Back Home For Christmas...

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. I had a great time going home for just over a week to Michigan. I first stopped in Flint to spend time with my dad. One highlight was being able to enjoy a very nice Christmas dinner including turkey, stuffing (I helped grind the giblets!), sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and more. Very delicious and it was an exclamation point to an overall great weekend.

After visiting my father, uncle, and some family friends in Flint, my brother and I traveled back to Grand Rapids where we spent the rest of the week. It was good to sleep in my own bed again and spend time with my mom, stepdad, sister, and brother. I also got to spend a couple of nights hanging out with good friends from home. Whether it was continuing the tradition of playing Settlers of Catan or hearing stories of a friend’s semester in Spain, both evenings were full of fun. Even though I’m gaining great friendships with people here in Georgia, I am thankful I can continue the relationships I have already built back home.

Finally, after having a great Christmas Eve with family members on my step-dad’s side of the family, Christmas morning arrived Saturday. In the past it would not be uncommon for my little sister to wake me up at 7am anxiously anticipating the opening of presents. So, I was very thankful when I awoke and found out I was allowed to sleep in until 9 =). Then, before diving underneath the tree to go through our gifts, our family spent a good 30-40 minutes in the bible and then in prayer. I was so happy to dedicate the first part of our Christmas day to the real reason we celebrate: the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The gifts that followed were certainly nice (running clothes, a new board game, i-tunes gift cards, etc.) but overall I just felt blessed to spend Christmas week with so many of the one I love back in Michigan.

Well, now I’m back in Georgia and gearing up for the next couple weeks of winter training. 2nd year field staff in Young Life from all over the country will be staying at SharpTop Cove for training in theology and technology, as well as general Young Life material. It will be exciting to have over 300 guests around my age at camp who share the same passion for introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith. I’m exciting to prepare camp and serve these people well. I’ll try to update again afterwards and let you know how it goes. Have a blessed new year!

Snow in Georgia?!?

So I thought that heading down South would allow me to enjoy warmer winter weather. Well, this past week we have had our first snow that has stuck to the ground, four days in a row below freezing and right now our whole camp is covered in ice. People say I should be used to this stuff, because I'm from Michigan. The fact of the matter is that cold weather is cold weather and it still chills the bones the same. Nevertheless, things have been going well down here. Four of us have had some intense euchre games in the past couple weeks, and we all are excited about going back home soon to spend Christmas with family and friends. I hope you get to have a blessed Christmas with your family as well. I'll try to update later on when I get home, but until then stay warm wherever you are.

Thankful for so much!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend with the ones you love and care about. It has been great being home over the last week and spending time with people I haven't seen in over 3 months. There's nothing better than getting a welcome home hug from my sister Kelli accompanied by her exclamation "Brandon!" I have really enjoyed catching up with family and friends here in the Grand Rapids area. I love being able to share the amazing things God is doing down at SharpTop Cove and also being able to hear about the journeys many of my friends and family have experienced over the past 3-6 months in West Michigan.

This weekend I had the opportunity to reconnect with even more friends as I headed up to Timber Wolf Lake for the wedding of John and Christina Balmat. So happy for the both of them and I know the Lord is going to use their marriage for amazing things as they continue to serve Christ with all of their hearts. Along with celebrating a new marriage, I was able to see a good number of the many great people I worked with this past summer in at TWL. Even though I now spend most of my time this year at another Young Life camp 14 hours South of Lake City, there will always be a special place in my heart for the people and beauty of Timber Wolf.

Well today the excitement of oral surgery has been a reality to me. At 9am this morning I went in town to have my four wisdom teeth removed. Just one of those things that I have needed to get done for a while now, and thanks to the blessing of dental insurance through my year-long internship, I could now afford to do it. I'm definitely sore, but recovering well. It is hard for me to just rest all day, because I would love to continue to reconnect with so many others I haven't been able to see yet during my time here in MI. But, I know that realistically that is not possible and recovery must be my focus, so I can feel well enough to fly back to GA on Thursday.

I'm excited to come back to my intern family in those three short days. My time away from camp has definitely given me many moments to think of how thankful I am for all eight of the other interns, as well as the property staff at SharpTop Cove. I was very blessed to share a thanksgiving meal with the intern communtiy just a few days before we all left for home. There was so much delicious food and the turkey I cooked turned out very well!

