hey All!! Sorry you won't get a blog from Raychel this week. She is sick and is quarantined at camp with a fever. Please pray for a quick recovery.. She will write a nice long blog next weekend.

Happy father's Day to all you dads out there. From one Dad to another...Raychel's Dad,

Ray a. McKelvy

Sweet Summertime Contemplations

Well Shalom Readers!!
I hope you all had a wonderful week. I had a good one. A couple of significant things, the first happened on Wednesday. Mr. Bill passed away. Let me explain. There is a gas station about 5 minutes from camp that you can get food at. We at Pine Cove affectionately call it “Pic n’ Pac”. I probably eat there at least once a week, they have incredible sausage and cheese omlets. But anyways. The owner of the store Mr. Bill passed away early on Tuesday morning. I found out that afternoon and went to the store with our high school/middle school group that evening. I was overcome with emotions. See, I didn’t know Mr. Bill, but he has taken my order for the past 3 years I’ve worked at Pine Cove. As a matter of fact, he had taken my order on Sunday morning, and I remember laughing because he always spelled my name wrong, and I could never understand his handwriting. But he was a great friendly man, who always had a big smile for me. It is sad to think that I’ll never see him again this side of heaven. It even got me to thinking, I don’t even know for sure it Mr. Bill knew Jesus… how many opportunites did I have to talk to him? So many. After he passed I found myself asking the Lord to give me a boldness to share the Gospel with everyone and to live everyday to its fullness. I also found myself thinking what I would have said to Mr. Bill on Sunday, had I known that was going to be the last time I talked to him.
So, with that sad, reflective piece, hug the ones you love and remember to live everyday to the fullest. And give a smile to someone, cause you never know if it’ll be the last smile they see.
The second thing I discovered… Well, I’m going to give you a sneak peek into my journal in order to tell you. I wrote this on Friday morning, “The Lord has called me to some great things. I was just thinking last night of how He’s called me to be a leader. In ways I didn’t think of. As a dancer at Dramatic Truth, as a manager at Chick-Fil-A, as a 242 leader, here at camp. Its weird, but I think God has called me to be a leader wherever I go. And I don’t mean that pridefully, it is one of the most humbling, and overwhelming things I can think of. But look at the opportunity the Lord has given me in my positions. Not only to spread the love of Christ, but also to be almost a racial ambassador. Many times, I’m the closest to a black person that anyone will get. I don’t mind, thought at times it can get annoying, I love being the one that people are comfortable with asking questions to. So, with that wild, and humbling revelation, I want to start anew. To lead as a leader, confident that the One who called me, didn’t make a mistake, but has been planning this since before time began. So I can be humbly, confident in that.”
I cannot tell you what that revelation has meant to me. Many times, I felt that I was a leader because I don’t mind leading and people couldn’t find anyone any better. But to recognize that this is something that the Lord has planned for me, before He created the world… wow. I don’t’ really have words. But it is such a comfort to know that I am not in my position by mistake. But the Lord has been growing me and equipping me for this.
So, thank you for those of you praying for me. You had a hand in this. Although my confidence in who I am in Christ still needs to be shaped, He is doing some amazing things. I cannot wait to see how this revelation is going to play out in the future. The Lord has sent some great encouragement this way. People saying they enjoy my leadership and they think I’m doing a wonderful job. Its mind-blowing, and humbling…
Well readers, thanks for hanging this long. Some prayers for this next week.
1. That I would continue to stay humble and teachable throughout this summer
2. Supernatural energy. I am EXHAUSTED at this point. It is by the grace of God that I am functioning with joy and a smile on my face, and I have 9 more weeks to go.
3. That I would enjoy my time here at Pine Cove and live every moment to the fullest.
Thanks for reading this far! Until next weekend!!
Love,
Raychel

One down, Ten to Go!!! Leggo!

Hello Blog readers!!!

How are you? Well, week 1 is complete! I cannot believe it. One of the strange things about camp is that the days are long but the week is short. Like I cannot believe that I am down to 10 weeks left of camp. What a week it has been! There are so many things running through my head, that if I told you all of it, this blog would turn into a book longer than the Harry Potter Series.
First, a nice pleasant surprise was how much fun it was to recognize families. My first summer I was so overwhelmed I didn’t remember any of the families when I returned my second year, but here at my third it was so much fun to jump on opening day and recognize the families driving up. It was so much fun to get to see them and spend time with them, it makes me look forward to the rest of this summer for sure.
Second, I LOVE working with my brother. I cannot tell you what a blessing and how fun it is to work with him. It has been such a privilege to sit back and watch him with families. So many people came up and told me how blessed I was to have him for a brother, and I couldn’t agree more. Thankfully I only name dropped him once, but the kids weren’t even paying attention so it was all good.
Third, this is going to be quite a summer… Last year our camp director asked us what was one word that we would use to things we want to work on. And I may have mentioned it before but my words for this summer are “dependence” and “confidence/comfortable”. Dependence because I need to be more dependent on the Lord, and other people. I love being and independent young woman. And if you were to ask me if I need anyone I probably say no… my family is about the only thing that I need. But the Lord has slowly begun to show me the wonderful benefits of living in community and being vulnerable with other believers. And to be totally dependent on Him. Its kinda funny, because I am exhausted. Like, the thought of doing this for 10 more weeks is slightly overwhelming. I keep thinking to myself “I can’t do it, I can’t do it” and all the while I hear the Lord saying, “of course you can’t. Rely on me”. Its crazy how this year I have to rely on the Lord not only for physical endurance, but a lot of my job requires a lot of grace. Something I find in short supply when I try and do things on my own. Its crazy that there are things that happen and suddenly people look to me to respond it a way that is appropriate and wise. It is in these moments that I recognize that I cannot do this job without the grace and working of the Lord through me. I’ll be honest. The though of being so dependent is scary. I find myself naturally thinking that I can do it on my own and I would rather not rely on anyone, not even the Lord. But I know He is faithful and I’ve asked Him to break me of it, no matter how terrified I am.
One thing I hope is that the lessons I learn will transfer to my life away from camp. I love working at Pine Cove because it is an environment in which I am surrounded my peers who are striving to be more like Christ along with me. The result is that we encourage each other and hold each other up when we’re tired. But the true test is being able to continue this pattern outside of camp. A pattern that I did not continue last year, but I desire to continue this year.
In my word “confidence/comfort” is the desire to be confident in who I am and comfortable with who God made me to be. I firmly believe this is something the Lord wants me to learn because before I left for camp my dad encouraged me to meditate and firmly believe the truth written in Psalm 139 and this week alone I’ve had 2 other people at random remind me and encourage me to read Psalm 139. This is great for me, but so hard. In a way, I know who I am, but there are several areas where I am not confident and I’m unsure in myself and those are the areas of guys and leadership. And the Lord is making me deal with both. The hardest is trying to figure out who I am, and trying to lead out of who I am. The example I have to follow for my position was such a great example, and he had a great many traditions that I enjoyed, but I’m trying to learn how to be myself and not a carbon copy of him. Because the Lord blessed him with special gifts and the Lord has blessed me with special, yet different gifts and I need to learn to accept them and be proud and content with them. Know that I say all this to you because I recognize my need for it, but I’m having trouble carrying it out in actions and believing it for myself. But the Lord has brought TONS of encouragement my way.
Well, I should run. Thanks for reading and I’ll try and write more later.
Learning lots...
Raychel