Recap: 13 for '13.
I began this post about two weeks ago. I apologize for taking so long to write it, and I apologize that it's so long in general. Perhaps you can read this this week, instead of the Sunday paper...
Newsflash: I am proving to be VERY BAD at this.
Know that I HATE that. I love writing, and I hate that I don't have time to keep up-to-date on my posts. I hate that I haven't found time to sit down and tell you guys all of the wonderful stories I am living each day. (I also hate that I begin each blog post with an apology about how I never blog. Sorry...)
Here's the deal: I want to tell you that I'm going to try harder to blog more. But I say that every time, and at this point, those are probably just empty words, because, let's be honest, I haven't been doing a terrific job. So, I will continue to do the best I can, and do my best to make more time to capture these days.
With that being said, I have A LOT to catch up on. It's been over two months since my last post, but unfortunately I don't have the time or energy to give you all the dirty deets on this winter. SO, I'll break it down: 13 things to kick off 2013. (Do I win an award for cheesiness on that one or what? Give it to me, I'll take it.) Words and pictures from the last few months -- ready? Go.
1. Houston, We Have Lift-Off!
At the end of November, we got our summer assignments for 2013. I was asked to serve on the team, with 5 other Fellows, that will be in charge of a program known as Dallas Launch Camp. You have no idea what it is, but it already sounds awesome, right?! Right. I'm pumped. Let me elaborate --
Launch Camp is designed for kiddos that are not yet ready to come to overnight camp, either because they are too young or because they aren't ready to spend a week away from home without mom and dad (...or mom and dad aren't ready to give them up for a week). It's a day camp program that we run at various locations in Dallas each week during the summer, and it is designed to introduce them (and their families) to Sky Ranch and the camp experience so that they will be ready for overnight camp in coming summers. It's purpose, if you will, is to LAUNCH campers into overnight camp. Launch Camp - awesome, right? Yes.
So basically, we were given a budget and told that this camp is ours to create. We are in charge of everything from designing activities and programming, to writing and implementing Bible study curriculum, to marketing, to helping hire staff, to designing merchandise for sale. It's ours to dream up and make happen, which is a crazy awesome opportunity to be handed.
I am beyond excited about this program and the people I get to work with. I am honored and humbled to be trusted with such a ministry and opportunity to reach kids and families. I can't wait to see how the Lord actualizes His plans through us over the next few months!
3. Recruiting: "Love Jesus? Love kids? Need a job? Come work at camp."
As I mentioned, we've had some opportunities to begin recruiting our staff for Launch camp. Last semester, we spent a day at DBU hanging out with college kids and talking to them about camp. We set up some camp games and went around to different common areas to speak with students. It was fun to get off camp and go meet new people! We had some pretty interesting conversations, and we found some good staff for the summer!
4. Conference Room Fever
When we haven't been off camp recruiting and marketing, the six of us have been spending days on end in the conference room planning for camp. We've been working on summer themes, curriculum, budgets, activities, and supplies. There have been great days as well as very frustrating ones, but it's been neat to see us learn to work together and come together as a group. Everyone has specific strengths to bring to the table, and it's so fun to be given a blank canvas to fill and create together.
Through these days and this experience, I am learning a TON about how to work well with a team professionally to reach a goal and about what is needed to run a camp well. There are so many aspects of camp that I never even thought about, and it's so cool to be in on the process of summer camp from the ground up. (I love my job.) I am also learning lots of new ideas about games, activities, and how to think about things from a programming/director side of it as opposed to the way I thought about and approached camp when I was just a counselor. Being a part of this team has also made me very thankful for my experience on the officer board with Longhorn Singers. I feel like I learned a lot of valuable things through that - about leadership, working together, communication, and organization - that I am able to bring to the table now. Cool, huh?
While it's been great to have time to plan and brainstorm for the summer, we have experienced some slight cabin-fever. When you work at camp, it's hard to stay in one room all day long -- our brains and our focus wander elsewhere. With six of us in one room, I'm sure you can only imagine all of the daily antics we get ourselves in to...
