The beauty of worship...

Hey everyone! I can hardly believe that I've already been living in Jasper, GA for over a month now. The time has flown by with the busyness of camp. We have had campers here almost every day since I've been here, both weekends and weekdays. It's great seeing this camp being utilized to its potential with so many people. However, the abundance of campers means that all of the interns are very busy. In fact, this past weekend we had 950 campers and staff to serve during an Atlanta church's high school youth group retreat! The camp was packed and the cleanup was long. However, I was able to attend a couple of the group's worship sessions and was reminded of why we do what do. Through all the cleaning, folding, and dealing with screaming kids on the zip-line and swing, we are setting the stage for students to be introduced to Jesus Christ and grow in their faith! It was so great to witness students from freshmen to seniors listen to what it means to be defined by Christ and not the world. Also, I was inspired to see so many of these students worship with passion each night. Most of the time I don't get to witness these things, as my jobs keep me in the background of the camp experience. But, I think it's healthy to take the time every now and then and get a first-hand glance at God working in these adolescents' lives.

Speaking of health, one thing I really craved this past summer was the ability to attend church services each Sunday. Unfortunately we were so busy from May-August up at TWL that we never were able to gather in worship once a week away from camp. Even though it's still crazy busy here at SharpTop and I work most Sundays, we have been able to find the time to attend a few evening church services over the past month. Each time I have gone, I definitely have enjoyed my experience. However, I was never convicted that these places were definitely the place I wanted to worship for the remaining months of this internship. Well, that was until last night.

Six of us decided to go to Passion City Church yesterday evening in Atlanta. The church is pretty large and varies in location each week (they're currently constructing a building that they hope to move into by early next year). I had a huge smile on my face as I found my seat and saw that Chris Tomlin was leading worship alongside Christy Nockels and Kristian Stanfill! However, the mood of the beginning of the evening was one of sorrow as we learned that Louie Giglio, founder and speaker of the church, had his mother pass away during the afternoon. Some may have expected Chris to try to put this hardship aside as he led worship. However, he was genuine in his leadership as we cried out to God in our desperation for his compassion. But then through our grief we were able to still praise God for conquering the grave through his son's sacrifice on the cross. It was so freeing to worship in this environment, allowing God to take our cares and worries upon his shoulders and just cry out to him. I also really enjoyed the teaching from Andy Stanley, pastor at North Point Church, who filled in for Louie. I can't wait to go back and worship there again. I truly feel the presence of the Lord in that place along with the passion of the congregation to intentionally serve Christ. My prayers go out to Louie Giglio and his family as they deal with their tremendously difficult loss.

I have learned it is so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life, whether it's the busyness of work, the difficulty of family, or the pressures of finances. However, I encourage you to never lose sight of the cross no matter what may come your way. Amos 5:4 tells us to "seek the Lord and live." I hope you will join me in really striving to seek, cry out to, live for, and glorify our great God in all circumstances. It is only through his strength that we can live. Blessings to you!

Oh Sweet Georgia...

Another week has passed here at SharpTop Cove. Things have been really busy, as we have a ton of groups arriving this month for school and church retreats. This upcoming weekend we will be hosting a church group of over nine hundred students! Crazy! This past week though we were able to host a Young Life region's family camp and also a couple Christian school groups.

I have begun to be more and more comfortable with my jobs at hand. I'm learning more and more the expectations through housekeeping and keeping this camp looking excellent as new groups arrive. Also, I have really enjoyed being in charge of the rides such as the climbing wall, giant swing, and zip-line. It was a busy last week, but I think we were all able to find joy through all of our hard work.

One blessing for our intern group was that there were no groups here over the weekend, so we all had a couple days off. A few of the interns traveled to see family and friends. I was able to stay around camp and really enjoy spending time in community with the others that remained at STC. Patrick, a year-long from Colorado, and I relaxed after work Friday with some fishing in the lake. Then, a few of us interns went out to the Young Life tailgate at the local high school football game.

Saturday I went for a run through some of the trails here at camp. I love being able to enjoy God's beauty through creation as I run and also being able to explore areas of camp property I have not seen before. I was able to put my culinary skills to the test around lunch time when I fixed some grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup for the interns. Then, after some pickup volleyball and basketball between four of us, I turned on the Michigan football game and enjoyed seeing the Wolverines rise up victorious over Notre Dame behind the feet and arm of Denard Robinson.

