Living The Camp Life

It was college spring break and with no money or plans, I tagged along with my parents to the annual Christian camping conference. I spent most of the week walking along Lake Michigan, napping, laughing with camp staff and attending sessions.

At the time I had no plans of someday joining the ranks of full-time Christian camping professionals but God did. So here I am, 8 years later (8 years?! How did I get so OLD?!) attending that same conference.
So... a few highlights!

We're camp people. It's what we do. 

1. This year I was asked to present a seminar! And not just one but two, one with a co-worker and one on my own. I struggled with feeling inadequate and unqualified until some wise people spoke truth over my insecurity and challenged me to banish those thoughts. The preparation process was BRUTAL. February and March are typically 2 of the hardest months of the year for a myriad of reasons and this year has been even harder than I anticipated.

I tend to have high expectations for myself and as a result I burned more emotional energy worrying and fretting about doing the workshop well than actually preparing. In the end both seminars went so well and I loved teaching. The response from other attendees was really positive and affirming. Yay!

Title slide from my workshop on theme integration in camping ministry. The whole workshop was spy themed.  

2. It's a family business. If Christian camping had celebrities, my dad would be one. Having both my parents, sister and even my Nana also working at Christian camps meant they were at the conference. My sweet Nana even came to my workshop to support and cheer for me!

3. Unique friendships and heart to hearts. Beth is a friend I met through the camp world. We were both women who started as program directors and got married in the same year. Now she's moved up to an Associate Director and has a baby but the chance to sit down and talk over a meal once (or maybe twice if we're lucky) a year is one of the most life-giving moments of the conference. She just gets it in a way that others can't. Melissa was an intern at the camp where I work when I first got here. She met her husband here and now they both work full-time at another camp, just like my hubby and I. We had a ton of time to talk, laugh, reminisce and encourage one another. We even planned a summer camping trip together! Woohoo!

That's the beauty of the camp world, we're not competitors or rivals, we're supporters, cheerleaders and coaches. There are former neighbors, mentors, babysitters, and co-workers who have moved into another ministry and we get to sit down and connect. It's the body of Christ in the truest sense.

Do you have connection points? Friends in your same stage of life that you can connect with? It's worth it. I'm thankful for this life-giving break in the midst of a crazy season.

Beyond Four Walls

It was technically only 4 walls, a box, a shell, a building.

But it was so much more.

It was home. It was dozens of talent shows, hundreds of friends, thousands of meals, millions of memories.

Those 4 walls were literally shelter from the storm. The winds would howl, thunder and lightning rage and we'd ring that big brass bell and run to our safe place. I remember huddling in the basement singing songs and laughing as a camper. Later as the counselor staging impromptu skits, leading the songs and comforting tears.

It was countless chapel sessions, raising my hands in worship with my brothers and sisters, sitting too close in the uncomfortable folding chairs sweating from our arms being pressed together in the summer heat.

Every Thanksgiving we gathered, all 60 of us starting with my great-grandparents to share a meal, a service and to give thanks together. We put together puzzles, played made up game shows, looked through Black Friday ads, ate Grandma's rolls, flew the turkey around the room, turned our tables to face one another, shared our triumphs and struggles from the year and always, always sang the Doxology and Great Is Your Faithfulness.

When a tornado threatened to strike during my high school graduation party it was where we took shelter, grabbing the ice cream bowls, pictures, gifts and running inside to beat the storm.

And after I said, "I Do," it was where we went to celebrate our life as newlyweds. Where 215 of our friends and family gathered together to toast us and wish us well. In those walls my Papa said a prayer for our marriage and I've never felt so very loved by so many people in my life.

On Monday I got a call from my dad at 9am. He was using "that voice," the one I've heard more times than I'd like this year. My dad is terrible at breaking bad news. He sounded burdened, choked up.

"Last night the roof of the Lodge collapsed."

It was totally unexpected and with no warning but this extreme Michigan winter and the weight of the snow proved to be just too much. The Lakeview Lodge is the dining hall at the camp where my parents and sister currently work and I lived at from age 2 till I went to college. It's the place my great-grandfather helped to found and my parents met. It's home.

It's just a building yet that day I cried and mourned as I would the loss of a friend.

Yet, God is still in this. At 6pm there were 150 people in the building and 0 when the roof fell. Insurance will help. Hundreds of supporters of the camp have rallied around them and my parents as they lead through this difficult time. They are my family. People are hearing of this little camp who may not otherwise.

