And just like that another week of camp come and gone. But this time it's completely different because I'm not gonna be back as a camper again. While this makes me extremely sad I'm so excited to be able to be on work crew and possibly be a coach in the next couple of years! But that's a whole nother adventure.
JOY. If I had to describe my last week at camp it would be joyful. Joyful because I got to spend a week with an amazing group of girls who make me a better person each and every day. Joyful because I got to see a whole new side of God and my faith. Joyful because making memories that would last was something extremely important. And lastly joyful because I am finally happy with where I'm at.
COLLEGE. Leading up to camp, the all consuming stress of college had been weighing heavily on my shoulders. I've known where I wanted to go my whole life but the reality that I might not end up there is something I'm slowly starting to realize. With scheduling college visits to schools I don't even know that I could see myself at and getting back SAT and ACT scores that just "aren't good enough" it's been a real struggle on my mind lately.
PHILIPPIANS. But at camp a constant theme of our weeks book of the bible, Philippians was just being conent with where you are at. Being content that you are right where God wants you to be and being content that things are going to end up just how they're supposed to. Another constant theme was that we are called to rejoice in every circumstance. To rejoice in both the bad and the good and to be joyful even though our trials. It was incredible hearing these messages over and over and just letting them sink in. It was a total God moment just being told over and over just about how God's plan for us is already perfect and thought out and that we are right where he wants us if so comforting. It's like all the pain and worry I was having about college didn't need to be there and I could finally breathe and take a step back. But that was only part of it.
WHITE ROCK. This week God blessed me with the most amazing group of girls I could have ever asked for. He have me 11 other sisters in Christ that I could just pour out my heart to and let go of all the things I had been keeping inside to them. They seriously rock and are the best support group I could ever have. Every night we would all come together on the floor in a circle and just share about ourselves and have deep talks about life and our walks with God. And let me tell ya, I live for those late night talks full of truth and love. The last night we went around just affirming each other and giving each other the love we couldn't seem to find in the world.
WOG. WOG (women of God) was absolutely incredible. Just getting that time to be with just girls and share about what it's like to be a woman of God. We talked about all the blanks in our life, all the things that we let keep us from not feeling good enough not only to other people and guys but not good enough for God. We learned that we are enough. We are enough just the way we are and God have us each other so that we could see all the beautiful things about each other even when we can't see them ourselves.
MAIN THING. All of the talks were incredible from talking about grace to our sin to being content. So much so that even if we lost everything we would be okay because we still had God.
LAKEVIEW. Just getting the amazing opportunity to sing out over God's amazing creation was so awesome. Singing while look out at the beautiful lake and the stars that soak the night sky is truly one of my favorite sights. With beautiful singing and acoustics nothing can beat worshiping in the overwhelming presence of the God who created our beautiful with one word. Nothing can beat Lakeview.
ACTIVITIES. From high ropes to zero shock to pool to tubing and wakeboarding to tradition day it's safe to say you are never bored. Being able to be apart of Christ-filled adventure is such a blessing. I love getting to do all the activities cause they rock.
KRAUSE. Something as seniors that we got to do was adventure over to Krause springs. It was so much fun and full of lots of laughter and wayy too much pizza but go big or go home right? We just explored and ended up finding an awesome waterfall and took some sweet gopro pictures. We got to go off an awesome rope swing and even ventured into a dark cave that made for a hilarious video. It was such a blast getting to spend time with all my favorite ladies and definetly a great memory to have.
CAMPFIRE. One of my all time favorite things about Camp Travis is getting to sit around a campfire Wednesday nights and just share in each other's lives and struggles ( while getting to eat some kick butt s'mores btw :-) ) which is absolutely amazing. Becoming so vulnerable and open is sometimes hard at first but you learn so much about yourself and your friends and as the night goes on it starts to feel comfortable and you're able to free yourselves of the things that are holding you back from being joyful.
I could never say enough able the place I call home but I'm so thankful to have gotten to spend two years at such an awesome place to grow in faith and make new friendships. The things Camp Travis has done in my life has truly changed me and for that I'm forever grateful.
Here's a video of my awesome last week as a camper at the wonderful Camp Travis. Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/fMYNn31ykMs
God came into my life this week and did some amazing, unforgettable things. He has set a burning desire in my heart for him and opened my eyes to the life I need to be living. Because of this wonderful week with my LEAD family I am forever changed. I never want to go back to the way and the person that I once was. Before this week my faith was running dry. I felt like I was just stuck in this rut and didn't know how to escape. I was feeling so alone and distant and God just welcomed me back into his loving arms without hesitation. The love our Father in Heaven has for us is so incomprehensible but to even grasp a part of the tremendous love he has for us will change your life, and that's what happened to me this week. I truly believe that once you realize how much the Lord loves us, you can never be the same. God sent the most wonderful people into my life and I am so thankful for all the laughs and friendships that came from it. Imagine the most encouraging, loving, passionate, on fire for the Lord humans and you'll see my LEAD family. Having the most God-fearing, humble servants of the Lord all gathered in one place to share in the same faith has got to be one of the most beautiful sights to see. I thank the Lord for all the kind-hearted lights that he brought into my life this week. I am forever grateful that I met people who were so hard to say goodbye to. Saying goodbye to the people that had quickly become so important to me was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. It is so hard waking up and not being surrounded by 20 beautiful souls ready to encourage and love on you all day long. I truly knew that God's love for me was so strong when I realized how blessed I was to have 20 new people to call my friends. Their faith inspired me to grow deeper into mine and to seek true companionship with the Lord. These people will always have a special place in my heart and I pray that God continues to work in our lives and hopefully write our stories with each other in mind. I thank the Lord for new friendships and new beginnings.
This week God has taught me humility and compassion through the washing of feet. He has taught me the importance of silence and the peace it can bring to even the loudest of hearts. He has taught me what it means to truly worship and praise him for all the goodness He has provided us. He has taught me love through the sending of 20 of His amazing children of God. He has taught me that there are times when I can't do it on my own and that sometimes all I have to do is look up and ask for His guidance to help conquer the battles of life. He has taught me the importance of prayer and spending quality time with the Him, the one who gave his life for my sake and for the whole world. He has taught me that I don't have to be scared or anxious if I don't get an immediate rush of emotions or answer when spending time with him in prayer because he is working on me and my story even when I am unaware. He has taught me to pray as I AM not as I OUGHT. That I am right where He wants me and that He loves everything about me. He wants all of me. All my brokenness and my problems, all my past mistakes, he wants all of me especially the messy stuff of my life and He longs to make me new. 
LEAD was no doubt one of the best weeks of my life. I can't even describe the amount of joy this week has brought me. God has blessed me with a new family, with 20 brothers and sisters to help strengthen me on this faith journey. A week full of prayer, adoration, and worship has left my heart full and my eyes looking up to the cross. I am so thankful to have been given the amazing opportunity to fall in love with the one who gave us all his love. I am comforted in the fact that If Christ had to endure the cross all over again just for me, he would do it in a heartbeat just like he died for the whole world. This week has brought me exactly what I needed in my life and more. My prayer life has dramatically transformed and I am no longer the checklist christian I once was. I believe that God has a perfect plan for all of our lives and that even through the struggles of life and the pain, He is there trying to write the perfect ending. Our God is not a God who fails to answer prayers or one that is going to abandon us. Our God is forever faithful and will never stop fighting for us. There are no words to describe the impact it truly had on my life but I now know that I am not called to be normal. I am called to stand out and to be radical in my faith. I am called to spread God's love to the ends of the earth and bring praise to his holy name with all that I have.