Don't worry, we make it outside for plenty of breaks!
5.Spring Fall Cleaning
Another big project we had to tackle was our storage shed. This is a space that is shared between Summer Camp and Launch Camp and was left pretty messy after last summer. One of the first things we wanted to do as a team was go through all of our supplies from storage and make an inventory of what we already have, so that we can adequately plan activities and supply lists. This ended up being about a three-day project.
We pulled all of our boxes and crates out and went through each one. We threw away things that needed to be trashed and re-organized/consolidated materials we wanted to keep. We also set up a system to number our shelves so that boxes can be found and accessed easily. We then numbered each box and, with the help of an iPad, cataloged each box, its contents, and its location in the shed. (Aren't you proud, Mom?)
6. Once Upon a December
I know this is technically supposed to be my camp blog, but I couldn't resist taking just a moment to touch on some other things that happened in December outside the Sky Ranch world. Here are a few gems from December 2012:
7. Adventures at Ute Trail
As soon as we got back from Christmas, the Fellows loaded up the vans and headed up to our camp at Ute Trail (in Colorado) for a week. We went to work an annual retreat for our Summer Staff that happens every year around New Years.
To be honest, the 16-hour drive to and from was a little rough, but it was well worth it! It is beyond beautiful up there. It was so fun to go experience winter in a place where winter actually exists, and to experience the beauty of Creation in a way that isn't possible here.
I hate to admit this, but at first I wasn't SUPER excited about going, for various reasons. Once we arrived, though, it turned out to be a perfect way to start the new year. It was such a neat time to build up community with each other as fellows, as well as the rest of our full-time summer camp team and college summer staff.
We were there to work the retreat, so I spent plenty of time cooking meals and doing dishes, which was actually really fun! It was a super low-key week, so we really didn't have to do that much as far as work and running the retreat. Most days were spent hanging out with summer staff and playing one of about a million different board games in the lodge. It was wonderful.
We also had more than lots of free time to hang out and explore on our own. I spent several hours each day on a couch by the fire catching up on reading and journaling -- talk about perfect. I finally had a chance to dig in to a book my dad gave me, "The Indwelling Life of Christ," which, by the way, I am loving so far. I have had very few moments since I began the Fellowship where life slows down long enough for me to truly sit still, in a quiet place, and spend a significant amount of time with the Lord. It was so refreshing to find multiple opportunities for this during my week in the mountains, and it allowed me to refocus my perspective and my heart as I began this new year. If you haven't done that in a while -- sat still and quiet in the presence of the Lord -- I implore you to do so, sooner rather than later. It is amazing how much we, as humans, get caught up in ourselves each day (I'll talk more about that in a bit). Take a step back, and allow Him to refocus you on the things that are truly important.
8. Inflatables
I am now a black-belt in the art of Inflatables. Yes, inflatables, as in bounce-houses, obstacle courses, etc. We own several in our inventory for Launch Camp, and we've set them up several times this month for various reasons.
Inflatables are a challenge. Each one weighs anywhere from 200-800 pounds, depending on what it is, and each one demands to be wrestled with and conquered before it will allow you to inflate it properly. Our team has suffered many frustrating afternoons due to this fact. We've wrestled inflatables in and out of the trailer, on and off the dolly, and we've spent a good amount of time trying to figure out the best way to roll each one up for storage and movement purposes. If any job at camp is going to give me strong muscles by the time this is all over, it will be dealing with the inflatables. A successful day's work with these guys makes me feel like I've accomplished something!
10: All Staff Retreat
Last week, everyone left camp for a day and enjoyed time at Alloso Ranch for our all-staff retreat. Since this is my first year working full-time at Sky, I haven't been a part of one of these before. This was another really cool day that I'm thankful I got to be a part of. We spent time worshiping together and being thankful for what the Lord has done, and we also spent time in prayer about the future. We got to be a part of brainstorming new ideas and ways to improve camp over the next few years, and we got to hear about the things they've been thinking about and planning at the executive level. I loved the fact that they got all of us involved and gave us opportunities to throw our ideas out on the table. It was great to be a part of that and to see what that looks like in a professional setting. It was also a great day of fellowship with the rest of the staff!
