Trabajando (Working)

Wednesday June 15, 2011

Well I am exhausted. I don’t know if I’m just having trouble adjusting to the time change or whatever or if it’s just because we’re working so hard everyday, but man I am beat!

The past three days we have been hard core cleaning. We just had a camp leave and so we’re doing intense summer cleaning. There are three sets of rooms, a girls dorm with eight rooms, a boys dorm with 8 rooms and el cortijo which is a set of 8 rooms for anyone. There are at least 5 five beds in each room, giving us a total of around 120 beds.

We had to go through every room an strip the mattress covers off each bed and pillow cases off each pillow. It wouldn’t be too terrible except you have to take every mattress off the bed because the mattress covers are like pillow cases in that that they cover the whole mattress, top and bottom and are zipped close. So it’s not as simple as just stripping the sheets.

Then we had to wash everything, and with only one washer and no dryer, we are still washing, three days later. But as they are getting cleaned then we put them back on the mattresses.

(el cortijo)

We had to sweep and mop out all the rooms and clean all the bathrooms, which are toilets, sinks, mirrors, counters, showers, sweep and mop and replace toilet paper and paper towels.

(Anna working hard)

Then we had to clean the dining hall, and conference hall and water all the plants. Each one of us girls picked one and I ended up with the dining hall. I had to wipe down all 14 tables and then stack the chairs on top. Then I had to sweep the whole hall and mop it. It took a good two hours. And through all of this we’re STILL doing laundry! I never want to see another mattress cover as long as I live!

So it’s been a very busy several days, but tomorrow we’re going to do some sight seeing in a town called Córdoba, so that should be a fun day. And then Friday we have a new camp coming and we’ll be working in the kitchen again! Life is never dull here that’s for sure! I can’t wait to see how God will continue to use this camp to reach people as the summer goes on.

Camp Life

Writer's Note: The internet is really really spotty here right now. Our internet is dependent on the wind, it's like a wind generator, and so if there's no wind there's no internet, and there has been no wind since Sunday! So I've just been writing blog posts in Word and am now going to copy them over all at once, so I didn't actually write all of these today, they're just being posted today)

Monday June 13th

I’m sitting on the front porch of the little house that I share with the two other girls, shaded from the sun and with a lovely breeze coming off the sea. It’s the hottest day we’ve had so far and apparently it gets hotter so I need to enjoy the coolness while it lasts. I can’t believe how amazing it is to be here. I am so blessed that I am able to be here! God just continues to bless me, no matter how badly I’ve screwed up.

We had church this morning, which consisted of orange juice and muffins served in Glenn and Sue’s courtyard where we talked about our hopes and expectations for our summer here and any prayer requests that we have. We prayed and then talked about the tentative schedule for the rest of the summer and it’s going to be so amazing.

I was really struggling with the ways that I would be helping at camp this summer. When I told people where I was going and what I was doing, I could tell they were thinking “You’re just going to be working in the kitchen and cleaning bathrooms? What kind of ministry is that? You aren’t going to be a counselor and working with kids?” It very much made me feel like what I was going to be doing wouldn’t be very important. Well I’ve only been here one full day so far and already I know that that’s completely wrong. The work that Anna and Kimberly and I are doing is very important, and a ministry of its own. Just because we’re not working directly with the campers doesn’t mean we can’t minister to them. We can serve their food with a smile and clean their dishes with a smile and we can struggle with our limited Spanish to converse with them. Just because we aren’t leading Bible studies doesn’t mean we aren’t ministering to these people. If the three of us girls weren’t in the kitchen doing what we are doing, the meals would not get served, the dishes would not get cleaned and then where we be?

And this group of campers at least are really appreciative and helpful. They smile and say thank you and a lot of them even clean off their tables so we don’t have to! While we were cleaning bathrooms yesterday, a lady was talking to us about where we were from and why are here and she smiled and talked about how we’ll have crowns in heaven for our work here. It was so sweet that she was so grateful and it’s nice to know our work is appreciated. And no matter whether this gets me crowns in heaven or not, it is a pleasure to be able to serve in this way, and I no longer feel like my work is unnecessary.