I'm definitely thankful for so much. Thanks to you for taking the time to read this blog and partner with me in this amazing journey God is leading me on as I serve at SharpTop Cove.

70 degrees in November?

Hey everyone! Yes it warmed up a bit over the past week. In fact some of the afternoons were absolutely perfect with temperatures in the low 70's. That combined with the beautiful fall colors being displayed from each tree has made early November absolutely gorgeous here at camp.

Last Monday we had our first two games of the flag football season for the guys at camp. We won both! Who would have expected a team named "The Blob!" to come into the league and start out 2-0. It was definitely an exciting way to start the week and I'm excited to be able to look forward to each Monday with these great men on staff.

On Thursday I had the day off, because of the Veterans Day Holiday. I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a holiday barbecue, so we fired up the grill at our adult guest housing and cooked some hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone. These treats combined with Octavia's potato salad made for a great meal for all.

Speaking of intern meals, I'm getting excited for our intern thanksgiving meal we're putting together this coming Thursday evening. I'll be preparing and cooking my first ever turkey. Hopefully all goes well. I'm also excited for dishes such as sweet potato casserole, pecan pie, and mashed potatoes. It will be a great meal to share as a intern community, before we all head home to family and friends for a similar meal a week later.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a quick glance at what's going on here at SharpTop Cove. Have a great week! Blessings!

Welcome November...

Hey everyone! It's been a chilly weekend here at SharpTop Cove. Yesterday's high was only in the 40's! It feels more like Michigan than Georgia right now. Thankfully the forecast gives hope of warmer weather as the new week commences.

Well, last week was our (the interns) first week in new departments. So far, during my time in the Sites and Maintenance department I have spent a majority of my time helping paint a camp vehicle, transporting old and new lumber, ordering new light bulbs, and picking up supplies from town. It was a good first week, but I know I will be learning a lot more in the days to come.

One disappointment came a few days back when my car stopped going again. After another visit to the mechanic it appears I do indeed need a new or rebuilt transmission. Not the most inexpensive thing in the world. Right now I'm weighing my options and I may decide to live the simple life for awhile without a car. Definitely not an impossible endeavor since I live at camp, but also not the most convenient.

Pray for wisdom for me concerning my car situation. Also continue to pray for our intern group as we continue to adjust to our new jobs and learn how to better our community within our different schedules. Finally, pray for us as we prepare for the holidays with family and friends. Blessings!

It's been a while...

Hey everyone! It's been a busy month of October. Crazy to think that the month is almost over. Things are getting ready to change here with the interns at SharpTop Cove. Next Monday will mark the beginning of our second rotation of the internship. I will be moving to Sites (Maintenance) with Patrick. Not my dream job, but we're going to make it fun for sure. Watch out Bob Villa and Norm Abrams; your replacements have arrived. Here comes This Old Camp!

One thing I have really appreciated about October has been weekends of Young Life camping. Church and school groups are always great and welcome when they come. But, there is just something special about Young Life areas bringing the furthest out kids to hear about Jesus Christ. Without a doubt, this camp was made with them in mind.

Our intern group is continuing to study the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. The past couple of weeks we have read through submission and service. Each day as I live in this community I am learning how to better give all of my life to Christ and serve others each day. It can be challenging, but the fruits that come from sharing in this community are definitely worth it.

One final cool thing to share with you all is that we recently found out that our February mission trip has changed locations. Instead of going to the Dominican Republic, we will be heading to Nicaragua. Either place would be amazing. I have never been a part of an international mission trip before, so I am excited to grow both individually and as a group of interns during this experience. Please keep this trip in your prayers as we prepare over the next few months.

Some other things you can pray for include:

• Good transition between jobs over the next week as we learn our new roles.
• More and more kids to meet Jesus Christ as leaders bring kids to Fall Camps on weekends.
• Fundraising for our intern class. We still need to raise more money so all of our interns will be able to travel to Nicaragua for our mission trip.
• Travel arrangements coming up as we think of heading to see family and friends during the holidays.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Blessings!

Speaking, Waiting, and Listening...

Hey everyone! The past couple weeks for me have been jam packed with a lot of work, but also a ton of fun. Along with days of cleaning and running rides I have been able to enjoy time with my fellow interns during time off. A week ago I was introduced to the music of Stephen Kellogg when I attended an Atlanta concert with four other interns. The event was great as I was given a healthy dose of the folk-rock style of Kellogg and also entertaining accompaniment by his band the Sixers. Along with enjoying the music, I also was happy to escape the camp world for just a bit and check out a part of Atlanta.

