Sunday Morning Scramble School - The Latest Summer Review Ever

Hey y'all!

I know, I'm the worst blogger in the world (I'm sorry), and this post is from the summer which has definitely passed (from the early mornings and darker evenings that I see everyday now), :( but it doesn't mean that you can't read it and enjoy it! Hopefully, haha. Like Josh said, tennis, academics, and life in general are getting to me. It's getting busy, which will only increase to my demise. WILL IT EVER STOP SO I CAN ACTUALLY WRITE A POST AND SCRIPTS ON TIME (yeahh... I have a verse though to share with you!)

"28 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.' " -Matthew 11:28-30 

This world is full of stress, non-stop work, and just overall busyness, but in the midst of it all, we can find comfort and rest in our Lord and Savior! Don't forget that as you go through your new week! :) 

Below in black is my summer post, and in this color will be extra comments of mine. Summer here we come! 

{HELLO MY LOVELY READERS. HOW I'VE MISSED THE INTERNET (NOT REALLY...)

I'm in trouble. And I haven't blogged since. Forever. I'm so sorry T_T. To make it up, I'm doing an extra long post. Telling you all about the summer (yay Odyssey Related to Reality). (This will be long. I promise. I should draw you some pictures so you can smile and think "Odyssey"! Or happy thoughts...ANYWAYS) 

Josh came back from Yale yesterday (Yay!) Hope you caught up with his adventures and work and stress on his ILC blog (the work and adventures and stress have not ended - college apps and seniorlyfe)!

I went to a camp called CBM (Chinese Bible Ministries) and it's totally awesome-a week away from the world in the great outdoors with a bunch of well... (majority wise) Asian kids from Chinese Christian churches! You get to meet new friends, have workshops and learn way more about God, and interact with everyone through a whole bunch of games and free time! (Kinda like Camp What-A-Nut - a lot of activities, competitions, the great outdoor experience.) This was my first time at the high school camp. The year before was my very first year at a CBM camp, but I had gone to the junior high camp!

My parents drove us on a lovely Monday afternoon with four of my friends two hours up to the camp! Many became homesick (even when they arrived at my house!) but I was excited. This was my second time at a CBM camp and my first time was totally awesome! I couldn't wait for another week of learning what God was trying to tell me and meeting a whole bunch of kids and seeing some old faces! Things were going to get interesting and God taught me so much - even in six days.

Confession time:
In the beginning and even now...
I admit that I felt like I couldn't hear God speaking to me. Sometimes I'd lie in bed waiting and trying to erase everything from my mind (impossible for me...) and hear Him trying to verbally say something. And I wouldn't be able to hear anything. It'd frustrate me because I thought God wasn't speaking to me. I felt lost, confused, and unsure about what God was calling me to do. I guess that's kinda like Camilla in Your Servant is Listening.

Going off topic a little...
HEY GUYS DID YOU HEAR THE NEW EPISODES HUH HUH HUH HUH :D YAY. I WAS EXCITED. AND I LIKED THE EPISODES. WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT LATER, BUT BACK TO CBM...

We arrived at camp. And like last year, many of the churches had and were arriving. Compared to us, THEY'RE HUGE. Like forty kids in buses or even more. In total I think CBM High School Camp had about...guessing over 200? Lots of Asian people. We only brought five kids from our church o.o in a van. Thankfully my two girl friends (both sisters) and I were in the same cabin so we'd be together and the other two guys (both brothers) would be together. The camp grounds were HUGE compared to the original site where CBM used to be! There was so much walking, but it was good, :D 'cuz we all need exercise right? The bad part about it being so big was that it was harder to make new friends since mostly everyone stuck with their church groups and were more spread out.

I was feeling good as I stepped out of the van, but I got kinda scared. I wondered if I'd fit in with these kids. I wondered if I'd be able to make friends and continue to be friends. I was getting anxious (AND IF YOU GUYS GET ANXIOUS, TELL YOURSELF PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7. :) It's a great verse). And as I tried, I felt it was harder to reach out to make friends because it seemed as if everyone already knew each other and had their own groups. Was I going to meet tons of new kids or just stick with my childhood friends? Man, it was only the first day of camp, and I was already stressing and doubting God's power.

My workshops were "Sexuality in the Bible" and "The Problem of Evil". Total wise, there were six workshops, three on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the other three on Thursday and Friday. Each workshop was lead by a pastor from a different church, and each held a number of kids and counselors who wanted to take them.

