Florida:

View outside the lecture hall of the beautiful trees with the Spanish moss hanging down

The moon at night 

The wall above my bed in the dorm....pictures of my family, a note from my sister, and this little advertisement from a bag of kiwis. (Mom sent it to me because she knew that I would think it was adorable, which I did :))

A fountain on campus of Jesus washing the disciples' feet

Some of my team members when we went out to lunch on the weekend after camp

My team members and I (plus our camp director's kids) greeting students on opening day

Registration on opening day with my female staff director Laura (in the white) and Katie, a fellow staffer

If I could describe the week in Florida with two words, it would be Refining and Refreshing. Our camp had 22 students which meant that some of us staff didn't lead small groups due to the small size of students, but instead worked on administrative projects during the week. My role was to organize programs in between lectures, introduce speakers, and then work on administrative projects. It was strange for me not to have a small group, but it also was such a blessing because it caused me to realize what an incredible privilege it is to get to lead a group of ladies each week. This week in Florida also helped to remind me who I should be serving. If I am seeking to serve myself then I will end up feeling dry and exhausted, But if I have a mindset of doing EVERYTHING with excellence for the glory of Christ, then no matter how small a task may be, I can complete it was great joy through Christ.

Here are my bullet points of blessing for the week:

• Florida wildflowers
• Safety on the road after 18+ hours of driving through 5 states
• Gorgeous campus in Lakeland, Florida
• Personalized gluten free meals for me in the cafeteria
• Less humidity than Texas
• Palm trees :)
• Chalk drawing contest for the students on opening day
• Gas station coffee
• Talking to my family on the phone
• Prayer walk with my roommate
• Talking to a student about nursing and geeking out with her about happy facts about the human body :)
• Giving Jayne, one of the faculty kids, a piggy back ride
• Having my laundry done for me by someone on leadership and then getting it back all clean and folded
• Blueberries in unsweetened yogurt
• Mo's mexican food (Idaho needs to get this restaurant!)
• James 4:14-17
• Little lizards on rocks
• Mail sorting 
• Honest talk with my camp director
• Time with my female staff team complete with root beer, flowers, and rice crispy treats
• Stretching tired muscles after a long day
• The epic fountains on campus
• Hearing my camp director say, "Rachel you are awesome."
• God giving cloud cover and a gentle breeze for the relay and frisbee day to combat the Florida heat
• God sustaining me after being dizzy and feeling sick during dinner one night
• Doing a skit in between lectures where the guy staff did impersonations of the girl staff and the girls did it of the guys and then the students got to guess what impersonation went with which staffer. The guy who impressionated me used the words "happy" and "epic" a lot and then talked while using his hands. I laughed so hard that I cried ;)
• Hot cocoa after a long day
• Frosted coffee from Chick 'fil A
• More freckles popping out on my face (it's my version of tanning I guess ;))

As I reflect back on the week, I am reminded of the words of Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through him." May that be my anthem as I finish out these last 4 week of the summer. 

~Rachel