my unexpected family...

CHOSEN and TLC are the hardest things I have ever done. Undoubtedly. And yet it is resoundingly true that camp is my favorite weekend of the summer. It’s crazy if I really think about it - terrible bunk beds and virtually no sleep, mediocre food at best with subpar coffee, running around like a chicken with my head cut off prepping games and then trying to run the games - which typically means yelling over at least 20 teenagers, navigating any number of challenging conversations and wanting to put my heart on the line in all of them - but not wanting to overstep their line or cause them any harm. Never wanting to do it “wrong” - never wanting to cause additional pain or do damage. But then there is SO MUCH LAUGHTER, the kind that makes your stomach hurt as you simultaneously question how recently you went to the bathroom because you might just pee your pants a little bit if you don’t pull it together soon. There is the sweet little 12-year-old who says she is going to come up with a theme song just for you. There are all the hands flying in the air when you ask for a volunteer to play a pre-chapel game because they LOVE the crazy so much. Their faces light up before you, alive, free, safe. They belong. During worship you hear the sound of their sweet, sweet voices rising up alongside Emily. They may not fully understand what they’re singing, but it’s amazingly beautiful that they’re singing anyway. Kody presents the message and they listen intently and with respect. He talks about family being one of the gifts of grace - acceptance into the FAMILY of Christ. That resonates in a huge way. You watch their eyes dart around the room - connecting with friends and leaders that have truly become like their family in a unique and distinct way. THIS is their second family. Camp is somewhere they feel at home.

Camp is 3 days, less then 72 hours, and yet I truly believe it is a sacred place. It is set aside and those hours are given to us to use with great care. We have an opportunity in that space to shine light, bring hope, and embrace with compassion. We have the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus - but sometimes I’m not sure we even know what that really means. We say things like show up and be poured out and emptied, but really living it out is a challenge. It stretches us beyond what is comfortable and asks us to LITERALLY give it all, entrusting everything to Him, ready to have our hearts broken for the sake of someone else. Since I was a little girl, I pictured myself married with babies of my own; and yet He gave me a family that looks SO VERY DIFFERENT. He gave me teens that so desperately need to be loved, who need to be reminded they are seen, who need to be embraced right where they are. He gave me teens who have experienced loss and trauma and He shaped and molded my heart for such a time as this. He gave me the capacity to CHOOSE them and I am fiercely protective of each and every one. He called me to them and wrote them into the narrative of my life. I didn’t know this is what He had, and yet this is the story He planned and purposed. THIS is His best for me - THEY are HIS BEST for me - and they are my GREAT JOY!