After training camp, it was pretty much nonstop go-go-go, with short breaks to catch up on sleep and to wash laundry in-between.
The day training camp ended, I didn’t get to go home. This is because I had the amazing forethought to go straight to Super Summer, a youth leadership camp, that began the day after training camp ended in Gainesville, Georgia. Shawnee, Oklahoma was just a short 13-hour drive from training camp. Putting lack-of-sleep aside, I had a great week being with fifteen 10th graders from all over Oklahoma. Being able to teach and pass on the knowledge God has given me to younger students is one of my favorite things to do, and not just because it is a command from God. 🙂
After Super Summer I had a couple of days of rest before heading out again to Los Angles, California to work with YWAM (Youth with a Mission). For the first half of the trip, we had training and the second half we went out on the streets for ministry. The first day of ministry, we worked on skid row, a section of downtown LA that has been sectioned off for the homeless. The second day, we went to Venice Beach and set up a “Spiritual Reading” booth, where people could come for prayer. My favorite part of this trip was being with all of the students who became a part of the youth group after I had already graduated and seeing them tell others about God in their own ways.
Once I got home from LA, I had a week before heading out to Camp Barnabas. As I said in a previous blog, this camp was unlike anything I have ever done before because all of the campers have some sort of disability. My camper was an awesome guy named Hunter, who was blind but could see colors and some shapes. Before this camp, I had never really had the opportunity to fully care for someone like this, nor did I really have the personality that thrives on one-on-one championship for a whole day let alone a whole week. Nevertheless, God used this week at Barnabas to stretch my understanding of God’s unconditional love for not only me, but even more for those around me. I would defiantly go back if given the opportunity, andI would also encourage anyone to take part in this camp.
After Camp Barnabas, I was able to have two weeks of rest and just spend time with family and friends before leaving for these 11 months. I’m pretty sure I gained at least 5 pounds the last weeks because of how many people I went to dinner to say my goodbyes.
Blog about launch coming soon!
