WYLD life camp

What a WYLD weekend we had at La Montana camp with 45 middle school international kids! I went into this experience not knowing what to expect because, 1-I've never been to a middle school camp, 2-I've never done camp in a foreign country (fun fact: I woke up to the sound of howler monkeys on Sunday morning!) and 3-I've never had so many roles at camp (club program character, leading music, running media, cabin leader for 5-6th grade girls) I'd have to say it was the most jam-packed weekend I may have ever had!
Friday morning as we prepared to leave the city, I focused on abiding in God as I was about to take on this huge challenge. I was reminded that fruit would only bear through the work of the Holy Spirit, nothing I could do on my own (John 15). Concluding the weekend, I could be nothing other than thankful for all that happened. God showed up big time and supplied amplitudes of energy and joy for every moment!


Re-cap of the weekend and some thanks...

Thankful for bus rides full of singing our hearts out to Beiber and every other popular song on the iPod, braiding hair and snacks.

Thankful for my cabin of 8, 6th grade chicas. Thankful for laughter and relationships built. I had never spent this much time with this age group before. They were very lovey towards me with lots of hugs and lots of questions about everything! We had 3 "cabin times" in this short weekend where we discussed further what David Morgan, the camp speaker, spoke about Jesus Christ. These girls said they knew somehow God loved them and He was good for sending Jesus to die on a cross for us. They weren't sure WHY Jesus came and the meaning of sin and the cross. We got to unpack this and discuss the meaning of the gospel. They all wrote a "letter to God" in response to what Jesus did on the cross for us. God used this time to teach these young minds about the truths of who He is and to grow their understanding of God. Two of my cabin girls went home with their first bible!

 Thankful for going all out for program and being the "Britsh Rockstar sensations that are sweeping the nations!" We rocked their SOCKS OFF. Never would I have thought I'd be a YL camp program character before this! God challenged me in this and allowed me to have a BLAST with my air guitarist, Freddy VanHalen...I mean Sydney :) I was Dingo Starr, the air drummer. We introduced and ran club games and rocked out with British accents.

Thankful for the opportunity to do something else I thought I'd never ever do...lead music at a YL camp in a microphone! David played guitar and sang and I sang with him. I've always been shy of my singing voice, and God, once again, allowed me to be confident and have a blast as I saw kids in the crowd singing and responding well to the music. Above are some of my girls singing Beiber's Baby...one of my faves to lead :)

Thankful for exotic ropes courses, facing fears and conquering them, encouraging words from 6th grade girls, trusting the ropes and the water to catch you, spanish-speaking camp staff and fluent 6th graders to translate instructions for me, Reto Selva (mud obstacle course, pictured above is guy leader Esteban making his way thru the trenches!)

The camp we went to had amazing camp games, high and low ropes, lake games and mud obstacle course. We had non-stop fun from the minute we started camp until we loaded the buses home. All of these activities incorporated team work, challenging adventures and conquering fears. 

The kids weren't the only ones who faced their fears. I have always had a fear of free falling, and one of the lake activities was to stand on top of this really tall platform and jump into the water. Some of my girls were just thrilled at the idea of jumping off with me! After the 4th time, my fear was gone. I'm so thankful for fearless middle school kids that teach me to trust and just go for it!

 SO thankful for the group of WL leaders I serve along side. They are such an awesome group consisting of high school student leaders, volunteers and YL staff. I had the privilege of having Lau, one of my closest high school students, to lead our cabin of girls with. Thankful to see God work thru Lau as she grows in maturity in her faith leading middle school students towards Christ!

Thankful for a fun road trip to Jaco, a beach close by, to relax and celebrate the weekend with Sydney, Jessie, David and Carol Morgan. Thankful for getting lost and having adventures, laughing till you cry, eating tacos on a swing, delicious ice cream and making memories.

Thank you to all my supporters for praying for this weekend! God worked mighty in these students' lives and in mine and your prayers were felt. Praise be to God for giving all things good and giving us the opportunity to take part in his work of redeeming the world and His people.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15