Tuesday, August 1, 2017

That's a Wrap

 This last week was the end of my time at Idrahaje. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to all the other staff and my mentor.
 The week wrapped up very quickly, but this was one of the best weeks all summer. Kasey and I finished our study on the book of Micah. Micah 7:18-20. It says that God loves us enough to throw all of our sins in the sea and forget them. He will also show us compassion and love.
It's good to be home, but I will miss looking out and seeing the mountains

Thank you to everyone who supported me during my journey to Colorado. Thanks for praying for me! Continue to pray for the campers I had throughout the summer.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Week Six

I just finished up the sixth week of camp and only have one more to go. It is crazy to think that the summer is coming to an end. It has been moving quicker than I ever thought. 

The schedule for this last week was the same as the previous weeks, but there were completely new campers. I had a group of ten girls and they all had hard stories. The week was definitely hard, but it was easier knowing that my time here is almost done. 

Their stories ranged from broken families to dealing with depression. It was hard to minister to them and was tiring, but there was so much growth and progress this week. 

Rafting at Noah's Ark through Brown's Canyon was amazing once again. It is the thing I will miss most about camp. 

Unfortunately, I didn't take any more pictures this week, but there will be more to come next week to celebrate the end. 

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Fab Five

I just rounded out my fifth week of camp. Looking back, the group of campers I had were wonderful. I could tell that they were here to not only have fun, but also learn about Jesus.

This last week went so fast, but was so fun at the same time. It was completely exhausting, but like I said, the campers were amazing. The schedule was the same as in weeks previous, so I feel like I am really catching on to being a counselor.

One thing I struggled with in the last week is feeling like I'm not good enough. Kasey and I talked about this while we met up for mentoring and how normal it is. I am at the point where I am comfortable enough in my position, but I want to keep improving.

One super comforting passage came from Micah chapter six, verse eight. It says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" This is so comforting to me, because these are the only three directions specifically given. It can be summed up into the phrase, "love God and love people." As long as I am showing my campers love, it doesn't matter how "good" of a counselor I think I am; God loves me just the same.


On a much lighter note, I love exploring the local sights no matter where I go. Today, I went into town to do some laundry and had an opportunity to explore. One thing Bailey, Colorado, is known for is their Sasquatch sightings. There is a large group of people who believe that there is some sort of Sasquatch-like creature living in the mountains up here. There is even a store and museum dedicated to the creature.

My adventure to the Sasquatch Outpost was actually really fun. I got to talk to the locals and hear the legends of the beast. I don't know if I'm a full-on believer, but it made for some interesting stories. Talking to the locals is one of my favorite things and I hadn't had a chance to talk to any off of camp. Overall, the week was fun and this was just the icing on the cake.

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Four the Win

This last week was the fourth week of camp. After the fourth week, camp has gotten to be more of a routine, but is still just as fun!

Saturday night, I hung out at camp and got to hammock. The sunset from the mountain I was on was incredible.



The Sunday before camp. some of the high school staff went and got coffee. We all love coffee and wanted to start the week right. We went into Evergreen, CO, to a coffee shop called Java Grove. It was great to get off camp and enjoy some caffeine before our campers arrived.



I only had four campers this last week, so I was able to have more intentional relationships with my campers. They were awesome and I was even able to have some new experiences.

The Fourth of July is my all-time favorite holiday and I was upset that I was going to miss it back home. Because of  how dry it has been at camp. we have been on fire ban. This meant that there were no fireworks this year. Instead, I rappelled down the side of a 150 ft cliff after I hiked at 4:30am. I also did an adventure activity called the breathtaker. As a staff, we decorated the dining hall with streamers and ate red, white, and blue candy, and we also dressed up in patriotic clothing, It was definitely different, but my campers made it fun.

We also whitewater rafted and did the night climb like normal. Something special that happened this week was a concert, The concert was put on by a group of high school students and was amazing!

God has really been showing me how faithful He is even during the ordinary times and routine of camp. Micah 5:4 really hit me hard this week. It says, "And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth."

The rest of the week went well and I was sad to see my campers leave today. For the weekend, the other girl counselor invited me to her house. Abbey and her family have been so welcoming! It's so nice to have a change and be in a home for a night.

