Per usual, I had an awesome summer. And I can't put it in words. But I'll post the pics and let them speak for themselves.
The first group of the summer being welcomed at Lost Canyon. If this sight ever fails to get me, I'll know it's time to pack it in.
The HK Team was ready for Day 1. In our staff polos. Looking good.
This picture was part of the instructional slide show we use to explain the HK rules to the Work Crew and Summer Staff (our volunteer staff). This is clearly showing what will happen if you take your camp blanket outdoors.
Our twashies (Work Crew housekeepers) handing out the Golden Glove aka the award for the cleanest cabin.
4th of July joy at the parade the Capernaum (YL for kids with special needs) campers put on at LC.
Friends at the Willy 4th of July parade. Willy parades are glorious.
My office got a wall, a door, and air conditioning. Big time!
I went to the Rockies. More specifically Crooked Creek.
With these kids. I love them.
I got a new camera so I can take pictures like this. What up!
We obviously won the Golden Glove. I am giving it all the admiration it deserves.
This is Lizeth and I. I love her and this picture a lot.
Seriously, how cute are they?
Our camp follow-up involved watching a lot of Olympics. This was my favorite coach-athlete combo. They represent Belarus Trampolining.
Follow-up also involved lots of this kind of stuff. High school boy is a species I don't understand.
Seriously, the end of this summer marks 3 years of life in Williams, AZ for me. And it really does just keep getting better and better. Who knew Williams would be so awesome?
Song of the Day: Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show
My life is crazy busy. Like, crazy busy. I live and die by my outlook calendar. I have something scheduled before and after work every day of the week except Thursday mornings. Seriously, I have Thursday morning from 7:00-8:00 AM and weekends available in my schedule. That's it.
And I ridiculously love it.
This craziness is mostly because I lead Young Life in Williams while having a full time job which means I am spending a solid portion of my little free time hanging out with high school kids. I realize that seems a little odd and some people might question why I do it. I've never had a super great answer to that question, but I think I finally do.
My friend and Area Director (local YL staff) Miriam asked me to summarize why our camp trip this year was great so that she could include it in a thank you letter to a foundation that had helped us financially with the trip.
This is what I wrote. And this is why my crazy busy life is so awesome.
David is a kid we have known for a while. For the past year, he has come to Club (our weekly meetings) every week. And every week he would come into the room with a scowl on his face. I would greet him as warmly as I could. Sometimes he would respond to me with a grunt, sometimes he would ignore me completely. On the outside, you would think he would rather be anywhere else. But he kept coming. And every week I would see a small transformation in him. Over our hour together, I would see those walls break down a little. He would start to laugh, play, and be a kid. He would have a small escape from a world that carried more than a high school kid should deal with. This winter, as a sophomore in high school, David found out he was going to be a father. Our leaders tried to rally around him to show him that we care. But we watched him shut down even more. He put on a hard shell, one that felt impenetrable by us. But he kept showing up. And when the time came to sign up for our summer camp trip, he was one of the first. He fundraised, he worked hard, he showed how much he wanted to be there, but he needed some help financially to make it on the trip. Luckily, we had that scholarship money to give. And so he went. It’s hard for me to put into words what happened to David at camp. We watched as that shell, the one that was impenetrable by us, crumbled in the presence of the Lord. We watched as he got to spend a week being a kid. We watched as he opened up to his leaders and the guys in his cabin about his pain and fear. We watched as he processed the message that he is loved beyond anything that he’s done, beyond anything that’s happened to him, beyond all measure. Every week at Club, we could see a small, temporary transformation in David. But at camp, we saw his life be changed forever. The David we brought home with us is not the David that left a week earlier. He is a David that is lighter, that is hopeful, that has a purpose. He has been made new. And his daughter will enter this world next month with this new David as her father. We had a follow-up meeting last night to continue to process what we talked about camp. David walked into my house and I greeted him as warmly as I could. And he smiled at me. And he said hi. On the outside you could see, there is nowhere else he’d rather be. And if that doesn’t make it worth it, I don’t know what does. Thank you for helping make this story possible.
I just wanted to share that story with everyone. No strings attached. Because this blog is about me and this story has changed me, too.
BUT, I will say, if you want to be one of the people that help make stories like these possible, we're always in need of financial help. You can go here to become a donor for Williams Young Life. Just search for Williams, AZ as the Young Life Area Ministry you would like to donate to.
Remember how I used to write on my blog all the time? As in every, single day? (Reference: January 2009.)
And then remember when I still wrote on my blog pretty often? Like every other day? (Reference: July 2009.)
And then remember when I wrote on my blog about once a week? (Reference: 2010-2011.)
And then remember how I haven't written on my blog since April? (Reference: now.)
Here's the thing: I love to write. It's where I do my best processing. Especially on my blog. Because I journal, too, but that ends up just being a huge wallowing mess of self-pity. The social pressure keeps my blog from being that, so rather than a place I can complain, it's a place where I can take stock of my life. A place where I can talk about things I love, things that make me laugh, things that bring me joy.
And mid-twenties, I was desparate for that place. I wanted and needed to put my life out there and to have someone else validate it because I wasn't quite sure where I was headed. And I needed people to tell me that was alright.
But I don't write on my blog very often anymore. And I'm pretty sure that's because I've finally gotten to a place in my life where I can say, this is it. This is who I am. This is what I want my life to look like: I want to be busy, I want to love, I want to know and be known, I want to care for and about other people, I want to work at a job that is purposeful and fulfilling, I want to spend my life. This is me.
I'm settled. And rooted. And committed to this job and this place and this life.
And it's pretty sweet. I could keep blogging about that, but honestly, it would bore me and it would bore you, too.
So, just know this: I am happy. And busy. And joyful. And life still gets really hard sometimes, but I am content.
And all that fear that I had, that my life would mean nothing and that settled meant settling, it's gone away. Because life is still a crazy adventure and I have no idea what's coming next.
But I know what I'll be like when it does. And I know that I'll write about it on my blog. :)
Song of the Day: I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick of Time by Bon Iver (cover of Bonnie Raitt)