Just a few days later, we came back to the ATL and toured the CNN center, home to one of the world's largest cable news networks. I appreciated the wealth of knowledge given by the energetic tour guide and was intrigued by how much work goes behind the camera to come up with a news story, figure out how it will be distributed through television, and then make sure the presentation is executed effectively and accurately. The tour tickets were actually a free gift from a past intern of SharpTop, J.J., who is now a weather producer at CNN. I was amazed at the journey God has taken him through, starting with a Young Life camp internship back in 06-07, and now a pretty good job at a world reknown news network.

It was really encouraging to hear J.J's story, because many of us as interns are struggling with the question, "what is next?" after this internship. This may seem crazy as we still have more than ten whole months left. However, we have already experienced how quickly this time can pass and know that next August will be here before too long. With this question looming overhead, we all are eager to find out where God wants us to be. I have no doubt that all nine of us truly desire to serve Christ and find a career that we can joyfully bring glory to him. Unfortunately, God does not always clearly speak in a medium or time that we may desire.

So, how do we actually have conversations with God? After all, we are in a relationship with him through his Son, Jesus Christ. I hope that figuring out the answer to this question is something all of us can grow in over the next ten months. Right now our intern class is studying the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster and have had great conversations regarding the practices of meditation and prayer. We all realize that we need to be intentional in giving God our time to spend with him. Yet, the struggle is trying to discern when God is actually speaking to us and then identify his presence.

Even though there are times of confusion and times we may feel nothing, I am confident our continual pursuit of God will lead to a lot less of me and a lot more of Him. Ultimately this is my desire, even though the journey is not always easy. So as I continue to seek him: I speak, I wait, and I listen. Through these stages I believe God will lead me where he wants me to be.

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!

A Day Long Adventure and an Arrival at Sharp Top Cove!

Hey Everyone! Last night I officially arrived in Jasper, Georgia at Sharp Top Cove! It was certainly a long trek from Michigan yesterday. I took off around 5:45am from Flint and drove straight down I-75 until I stopped in Dayton for Breakfast at the local Waffle House at about 10am. Then, I continued to the middle of Kentucky for lunch. I was definitely making good time. At this point I was planning on arriving at camp around 6:30pm.

There was certainly quite a bit of mountainous terrain going through Kentucky and Tennessee. I didn't think much about the possible wear and tear on my vehicle at the time. But when I exited the freeway near Chattanooga, I realized there was definitely something wrong with the good ol' 96 Mercury Sable. Whenever I would stop at a stoplight and then attempt to accelerate to go ahead, the car would "jump" for a second until the transmission could catch up with my request to go forward. This lasted for a couple minutes until the conditions worsened even more. I pulled over at a gas station to let it cool down and observed an apparent transmission fluid leakage dripping onto the pavement.

After going inside to get food from the McDonald's and calling my dad for advice, I proceeded to purchase six quarts of transmission fluid. I used two quarts to begin with and then kept the other four on hand for later use. It's a good thing I bought extra, because just a couple minutes after crossing the state line into Georgia the transmission made it's presence known again. I pulled over at a local ice cream shop, prayed, filled up, and drove off. Just about fifteen minutes later I repeated this process in a town called Talking Rocks. I was only about twenty five minutes away from camp. I could only hope the Sable would be able to endure that a bit more.

Sadly, my worst fear was realized after five more minutes of rugged hill driving; the transmission appeared to have given up. I coasted to the side of the road on the state highway and to be honest I was in a bit of a panic. My ETA of 6:30 was now three hours in the past and I was stranded on a busy road in the dark. Frantically I grabbed my cell phone which was flashing "Low Battery!" at me and called the camp. Despite very bad cell reception I got through and enlightened them on the situation at hand.

Finally, about twenty minutes later one of my fellow interns, Mike, arrived to help. We loaded up his car with a majority of my luggage and left the car for the night. After a night's rest at camp, I went back for the car with my roommate and fellow intern Joseph. We arrived to the site and was greeted by aSheriff deputy who was just about to call for a tow truck to impound my car. Thank God we were able to arrive when we did! Just a few minutes later and the car would have been gone with many fees attached. However, the deputy was very helpful and talked with us for a bit, while we waiting for a tow truck that Joe called using his AAA roadside assistance. For the time being we decided the best bet was to just bring the car to camp.

