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the camp counselor recap! june to july ‘26
a little under five months ago, the Lord called me to be a camp counselor this summer.
this wouldn’t be a weird sentence for anyone else, but mind you, I have never once attended a camp, let alone staffed one. my friends would not describe me as someone who loves the outdoors. & I just knew that as a sensitive girl in a highly-emotional & spiritual environment with little rest, I would struggle to process my emotions (thus, I expected a few weepy moments here & there).
with all of that being said, I obeyed the Lord over my own comfort. & I applied.
a comfort zone: the mental & emotional space where things feel safe, familiar, & predictable. it's where routines, habits, & people don't challenge you much, so you experience little stress or risk.
while comfort zones can give stability & peace, staying in them too long can also cause stagnation.
confession: I am a creature of the comfort zone!!! I eat the same oatmeal everyday, but that’s because I choose to & I like it. I am more introverted than extroverted, so there’s always time scheduled in my day just for me to recharge by myself. I schedule enough rest at night & enough time in the morning to feel prepared for the day, & so on.
I like to do the same thing every day. I always have.
but when my alone time, routine, space, & control over my meals was taken away at camp, I felt stripped. exposed. what is left of me except for my dependence on the Lord? except my flimsy feelings & thoughts of insecurity & discomfort?
my comfort zone is a security blanket, but if there is one thing the Lord taught me at camp, it’s that I’m using it to cover up things about myself that I don’t always want to deal with & that He invites me into tender growth instead. into baby steps. into redefining what a comfort zone truly is because He is the great Comforter.
“all praises belong to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. for He is the Father of tender mercy & the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial.”
- 2nd Corinthians 1:3-9 (tpt)
when I couldn’t hide any longer from the lack of sleep, racing thoughts of food insecurity, the enemy’s lies about my appearance, my struggle with having no control over my day to day, & the build up of emotions, (I was right, there were plenty of weepy moments at camp. my co-counselors saw me shed more tears in front of them than I wished for, but of course, all of these holy friends constantly reassured me of the beauty of tears) I had to come face to face with the glorification of my comfort zone. a little heart check: sweet friend, are you glorifying your own comfort zone? over the growth the Lord wants to gently pull you into?
He longs to mold us like a potter to His clay! mold us into a sturdy vessel, fit to hold Him & be used by Him.
when I left my comfort zone, I started experiencing an increase of feeling overwhelmed & having a more challenging time taking my thoughts captive. these are things that I was able to sweep under the rug in the house of my comfort zone. these are things I was forced with facing & giving up to the Lord on the mountain at camp.
“come to me, all who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest.” - Matthew 1:28 (esv)
the Lord pruned the garden inside of me, so that I could bear new fruit in this new season of my summer. so that I could be stronger, more brave, more equipped, more kind to myself & others. this wouldn’t have happened if I would’ve stayed home.
with the Lord, there is no comfort zone. He is our comfort. He is our rest. the question is: are we letting Him fill this space in our lives? are we letting Him alone be our comfort zone? if we’re not careful, the comfort zone becomes a hindering, yet unsuspecting idol of our spiritual growth. to be sensitive to the Lord’s will is to be joyfully & bravely obedient to His call for your growth!!!! I dare you to submit your comfort zone to Him & see how beautifully He transforms this space you have given Him to move in your life!!!
“what profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? for its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!” - Habakkuk 2:18 (esv)
being a camp counselor is fighting on the front lines. it’s sacrificing comfort for obedience & rest for pouring out. but oh is it a joy!!!! being a witness to camp ministry is just being a witness to the Lord’s intentional fingerprints on each & every aspect of ministry, every youth, & every adult. it is so beautiful & always so worth it to be used by the Lord so that He can encounter others personally - for the first time or for the fiftieth. my favorite part was just leading a small group of girls through Biblically based material!!!!
so tender. so sweet. so whimsical. so a period of needed growth + surrender.
#nocomfortzonedependence is in this summer.
I made so many new, holy friendships! it was so refreshing & sweet to share this camp experience alongside of them - I learned so much from their wisdom & felt so included. (even bought friendship bracelets with a few of the other gals - childhood dream come true!)
became a waterfall regular! we were able to go visit tons of local waterfalls. so beautiful! a testament to God’s creation!
started wearing more summer jewelry - even bracelets, which is new for me
became obsessed with the purely elizabeth pb cookie granola & the pop daddy gluten free cinnamon sugar pretzels = my fav camp snacks!
heard the Lord speak to me more through Scripture & dreams
bought some super cute new outfits when we went shopping downtown: overalls, a quilt vest, chunky pink bird necklace, & so on
attended a silent disco for the first time! would recommend
got to see my little sister at one of the camps! yay!
led workshops on identity, friendship, art, & spiritual rhythms - all such a blessing to me
tried out so, so, so many local coffee shops. my favorite had a s’mores latte with a toasted marshmallow on top!
dressed up as lola from hannah montana on a duo dress up theme day
I don’t rely on makeup anymore to feel pretty
learned so much about prayer/praying over people
& laughed a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!
until next time & with love,
ansley claire
I believe that everyone should have access to encouragement from a sister in Christ, so Tuesday Mornings is, & will stay, a free publication. however, if you feel led to support my Kingdom work with a little treat:
a prayer request: may the Lord continue to open our own ideas of what our “comfort zone is!” & may He increase our sensitivity to obey. thank you all for praying for me while I was at camp!!!!!
tuesday mornings is like the weekly news, but the news of an ordinary girl who writes about what the extraordinary God of the universe has done in her life!
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I hope each of you has a very happy rest of the week! praying for you! peace! thank you for being here & I hope to see you again soon! 🕊️ I love you so much & so does Jesus Christ!
pov: a girl who loves writing takes a sabbatical from it
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Jun 16
hey there & happy tuesday morning! I hope you had a very happy week full of love & memories. thank you for being here! if you enjoy my content, please make sure that you are subscribed to get weekly updates straight to your inbox:here, you’ll always have a place to sit while sipping your morning coffee, & you’ll always have a friend in me.
“therefore, encourage one another & build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” - 1st Thessalonians 5:11
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