After realizing this, I came to a deeper understanding of why I need to submit all of myself, not just pieces, to Christ each day. Again, this is something that I have known and practiced for years, but since being here, I am gaining a deeper perspective on. In short, (12:) I can't keep God in a box. Everything in me is messed up, because we, as humans, are messed up. Every aspect of my flesh wants to work each day to pull me farther from Christ. In order to be able to do anything, to function as a Follower of Christ and a light in the darkness, I must allow Him to govern all aspects of me, all day, every day.
Newsflash: I am proving to be VERY BAD at this. Know that I HATE that. I love writing, and I hate that I don't have time to keep up-to-date on my posts. I hate that I haven't found time to sit down and tell you guys all of the wonderful stories I am living each day. (I also hate that I begin each blog post with an apology about how I never blog. Sorry...)
Here's the deal: I want to tell you that I'm going to try harder to blog more. But I say that every time, and at this point, those are probably just empty words, because, let's be honest, I haven't been doing a terrific job. So, I will continue to do the best I can, and do my best to make more time to capture these days.
With that being said, I have A LOT to catch up on. It's been over two months since my last post, but unfortunately I don't have the time or energy to give you all the dirty deets on this winter. SO, I'll break it down: 13 things to kick off 2013. (Do I win an award for cheesiness on that one or what? Give it to me, I'll take it.) Words and pictures from the last few months -- ready? Go.
1. Houston, We Have Lift-Off!
At the end of November, we got our summer assignments for 2013. I was asked to serve on the team, with 5 other Fellows, that will be in charge of a program known as Dallas Launch Camp. You have no idea what it is, but it already sounds awesome, right?! Right. I'm pumped. Let me elaborate --
Launch Camp is designed for kiddos that are not yet ready to come to overnight camp, either because they are too young or because they aren't ready to spend a week away from home without mom and dad (...or mom and dad aren't ready to give them up for a week). It's a day camp program that we run at various locations in Dallas each week during the summer, and it is designed to introduce them (and their families) to Sky Ranch and the camp experience so that they will be ready for overnight camp in coming summers. It's purpose, if you will, is to LAUNCH campers into overnight camp. Launch Camp - awesome, right? Yes.
So basically, we were given a budget and told that this camp is ours to create. We are in charge of everything from designing activities and programming, to writing and implementing Bible study curriculum, to marketing, to helping hire staff, to designing merchandise for sale. It's ours to dream up and make happen, which is a crazy awesome opportunity to be handed.
I am beyond excited about this program and the people I get to work with. I am honored and humbled to be trusted with such a ministry and opportunity to reach kids and families. I can't wait to see how the Lord actualizes His plans through us over the next few months!
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| The Launch Camp crew enjoys and outing to In-N-Out Burger. |
2. Holly Jolly Christmas
December came and went, and I attended no less than four work-related Christmas parties. To be fair, one of them wasn't for my work, but still, that's a lot of Christmas parties! (I'm not complaining -- I love Christmas!) Anyway, here are a few snapshots from our Fellows Christmas party and our School Programs Christmas party-- we have a lot of fun, you can be jealous if you want. :)
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| School Programs Staff: People trust us with their kids. |
3. Recruiting: "Love Jesus? Love kids? Need a job? Come work at camp."
As I mentioned, we've had some opportunities to begin recruiting our staff for Launch camp. Last semester, we spent a day at DBU hanging out with college kids and talking to them about camp. We set up some camp games and went around to different common areas to speak with students. It was fun to get off camp and go meet new people! We had some pretty interesting conversations, and we found some good staff for the summer!
