Post Camp
Camp is over … it’s almost an emotional let down when it ends. Two years ago the crash after Camp was so difficult and lonely that I suddenly went out and bought Zak! That was 2 years ago yesterday. I’ve had the little guy for two full years. In that time, as sad as it may sound to some of you, he’s been such a good friend! He’s definitely been the most consistent little being in my life. He’s relatively balanced in his taking and giving (though at 8 pm at night, he’s all about taking a greenie, regardless of any needs I might have!) Probably the thing I enjoy about having Zak around the most is that he’s a cuddler. He loves to just snuggle up and be nearby. That’s a good thing when the "post camp depression" comes!
Camp … it was a great week. Maybe one of my best weeks in terms of the role I played as Huddle Leader Coordinator. Forgive me for boring readers (if they exist) with details, but I’m a writer, and this helps me process! The last 5 months of my have been absolutely chaotic. In February we started the full on hunt for a new house, followed by the offer and purchasing process in March and April, then moving the last weekend in April. We threw stuff into the house, showered, then went to the FCA Women’s Retreat for the weekend. We’ve lived her two months, and quite honestly, I’ll bet there have not been 10 days that we’ve NOT had a quest staying with us! (I love that by the way … God has so blessed us all to be in the position to have a house in SB, and it’s so great to be able to use it to bless others!) This all happened as my work for FCA Camp reaches it’s climax. The four months prior to Camp are the busiest of my year, so add to that mix the extra work of moving and the many, many, many repairs we’ve done on the place, and it feels like just a lot to handle! Oh, and did I mention, this year I was also in charge of the Boys Huddle Leaders! At least from a recruiting and administrative point. So, essentially, my workload for Camp doubled this year!
I tell you all this so you understand my rather desperate and tired state from which I got ready for Camp. I normally plan every detail and want to think of back up plans to every detail, should plan A not go through! But this year, I was forced to boil things down to the absolute most important things. During Huddle Leader training for the Girls Camp (for which I’m directly responsible), I had 4 key focus areas: play, pray, study, stories (stories of what God has done in our lives). It doesn’t take alot of planning to get those things done, which I think really freed me up to get to know the 38 Huddle Leaders serving with us. We played and played and played … and I love to play! I love to laugh and be free like kids are free. Adults are so concerned about how non-athletic they look, or something like that, but kids just play. It was fun to have these young adults just enjoy playing. And I think in the midst of enjoying that pleasure, our hearts were prepared for the week. There’s a certain freshness that comes from laughing, competing, and sweating together! We also spent a fair amount of time with the Boys Camp Huddle Leaders, playing games and enjoy getting to know them (I’m a big proponent of the "ministry of connection!")
We also spent quite a bit of time praying … for each other, our Campers, praising God, and thanking Him for the stories of our lives. This year was the first time our Camp was covered by prayer 24/7 for the entire 7 days! Different areas throughout California took a day and got 24 people to take hour time slots for that day. What a blessing to have my friends and church family in Santa Barbara pray on Thursday! Many of us associated with Camp who attend Santa Barbara Community church felt those prayers and the support in a stronger way on Thursday!
And our stories … that was awesome! with 41 of us (including myself and 2 assistants), we had a lot of testimonies to get through, so we tried to keep it to under 5 minutes. We asked each person to share 2 events or circumstances in their lives that shaped them spiritually. It was really a great way to bring our group together and give us the opportunity to know each other and God’s work in our lives. It was a good thing for me personally, also … to be able to share with a group of people that I don’t know very well … and share the two things that have really shaped me. I’m not often too vulnerable or open, but it was good to be able to do that.
Throughout Huddle Leader training I challenged the Huddle Leaders to focus NOT on what God wanted to do through them at FCA Camp, but rather on what God wanted to speak TO them. I strongly believe God had each of us there for a dual purpose … yes, to minister and serve the Campers, but I also think He wanted to say something to each of us, and I believed if we focused on what God wanted to say to us, the ministry through us would come easily. So throughout the week as I went from clinic to clinic, I continually asked God what He had for me. I started getting pretty frustrated, because I just didn’t know. By the end of the week, and after talking with some other people, I decided that sometimes we won’t know until after Camp … after we’ve had time to sit down and breathe and reflect. As we sat in our final Huddle Leader meeting after Camp closed, many DID know what God had for them, and it was cool to hear those. But many were like me … they’re not sure yet. I’m praying we don’t all rush back to the busyness of our lives and miss out and what God still might be speaking to us.
Camp ended and many Huddle Leaders and other Camp staff came to my house to swim, BBQ and in most cases, spend the night before heading home. We had 19 people spend the night, which was so chaotic and fun! Four guys in the living room, and girls spread out throughout the rest of the house! If you know me well, you know I love that! It feels like that’s how God would want things to be … all these people just sort of lingering together after we’ve been in God’s concentrated presence for the week. My heart was full! Oh, and then we woke up the next morning, ate Kristen Dowling’s incredible banana pancakes, and watched the World Cup championship! As soon as the game ended, about 14 people quickly gathered at Goleta Beach for an hour of beach soccer before we went to church. Seriously … one of the top 3 days of my life!
So, I am here on Monday morning, exhausted still, my house not quite as full (only 7 people last night!) but my heart very full, ready to rest for the remainder of the week!