Friends are important

Dear World,

One thing I'm greatly thankful for from the ELITE program is the people. I tend to struggle with surrounding myself with good friends, and I'm so glad that the ELITE program has some amazing people. Most of the other kids who sign up, love Jesus, and want to know Him in a deeper, more personal way. It's been good for me to surround myself with these people because, even though that is what I'm shooting for as well, they help me achieve that too. It would be so much harder if I was surrounded with people who didn't give a crap. Lots of people at home are just like that, but the other high schoolers who have been here to help me have also shown me what I should look for in a friend back in southern cali. Most of the people back home are going to try to hold me back and not let me get that long term goal of becoming more like Jesus, but I know now from the friends I've made here how I should go about dealing with the people at home and how not to let them get to me and pull me down. I will forever miss these people from session 1. I'll be sad when I've gotta work at the camp next week without them. But the good thing is, I'll make more friends and I'll grow close to them, and learn about them, and they'll learn about me.

SAMBICA is such a good place, and this program is absolutely amazing. I plan on trying to do it again next year. God is using this camp to transform and mold me into His original masterpiece. His perfectly thought out, designed, and planned, original masterpiece. Sometimes, I think we all need to sit back and say to ourselves "I am God's original masterpiece". For me, it would be "Maddie is God's original masterpiece". He is still molding me, He is still shaping me. And He will continue to do so after I leave this camp. I won't be sucked back into my old ways. I will give my burdens up to God and He will carry them for me. I love you God!

In Him,
Maddie