youth camp in agusta

So I just arrived back to civilization once again! We were out in the complete wilderness from Monday morning to this morning at a camp. We were counselors at the youth camp they had there. It was such a nice break from VBS that we almost weren’t sure how to act haha but the coolest thing about the week was the fact that there were a lot of kids there that we had met throughout the summer. Many of those kids we had ministered to at Butte, Boulder or Helena. Because we had known them previously and especially since we had spent the week with them, today was probably the hardest goodbye of the summer. I can’t imagine next week’s goodbye being even close to the one today. Not only did we say goodbye to the kids but there were several folks our age from Butte that we also had to say goodbye to. They had kinda been a staple in our summer, every time we went through Butte we hung out with them and every time we talked to Jason something was said about them. I am going to miss Bernie, Kari and Rachel’s influence. All three are awesome and are doing some awesome things with the youth in Butte. It was a little bittersweet to see them go today; knowing that unless something out of the ordinary happens we won’t be seeing them again. At any rate I guess that’s how this part of the summer is supposed to work…I mean it is the end and I am fixing to have to get ready to say goodbye to the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen. Again it’s bittersweet…if you could have spent the summer out here you would understand why it’s hard to leave.

This week I was in the cabin with three middle school girls from Ally Pace’s youth group. We all had lots of fun and as usual middle schoolers do, I am not sure how many of them showered during the week. I know for a fact that a couple of them kept their bathing suits on the entire time…even slept in them haha you just have to appreciate those girls. To them boys still have cooties and all they want to do is have fun. That group definitely did it…they were an awesome group to be in charge of…never gave us any trouble. The first night one of the girls on the top bunk rolled off at about 2 in the morning…scared me half to death but she was fine. Sure gave us all a laugh!

The theme of the camp was “Saturate” which basically boiled down to letting Christ completely saturate our lives so that our lives are a living testimony to Him. We study a lot about witnessing and learning how to share Christ with friends and family and to truly live our lives for Christ. I thought the curriculum was awesome, but the sessions got a little long for the younger ones. Ally and Amy taught the sessions for the middle school girls. During free time the 5 of us summer missionaries were in charge of tubing on the river that flowed next to the camp. Basically the kids would get on inner tubes and go around the bend, down a rapid and then we stood down river and caught them and helped them out of the river. Monday afternoon, the water in the river was freezing!!! But once we stood waist deep in the water for about 20 minutes, the bottom half of our bodies went numb and we were good for the rest of the afternoon. The kids had a lot of fun doing it, but they were mad we wouldn’t let them go further down the river. Tuesday, however, was a different story. It was overcast and raining and Mr. BJ still made us go down to the river and let the kids tube. When we got in the water we could hardly stand, it had to be at least 10 degrees colder than the day before! Even the nurse came down and told us that we needed to get out every once in awhile to make sure that we didn’t get hypothermia. Ally and I got to where it felt like our legs were being poked with thousands of needles so we make all the kids go up the hill and called off tubing for the day. It took a good 40 minutes before I could completely feel my legs, feet and toes!! That mountain water is sure enough cold!!!!!!!! Wednesday was a much better day for tubing, the water, although still cold, was nice and the sun was out and all the kids had lots of fun! They had fixed water balloons so all the kids left the river early for a water balloon fight. The 5 of us hung around for a little while picking everything up and decided that we hadn’t gotten to tube and that we should do it, so we spent 30 minutes at the river by ourselves having one of the best times we’ve had all summer! It was hilarious to watch us get stuck on the rocks, fall off the tubes, slip down trying to catch ourselves and just laughing so hard because our tubes got turned backwards going down the river. I think that was one of the best moments we have had as a team…it was just like we were grade school buddies having fun on the river. It was definitely one for the memory books! That’s what this whole summer has been about, making memories and serving God and his children…we’ve done it and I don’t think any of us would have traded it for the world!

Every night during camp fire time one of the missionaries gave their testimony. Monday was Ally, Tuesday was Casey and last night I was asked to do it. I told Mr. BJ I wouldn’t mind giving it but there wasn’t a whole lot to it…he just looked at me and said, if you’re a Christian, you gotta a lot to tell about. So I spent all day Wednesday just praying about what to say and how to say it. I haven’t ever been given many opportunities to share my testimony so I just felt so inadequate doing it. But while I was on the river, laying in a tube on the bank catching some rays, waiting for the kids to come down, it all just hit me. Earlier in the week we had talked about the story of the blind man that Jesus healed. The verse where Jesus told the people that neither the man nor his parents had sinned for him to be born blind, but that he had been born blind so that God could be glorified through him just all the sudden hit me like a ton of bricks. Not many people have a story like mine…not many people have been diagnosed with a rare disease, been put in an experimental study, given an experimental treatment that was randomly drawn out of 3 treatments, been completely healed with no symptoms and continue to live a life that doctors pretty much promised would not ever be an option for them. It all hit me yesterday…my story is huge…I am a walking miracle, two-fold. First, I was once a sinner who deserved eternal death but Christ chose to die for me so that I could be saved by grace to live eternally with him and second I have been physically healed in a miraculous way by the same God so that he could be glorified in my life. So last night I gave my testimony, in front of nearly 80 people, yeah it was scary…I won’t lie! I was shaking so bad I could hardly see straight, but I told them my story and I told them that I had seen God work miracles…that I stood in front of them as a walking miracle, but that they also were the same…if they had accepted Christ as their savior they too were a walking miracle and they should never forget it. I think last night was one of the best experiences I have had this summer. It was such a blessing to see God use me in a way that I was almost positive I couldn’t be used in. So many people stopped me this morning and told me thanks for sharing…I just thanked God that he spoke through me, because I sure didn’t have the words to speak myself.

Tomorrow morning around 9, the girls and I will be heading out for a little road trip to Glacier National Park…we are super excited about it and I just hope you will keep us in your prayers as we travel there and back this weekend. Also, next week is my last week!! There was a little change in plans and we aren’t going to children’s camp, but instead we will be in Helena at Canyon Ferry Baptist helping them prepare for their VBS the week after we leave. SEE Y’ALL SOON!!!!!!!

the girls from HelenaValley Baptist Church...three of them were in my room and the other three were in the room across the hall with ally. nicole in back, then left to right adrianna, alora, elise, keah, and courtney

all the middle school girls with amy and elizabeth...how many girls can you fit on one couch?

us at our station in the river getting ready to catch the tubers

me and ally catchin a break on the river

view of the mountains from the river

catastrophe in the making - me and casey

sucessful solo ride down the river


intense game of speed scrabble, this is what we played during the rain