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| We love field trips! |
When we haven't been off camp recruiting and marketing, the six of us have been spending days on end in the conference room planning for camp. We've been working on summer themes, curriculum, budgets, activities, and supplies. There have been great days as well as very frustrating ones, but it's been neat to see us learn to work together and come together as a group. Everyone has specific strengths to bring to the table, and it's so fun to be given a blank canvas to fill and create together.
Through these days and this experience, I am learning a TON about how to work well with a team professionally to reach a goal and about what is needed to run a camp well. There are so many aspects of camp that I never even thought about, and it's so cool to be in on the process of summer camp from the ground up. (I love my job.) I am also learning lots of new ideas about games, activities, and how to think about things from a programming/director side of it as opposed to the way I thought about and approached camp when I was just a counselor. Being a part of this team has also made me very thankful for my experience on the officer board with Longhorn Singers. I feel like I learned a lot of valuable things through that - about leadership, working together, communication, and organization - that I am able to bring to the table now. Cool, huh?
While it's been great to have time to plan and brainstorm for the summer, we have experienced some slight cabin-fever. When you work at camp, it's hard to stay in one room all day long -- our brains and our focus wander elsewhere. With six of us in one room, I'm sure you can only imagine all of the daily antics we get ourselves in to...
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| Question: "Jake, is that your breakfast?" Answer: "Yep," and bangs head on table. |
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| This picture is definitely worth a thousand words... |
5.
Another big project we had to tackle was our storage shed. This is a space that is shared between Summer Camp and Launch Camp and was left pretty messy after last summer. One of the first things we wanted to do as a team was go through all of our supplies from storage and make an inventory of what we already have, so that we can adequately plan activities and supply lists. This ended up being about a three-day project.
We pulled all of our boxes and crates out and went through each one. We threw away things that needed to be trashed and re-organized/consolidated materials we wanted to keep. We also set up a system to number our shelves so that boxes can be found and accessed easily. We then numbered each box and, with the help of an iPad, cataloged each box, its contents, and its location in the shed. (Aren't you proud, Mom?)
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| First we made a mess... |
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| ...then we cleaned it up! |
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| And we found these cool sunglasses in the process! |
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| Meanwhile, Jake is busy playing with the little green army men... |
6. Once Upon a December
I know this is technically supposed to be my camp blog, but I couldn't resist taking just a moment to touch on some other things that happened in December outside the Sky Ranch world. Here are a few gems from December 2012:
This December, I:
Went to a wedding!
Got to spend time with my brother.
Hung out with my family.
Went to a fancy party!
Went home for Christmas.
Participated in our annual Christmas Eve bowling tradition.
Cheered the Horns to victory at the Alamo Bowl.
...and got a pretty new coat!
Not bad for a month's work, if I do say so myself! Cheers, everyone!
7. Adventures at Ute TrailAs soon as we got back from Christmas, the Fellows loaded up the vans and headed up to our camp at Ute Trail (in Colorado) for a week. We went to work an annual retreat for our Summer Staff that happens every year around New Years.
To be honest, the 16-hour drive to and from was a little rough, but it was well worth it! It is beyond beautiful up there. It was so fun to go experience winter in a place where winter actually exists, and to experience the beauty of Creation in a way that isn't possible here.
I hate to admit this, but at first I wasn't SUPER excited about going, for various reasons. Once we arrived, though, it turned out to be a perfect way to start the new year. It was such a neat time to build up community with each other as fellows, as well as the rest of our full-time summer camp team and college summer staff.
We were there to work the retreat, so I spent plenty of time cooking meals and doing dishes, which was actually really fun! It was a super low-key week, so we really didn't have to do that much as far as work and running the retreat. Most days were spent hanging out with summer staff and playing one of about a million different board games in the lodge. It was wonderful.
