Story 1:
God laid it on my heart to ask her to come with me to 6 FCA/UCA cheer camps this summer. She is going to be a senior in HS. She was in the 8th and 9th grade when I was the dean of women at her school in Atlanta. She had been through a rough time. Her mom was bipolar and committed suicide when Katie was a freshman. She had been mad at God and confused ever since. She filled out an MLA and I was not able to approve it because she said she did not know if she was going to heaven but she said she prayed God would be patient with her while she figured it all out. I called the home office and told them the circumstances and they allowed her to be an intern anyway under my supervision. She raised ministry money from some very special people and we headed off all over the country.
At the first staff meeting @ the first camp of the summer in MS, when the huddle leaders give their testimonies, she simply told the staff where she went to school, what sports she played (she is not a cheerleader), and that she was on a spiritual journey. Then, on the first night of chapel, she rededicated her life to Christ. She came to my room at 1am to tell me.
As the camps went on every week I had the pleasure of watching her grow in the Lord. Surrounded by FCA staff and college huddle leaders that were "real Christians" as she called them, her faith took off. She even had huddle leaders and a praise and worship leader who paid her way to CA for a camp so she could have another opportunity to grow. Everyone loved her. She was able to share with the staff after a few weeks that her mom had died, and eventually how she died and how hard it was for her. She became very active in skits, huddles and every aspect of the camps. The Inside Out theme (Romans 12:2) was evident in her. She was no longer conforming to the ways of this world. Instead she was transformed over 2 months of camp to have a servant's heart.
At our last camp in Tenn, she shared her testimony in front of the entire camp at chapel. She shared how God had restored her joy this summer. She received the only standing ovation of the summer for a testimony. She is now on Fire for the Lord and can't wait to start her senior year living for Christ. I count the joy of watching the smile return to that beautiful face as one of my biggest blessings on this earth! Thank you so much to those who poured in to her this summer and to the prayer partners and financial partners and the Home Office for letting her be a part! Story 2: At the Tennessee camp our speaker, Shannen Fields (Brooke Taylor from the "Facing the Giants" movie), asked all the squads to hold hands at the close of chapel the last night. She said if even one wants to come forward to pray, the entire squad come and pray with that girl and do not drop hands. It was so amazing to see huge groups of girls come forward as one. Every squad ended up coming to pray with their huddle leader! I was walking around the groups and put my hands on the shoulders of two girls in Mallory's huddle and quietly prayed over them as Mallory was praying out loud. During this time of prayer Haley was singing a song she wrote. Afterward, in staff meeting, Mallory shared that one girl in her group accepted Christ for the first time. We all had been praying for this girl all week as she had shared the first night that she was searching for Jesus. But read this amazing detail....Mallory asked me why I was singing so loudly the words of Haley's song "HOW COULD YOU SAY NO TO HIM" as I leaned over the huddle? She said you were so loud I could not hear and the girl who accepted Christ said the same thing. I told Mallory I was praying silently. Also, I did not know the words of the song, as it was one Haley wrote and ONLY SHE KNEW. I was on the right side of the huddle in a white sundress. She said I was on her left and all she could see was me in white singing loudly. It was that moment, this cheerleader gave her heart to the Lord! Angels were among us! The cheerleader is doing great- just reading like crazy in the Word and calling and texting Mallory to ask all sorts of questions! Story 3: Melissa, was an FCA huddle leader at a GA FCA/UCA cheer camp and a former college cheerleader. She diligently prayed outside the dorm room for hours for a girl at camp who professed to want nothing to do with God. Her dad is even a pastor. Melissa spent an hour talking to her the last night of camp with no results. After camp was over not only did this girl email Melissa that she wanted to know God, but also her roommate, who was in that room, did the same. Is God not amazing? Our Faithful God rewarded Melissa's heart to pray outside their dorm room for hours and BOTH of them ended up wanting to know Jesus! see email sent to Melissa below from cheerleader: Hey. It's me. From camp. :D Hahah. Um, well i just wanted to say Thhhhhhaaaaankkkkk yoooouuu! ? Hahaha, you totally opened my eyes about this whole god thing really. ? that note was super cute and i loved the verses. ahh, thank you soo muchhh. ? God totally used you in my life and im soo happy :) ? thank you or putting up with my brattttiness. you are amazing. ? thank you so much :) Story 4: From a cheerleader camper from AL to her huddle leader, Danielle Hines from DE: July 5 at 10:48pm Oh my mom said something to me today that made me so happy. She was like, "Ever since u've gotten home, there is something different about you, i just dont know what it is yet." I just told her it was the love for Christ that i had forgotten about before and she cried and hugged me, it was great!
Story 2:
At the Tennessee camp our speaker, Shannen Fields (Brooke Taylor from the "Facing the Giants" movie), asked all the squads to hold hands at the close of chapel the last night. She said if even one wants to come forward to pray, the entire squad come and pray with that girl and do not drop hands. It was so amazing to see huge groups of girls come forward as one. Every squad ended up coming to pray with their huddle leader! I was walking around the groups and put my hands on the shoulders of two girls in Mallory's huddle and quietly prayed over them as Mallory was praying out loud. During this time of prayer Haley was singing a song she wrote. Afterward, in staff meeting, Mallory shared that one girl in her group accepted Christ for the first time. We all had been praying for this girl all week as she had shared the first night that she was searching for Jesus. But read this amazing detail....Mallory asked me why I was singing so loudly the words of Haley's song "HOW COULD YOU SAY NO TO HIM" as I leaned over the huddle? She said you were so loud I could not hear and the girl who accepted Christ said the same thing. I told Mallory I was praying silently. Also, I did not know the words of the song, as it was one Haley wrote and ONLY SHE KNEW. I was on the right side of the huddle in a white sundress. She said I was on her left and all she could see was me in white singing loudly. It was that moment, this cheerleader gave her heart to the Lord! Angels were among us! The cheerleader is doing great- just reading like crazy in the Word and calling and texting Mallory to ask all sorts of questions!
Story 3:
Melissa, was an FCA huddle leader at a GA FCA/UCA cheer camp and a former college cheerleader. She diligently prayed outside the dorm room for hours for a girl at camp who professed to want nothing to do with God. Her dad is even a pastor. Melissa spent an hour talking to her the last night of camp with no results. After camp was over not only did this girl email Melissa that she wanted to know God, but also her roommate, who was in that room, did the same. Is God not amazing? Our Faithful God rewarded Melissa's heart to pray outside their dorm room for hours and BOTH of them ended up wanting to know Jesus! see email sent to Melissa below from cheerleader: Hey. It's me. From camp. :D Hahah. Um, well i just wanted to say Thhhhhhaaaaankkkkk yoooouuu! ? Hahaha, you totally opened my eyes about this whole god thing really. ? that note was super cute and i loved the verses. ahh, thank you soo muchhh. ? God totally used you in my life and im soo happy :) ? thank you or putting up with my brattttiness. you are amazing. ? thank you so much :)
Story 4:
From a cheerleader camper from AL to her huddle leader, Danielle Hines from DE:
July 5 at 10:48pm
Oh my mom said something to me today that made me so happy. She was like, "Ever since u've gotten home, there is something different about you, i just dont know what it is yet." I just told her it was the love for Christ that i had forgotten about before and she cried and hugged me, it was great!
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