It feels dumb writing a blog post to a building but it's so much more than a building. This will be a story that we get to tell of God's faithfulness. We have seen him work through this building and we know He will do it again. We will continue to sing Great Is Thy Faithfulness. We'll make new memories.

So what I'm learning right now is that when the roof crumbles, the foundation cracks and what you've always known to be steady is no more, He is there.

As the director of the camp, my Dad gets to deal with the brunt of the collapse. As he said to me, "Now is when we get to practice what we preach. When we get to show people that we truly believe and trust."

And as he's told me many a time, "To God be the glory, great things He has done."

Chilling Out Maxing, Relaxing

Why yes, I did just quote the Fresh Prince of Bell-Air.

Life has entered the busy season. Summer camp starts in just a few weeks but the staff are already here. As the leader of the staff that means that I have people at camp reporting to me for 24/7 until the end of August. Days off go down to one a week and typically I'll leave my house before 7am and return after 10pm... on a good night. It's exhausting emotionally, physically and spiritually.

One thing I've been trying to figure out this year is what really makes me feel refreshed, relaxed and revived. So many times I get to the end of a day off and feel frustrated that I either worked too hard and am exhausted or worked too little and feel lazy. The perfect balance seems to be somewhere in the middle. This weekend I snagged a little time made sure to fit in some of these things.

1. Cleaning and Organizing
Just a little picking up around the house goes a long way to making me feel like I have some control over the chaos! A made bed, dishes cleaned and put away, quick vacuum and a few loads of laundry are my top clean methods.

2. Reading
This weekend I read 2 whole books and it was glorious. Check out my ongoing book list of the year on my What I Read page. Laying in my hammock while reading is an added bonus :)

3. A Little Outdoors
With summer approaching it's almost torture to be indoors! I love riding my bike to Lake Michigan, climbing on the sand dunes, walking in the woods and swimming in the lake. It's even better that I can do all of those in minutes from my house!

4. Slow Mornings
9:00 - 9:30am is my prime time. Unfortunately usually by that time I am well into my day. The fact that I'm not really a morning person is well-known around my office. If I can wake up slowly, drink some coffee (preferably French pressed), sit in the sun and read a book or do my devotions I am a very, very happy girl.

5. Good Food
Confession: total foodie wannabe over here. Mention goat cheese or brie and my knees go weak. Artichoke or roasted red pepper and my mouth waters. Now I enjoy a $5 Hot-N-Ready Little Caesar's just as much as the next girl but good food is different. On a great relaxing day, a great restaurant or recipe is definitely involved. This weekend I whipped up a Panera-worthy sandwich of baguette, chicken, pesto, walnuts, mozzerella and roasted red pepper. Drooooool...

Scallops and parmasean, asparagus, bacon risotto at my birthday dinner. 

6. People Love
Quality time is one of my love languages so a great day has some great time with friends or family. Whether it's me and the hubby, a double date, coffee with a friend or a huge group I love being around people I love! It's also pretty nice when my husband jumps out of the car to cut me some of my favorite flower, fresh lilacs!

I don't have it quite right but I know that these are some of the ingredients in my relaxation recipe. I'm figuring out more and more that I need to take time for myself and I need to do things that make me feel like myself. A better, more rested version of myself that can continue to work crazy hours, serve others and daily surrender my needs and wants to what Christ wants and needs of me. 

What do you do to relax? Any tips or ideas? Make time for it, I promise it's worth it! 

I'm heading back to my hammock to catch a few last rays of sunshine for the day :) 

Four Seasons of Worship

If you were to ask me my purpose I'd say, "To create experiences and places where people can meet with God." Luckily, the job I get paid for allows, encourages and requires me to do that. 

As the Program Manager at a camp I get to provide camps and retreats where people get away from their everyday mundane and come to experience God. I spend a lot of time running around, solving problems, flexing schedules, directing staff, answering questions and working 12-16 hour days. It's hard and exhausting. 

But then the session starts. I finish the announcements, set down my game props and take off my microphone to sit in the sound booth and watch. 

And then it's rewarding, encouraging and inspiring. 

... when 9-13 year olds run in circles, hold hands, do silly motions and put their arms around their friends, entering as children of God. 

... when 300 women sing in unison and it's like being in a choir of angels

...when teenagers pump their fists, close their eyes and maybe even raise their hands and it's like being at a rock concert celebrating the best artist of all time.

.... when 200 men lift their voices and the sound is deep, loud, rough and raw.

And that's why I do it. And that's why it's worth it.

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot.            Ecclesiastes 3:22