The coming week should bring some more campers, but also some more fun!

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Second Go Around

For the second week of camp, I was on what is called crew week. This is basically a week off for counselors. Instead of having campers, I worked in the general store here at camp. The general store is located at Mountain Village. This is where the 7-9 year old campers have camp. It was fun to see all of them and get to interact with the youngest campers.

I only worked in the general store until Wednesday though, because I got to go on vacation then. I went to Tennessee for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. It was so awesome to see my family and get to spend time with them. We went whitewater rafting and hung out together as a family.

My sister, cousins, grandparents, and I at dinner for their anniversary.
On Sunday I left and flew back to camp. When I arrived at high school camp, I was greeted by six new campers.

Week three has been going really well and I love my group. I have gotten really close to my campers through the different activities we have done. Yesterday, we went whitewater rafting and it was amazing. It was a little more intense than in Tennessee, but still really fun!

Tonight, there is a night climb where we play music and climb the climbing wall in the dark. We also have a themed dinner with skits and build your own burgers. It is one of my favorite nights because the personality of the campers really shines through.

Meeting with my mentor has been going really well! We are studying the book of Micah together and talking about how it relates to camp and to our individual lives. It has been super helpful to have that time set aside to focus on my own relationship with God.

Week two into week three was a whirlwind, but fun at the same time.



Green Meadow Lodge where high school camp is located 

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Week One

Well, what can I say? Week one of camp is under my belt. This was one of the most challenging weeks of my life, but so worth it.

For the summer, I will be at the high school camp, which is the smallest camp at IdRaHaJe. I met my campers Sunday and spent the next week with them. I got to know them each on a personal level and minister to them while doing fun activities. 


Sunday was a very long day, but I got to learn the campers names, where they are from, and what made them each unique. The following days were filled with fun activities and lots of adventures.


One of my favorite parts of this last week was what we call the Inspiration hike. This is a hike up to Inspiration Point on camp property. I woke up my campers at 4am to leave by 4:30am and see the sunrise. It was incredible to see the wonder of a sunrise. The campers were then able to repel down the side of the cliff. 

Each week there is a chapel speaker that does two chapels per day and is available for the campers and staff to ask questions. Our speaker was amazing and truly was a help this last week. 

I am emotionally and physically exhausted after dealing with some really hard issues that campers brought to camp. There are some campers who left today changed because of the amazing things that IdRaHaJe offers. 

I was able to connect on a deeper level with my campers and they opened up to me. Last night we had a coffee shop for them so they can get each others phone numbers and stay in contact. All of my campers asked for my phone number and I was more than happy to give it to them. There are some who really are struggling and don't have a solid Christian they can look up to, so I am honored to be that person for them. 

A whole new set of campers come tomorrow, but it will be another opportunity to grow and build more lasting relationships. 

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Training Week

After reflecting back on this last week, it has been so crazy!

I have officially been out here at Camp IdRaHaJe for over a week, I have learned so much about myself while out here.

When I arrived at the Denver airport, all of the nerves kicked in at the same time. I had never seen the Rockies before and was completely overwhelmed.

My nerves were calmed (for the most part) when I arrived at camp and had dinner with the leadership staff. We shared a meal and I learned where people were from and what brought them to camp.

The next day I helped get camp ready for campers and the other staff to arrive. I decorated some of the chapels on camp and met even more people.

It was great to meet the other staff, but I realized how much of an introvert I am. I stayed with 22 other girls during training and that was very overwhelming.

Part of our staff training was that we all hiked what is called Inspiration Point. This hike was with all of the staff and left at 4:30am. It was super early, but very worth it.






Part of training was going through the adventure activities here at camp. Some of these include a 45-foot climbing wall, a zip-line, and high ropes course. I also went on a horseback ride, shot a bow and arrow, and shot a BB gun.

I found out that I'll be a counselor at the high school camp. All of my campers arrive tomorrow afternoon. I'm a little nervous because I don't know how the day is going to run. The thing I need to remember the most though is that God has called me here for a purpose and I need to fulfill this purpose.

This coming week is going to test my patience, but will be a growing experience.