Before I tell you about my personal experience let me explain to you a little about what this camp is like. The WILD's opens it's gates to roughly 1,000 teens a week from all across the country. The campers get the opportunity to sit in three sermons/sessions a day. (Believe me it's not boring! Why? Because it's the WILD's.) They also get the chance to talk to not only their counselor, but all the other camp staff, about whatever they may be dealing with, all throughout the week. On top of this you get to meet and connect with countless Christian young people from anywhere in the U.S. Not to mention participate in some insanely awesome games, hikes, and all sorts of other activities, all in the stunning North Carolina mountains. It's definitely not the average summer camp experience. But before I tell you about what I learned at camp this year, let me tell you a little about what I seen. Every person on the camp staff; from the speakers and coordinators, to the counsellors and team leaders, all the way down to the waitresses and lawn guys,they all have a certain vibe. At first it's hard to put your finger on. They all seem, happy. Not all gushy or fake, I mean that underlying happiness that allows them to deal with all the frustrating things they have to put up with, with a good attitude. Their content. It's crazy to see so many people with this attitude all in the same spot serving together. It creates an extremely challenging atmosphere for the campers. Especially this year, I found myself looking at the staff and thinking, "That's where I want to be in a year or so." What's so amazing is that this vibe that the staff has, isn't a big mystery, it something you know you can have too. It comes from being close to God, and completely yielded to Him. It's the evidence of Christ working in their lives. And if you're open enough the spirit of the WILD'S becomes contagious, as you're encouraged to give your Savior everything you have. This place is truly one-of-a-kind.
Leia Mais…Monday, August 3, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Drinking From a Fire Hydrant
One of the first things they told us when we arrived at camp was, "You're going to feel like you are trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant, but that's okay."
Yeah, it's not just okay it's great! But as you can imagine uncomfortable at the same time. So why does it feel this way? We had at least four hours of teaching a day for the first week. (Yeah, it was intense.) But it wasn't just teaching. It was teaching that is constantly prodding you to re-evaluate the way you think. To think about why you do what you do. The result was you learned more about yourself then you thought was possible. No it wasn't warm and fuzzy things either. The speakers that week presented the Bible to us in ways that you'd never thought of before. And a lot of these kids had been in church from birth, yet it felt like most of what you were hearing was entirely new.
To me the entire experience felt beyond my control. To me it felt like this;
I'm out on a surf board quite a ways from shore just laying there enjoying some rays, when I look up and see this GINORMOUS wall of water, a wave unlike I've ever seen. I cling to my board for dear life, but before I can open my mouth to scream the wave has already picked me up and carried me half-way to shore.
I was like God saying, "Brittany, I'm taking you to shore, whether you like it or not."
And it was AWESOME!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Wild's
Sorry, this is going to be a really short post. I've been getting ready for summer camp over the past few days. I'm leaving tomorrow for the WILD's. A Christian camp in North Carolina. I've had the opportunity to go for the past two years and it's been awesome.
This year I have to opportunity to attend a two-week training program designed to help you grow in you faith and leadership skills. I've learned so much already just preparing for the trip, and I'm praying I'll come back stronger in my faith and closer to God. A few weeks ago I asked someone who had done the program before what I should do to prepare. She said, just go with an open heart, and an open mind, and be ready to serve others. And I've been trying to heed to that advice since.
I'll hopefully have videos and pictures to post when I get back. I can't begin to explain the WILD's so I'm hoping I'll be able to show you in two-weeks.
See ya soon.
