What God Can Do When You Let Him...by Aimee Parkinson

Amazing and stretching! Those two words pretty much sum up the summer. Looking back I had always said that I would never work at camp as a counselor, but God had TOTALLY different plans in mind. He knew that I needed to work at camp and he made it work out so perfectly that I had to just trust him to know what he was doing.

Pretty much all summer God has been teaching me to trust him completely and rely on him for strength and guidance. Even the weeks when I had a tough cabin and was ready to quit God just kept reminding me that I needed to rely on him and his strength and not my own. This summer I was forced to be outgoing and get involved, instead of just being in the background. I normally am not outgoing and that was one of the biggest fears I had about working at camp, but God again knew that working at camp was just what I needed in stretching me in that area. I also learned a lot of patience; patience with my campers, patience on the direction of my life, and total surrendering to the fact that God’s in control and I’m not.

God worked in amazing ways this summer. I can tell you right now that it was not from me or anyone on staff working magic, but it was all God working through us to see his will and plan accomplished. God worked in the big things and even the little things this summer. Even the small things that we think don’t matter as much God takes those and uses them for his glory. When we allow God to use us he does so in extraordinary ways! He stretches you and molds you into the person he wants you to be.

A song that I’m always reminded of is the song “ Use me here, where I am I’m not going to pray anymore that u’ll change your plans despite my fears I place my life in your hands the future can wait tomorrow might be to late so use me here.” God wants to use us, but we got to be willing to not let obstacles stand in the way.

God is totally amazing and this summer will be a summer that I will never forget. Not just from the amazing friendships I’ve made, but from the things that the Lord taught me. God is definitely not done working in my life, but this summer was just a glimpse of how big my God is and how much he can do in and through me if I only let him.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Aimee Parkinson
Camp Gilead Counselor * Summer 2009