Jesus took me on a beautiful whirlwind of a summer.  A summer full of awkward first encounters & an introvert’s worst nightmare (meeting a group of 75+ people). Early morning 5:30 am Saturday pancake breakfast.  Middle schoolers obsessed with hot chocolate… still will never understand the obsession.  Losing my only source of eyesight in what’s it called river.  Standing on milk crates to reach for tongs and making BOMB mac n cheese.  Early morning walks to holy half with eyes barely open and my brain still snoozing.  Cleaning dishes that seemed to multiply every time I thought I was finished.  Looking at the same four walls of the kitchen formally known as the sweat bath.  Spilling boiling hot water on my arm that took weeks to heal.  Old wounds resurfacing yearning for a taste of healing.  Nights at the lake, being the weirdest people you’d ever meet - singing and dancing full of joy & so much laughter.  Nights at the lake, where Laura cuts my hair while my beautiful sisters in Christ lead praise and worship.  AND Laura & I singing along!  Nights of open hearts and incredible witnesses of the Lord’s providential love.  Teens living freely in the Lord’s presence - embracing their brokenness yet God chose to love them as they are.  SO.  MANY. MEMORIES. There is so much hope in this wonderful place I now call my Home.  No one will ever understand my experience here and why in the heck would I choose to be in a place pretty much away from all civilization but that’s okay.  I came because the Lord called.  It’s that simple.  That may sound like the craziest thing because most of us never answer to His call, in the small or big things.  I’m guilty of that too.  However, this time I couldn’t be complacent.  I was being called to new heights - figuratively and literally!  My time here at LifeTeen Camp Hidden Lake was the best three months of my life.  Simply because the Lord knew how much growth needed to be done.  The seeds that were planted in my heart bore their fruit because of His grace and grace alone.  Wow is it beautiful.  The amount of gratitude I have for the community I have gained here just can’t amount to the ways they all served with whole hearts.  I am sooo thankful to have received Jesus, praised, worshiped, prayed, danced, sang, laughed, cried, and all things camp with you all.  I am so thankful for a radical God of abundance & faithfulness.  You are so good! To you all glory!

“I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the cross than in serving the world and its pleasures.” - St. John Vianney