Of course it isn’t all peaches and cream. Cleaning toilets is not one of my favorite things, nor is picking hair out of shower drains. And people’s used dishes can get pretty nasty sometimes. And the campers aren’t always smiley and friendly, and sometimes they spray you with water when they’re having a water fight and you’re just passing by minding your own business but you get completely soaked. That happened today J They were joking that since I work in the kitchen I have to be clean, and apparently I didn’t look clean? I don’t know, but they thought it was hilarious to completely soak me with the hose. I was not amused :P. But such is camp life, and I want to have a servant’s heart. I can definitely see God teaching me in this way.

Home Sweet Camp

After 24 hours of traveling, I am officially in Spain! Traveling wasn’t bad, until our last flight from New York City to Spain….we didn’t end up boarding until we were scheduled to take off, and then we sat on the runway for two hours before we were able to take off because of thunder and lightning and we were 30^th in line for takeoff….so by the time we landed in Málaga, Anna and I had spent 8 hours on that plane…urgh….

But now we’re here and it’s amazing! The camp is beautiful. We’re in a valley with mountains all around us, literally on our doorstep. They aren’t high enough to have snow on them so they’re just covered with trees, olive orchards, and cows. I can hear their cowbells ringing through my window as they wander the hills around us. It’s amazing.

The weather is amazing as well. It probably doesn’t get any hotter than 80 during the day at this point, and there’s a cool breeze off the Mediterranean that keeps you from really breaking a sweat. It’s been sunny so far, and there are no mosquitoes! Alleluia! There are a lot of flies but I’ll take them over mosquitoes ANY day J

I live in a little house a ways a bit from the camp with Anna and a girl named Kimberly from Wisconsin.

She’s been in Spain since January so her Spanish puts me to shame! I knew I wasn’t fluent, but being around all this Spanish makes me feel slightly stupid some times. It’s just going to take time, and already I’m getting better than I was yesterday. What Spanish I have is coming more easily, I don’t have to think about it quite as hard, but it’s going to be a while before I can converse without thinking.

We’ve started learning our chores and duties around camp, which includes setting up and cleaning up before and after every meal for the campers, cleaning the bathrooms, emptying trash cans around camp, and running the little candy store that’s open for an hour a day when there’s a camp. And that’s crazy, but a lot of fun! It’s a great way to practice speaking and learning to understand the Spaniards. It’s really hard to understand them because they leave off the ends of a lot of their words and lisp some of the “s” sounds….so that makes it really hard to understand them, plus they speak incredibly fast! But hopefully I’ll get there!

There’s just so much to learn, I can’t believe I’m going to be here for two months! It’s going to go so fast, I know, and I can’t wait to see what God wants to teach me while I’m here!

Internet is kind of spotty here so I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to post. Apparently their internet is powered off of some kind of wind turbine up on the mountain, and if there’s not wind for three-ish days in a row it will die and ergo no internet. But I’ll keep you updated as best I can! Keep tuning in for more posts and pictures!

From here to there

Here I sit...in my parent's basement...living every college graduate's dream...having to move back home. :) It's been a little over a week and things are going well. I've got my privacy and independence still but I get to spend more time with my family and the new puppy, which is good.

It's still hard though, trying to wrap my head around the idea that it's okay that I'm back home. I'm not a failure as a college graduate, no one is disappointed in me. They all accept the fact that I'm in a transition period, which is something I am still working on accepting.

In a little over a week I will be in Spain, for two months. I'm still wrapping my head around that fact too. But that fact is helping me be okay with my transition period. It's okay that I don't have a job because it's allowed me to spend more time with those people who are important to me, who I won't get to see for at least two months. It's okay that I've moved home because I needed to be reminded how important my family is.

I've come to realize how important transition periods are for us. If we just jumped right from one experience to the next, without time to process and recuperate, we'd fall apart. We need these times to process what we've just gone through and prepare for the coming changes.

I think God has been using this time to prepare me for my upcoming adventures, in ways that I probably won't even know until I get there, but I'm becoming more grateful for this time of rest, peace and quality time with those I love. And I'm looking forward to spending more quality time growing in my relationship with God. He has already taught and shown me so much in the months leading up to this trip, and I haven't even left yet! I can't even imagine what He'll reveal to me once I'm there.