We also had more than lots of free time to hang out and explore on our own. I spent several hours each day on a couch by the fire catching up on reading and journaling -- talk about perfect. I finally had a chance to dig in to a book my dad gave me, "The Indwelling Life of Christ," which, by the way, I am loving so far. I have had very few moments since I began the Fellowship where life slows down long enough for me to truly sit still, in a quiet place, and spend a significant amount of time with the Lord. It was so refreshing to find multiple opportunities for this during my week in the mountains, and it allowed me to refocus my perspective and my heart as I began this new year. If you haven't done that in a while -- sat still and quiet in the presence of the Lord -- I implore you to do so, sooner rather than later. It is amazing how much we, as humans, get caught up in ourselves each day (I'll talk more about that in a bit). Take a step back, and allow Him to refocus you on the things that are truly important.
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| Ice on the INSIDE of the window of our vehicle on the drive up. Yes, our heater was broken. No, it wasn't so fun. |
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| Ashley, Anissa, and I trying on hat at the merchandise table. |
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| Whitney and I enjoying the view. |
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| Standing on a frozen lake! (Mom and Dad weren't too happy when I sent them this one...) |
I am now a black-belt in the art of Inflatables. Yes, inflatables, as in bounce-houses, obstacle courses, etc. We own several in our inventory for Launch Camp, and we've set them up several times this month for various reasons.
Inflatables are a challenge. Each one weighs anywhere from 200-800 pounds, depending on what it is, and each one demands to be wrestled with and conquered before it will allow you to inflate it properly. Our team has suffered many frustrating afternoons due to this fact. We've wrestled inflatables in and out of the trailer, on and off the dolly, and we've spent a good amount of time trying to figure out the best way to roll each one up for storage and movement purposes. If any job at camp is going to give me strong muscles by the time this is all over, it will be dealing with the inflatables. A successful day's work with these guys makes me feel like I've accomplished something!
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| Of course, sometimes you just have to accept defeat. |
9. Reconciliation Outreach
A few weekends ago, we had an opportunity to partner with an organization called Reconciliation Outreach and participate in the opening celebration of a community youth center for at-risk kids in Dallas. It was an awesome opportunity for us to gain more experience with the inflatables, as well as minister to a different demographic of people than we usually see at camp.
It was a welcome change in pace from our daily planning sessions in the conference room, and it was really fun to be able to bring such joy to these kids that don't have a ton of joy in their everyday lives.
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| Fellows with Sky Ranch CEO, Linda Paulk |
Last week, everyone left camp for a day and enjoyed time at Alloso Ranch for our all-staff retreat. Since this is my first year working full-time at Sky, I haven't been a part of one of these before. This was another really cool day that I'm thankful I got to be a part of. We spent time worshiping together and being thankful for what the Lord has done, and we also spent time in prayer about the future. We got to be a part of brainstorming new ideas and ways to improve camp over the next few years, and we got to hear about the things they've been thinking about and planning at the executive level. I loved the fact that they got all of us involved and gave us opportunities to throw our ideas out on the table. It was great to be a part of that and to see what that looks like in a professional setting. It was also a great day of fellowship with the rest of the staff!
...and now, on to some thoughts on what the Lord has been doing with me:
Since I began the Fellowship, since before that, actually, the Lord has been at work in my life to teach and show me some very specific things that push me closer to the woman He created me to be. I love the art of Story, and over the past year I have learned so much about my story, and how He has authored it to fit together perfectly, and how all of this fits into the big Story of Creation and His plan for all of us. I would love to elaborate on them in detail, but to humor the theme of this post, I'll throw out a few short points from my walk that have stood out over the past few months:
One: I am selfish. It's part of being a human, and I try to fight it hard, but I am selfish. It is conscious effort and choice each day to deny myself and follow Christ. I am all-in, but it is a battle every single day to keep my selfish desires from distracting me from the bigger purpose here.
I am also learning more and more about how messed up I am because of the fact that I cannot function in the way that I was created to. Everything got messed up when Sin entered the scene. Because of this, there is a constant battle between my flesh and my spirit. I have always known that Sin messed up God's perfect design and that this is why I need Him to redeem that, but since starting this book and growing here at the Fellowship, this concept is becoming more real to me -- which is COOL.