In the "Sexuality in the Bible" taught about what God's purpose was for marital sex, and the corruption of sexuality (lusts...) It sounds like an awkward subject right? It totally is, but now I know whenever the lusts or things are shown around me, I shall pursue Christ! That's what we're supposed to do! We're surrounded by a world who makes immorality seem normal- in the internet, dramas, TV, movies, songs, all entertainment. It's like "Soaplessly Devoted" where Erica's favorite show was trashy and immoral (wording from AIO Wikipedia page). 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 tells us to flee this, and we should pursue sanctification instead (1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Timothy 5:1-2). God gives us to strength to get rid of these thoughts and feelings. He gives you and me the strength to say no to temptation and lusts.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it"-1 Corinthians 10:13

Ever want a great book to read about the idols of our lives, check out Gods At War by Kyle Idleman.

"The Problem of Evil" workshop was very good. The question asked was "If God is good, then why does He let bad things happen?" I had always wondered how to respond to people who asked that.
We learned about four elements:
1. God is all good
2. God is all powerful
3. God exists
4. Evil exists
We proved that they existed from a biblical standpoint.
The fifth element that makes the first four work together is that God has a GLORIOUS purpose for evil. What is that purpose? Romans 3:3-5, Romans 5:8, and Romans 9:17, 20-21, 22 tells us that it's because it's to glorify God. We always think our lives is about us right? To our surprise, it's not. It's all about God. We all suffer, in different ways, in some ways more than others. But we have our Father to call upon.

SPOILER DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T LISTENED TO THE RECENT ALBUM 57 EPISODES I REPEAT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED DON'T READ THE BLUE BELOW

Like Connie, when her mother passed, she wondered why did God take her mother home now, at this time. At the time, Connie didn't know why this would even happen, but despite the tragedy, Connie learned the lessons of comfort in God, and is going to help out Jeff Lewis in his missionary work. The only way she found out about his work was because of her mother's funeral. I'm not saying that it was a good thing June died, I'm saying God has a purpose for everything that happens in your life, good or bad, whether you know it or not. It's a matter of if you trust Him in the midst of the situation you're in, or you go flying in solo. Uncertainty needs trust, so if you're ever concerned about what God has in store for you, learn to lean on His sovereignty. 

This reminds me of the bible story about Job, and the Odyssey episode of "Bernard and Job". Lisa learned that when life treats you unfairly, the blame should not go to God and that God is in control of all things.
So, in a world of evil in the dark, what are your responses to evil, things that are unfair to you, or suffering? How can you give it all to God when everything seems to be caving in?

One of my highlights of CBM was campfire, where everyone in the whole camp all gather in the amphitheater and we all sing and some people share about their highlights. It's a blessing and an encouragement to hear how the camp has impacted them or helped them in their walk with God, and how excited they are to share about Christ! The sharing definitely involves tears, hearing tragic events that have occurred, but it always ends with God coming through (what can we learn from that? :) He'll come through!) It was definitely cold, but the body heat and testimonies warmed me up.

As the week went by, I met so many people, but I only became close friends with a few. I learned that it doesn't matter how many friends you make, but who you're friends with. These people that I befriended have absolutely been God's blessings to me by checking in on me, praying for me, and being always there to talk about Him. It's awesome to see how God places people in our lives during different stages, and how they affect you during that time. I miss them all so much: my friends, the counselors, the camp environment. But with a week of knowledge, encouragement, and our bibles, we're ready to be God's messengers, to go bold, go strong and go FISH!}

In the summer, my family and I had an awesome trip to Canada! Puppy really wants to post about that trip (and show off his "model" pictures of the house), so I'll let him take care of that :) 

 THIS IS ME. HELLO WORLD. Do you subscribe to Clubhouse? Does your little siblings or cousins or neighbors? Well then you can see my art that I submitted and all the other cool creative games and ideas in the Clubhouse Members Magazine 2013! Second year in a row! (I was in the 2012 version as well!) Both Odyssey related :) I did the theme of the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and tried to incorporate all of them into something the Odyssians could all do together-hence the theater and a Fruits of the Spirit play, which totally go together! Penny and her talent are at work making a poster for Connie who's trying to direct everyone, but of course everyone is going crazy and not paying attention to a surprisingly calm Ms. Kendall. If you see the girl in the background with the black hair and orange tee, I based it off myself hahaha. I know, so original, but it felt so empty there. The whole Odyssey gang is there (except Whit :( maybe he was taking a picture of this chaotic scene). Jay, Priscilla, the Jones, Nelson, Ryan Cummings, the Jones, and the Parkers are all in it to help out! Check it out! It was a lot of fun to draw! :)

So for most of the Internet people I know, I make pictures for their birthdays (and they're always late haha). This one is for Kevin McCreary, The Ceiling Fan Podcast creator, writer, and actor! As you can see, Josh and I are in there, with Garrett Vandenberg and his guitar playing a HBD tune. Kevin's character, Ethan, is with Connie, who he really likes haha. And what do you know-Jimmy Barclay is there too! All old and grown up... with a soul patch! The markers that I used for this picture were COPICS, alcoholic markers that you can find at specialty art stores (super worth it :3)!

