fiddler crabs & mud pie.

it's weird to think i've been at camp for a month now. God has been teaching me some crazy things since i arrived in south carolina; some of them are actual, tangible, physical skills while others are purely Him revealing Himself to me day in and day out, moment by moment.

the ocean: a place where i never spent much time and therefore never much enjoyed before i got here. i always disliked the saltiness and the sandiness of it, and the marine life really creeped me out. in a few weeks i have come to love the feeling of being coated in seawater and to truly enjoy laying in the sand, no towel included. (at camp, the towel monster eats any towels that come to the beach.) and while i may still be uncomfortable about the jellyfish, stingrays, and sharks with me in the water, i have found that even the kids who are native to the beach aren't crazy about what's swimming beneath them. when i swim in the ocean, God speaks to me and over me, which is pretty cool. He tells me that i shouldn't be afraid, that He is immediately close, and that He's holding onto me.

the place: i know where i am, surprinsgly enough. seabrook, kiawah, johns island, james island, edisto island, daniels island, deveaux bank, botany bay, stono river, rockville, mt pleasant, wadmawlaw island. these all mean something to me now.

the wildlife: i have seen some alligators and know a little bit about how they get their prey. i have learned the names of some fish; anchovies, silversides, pompineaux, whitings. i know the difference between an american and a cownose stingray. i can identify a few jellyfish; cannonball, moon, man of war. i see pelicans plung in the water to scoop up fish. i see dolphins a lot; the other day i saw a few from about ten feet away. beautiful.

the boat: while i am by no means a sailor, i know the parts of a sailboat, i can rig it up, and i can sail it. i still have trouble conceptualizing and understanding the theory, which could either be because i didn't grow up coastal or just because feeling the wind and knowing the current doesn't come naturally to me. but i'm learning! and God is being so cool through it all, because i'm learning a lot about His word and His nature by being out on open water. first of all, paul sailed all around during his ministry; so i'm learning to do something that one of the great apostles of Christ did, which is pretty sweet. (i'm also doing like the disciples when seigning, dragging a giant net through the water). Jesus preached from a boat, His disciples feared the storm, He calmed it. the waves crash and the wind blows, and i get scared. but God calms storms today like He did then and like He says He will. and i suppose being out there makes these verses more real for me.

the call: God has been so faithful in confirming that this is the place i'm supposed to be this summer. He has been sending me the signals since the first day i got here, and they've only been building as the days have passed. His patience, His promises, the idea of idolatry, listening and waiting on God, beauty and love and worth; tons of things God spoke into me and taught me this past year were just springing up in worship and conversation. Scripture has confirmed it, and the Holy Spirit confirms it nearly every morning.

"in the morning, i will sing of Your loving kindness and at night, i will sing of Your faithfulness"

i haven't even started on the kids and what God has done these first two sessions, but i will get there. because God is producing fruit, and i'm getting to witness some amazing moments.

my feet are always dirty, and it's amazing.
-laura

and there are phosphorscent phytoplankton. when i hang my feet off the dock and move my toes, they light up in water.

sparkle and glow.