Example: There have been times over the past two months or so that I have had major battles with my emotions. I hate to admit this, because I have never been one of those super-emotional girls that has to deal with all of that, but I've found myself there a few times lately. It caused a major conflict in my brain, because I was torn between two very different things. My emotions felt one thing, and were yelling that at me, but my brain knew truth and knew that my emotions were throwing junk at me that I shouldn't accept or base my attitude and actions on. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's where I was, and it's a confusing place to be!
I spent some time thinking and praying on this, and (11:) I realized that in the same way that my sinful nature affects the physical and mental aspects of my life, it affects my emotions as well. I know that sounds so basic, but I don't think that I have ever fully made or realized that connection before. My emotions don't function the way they were created or intended to, because they, like everything else, are a victim of the Fall. When I think about it this way, it makes perfect sense - this is why I can feel one way, and yet battle it out mentally. The part of me that desires to follow Christ knows Truth and pursues that. My emotions are one more thing that can serve as a device that's purpose is to pull me away from Christ.
I am also learning more and more about how messed up I am because of the fact that I cannot function in the way that I was created to. Everything got messed up when Sin entered the scene. Because of this, there is a constant battle between my flesh and my spirit. I have always known that Sin messed up God's perfect design and that this is why I need Him to redeem that, but since starting this book and growing here at the Fellowship, this concept is becoming more real to me -- which is COOL.
Example: There have been times over the past two months or so that I have had major battles with my emotions. I hate to admit this, because I have never been one of those super-emotional girls that has to deal with all of that, but I've found myself there a few times lately. It caused a major conflict in my brain, because I was torn between two very different things. My emotions felt one thing, and were yelling that at me, but my brain knew truth and knew that my emotions were throwing junk at me that I shouldn't accept or base my attitude and actions on. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's where I was, and it's a confusing place to be!
I spent some time thinking and praying on this, and (11:) I realized that in the same way that my sinful nature affects the physical and mental aspects of my life, it affects my emotions as well. I know that sounds so basic, but I don't think that I have ever fully made or realized that connection before. My emotions don't function the way they were created or intended to, because they, like everything else, are a victim of the Fall. When I think about it this way, it makes perfect sense - this is why I can feel one way, and yet battle it out mentally. The part of me that desires to follow Christ knows Truth and pursues that. My emotions are one more thing that can serve as a device that's purpose is to pull me away from Christ.
After realizing this, I came to a deeper understanding of why I need to submit all of myself, not just pieces, to Christ each day. Again, this is something that I have known and practiced for years, but since being here, I am gaining a deeper perspective on. In short, (12:) I can't keep God in a box. Everything in me is messed up, because we, as humans, are messed up. Every aspect of my flesh wants to work each day to pull me farther from Christ. In order to be able to do anything, to function as a Follower of Christ and a light in the darkness, I must allow Him to govern all aspects of me, all day, every day.
I love the place I am in currently, because it is almost impossible not to see at least a glimpse of the bigger picture. Here, I am slapped in the face every day by the fact that (13:) it is not about me. My life is about Christ. My work here is about Christ.
I am constantly a party to stories of how our work here has impacted the lives of guests, students, and members of the community that have had encounters with Sky Ranch or known those who have. Those stories are part of an even bigger Story about God's plan for His Creation.
We are all part of this epic story that is happening every day. It is so mind blowing to think about how everything was perfectly designed and written out, and to think about how a million different things work together to move the story forward. As humans and achievers and people who are constantly in a hurry, is so easy to get caught up in our own lives that we forget about the big picture. Please do not forget the big picture. I beg you -- take ten minutes to sit still and let it sink in. There are bigger things going on than just me. There are bigger things going on than just you. Go be a part of them.
We are all part of this epic story that is happening every day. It is so mind blowing to think about how everything was perfectly designed and written out, and to think about how a million different things work together to move the story forward. As humans and achievers and people who are constantly in a hurry, is so easy to get caught up in our own lives that we forget about the big picture. Please do not forget the big picture. I beg you -- take ten minutes to sit still and let it sink in. There are bigger things going on than just me. There are bigger things going on than just you. Go be a part of them.
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