Wow. I can't believe summer is over and my time at Wildhorse is coming to an end. I'm sitting in Sisters Coffee Co. right now, watching the pictures scroll on the background of my computer and feeling extremely nostalgic. I can't begin to think of all I've learned and the ways I've changed this year. I'll do a recap at some point, when the time comes that I'm willing to admit I'm leaving. But for now I'll say that I'm leaving this place with more wisdom, less pride and a better knowledge of who I am and what I love.
This summer was seriously wonderful, although the absolute hardest thing I've ever done. To give you a picture, I was working 80 hours a week and all of that was spent inside the Sassy. I had 17 college-aged women that worked under me as volunteers over 3 summer sessions. Every session was unique. My first session girls were these beautiful messes, girls that were all on the brink of something big. We spent about an hour every day doing devotionals, a time to hang out and talk about life and study the Word. These girls were vulnerable from the first minute. I loved getting in the middle of their lives, watching them realize that they loved serving. It made me realize how much I miss leading. It's such a cool thing to just be in someone's life as they work through these big turning points. They were great.
My second session girls were the girls who had it together. They were almost all leaders, all had been involved in Young Life. They were fun too because I feel like the Lord gave me an opportunity to plant some vision into their lives of the power they have to make an impact on people's lives. I have such a passion for this ministry and this kind of love and it was great to sit for a month and talk about that. My second session girls were also hilarious and I had so much fun with their sarcasm. Sarcasm speaks straight to my heart. They also started a petition to get me to move to Bellingham, WA because that's where three of them live. The amount of random people they got to sign it was pretty hilarious, although I don't think Bellingham is necessarily in my future.
Third session was by far the hardest. Our first 2 sessions are comprised of three 7-day high school camps. Third session is comprised of six 5-day middle school camps. Needless to say, it is an exhaustingly long session. To give a picture, we have more kids come to Wildhorse during our one middle school session than any other Young Life camp has in their entire summer. Also, I started out short one girl and another girl left in the middle of the session. To top it off, we are ridiculously more busy in the Sassy during middle school than high school. Turns out middle school kids love sugar. But my girls were awesome workers and people poured in to help. But this was definitely the session my relationships suffered the most. I just didn't have any energy to invest in the lives of the people around me. It was basically all I could do to keep going. So it was really hard. But the Lord teaches good lessons in hard times and that was definitely the case during third session.
All in all, the summer was an experience I'll probably never be able to describe or relive. Watching kid after kid pour into our camp and showing them extravagant love in a world that just writes them off as worthless was eye-opening and overwhelming. To serve them with no chance of receiving glory for it was life-changing. Talk about learning humility. There are kids and moments from this summer that will stay with me forever. Matt, the geeky weird kid, getting up to sing a song at the talent show and getting a standing ovation even though it was the worst thing I've ever heard. Andrew, one of the disabled campers, laughing and dancing with his partner at the square dance even though he couldn't come close to keeping the rhythm. Edgar, a Hispanic kid who had never been in the water, learning to swim from one of the lifeguards and spending the rest of the week going off the diving board over and over. Schools finding unity where there used to be division. Kids being kids when their lives normally require them to be adults. I know it's just a week at camp, but I so believe that it can change lives and communities. What a great job.
As for me, I'm headed out of the Canyon at the end of the month. And from here I'm flying straight to New York City to nanny for the beautiful Isabelle, the brand new daughter of my step-sister and her husband. I'll be there until the end of the year and then who knows. But I at least have a few months figured out. Expect a long stint in MO over the holidays and into the first of the year. Also, please call/email me. My life is considerably less hectic now and I would love to hear from all of you.
Much love.