1. Oregon has no bugs.
2. Utah may have some of the best and most unique landscape.
3. When staying in a hotel in Utah, you not only get the Bible, but also the Book of Mormon.
4. Wyoming has a population of about 4 people.
5. Nebraska has big bugs, cheap gas and nice cops.
6. It's easy to get pulled over in flat states.
7. It's easier to get out of a ticket in those flat states if you're from Oregon, or just me :)
8. Iowa = corn, and that is all.
9. Gas can jump 20 cents a gallon in 4 miles.
10. Despite what my father told me, my Mazda 6 gets great gas mileage no matter how fast I'm going.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Junior High Camp- A Little Life Perspective
Every year I look forward to going to Junior High Camp. It's become a retreat for me, and a great reminder of the amazing and awesome work that God can do with a willing group of people. Sometimes during the year, I long for the days of waking up in Lakeside and eating oatmeal for breakfast. The food may be terrible, but it's totally worth it when the rest of camp is considered. There's nothing in the world like the Peak, and I've admittedly become a camp snob for it.
After so many years, I've watched a lot of leaders cycle through camp, and yet they almost always seem to be there for the right reasons, and I'm amazed at how much they love these students, a lot of whom they haven't previously known. This year I got to watch my own girls be leaders and it was so completely humbling. I chose to be a small group leader because I wanted to be able to encourage junior high girls to love Jesus and enjoy church. I felt honored enough when so many of my girls decided to be small group leaders themselves (now that they're old enough) and it was a joy to watch them do their thing at camp. Camp is such a unique experience and provides such an encouraging, instantly genuine community that it's an ideal place to watch the spirit work. I love that we bring our own leaders with us, and most of the time try to match small group leaders with the students they have during the year. I know that there are camps that have a summer staff, and I'm not trying to say that's the wrong way to do it, but this morning at church was a great example of students and leaders interacting in real life. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to find the motivation necessary to pour life and love into students that I'll never see again, and I can understand why working a full summer of camp can be so draining.
This summer was different for me because I'd spent all summer working on it and had invested so much into it. For the first time, I was actually responsible for a lot of the actual camp activities, and I tried my hardest to take my experience as a small group leader into account as I planned games and activities. While in some ways it's more challenging, because I don't get to see directly how God is working, this summer was great because I felt like I finally got to know some of these students, and some of them actually wanted to hang out with me.
Every time I go to camp, I remember that THIS is where my heart is, and this is where my passion is found. I know my place at camp, and I love being a part of a greater goal. It's hard for me to listen to people tell me how great it is that I'm doing this, or how they admire my sacrifices, when in my mind, I'm the one who is blessed to be doing what I am. I should be begging to get to do this.
So then I'm faced with the issue of my future, because I look at my major and see that it has nothing to do with what I love. But then I look at camp more closely, and discover why it is that I really love this. I love being able to take these students away from their everyday lives and struggles. This generation is hurting in ways we've never even thought of and it breaks my heart to hear what they're going through and what they are forced to deal with. The joy of camp is getting to take them away from that and love them with a love that can only come from Christ. That's what I want to do with my career. People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I want to be a pediatric oncology nurse, but I'm so excited for it. Much like the kids at camp, the kids I'll be working with are forced to deal with really shitty life situations and I want to be able to take them away from the pain and suffering, the pity and the misunderstanding and just let them be kids. I want to love them with Christ's love and make their stay at the hospital like a week at camp. My heart longs to see a kid smile through the pain and laugh through the tears. If I can do that, then maybe my life really means something.
After so many years, I've watched a lot of leaders cycle through camp, and yet they almost always seem to be there for the right reasons, and I'm amazed at how much they love these students, a lot of whom they haven't previously known. This year I got to watch my own girls be leaders and it was so completely humbling. I chose to be a small group leader because I wanted to be able to encourage junior high girls to love Jesus and enjoy church. I felt honored enough when so many of my girls decided to be small group leaders themselves (now that they're old enough) and it was a joy to watch them do their thing at camp. Camp is such a unique experience and provides such an encouraging, instantly genuine community that it's an ideal place to watch the spirit work. I love that we bring our own leaders with us, and most of the time try to match small group leaders with the students they have during the year. I know that there are camps that have a summer staff, and I'm not trying to say that's the wrong way to do it, but this morning at church was a great example of students and leaders interacting in real life. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to find the motivation necessary to pour life and love into students that I'll never see again, and I can understand why working a full summer of camp can be so draining.
This summer was different for me because I'd spent all summer working on it and had invested so much into it. For the first time, I was actually responsible for a lot of the actual camp activities, and I tried my hardest to take my experience as a small group leader into account as I planned games and activities. While in some ways it's more challenging, because I don't get to see directly how God is working, this summer was great because I felt like I finally got to know some of these students, and some of them actually wanted to hang out with me.
Every time I go to camp, I remember that THIS is where my heart is, and this is where my passion is found. I know my place at camp, and I love being a part of a greater goal. It's hard for me to listen to people tell me how great it is that I'm doing this, or how they admire my sacrifices, when in my mind, I'm the one who is blessed to be doing what I am. I should be begging to get to do this.
So then I'm faced with the issue of my future, because I look at my major and see that it has nothing to do with what I love. But then I look at camp more closely, and discover why it is that I really love this. I love being able to take these students away from their everyday lives and struggles. This generation is hurting in ways we've never even thought of and it breaks my heart to hear what they're going through and what they are forced to deal with. The joy of camp is getting to take them away from that and love them with a love that can only come from Christ. That's what I want to do with my career. People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I want to be a pediatric oncology nurse, but I'm so excited for it. Much like the kids at camp, the kids I'll be working with are forced to deal with really shitty life situations and I want to be able to take them away from the pain and suffering, the pity and the misunderstanding and just let them be kids. I want to love them with Christ's love and make their stay at the hospital like a week at camp. My heart longs to see a kid smile through the pain and laugh through the tears. If I can do that, then maybe my life really means something.
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