Now my life is just: school. School consists of music, homework, and tennis (which is ending soon!), as well as other stuff, like art, letters, and blogging, now and then. It's getting busy, but God has been helping me get through it and He'll continue to help! I just wish I had more sleep... Yay, a long satisfying post :3 (well, I'm satisfied! I hope the same goes for all of you :P) I hope you all have awesome weeks, I shall be back soon! 

CHALLENGE:
HEY - GO COMPLIMENT SOMEONE RANDOMLY AND MAKE THEIR DAY. :) It's so fun to do that, just randomly messaging someone and checking up on them. It's fun for me because I LIKE FELLOWSHIP. IT'S NOT THAT HARD SO IT SHOULDN'T BE A CHALLENGE... JUST GO DO IT!!!! 


  

Our Camp What-a-Nut Experience

Red=Josh, Black=Ally

"Today I took a long walk in the woods and tried to pray like I've never prayed before. And I did. The woods were so quiet and the sun was so bright that I felt like I was praying for the first time. It's like my faith was real for the first time. My dad told me it would be like this, but I didn't think so." 

-Tom Riley reading Timmy's diary in Malachi's Message (Album 32: Hidden Treasures)

This past week, I had the opportunity to go to CBM (Chinese Bible Mission) camp in Forbestown, California. It was an amazing week which encouraged and fired me up for Christ. In short, I had a Camp What-a-Nut experience.

Hey this is Ally, here to tell you about a camp I went to called Chinese Bible Mission or CBM in Forbestown, CA (about two weeks ago) where lots of, well, Chinese churches (about 95% of the camp) go for a week journey about Christ.

Let me first say that when I was on the bus, I wasn't really thinking about learning about God as much. Sometimes I only pray to God when I'm worried about something, not all the time. Going to public school made my relationship with Jesus go off a little. I guess the reason for going to CBM was more of meeting new Christian friends, and having fun. Maybe it was a start, but I was still a little excited about going. 

Camp did not start off the greatest for me. I went with my friend Micaiah, the tall Asian kid in our Odyssey Nerd video, and we arrived four hours late since we came right after I finished my film class. We didn't get to stay in a building made of gray bricks like Donny McCoy (Camp What-a-Nut, Album 2: The Wildest Summer Ever), but we did get to stay in a "cabin" made up of termite-infested 2x4s with screens for windows and holes in the walls. The bathroom was flooded. Turns out we had the honor of staying in the only non-renovated cabin since the camp began in the 50s or 60s. Fantastic. After an ice breaker, it was time for Canteen, where we could purchase items from the camp store (Sour Straws for 60 cents...WHATTTT). However, by this time, it was dark, and it was hard to see. We stumbled around for nearly half a hour, lost, lonely, and a little sad. Were we ready to experience 5 days of loneliness at a Christian camp? Thankfully, we kept walking and eventually found a couple people to talk to and introduce ourselves to.

My friends Ethan and Nathanael were the only friends I had from my church since we were the only ones to go to the Junior High Camp. But I kinda knew some other kids that I met previously at a Sacramento church, so I wasn't all too worried. Yet still I was a little worried about the camp, if I would enjoy and benefit like how others did. 

The next morning, I woke up at 6:20, forty minutes before designated wake up time. I started praying: "Lord, I'm really lonely. Could you bring someone to be a friend to us? ...if it's in your will?" And meal by meal, God brought us to different tables where we met completely random people and had wonderful conversations with them. In fact, during free time on day 1, our lunch friends found us and introduced us to more people, and so on and so forth.

Once we were at camp, I met a girl who I've heard about from my friend, and she was so friendly, introducing me to her friends and just hanging out with me. Plus all the counselors and directors were just overall friendly, fun, and had such a strong faith with a heart just rejoicing God. Their willingness was so inspiring! 

Throughout camp, I had the opportunity to meet lots of Christians who were hilarious and interesting, yet on fire for Christ. It was really encouraging to see. Two campers had even emailed me the week before to see if I had any questions; they also encouraged me to hang out with them if I ever needed someone. I loved the diversity of campers; we had non-Christians, funny people, insightful people, pessimistic people (When are we leaving?), and oddballs. Hey, it's like Odyssey!

The theme of the camp was a reBorn Identity in Jesus. Our guest pastor, Pastor Alton To, on the first day taught us that we need God to tell us what our identity is. We looked at the story about the Prodigal Son. The younger brother is mostly like us, since we walked away from our Father (God), we rebel against him, sometimes wishing he is dead because other things are more important. But once we've "spent all our money on arcade games (The Prodigal Jimmy, Album 4: FUNdamentals)" we realize we need to go home, that's where we find our identity, in the redemption of the son, Jesus. The older brother had an identity in religion, disrespecting the Father and not going into the party of his brother coming home. But God wants to be with and keep us forever. Pastor Alton told us both were distant with the Father in different ways. Which brother are you more like? How can you change your ways? When I heard his message, I was excited and felt like this was God telling me "Hey, you should talk to me more than you do. I'd really love to listen to my child more often" the inspiration and the want kept growing afterwards. 

