PMSDC 2013 was AMAZING!

7/17/2013

I don't know about you ladies, but I had the time of my life at camp with you last week! I told you that I go home every year after camp and cry like a baby, and I do, but this year, I haven't yet. It's definitely coming though. This year was different because I wasn't home alone in my normal, quiet atmosphere; I had my mom and 2 nieces at my house with me. On Sunday night/Monday Morning (3 am), I drove them back to Atlanta so they could head back to New Orleans. When I got back to Augusta, I literally slept the day away because I hadn't gotten much sleep during the camp week, and I didn't sleep much the night of the showcase. I was REALLY tired when Sunday arrived, but I didn't sleep much then either. So, like I said, when I got back from Atlanta on Monday morning, it was time to sleep. Today was the first day that I got to sit down in my quiet home and just reflect on everything that happened. And I've been thinking a lot!

Some of My Favorite Moments

1. Teaching the warm up and taking it to Lakewood Church
    *shouts and jumps and yells Hallelujah*
2. Watching "A Snoodle's Tale" and reminding each of you that you, like the Snoodle, were
    created with "special things" and purpose
3. Placing the "God Created Me With A Purpose" badge on each one of you
4. The veteran camper session on Thursday with Isaiah 1 while new campers learned
    Romans 6:13
5. EVERY random, totally retarded laugh I had with the instructors
6. The Friday morning talk with all of you while we let our grits and sausage digest; LOL!
7. Talks and clean up sessions with Vera
8. Afternoon freeze pops!

What was one, or some of your favorite camp moments? Respond to this post and let us know.

What to Expect from the Blogs

Every blog will have a talk from me. I want to share my heart with you. Some blogs, every now and then, you may hear from your instructors. The blogs won't come every week or every other week or every month. They will come whenever God has something He wants to say to you, so check back often. That could be twice a week, once a week, once a month or once every other month. God speaks when He wants to.

Lastly, you will always have the opportunity to respond. I will leave you with a question at the end of each blog. Respond so we can keep conversation going.

Ask questions. I love your questions. I want you to be able to talk about things that may be uncomfortable to talk about with others. That's what the blog is for. The question you have may be ringing in other girls' heads.

Up Next!

I'm researching, researching, researching! Just like we talked about at camp, I am working diligently to find some acceptable shows for us to watch, and I'm also finding shows that aren't acceptable and that we shouldn't allow to enter our temples. Remember, we don't want to be anyone's trash can!

Until next time...

8 Comments

Ms. I.

7/16/2013 03:51:03 pm

This is just a test. You already read my favorite moments :)

maJENtA <3

7/19/2013 11:47:25 am

My favorite moment is always seeing the choreography in motion. And, as of this year, LUNCHTIME was definitely one of my favorite moments! Yes that spaghetti!!! :P

7/20/2013 06:10:33 am

I love seeing the choreography in motion too!

7/21/2013 04:23:35 pm

I always love seeing the choreography come together too, Jena. :)

Kyla

7/20/2013 04:23:29 pm

My favorite part was definitely getting to know the other sweet sixteens! I have gained 5 new great friends :)
I also have a question, because I am saved should I not listen to any music besides gospel, even if the music is clean?

7/21/2013 04:56:02 pm

Kyla, that makes me all the more glad that you put your doubts aside and decided to do camp this summer. Yay! Yay! Yay! And what BEAUTIFUL dancing you did with your 5 new friends! Just makes my heart SO happy :-)

And that's a GREAT question. When you're faced with the question of what to listen to or what to watch, always first remind yourself, "God created me and calls me a temple--a royal place. He expects me to treat this body as such." Next, always ask yourself, "Will this negatively affect my temple? Will it cause it to be filled with light, or with darkness?" (Remember our verses from Spiritual Food: Matthew 6:22-23)

I LITERALLY put these two things before me whenever I'm considering what I'm watching or, in my case, where I'm going. I just can't hang out everywhere because of my royal status. So...I said all that to say...fortunately, there is some music out there that is clean and will not negatively affect your temple, but you HAVE TO be honest with yourself and call a spade a spade: if it's dirty, it's dirty, and if it's clean, it's clean. Don't play around with it! Sexually charged music that talks about "what I wanna do" and "how I wanna do it" with lyrics that are so explicit that it's shameful SHOULD NOT be on your playlist. This will only stir up thoughts and desires within you that are designed for marriage. I'm grown, and I love music, but you best believe I'm no fool! I DO NOT listen to love songs and "bedroom music". When I'm married, I'll use "bedroom music" for "bedroom time" with my HUSBAND!

Music that promotes violence and stirs up hate and dissension should be kept from your temple. Remember, the more you rehearse it...the more it enters...the more it becomes a part of who you are, and there starts a cycle of "darkness".

I believe, with my whole heart, that you can decipher what's clean and what's not, and I can tell that you truly desire to live the way God wants you to live. That's commendable, Kyla. He'll show you because you sincerely desire to know. As you seek, you'll find that determining what's clean and what's dirty will come easy. And again, that's God making it plain for you because you sincerely want to know. Be decisive in erasing "trash" from your view and your listening. You'll be in peace when you do. If you're not decisive and you don't handle it with authority, there'll always be that nagging in the back of your mind (conviction) that questions your listening or viewing choice and it won't leave you alone until you make the decision to "go clean". :)

Let me know how you turn out!

I love you.

7/22/2013 09:15:12 am

I definitely have a better understanding now! It will be a challenge but I'm so willing to take it. Thanks so much, love you too

7/22/2013 09:26:44 am

Amen! And imagine how many others will have a better understanding...all because you asked :-)