So, now the car and myself are both at SharpTop! I praise God for his protection and safety yesterday through the craziness of the long journey. The hard part is the realization that I will probably need a rebuilt transmission, which will most likely cost around 1,800 dollars! I barely just had enough for gas money to get me down to GA, so this is a tough reality to swallow. However, I know that God is faithful and will not forsake me through this. I am blessed with the reality that I live at a camp where there is food provided for most meals, a warm place to sleep every night, and if need be other interns who have vehicles.

I would really appreciate your prayers though right now concerning this situation. Pray that God will provide the means necessary for my car to be fixed in a timely manner. Also pray that this disappointment will not affect my excitement for starting this new internship with eight other awesome people. I look forward to updating again in the near future. Please keep in touch! Blessings!

"It's not goodbye, it's see ya later"...

It's hard to believe my summer internship at TWL has come to an end. The last three months have been filled with many incredible memories with the amazing people I was surrounded by. I really enjoyed each of my three groups of summer staff I supervised in the kitchen. While personalities varied, each group was committed to serving well each morning and genuinely wanted to grow in their relationship with Christ.

Along with the summer staff and work crew, I had the pleasure to work with great property staff. Each day I was encouraged by many of them. It always brought a smile to my face to see the maintenance staff walk through the kitchen each day with their big smiles, asking what the menu provided for breakfast. Most of all, I am appreciative of the three kitchen staff, Nate, John, and Jessica, who helped us interns lead well each day.

Finally, the best element of the summer was being a part of an amazing intern community. The sixteen others I lived with for ninety days at the Swamp did tremendous work in their respective leadership positions around camp. With our daily jobs spreading us out around TWL from morning to dusk, I learned to appreciate greatly the off days we were able to spend together. Some days we traveled to places such as Traverse City or Sleeping Bear Dunes. Other days we just took it easy and rejuvenated at camp by the beach or enjoying 18 holes of Frisbee golf.

I'm definitely going to miss these interns. I truly hope and expect to maintain friendships with some of these people for the rest of my life. It has been so powerful hearing their stories and seeing how each individual had arrived to where they were this summer at camp. I can't wait to see where God leads each of my fellow 16 interns over the next year and beyond.

As for myself, I am excited about the opportunity in front of me to enter a new internship at Sharp Top Cove in Jasper, GA. I expect to arrive at camp in just a few short days on Friday evening. I am looking forward to trusting God on this new journey and being able to serve in a new community and environment. While I'm excited, it definitely will be difficult moving twelve hours away from friends and family for a whole year. I would love to have you walk alongside me in this new journey with encouragement through e-mail, facebook, phone calls, or especially letters/packages in the mail. My new address will be:
Brandon Tschirhart
Young Life Sharp Top Cove
76 Camp Hope Road
Jasper, Georgia 30143

I hope to update again once I get to SharpTop! Talk to you all soon!

Embracing the Love of Christ...

Hey everyone. This is week four of our second session here at camp. It's crazy that Saturday morning we will be saying goodbye to this month's summer staff, work crew, and assigned team and then saying hello to a brand new crew for our third and final session. Along with transitioning to a new staff, we will also be going back to WyldLife (middle school) camping for the final three weeks. This means going back to a slightly different menu in the kitchen, a slightly different program throughout the week, and shorter camp weeks in general (5 days instead of 7).

It will be exciting to head to session 3, but I know I will definitely miss my four AM cooks I have had the privilege to work with this past month. Their hunger to grow in Christ and their amazing work ethic each morning has been tremendously encouraging to me. With only four days left before they leave, and only just a few weeks for myself here at camp, I really want to focus and be intentional on every moment of each day. My prayer is that I will not let a moment or opportunity pass by to be intentional and relational to each person I encounter.

Christ is the perfect example of being incredibly intentional in relationships with those around him. And, being at camp this summer has reminded me of the many times I have sat in the club room here at TWL and have heard the presentation of the gospel to kids and leaders. Even though I have heard the story of the cross many times, each time I am almost brought to tears by Jesus' love for us through his death. My amazement continues when I think about the thousands of adolescents who have heard the same story this summer.

