Obedience to the Lord - Summer Waterman

If I could explain to the Summer of a year ago where I would be right now, I don’t think I would quite believe it.

I found out about the Fellowship scrolling through my Instagram feed at midnight approximately 1 week before it started. I had never felt such a strong prompting from what I can assume to be the Lord, but He has a funny way of making things happen that need to happen. The next morning, I finished my application, and a few phone calls later I committed to one year and two weeks without a third thought. I did have a second thought, which was to make sure it was okay with my parents. (I am an adult, but I still wanted their assurance and blessing.) As I took off on a 20-hour road trip by myself that took me more west than I had ever gone in this nation, I started to think about the complete insanity that had just taken place and where it was to lead me. Sky Ranch Horn Creek was my destination. I had never seen anything like it. The mountains were amazing, and the air smelled of fresh pine. I was the first one to arrive in the office, and I was nervous yet excited. It wasn’t my first time to go somewhere completely new and not know a soul within a 100-mile radius, but I had no clue what to expect. To skip ahead, the Fellowship has been one of the greatest things I could have ever done.

Being from Alabama, I never expected to live somewhere where it snows from October to April, but I have learned that the snow here, even when it’s past my knees, is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I have grown to overcome fears (like heights), love people who were strangers almost nine months ago like family, look at the Bible with new found fascination, and be able grow into the person that the Lord created me to be with reckless abandon. These past few months have given me experiences that I would never want to change and moments that I will want to relive for years to come.

Yes, Covid-19 has put a damper on things here in Colorado with not being able to host groups, but I can happily say that the Fellows are cleaning Horn Creek from roof to root and cannot wait to host families and campers this summer again. I started my blog post with the story of how I came to be a part of the Fellowship, and I say all of this because I know that by the end of this year and two weeks that I will not want to leave. It will be the hardest goodbye I have had to face yet. I look at that day with bitter sweetness, but it would have never happened if I had not followed the simple prompting of the Lord.

They had one spot to fill one week out. I applied not knowing that they would even see my application. Coincidence is nice but knowing that this was a plan from the Lord is even nicer. I have been reading Jeremiah and just came upon chapter 29 two days ago. I read the infamous 29:11 verse where it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope…” and as much as I love this verse, and boy does it apply, I came across another verse a couple chapters later that really stirred my heart. To give a little context, Jeremiah had been prophesying to the captive Hebrews in Babylon after King Nebuchadnezzar had started to take over Judah. Chapter 31 of Jeremiah is about giving hope of the future by the Lord restoring the captives and turning their mourning into joy. Verse 3 reads, “the Lord appeared to him (Israel) from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

The Lord loves me and the person reading this no matter what you do, and He will continue in His faithfulness wherever you may end up. It may not be what you initially expected and, like me, you may end up being able to clean up a camp for 7 weeks and finding new ways to make it look better, but the point is that following the promptings of the Lord will bring you to right where you need to be. It may be as beautiful as the mountains or it may be stuck at home in quarantine, but the Lord is with you through His faithfulness.

- Summer Waterman