If you know anything about South Louisiana then you know that the past few days have been a crazy wonderful time known as Mardi Gras, which is a part of the culture here that I love so much, but even more importantly it was CAMP ZOAR!! CZ is a church camp that my home church sponsors, it is exhausting in every way imaginable while being an intense time of spiritual growth for campers and counselors alike. This year I was a rec(recreation) team leader which basically means that I got to dress ridiculously, run around like mad, and do lots and lots of yelling(see picture).
While rec time is awesomely fun, whats even better is seeing so many middle and high school aged kids getting to know God in a way they didn't before. Some come to know Him for the first time, some grow is their relationship with Him. They learn about themselves, how to support and encourage one another as Christian brothers and sisters and what it looks like to live a life for Christ. We spend each day of camp in worship, teaching, and small group study.
During our second night at CZ I began to think about the upcoming year and the journey I will be taking, and it hit me that I wouldn't be at CZ next year. That may sound silly, I've known that I was going for months now, and yet it hadn't really hit home that I'm not just going on the race, I'm leaving home. I still know without a doubt that the race is what I'm supposed to do, but for the first time I recognized what I'm leaving behind and it was sad, which seems like such an inept word for all the emotions I went through but its the best one.
Our CZ verse for this year seems fitting in light of the upcoming year of my life, I only hope that I walk along the highway of Hoiiness through the next few months at home and the eleven month journey that begins in July.
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it. Isaiah 35:8
Lindsey