My prayer is that I can focus on the love of Christ in each moment of my last few weeks here at camp. I hope to constantly find ways to express this love to those around me. What a shame it would be if the story of Christ's love for us simply was a "good story that helped us get an emotional high on occasion." As believers it should always be our motivation to exhibit this love throughout our day. I encourage you to read through 1 John 3-4 to read more on this and then think about how this can be your focus in your daily life as well.

Be in prayer for the remainder of this second session and for the safe arrival of staff, volunteers, and campers this weekend for session 3. Blessings!

Story

Things continue to go well here at camp. Even though the days can be long sometimes it's amazing at how fast time flies by. For instance, today we were cooking biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs and all of us were amazed it had already been a week since we last cooked that same meal. With the time flying by, the reality is that we only have about a month left of our internship here at Timber Wolf Lake. And, this leads to only five weeks from me moving down to Georgia to work at Sharp Top Cove for a year. This is just crazy to me.

Thoughts of SharpTop and my arrival coming closer and closer makes me a little nervous to be honest.Yes, I am still very excited about my next internship. But, I know that I'll be stepping out of my comfort zone, which can be scary for anybody. I have come to realize that humans in general tend to stay close to the walls of safety and security whenever possible. What I'm learning though is that by not taking steps away from the "wall," I may be missing out on a bigger and better story.

Right now I've been reading through a book by Donald Miller called "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" along with our men's intern group. Miller's writing has been timely to me as I start looking ahead to an unknown future in the abstract world of post-college life. Miller writes how taking steps away from comfort and security can lead to challenges, stress, and opposition. In itself this may seem like a bad thing. But, really when it comes down to it, what movie have you enjoyed that had the main character live a non-challenging, comfortable life? Instead, any good movie has the protagonist have a goal in mind, and has to overcome great odds, challenges, etc. to reach that goal point.

So, what is my goal in life? Ha, I'm not sure I can sum an answer up for you in a short blog post. And, that's not necessarily because it would be incredibly long. But, more because I'm still trying to figure it out. However, I can tell you that with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength I want to serve God throughout my life. I believe I can do this by serving and encouraging people, which leads me to my current adventure in Young Life. I'm hoping that as my journey unfolds at SharpTop, God will continue to make clear the plans he has for me. And, I pray that God will give me courage and strength to take hold of the story of adventure he wants me to live.

Transitions...

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday! Here at camp we've been pretty busy over the last few days. We recently just changed from session 1 to session 2 here at TWL. The changeover was a lot of work as not only did we prepare for new campers, we also had to prepare for new work crew, summer staff, and assigned team.

I'm definitely going to miss the people that spent five camp weeks here for session one. It was especially hard to say goodbye to the summer staff I had the privilege of working with in the kitchen. We had a lot of fun together in the AM, and it was great getting to know each of them and the journeys God has in store for them.

As quickly as we said goodbye to the session one crew, we were sent to greet the new group for session two. It was difficult to transition so quickly, but it has been fun getting to know the new peeps over the last four days. I'm really excited about our new AM crew and the community we will be forming over the next four days.

One exciting note is that this week my home area Eastern Ottawa is here with our Young Life high school campers. It has been a ton of fun seeing familiar faces amongst the leaders here and I'm hoping to catch up with them over the next few days before they take off for home.

Thank you for your constant prayers and support from back home! Praise God for this tremendous opportunity to serve at a place where adolescents meet Jesus Christ and grow in their faith! Continue to be in prayer for students as they come weekly from places all around the Midwest and learn what it means to trust others, trust their leaders, and trust Jesus. Also, be in prayer for our new assigned team, summer staff, and work crew here this session as they begin their four week journey. Finally, continue to pray for our intern community as we have hit the halfway point here at TWL. Pray that we'll continue to keep our focus on Christ, grow stronger as a community, stay rested, and have fun!

An Amazing Month!

Hey everyone! The last few weeks have been crazy busy, so I apologize in not being able to update more often. Let me give you a quick summary on what has taken place.

The first three camp weeks were WyldLife weeks here at Timber Wolf Lake. Each camp week is five days long and is packed full of outdoor games, free time opportunities at the blob, zip-line, rope swing, basketball, game room, etc. Also, each cabin gets the opportunity to climb the rockwall, go tubing on the lake, and venture through the ropes course. On top of this is the theme of program (Bear Claw Training Camp) which interacts with the campers throughout the week at clubs, meal times, and a variety of all-camp activities. Through all these events our hope is that kids will be able to have fun, gain trust in their WyldLife leaders and fellow students, and be prepared to listen and talk about the gospel message of Christ.