Sunday morning was refreshing as we all were able to utilize our morning off by going to church together in the nearby town of Ellijay. The church was called the Orchard and had just moved into their new locaton of the local middle school. I really enjoyed how welcoming everyone was; the worship and message were also very enriching and Christ-centered. Then, later yesterday after watching a bit of the NFL games, six of us (Erin from Mattawan, MI, Ocatavia from FL, Patrick, Luke from IL, Thomas a 2009 year-long from VA, and myself) went to Atlanta to see the Braves vs. Cardinals game at Turner Field. Before the game we walked over a couple miles to find a restaurant to eat at. But, through a local recommendation we found a great local gem called Six-Feet under which had some amazing catfish, burgers, and more. After eating, we walked back to the stadium and had fun watching the game, even though Albert Pujols and his Cardinals defeated the Braves 7-3.

All in all this weekend was a ton of fun and exactly what I needed as we head into another busy week at camp. I've added a few pictures down below of the camp, Sharp Top Mountain, and of the game last night. But, I have a ton more so feel free to follow the link below to check out all of the pictures I have taken so far here in GA. Blessings!

Nothing like good ol' Southern Hospitality...

Hey everyone! A lot has happened since I updated last. I've been living in Georgia now for about twelve days. The hours have flown by as I have attempted to get acclimated to life at SharpTop Cove. Thankfully not having a car at the moment hasn't been too much of an issue as I have been able to join other interns for rides into town when needed, and enjoy most of the amenities of living at camp. I'm hoping within the next few weeks to be able to get a local mechanic to check out my car and see what it will take to fix the transmission.

As for life at camp, I have found out that my first rotation will be a combination of housekeeping and ropes. Oddly enough the first week, I really did not have time to find out what this role looks like. Last Sunday I joined the other eight interns and our coordinators for a two and a half day intern retreat at a lake house in NorthEast Georgia. This was a great time for us as an intern community to get to know each other and also learn the expectations of us for the next year.

Just a day after we returned to camp from the intern retreat, the nine of us had to go through a three day Certified Operator course in order to run many of the activities around camp (zip-line, climbing wall, ropes course, giant swing, quantum leap pole, etc.). The first day of training was definitely a bit overwhelming with all of the material we needed to remember. But, we all were able to pass our written and skills tests on the third day with no problems. I'm excited to have the opportunity over the next couple of months to run these rides and gain even more confidence in leading campers through these activities.

Besides the retreat and CO training, one item that has consumed a good amount of our time is "turnover" days. These are the days when camper groups leave the property and we all go through all of the public buildings, cabins, and dorms to clean and prepare for our new groups to arrive. The tasks can be tedious at times and make for long days, but it is fun to be around the other interns on these days.

Finally, the "normal" non-turnover days have given me an opportunity to learn my actual job for the next couple months. Usually I'll start my day with about four hours of various housekeeping tasks. These could range from folding sheets and towels to cleaning bathrooms to straightening up cleaning closets. Then, after lunch time I'll head outside to run one of the rides. For instance, today I was one of two staff in charge of the Giant Swing where campers get harnessed in to a contraption that goes high into the air, releases with the pull of a cord, and swings out into the open sky. It's actually a really cool activity. I definitely enjoy being able to be outside, after a summer of working inside the kitchen. My chaco tan-lines are starting to become even more noticeable. =)

Overall, I have been amazed with the great people that I am surrounded with on a daily basis here at camp. To be honest, it has been really challenging transitioning to life twelve hours away from home in a brand new environment. There have been a few moments of encountering uncomfortability where I have had to really trust in God to help me make this transition smoothly. Even though it has been tough at times, I feel I have been able to adjust pretty well over the past couple of weeks. I know I have already started to grow a ton, and this will only continue to occur exponentially over the next year. I'm excited that this growth will happen among awesome interns and staff that are nothing but encouraging and supportive. To God be the glory forever and ever! Blessings!

P.S. I added some pictures for you to enjoy below. Two are of the lake house we had the retreat at and the one one with the colorful blob and people walking is a quick look at SharpTop Cove. I'll add more pictures for you next time. Enjoy!