steeped in prayer.

[i began this post on february 18th. i was reminded of and ordered to finish this post on february 29th. and i am going to finish it today, which for the record is march 14th.]
[i didn't finish it that day. today, april 4th, i really will!]
i'm getting a head start on this summer.
i've said before that when i miss a person really bad, i pray for them. it helps me not miss them so much and puts my missing feeling to good use.
i've missed camp worse than ever this year. the way i see it, there are only two seasons: summer, and not-summer. and my summer doesn't start and end when school does; it starts whenever i get to camp and ends when i leave for the last time.
it's been a very long, very hard not-summer. and it's not even close to over yet.
anyways i decided to do the same thing with camp as i do with people that i miss. i'm gonna start praying for it extra early this year.
i've been thinking a lot about new staff. whether the ones that are currently applying, the ones still considering it, or those that haven't even though about it yet but God is fixing to call them to it. the little high schoolers who are finally old enough to be like their cabin leaders.
of course there are a certain few old ones who i'm praying God gives a great big push back in the right direction...they know who they are. they are GOING to end up coming back. ; )
but mostly the new ones. we need a lot of them. camp with only 27 staff just doesn't work. i mean, we made it work, but with 32 at the least, you don't have to MAKE it work, it just works. when i was little i remember the brochures used to say "camp is staffed with 38 college aged women..." 38??? we didn't even have that many my first year, and that was back in the days of almost every week being mostly full.
anyways.
i want this summer to be all about prayer.
prayer for each other. for strength, unity, patience, and drama-freeness.
for our campers.
and for ourselves. i'm sure i'm not the only one who gets so pulled into taking care of other people(that is, after all, what we're getting paid for) that i forget to take care of myself. i'm really really challenging myself this year to be more consistent with my own quiet times, and i want to encourage all of yall to do the same! the difference it makes is crazy.
basically, i want us to be 1 thessalonians 5:17ing all summer long. i've had the best feeling about this summer since like december, and i just know God has absolutely infreakingcredible things in store for us. but we need to get started praying!
here's some ideas:
1. me and kathleen were talking, a week after i started this post, about how powerful prayer is, how we underestimate it so much. we decided to pray for God to bring 1500 campers and 30 staff. as of today(april 4th) we have 28 staff! so close! and we have 500 campers, but registration only started like a month ago. we'll be getting a lot more. keep praying, i know they're coming!
2. new staff. for peace(bless their hearts it's so scary! we all were there once. now there really isn't much reason to be terrified, but they're all gonna feel that way at some point), for quick adjusting, and for them to be just as awesome as all newbies always are. =]
3. old staff. that we'd be good examples and big helps to the new ones and that we'd continue to encourage each other.
4. staff unity in general. i know it will never totally be this way, but let's dream big and pray for a drama-free summer!
5. for the campers. new and old.
6. for cindy as she chooses staff and gets other things together. she may not be in the hot sun with 12 campers hanging on her all day but you can't say she doesn't have the most stressful job of all of us.

that's all i can think of for now...ready, set, get on your knees! figuratively of course. =] God has such a big summer planned!!!