Five years ago, Lance was my boss. He was a new director at Pine Cove and I am proud to say that I was on his first leadership team. When I first met Lance, I liked him enough, but I was initially coming back for the guy whose place he was taking. Then I was able to follow his lead for two summers and I learned this guy was pretty legit. I quickly learned that it was nearly impossible to do a skit with him and try to stay in character because one of his goals was always to break me. Even if it wasn’t, he still did a pretty good job of getting me off my game. Nearly every time.
Then three years ago I was faced with a decision. I could either sign on to work full time at Pine Cove and follow Lance and some of the other guys year round, or I could take what’s behind door number two (which of course was a mystery). As much as I wanted to work with these guys and as incredible of an option it was, I had to take door number two. It wasn’t that camp was a bad option, it’s just that my season out there was over and it was time to move in a different direction. I will never regret that decision, but it was a blessing to see where some of these guys are now.
Lance is married to Mandy and I greatly respect their relationship and their marriage. A ton of stuff has been thrown at them and they continue to take it in stride and grow closer together. Right after I left Pine Cove, they had complications with their first son, Caleb. There were times when everyone was convinced Caleb’s heart would never be able to pump hard enough to keep him alive, but it did. As a new director in a new location, this was one of the most trying times for Lance and Mandy and it gave them a solid testimony of trust in God’s grace and plan. Caleb’s birth, and life since then, had been a miracle. I don’t think they can ever doubt God’s hand in their lives.
Since then, they’ve added two more boys to the group bringing the total up to four. It seems that Lance has hit his stride as the director of the middle school camp (6th and 7th grade at least), and their family is continuing to see God’s blessing. Why anyone would answer the call to full time middle school camp ministry is beyond me. I would rather just lock all middle schoolers in a room until they’re freshman because nothing good ever seems to come out of that time, but I guess that’s why we all have different callings. OK, that may have been a little harsh to middle schoolers, but was it really?
Anyway, long story short, Lance was the officiant at the wedding this weekend. This was his first wedding so I was curious if he would be traditional or led by his inner middle schooler’s spirit. I think the ceremony was a brilliant combination of both as he helped honor the Persian culture as well as not shrink away from presenting the Gospel. As he spoke at the ceremony, I couldn’t help but have camp flashbacks that were pretty nice to relive. When I spend time around guys like this, I can’t help but think about what would be different if I had taken the first road. Life can’t be too bad following a guy like that. However, we all have different callings and sometimes the ones we turn down end up being just as great; just not for us.