Somewhere in the mix of these crazy five day weeks, food service comes into the picture. It seems like a minor detail, but being able to serve kids through food is really important in giving each student and leader the energy they need to thrive at camp each day. Plus, we try to make the dining experience enjoyable for these kids with tasty meals. Also, we set up each area with round tables for eight or nine people each, which allows an opportunity for more bonding between campers and leaders through discussion (as opposed to the ever popular method of eating in front of a tv screen at home).

My job in the kitchen has focused on the successful preparation and service of breakfast and lunch to campers. I help lead the charge with our summer staff cooks in making meals such as french toast, ham and cheese omeletes, and pancakes. I have been blessed with an amazing crew of 4 summer staffers (plus 2 more who helped for the first three weeks) and it has been great getting to know each of them and their stories.

The third week of WyldLife I was really excited because the students from my area back home (Eastern Ottawa) were coming up. I really enjoyed being able to see familiar faces and hang out with our group of guys after I finished my work in the kitchen. For sure, I had to be careful not to do too much because a day of work in the kitchen can be exhausting enough even without plans to hang out with kids for six hours afterwards. But, I was able to get some good quality time watching them rock climb, tube, play two-hand touch football, go to a couple clubs, and eat a few dinner time meals with them. I think they all really enjoyed their week and I'm hoping they were able to explore further what it means to live a life walking with Christ.

Following my area's departure on Father's Day, we had our first high school Young Life group arrive for a six-day camp week last Monday. It has been extremely busy this last week with the largest number of campers ever at Timber Wolf Lake being on the property. With more people and bigger stomachs (high school students eat a ton more than middle schoool kids) we have ended up preparing a ton of food for each meal. Also, high school meals are a little more complex in preparation. We cannot just throw chicken fingers in the oven for lunch anymore. With a new menu to cook and more campers to cook for, we have had quite a few long days this past week. I give my summer staff crew a ton of credit for persevering through exhaustion and being able to continue to try their best to serve with their best of ability and have fun.

So, all of this leads to today the last day of this first Young Life camp week. Tomorrow we will get our second high school group in and then one week from now our first session will come to an end. This means that our summer staff, work crew, and assigned team staff will be leaving for home and we will be getting ready for a brand new crew to come in for session two in July. It's crazy that we only have one more week with our current summer staff. It has been such a blessing being able to work with them and get to know them. Pray that we will be able to really make the most of their last week here and serve to the best of our ability.

Week One has arrived!

The campers have arrived! Sunday, after months of anticipation, the first WyldLife summer camp week began here at Timber Wolf Lake. It was fun seeing all of the kids run off their respective charter busses and be welcomed by enthusiastic work crew and program members. As the week has gone on, I have enjoyed being able to watch these middle schoolers enjoy many of the activities, clubs, free time, and of course food that Timber Wolf has to offer.

It's going to take some adjustment for sure now serving over 500 people each week in the kitchen. Long days can be tiring, but I know that it will get easier as I find more of a rythym and get more familiar with our meals' recipees. It has helped a ton having great summer staff serving with me in the AM too. For the most part I have four college aged staff I supervised (Annie, Brett, Nicole, and Mitch). They have been great and have picked up on the ways of the kitchen really fast (sometimes even faster than me, haha ;). I'm looking forward to continue working and getting to know them during the next three weeks.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow evening, because the interns will meet again for the second time this summer for our small group time. The guys are reading Donald Miller's latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Just started reading the first four chapters, but it's looking like it should be a pretty good read. Also, on my own time I have been really enjoying Tony Dungee's first book, Quiet Strength. As a football fan, I love reading about Tony's journey through the football world, trying to continue to be a man of integrity and doing things the right way in both his work and family life.

Well, that's all for now folks (cue the looney tunes theme music). Enjoy the above pictures of where I work, the kitchen. And continue to keep in touch!

Brandon Tschirhart

Timber Wolf Lake

4909 North Morey Road

Lake City, MI 49651

Ready, set, ....