So as I start to pack and make my lists, update my ipod with new music and invest in a neck pillow, I am beginning to be truly excited about this experience that God has provided for me. There is now no doubt in my mind that this is where I'm supposed to be, and I am anxious to begin this journey! But until then, I'm going to relish my transition time.

Tribute to a Reddog

This week, I will have to watch one of the hardest moments of my life, as we put our dog down. Abby is twelve years old, and has been part of our family for almost those entire twelve years. This last year she was diagnosed with diabetes which we've been treating, and she's been doing okay. But this last weekend she had a seizure and when we called and talked to the vet, she said she has only seen things like this get worse. Rather than watch her go through that again, we decided to put her down. My heart is broken. She has been a part of our family since I was 9. I hardly remember a time without her. She has been a joy and blessing in our life. I don't want her to go through any more pain, but that doesn't make letting go any easier. You always hope they'll just pass peacefully in their sleep, but it doesn't look like it's an option for her. At least this way we'll get to say goodbye.

Abby was such a blessing, God could not have given us a more loving, loveable bundle of fur.

You will be missed reddog, more than you can possibly know.

What a beautiful ride

Well yesterday I had my pity party, feeling like Eeyore with a rain cloud over my head, acting like my little house of sticks had just fallen apart.

Today I had time to think about the flip side of the story. I complained that everyone is always asking me about my future plans and where things stand, and how that can be frustrating for me since I don't have my plans solidified yet. But I am so fortunate to have people around me who care enough about me to take the time and ask me how my life is going. I can't be angry with people for that. It's my issues that need dealt with, I can't take it out on those around me who care about me. What kind of thanks is that for them taking an interest in me? I just wanted to be honest with how I was feeling, and I've done that, and now it's time to move on.

Besides, I really have nothing to complain about. I am incredibly blessed. I have a family who is there for me for encouragement and support, friends who keep me laughing, and a God who answers prayer!

In fact just today I received an email from a gal who is going to the same camp I'm going to in Spain this summer. She is from Omaha and she agreeable to traveling to Spain together in June. That is a HUGE answer to prayer! One of my biggest fears about this whole trip to Spain was the fact that I would be traveling by myself, and now I won't have to! How awesome is it that I have a personal relationship with a God who not only hears but answers my prayers?!

So no more of this negativity!

No more self-pity!

No more fear!

Okay, let's not get carried away here :) Baby steps right?

I'm trying to ride this ride called life, and enjoy it. What's the point of going for the ride if there's no enjoyment in it? It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all that we forget to enjoy where we are, where God has placed us!

This song really sums up what I'm trying to say....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VDNMtn0t2A

A tangled mess

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I like my life to be like this.

Neat.

Organized.

Orderly.

Planned.

Color Coordinated.

Lately I feel like my life is like this.

Chaos.

Tangled.

Messy.

Confused.

Not color coordinated.

I'm grasping, searching for the end of the thread that will lead me in the right direction....

"Kaylee have you registered for graduation yet?"

"Kaylee do you know what you want to do after you graduate?"

"Kaylee have you started looking for a job yet?"
"Kaylee don't you have a boyfriend yet?"

"Kaylee how are preparations for Spain coming?"
"Kaylee have you turned in your homework yet?"

GAH!

Sometimes I just feel like screaming "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING WITH MY LIFE LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Unfortunately screaming at people tends to be frowned upon. I know people mean well, and they genuinely care and want to know, but people also forget that they are not the only person to have asked me these questions.

I just feel like crawling in a hole, I want to hide from it all. That's always been my personality. I am not confrontational. It doesn't matter if it's people or just an uncomfortable situation, I don't confront naturally. I much prefer to pull back into my shell and hide out the storm, hoping it will just be gone when I poke my head out.

Needless to say this is not the best way to handle the situation.

Why do I forget Who I have on my side?

Why do I forget that I have God fighting for me! I'm not in this alone, not by a long shot!

Do I ask Him for help though? I should. All I have to do is ask. He is faithful. He is mighty to save.

In His time, He will help me find the end of the thread.

He will shape me and form me into something beautiful for His glory.