God Provides

Even when we don't ask, as long as we have faith, God provides.

I've seen it happen so often in my life, especially here at camp.

For example, just over a week ago, we were running pretty low on food, namely meat, veggies, fruit, bread, eggs and milk. (I know, there isn't much else besides those kinds of foods, although we did have a few canned goods, stale chips, cheese, and spaghetti, but not enough to get a healthy variety of meals.) Then, God  allowed us to have meals prepared for us that weekend. So while my belly was full for a few days, I knew I would need to find a way to go grocery shopping soon. But then, when the dining hall kitchen was cleaned out of food they wouldn't be able to use, guess what was in the staff fridge? Salads, apples, craisins, bananas, whole-wheat bread, milk, pot roast, and more! Even just yesterday, the milk had gone prematurely bad and I thought I had run out of breakfast food (I had moved my oatmeal container and haven't used it since December, so I completely forgot about that). I was eating a SALAD for breakfast, and then Cheryl comes in saying "I got you guys breakfast!" She then proceeded to hand me a bag full of  Egg McMuffins and a gallon of fresh milk! These were just the most recent gifts of food that proves God provides; on a couple of occasions in the past month, we were running low on food, and the Solmens stepped in and said to us "We have more food donations than we can use, would you like some food?" It was always perfect timing.

After spending a week with my friends in Oregon, I realized that for months, I have been missing out on girl time, especially after Erin moved out. Then, my first day back at school, I get a text from Shawna asking me to be a sub at the the Ladies' Bunco that night. Although I was by far the youngest person there, it was a great chance to fellowship. (And, oh yeah, the Lord provided me with a free meal that night too when all we had back at camp was spaghetti!)

Since September, I had been trying to find a way to take a winter college class online as a way to gain some new skills and further my education. All the opportunities I found were extremely expensive, required at least a little bit of travel, and/or would not help me gain skills or add to my previous education. Then one day, just a couple months later, Adam comes in and tells us that nearly all of our expenses would be covered if we wanted to take an EMT class in Fremont. How could I say no to that? Now that I'm taking the class, while it is indeed a challenge, it's proving to be more than I could ever ask for.

Even going back to when I first came to camp, I expected to have to buy a bicycle as my means of transportation, and I wouldn't be able to go much further than Fremont without paying lots of travel expenses. And yet, the first week I got here, one of my life goals was fulfilled when we went to see Mount Rushmore! God has provided plenty of other blessings to satisfy my wanderlust by going to LifeLight, Kansas City, Colorado, and more. And not only do I get to go these places for free, but I technically get PAID to do them! I even got vacation pay over Christmas break! Oh yes, and even for more local endeavors, God provided me with a free bicycle to use!

I'm definitely not the neediest or poorest person on the face of the Earth, but it's so comforting to know that God will provide for me even when I don't deserve it. These are just small reminders of the bigger picture that I am so incredibly blessed.

If you read my posts from July, you'll agree that I had the opportunity to come to camp because God provided that opportunity. I would have never thought to do this myself! And the blessings haven't stopped since.

I noticed one thing in particular for accounts such as those I just described: God didn't make tangible gifts like food, friendship, education, or even travel simply fall from the sky. He used other people to make them work. I hope that I can be used to bring huge blessings from God to others!