The preparations are in high gear right now as we are only four days away before our first wyldlife camp week here at Timber Wolf Lake. This past weekend we hosted over 200 volunteers from Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and beyond who came to help us clean, repair, and do maintainance all around camp. It was definitely a long weekend with an 11 hour day on Saturday and a 9 hour day on Sunday working in the kitchen. Some of the cleaning adventures I led included thorough cleaning in the cooler, the freezer, deep scrubbing grease off the hoods, power cleaning the floors, and cleaning the front line. Fun stuff! But as tiring as it was, we were able to get a lot accomplished because of the great attitudes and work ethic of the volunteers in the kitchen.

After the cleaning marathon was over Sunday I was able to head home for 24 hours to see the family. It was definitely great to hang out, have a home cooked meal, and play some board games together. Also, I was able to go to GR and catch up with some good friends, dominate some bean bag toss and have some delicious ice cream sandwich pie. All in all it was a good trip.

Then back to camp I went, ready to start our new week. It feels a bit wierd here because we are so close to the campers arriving. While we are busy with final preparations, everyone still knows things will change drastically once the assigned team, work crew, summer staff, and over 500 campers arrive shortly. It is easy to get anxious about what things will look like then. However, I have found quite a bit of encouragement from my devotions in Romans this past week. Here's one verse that stood out this morning. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have today.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:5-6).

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

Hey everyone! It's hard to believe it's already been a week since I started this summer journey at Timber Wolf Lake. Each day I am reminded of how blessed I am to have this opportunity to serve in such a wonderful place.

Last week, our camp was hosting an inner varsity fellowship of Christ group from the University of Illinois. It was actually fun being able to jump in to things right away in the kitchen. I have the morining shift each day working from 6am to about 3pm. A quick summary of what my job looks like is putting away the truck load that comes twice a week, getting the summer staff started on cooking breakfast, start preparing meals for the next couple days, get lunch cooking, clean up, etc. I definitely enjoy having plenty to do and love being able to learn a whole new world in food service as well as having a leadership role too!

Along with learning the ropes in the kitchen, the past week has been great being able to build community with my fellow interns. After the inner varsity group left, we were able to have the weekend off from work. Some of the interns decided to take off for home, while the rest of us hung out together in beautiful Northern Michigan. Saturday our group went to Traverse City. We walked down the downtown area, and went to a few stores including a Backwoods outdoor store and Cherry Republic. At the outdoor store, I decided to buy a pair of Chaco sandals. While they are more expensive than flip flops, these shoes are perfect for me as I live the camp intern life for the next fifteen months. They're comfortable yet durable in the everyday camp world. At the Cherry Republic store our group was able to sample tons of cherry items including: cherry salsa, cherry jelly, cherry cookies, chocolate covered cherries, and cherry soda. It was all so good! I definitely recommend the cherry cream soda and the cherry boomchunka cookies!

Also, during the weekend we did not have meals prepared from the kitchen since there were no guest groups here. However, each day the property staff took turns having the interns over for dinner. Saturday we had pizza night courtesy of the Sharps (Guest Services Coordinator), Sunday we had hobo pie night at the Bartlett's (Landscaping/Maintenance), and Monday we hadan amazing pork loin meal with baked potatoes, salad, and strawberry pie courtesy of the Polls (Property Manager). All so good! Right after dinner Monday, we then broke up into teams of four and competed in mini games from the show Minute to Win it! Our team got second place out of four teams overall. Not too shabby.

So, as I said earlier I am continually reminded of God's glory each day at this camp. First of all, the beauty here is remarkable. I've attached a few pictures for you to see that compliment the scripture found in Psalm 19:1. Along with God's creation, I have also seen his glory through the people here at camp. It is such an amazing community of great people who genuinely care for others, have servants' hearts, and want to do their part to allow kids to be meet Jesus Christ. Finally, I have seen God's glory through prayer. One amazing story I would love to share is about my friend Zach, the video intern who is from Eastern Tennesee. Two nights ago he was very discouraged because he just found out a couple of his high school Young Life kids from home who were planning on going to camp in a couple weeks, were eight hundred dollars short of the amount needed. That's a lot of money to overcome in a two week time table to be sure. The only thing we really knew to do was pray. So at our morining devotional meeting, Zach asked for prayer regarding the situation. The next time I saw Zach was around 4pm and I decided I wanted to give ten dollars to help his kids. As I offered the cash, he smiled and said "Thanks man, but it's already taken care of!" It turns out that within 30 minutes of our prayer in the morning Zach had people here at camp giving him the exact amount needed including a 400 dollar check from one couple. Praise God for this tremendous blessing and for the opportunity Zach will now have to take these kids to camp to the exact same place he was led to Christ four or five years ago!