Our speaker, Pastor Peter Wang, spoke about putting our identity in Christ instead of in other things. He was very insightful, and I took lots of careful notes on what he said and the Odyssey references that related to them (which will be up in Sunday Morning Scramble Schools in the near future). On Friday night, we had a special guest speaker, Eric Chow, who preached an in-depth sermon about the Gospel. It was called "the Greatest News You Could Ever Hear," and we'll go over that in another post.

We later learned from him about showing God's love to others so they know you're a Christian, we are children of God (first born as children of Satan but now changed because God adopted us to be His!), what is our desire (the condition, how are we to desire, and what's our goal), who are we (our purpose, greatest problem, and how it is made right), and finally how can we keep our identity in Christ? (it's the gospel!) Our pastor was so true and you could tell he really wanted us to understand and to know by the info he gave us. His passion for Christ was so inspiring. 

Life is like a dramedy. That's why I love Odyssey; it's so much like real life, mixing drama and comedy. CBM was that way too. On one hand, we had silly staff challenges, cabin decorations, chaos ball (extreme dodgeball), funny skits, Courageous, Texas Hold 'em, Steal the Bacon on a tarp covered with water and detergent, dot hunting, and Rock Paper Scissors Capture the Flag. But we also had serious discussions about God in our lives and what we want in a future spouse. The Bay Area is not necessarily a Christian hotspot, so to be able to talk and laugh with them; it was really encouraging to meet Christians from other parts of the state.

We were able to watch the movie Courageous, which I've seen many times, but understanding how the movie related to the theme and laughing at everyone laughing at every funny moment was great. I took workshops on God's will and dating (more SMSS posts to come!), making new friends as I went. My favorite part of camp was singspiration. Singing with 200 other people-or peers-to Jesus is a fantastic experience, and lots of fun as well.

At CBM we also had a chance to talk one on one with a counselor, just talking about life and our spiritual journey. That was one of my favorite moments, because I could get advice and just unleash all those worries and wonders? My counselor spent a lot of time with me, and did her best to answer my questions. It was so cool! 

Life walks were great because the opportunity arose to just talk about anything about my life and ask any question I had. It was my first Whittaker moment, and it was very exciting. While my counselor is probably in his low 30s, he was knowledgeable about the Bible and life, and shared life stories and Bible passages to help me with questions and life directions. If you're looking for your Mr. Whittaker, try looking in your church, or ask your pastor if he knows of anyone that could mentor, disciple, or be there for you! That's what the church family is for.

On the last full day, we had campfire/ sharing for everyone. Lots of people shared, and it showed a lot of bravery, for jr highers to go up in front of almost a hundred kids (well to me, I'm a shy person) and just hearing kids share about their testimonies to others they don't even know? Wow. But just hearing people was so encouraging and you could see how God has worked and will work in their lives. 

Our campfire session lasted for 2 1/2 hours because there were so many people who shared. This was one of my favorite events because you could tell that people shared from the heart. It was very moving to see how CBM, through Christ, had impacted them in their lives. People shared about depression, problems with abuse...there was even a non-Christian who shared that although she wasn't sure if she believed in God, she could tell that Christians were different. 

Now that I'm home, back into the world, I feel like my faith has grown, and that it won't ever stop growing. Theres so much you can learn about God! I just pray that we will light up the world to show them who we are: children of God! If you got any more questions, comment! And I'll do my best to answer! 

After being blessed with a great week of fellowship and worship, it was time to come down the mountain and return to daily life. What did I share at the campfire? While I'm not going to recap it word for word, I'm posting a quote from Jennifer from Three O'Clock Call (Album 46: A Date with Dad) which should explain why I enjoyed camp so much this week, and am looking forward to sharing more with you through SSMS.

"God is our Father. And that a father would not give his child a stone if he asked for bread...God, our Father, gave us bread! You, you are his face. He works through you. He is a good Father."

-Jennifer

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

CBM Camp

Camp What-a-Nut - AIO Wiki

Buy AIO from CBD (today we talked about Albums 2, 4, 32, and 46)

Read the first Sunday Morning Scramble School on Idolatry

COMING SOON:

Sunday Morning Scramble School on...

• Intellectualism
• Worship
• Our Father
• Attitudes
• Community
• Evangelism
• Prayer
• The Gospel
• Music

Reviews on...

• FP3: The New Kid in Town
• Taken by Brock Eastman