Texas, Here I Come!

Monday I'll be driving to my sister's house in Alabama followed by a 15 or so hour drive to a place just above Dallas, TX on Tuesday.

This time last week, I was still hoping for a job at Subway or Piggly Wiggly & especially as a substitute teacher at a school in walking distance. I was living with my sister, babysitting/homeschooling her 5 kids while she went to college twice a week. This I will miss very much, but at least I had the pleasure for a month.

Then, realizing that the experience I have that I've loved most has been being involved in summer camps. I searched year-round camps in AL & found about three. They had already begun camp or at least had their employees. Next, I found one in NC...also no longer in need of anyone until maybe January or February.

It was pretty discouraging because they were jobs it seemed like I'd love to do. I would have been teaching children and youth about nature and how to appreciate it, use it, and enjoy it. All on a beautiful campus.

If it hadn't happened this way, I'm certain I never would have ended up working at Camp Summit in Texas. I've never really been drawn to Texas or working with people with disabilities. The way it all happened really makes me think it's what God wants me to do. Knowing that helps me deal with all the fears I have. I know that I can do it if it's what He wants. Some songs that have already helped me are: "You Know Where to Find Me" by Matthew West & "Someday" by Nichole Nordeman. The first was one that seemed as if God would need to sing it over me in the middle of an exhausting, frustrating week of camp. The second is like a song a friend would reassure me of when I'm wondering why people even have disabilities & thinking of how unfair it is. I've already begun to consider how the roles could have been reversed and I could be in a wheel chair unable to do so many things I love or in a mental state that didn't allow me to graduate from college or write letters. One big thing it's teaching me is to appreciate what I have & can do even more. I'm even more thankful for the health of my family & friends, but I'm also more aware that it could change in a moment.

Anyway, the worst part of the job is that I have to wear close toed shoes except when I'm on break. My feet are gonna become sissies. Pale sissies. However, something cool that I found out yesterday is that this will be the first fall of camp. They've had years of summer camp but never a fall one, which should be exciting. :)

Some other details are:

They'll give me room & board as well as payment for each week.
It ends Dec. 11, & I get a week off for Thanksgiving.
They have 170 acres & will have horseback riding!
The two women I talked to on the phone seemed really sweet, fun, & excited.
I'll be helping feed, bathe, & assist campers in going to the bathroom.

So please keep me in your prayers. It will be a lot of new stuff for me, but I'm really excited. I actually had interview over the phone with Nikki, the assistant director, before I'd even finished my application because we needed to get everything done quickly. She gave me some scenarios of situations that could occur and asked how I would handle them. She made me feel a lot more confident when she informed me that she had no experience her first summer of camp and was really unsure of whether or not she could do it. Then she said it actually sounded like I'd be good at it. This is news to me even though family & friends seem to agree. I know that I can do it, too, but I feel like I'll be living the next 3 months emotionally, mentally, and physically drained. I think I'll always feel behind on keeping up with relationships back home, taking care of myself, and drawing closer to God. But maybe I'll be able to balance these better than I expect. One way that you could help is by sending me letters that include your prayers for me at this time, news from your own life, & Bible verses that could keep me going back to the Bible.

It would make my day to hear from you, & you can start sending mail today because I'll be there September 6 in preparation for training which begins Sept. 7 & goes through the 15.

Megan Starbuck
C/O Camp Summit
921 A Copper Canyon Rd.
Argyle, TX 76226

And since I won't have much internet access, I'm gonna have to put a pause on my blog posts. I'll probably still do some updates similar to this each week. I'm grateful to be able to pay off my student loans once they start really becoming due.

Megan