Church Camp

I celebrated my 12th year at church camp last week...and it's going to be a sad day when I have been a counselor at camp more years than I have been a camper...not there yet...but I will arrive shortly!

I have to say that I began the week with not very high hopes and dreams about my bed at home...our youth group arrived three days before everyone else to do some service work at a church nearby...so when everyone else was arriving...we were already settled...and feeling like we had already been there for three weeks...

All of this to say that I am so glad I went this year...I've missed it! I love being with my girls...and meeting new people...and drinking lots of water...and acting like a fool for the sake of "I can and its cool here"...but more than that...I love that camp is a place to connect...with new and old friends...and God...the music was wonderful (minus the rock star egos of the band at times), the speaker (Tim Milburn) said things to these teens that I had never heard when I was their age...

{life is going to be hard...and you will have pain...but if you are living for God and letting Him live through you, you will have a life that surpasses all expectations and dreams you could have come up with on your own!}

I LOVED IT...I saw some of my youth stand up and be counted as ones who have received a call into ministry...I, myself, even met God in a place that I have missed for some time...we sang a song that included the lyrics:

{here in your presence, heaven and earth become one}

in the moment I sang that with my whole heart...God allowed me to be there...the place where heaven and earth become one...at His feet...it was beautiful

I love church camp...but more than that, I love my teens that the hubbs and I have the honor of serving and spending so much of our time with.

All aboard the crazy bus....this was a GREAT game!

Aren't they soooo cute...and yes...that's Kendra...another counselor on Sidney's shoulders :)

Thank you, God, for a wonderful week and thank you CCN youth for being so cool.

Much love,
Emily Elizabeth