On that note I want to thank all of you for your support as well for my journey here at Timber Wolf Lake and my upcoming journey at Sharp Top Cove in Georgia. I'm getting closer and closer to the amount I need for Georgia and continually feel your prayers here currently at camp. Please be in prayer for me and the other staff as we prepare for our Young Life summer trips coming up in a couple of weeks. There will be a lot of work ahead, so pray for our persistence and patience with each other as we get excited for campers to arrive on June 6! I look forward to sharing more with you next week. Until then, be blessed by the joy of Jesus!

Welcome to Timber Wolf Lake!

Hey everyone! Yesterday I arrived safely to Timber Wolf Lake and it is definitely great to be back here. The weather the last couple of days has been very nice. Besides the sunshine, yesterday was a good move in day. Not too much scheduled except for dinner. Just a nice time to unpack, go for a short run, meet new people, and get some sleep before the next day arrived.

Today was that next day and it started early with my arrival in the kitchen at 6am. This will become a regular routine for me each day as I am the AM Intern Cook. Usually I can function pretty well in the morning, but it will probably take a few days of adjusting until my body is use to the schedule here.

The early mornings though really aren't that bad. I'm so excited about my job here. What makes it great is the people I will be working with. Our three kitchen staff bosses are amazing. Nate is the food service manager here at camp and his wife just had their second child two days ago! I'm looking forward to Nate's arrival back at camp in the next few days. Along with Nate on staff in the kitchen are Jessica and John. They both have such incredible attitudes (Nate is in the same category here too, as I met him last year). As Victoria (PM Intern, Paul (Floater Intern), Ellie (Baking Intern), and myself (AM intern) met with Jess and John they encouraged us so much for this upcoming summer. Over and over again they reassured us that they don't want this summer to be about work. Instead we should have the mindset of serving. Similarly, our focus as a staff is not all about food (seems odd for a kitchen, right?) Instead, food is just an avenue used to allow kids to meet Jesus Christ! The rest is just details.

Also, I think one of my fears, which I learned is shared by the other interns, is that I'm going to mess something up in the kitchen. This kind of goes along with the attitude posted above. I need to make sure that my focus is not on making everything is perfect as I prepare food. Mistakes are going to happen and believe it or not it won't be the end of the world. Instead, I must keep my mind and heart on Christ and the relationships around me. Also, allowing myself to have fun in this internship is a priority. Afterall, it's not work, it's an opportunity to serve and show Christ through my actions!

So, things seem to be getting off to a great start. I'm excited to continue getting to know the other interns around me and learning more about the ways of the kitchen. Above you will find some pictures to enjoy of my first day here. The first one is of my new home here at TWL (The Swamp!) followed by one of camp, one of the guys lounge area of the Swamp, and then the last one is a peak into our room full of bunk beds (I'm on the top bunk straight ahead).

Thanks for your support! Feel free to keep in touch with me by e-mail, facebook, blog, phone, or snail mail (definitely the best option for an intern at camp all summer ! =) My address here at camp is:

Intern Brandon Tschirhart

Young Life Timber Wolf Lake

4909 North Morey Road

Lake City, MI 49651

Continuous Love...

In seven days I will be heading up US-131 North, making the two hour journey towards Timber Wolf Lake where I will be a kitchen intern for the next four months. The most common question I have been asked lately is "are you nervous?"

As I begin a journey that will keep me away from home for the next sixteen months, I think it is only natural to be a little nervous. There is a bit of uncertainty that comes with every new endeavor. Yet, this transition is honestly bringing me more excitement than nervousness. I'm excited to head to Timber Wolf Lake, a place that over the past eight years has been like my second home. I can't wait to become part of a community of interns, property staff, summer staff, and work crew who will all be serving Christ, by serving kids!

Having a servant's heart is something that I believe God desires out of all of us. I am reminded of the scripture in the last chapter of John's Gospel when Jesus confronts Peter (John 21:15-19). Through all that transpires, I envision an amazing progression of God's love. It was just after Jesus' arrest that Peter had denied Christ three times (John 18:15-27)! Yet, despite his rejection, Jesus still showed the ultimate display of love for his friend (John 15:13), sacrificing his own life on the cross (John 19:30). Then the mercy of the cross continues three days after his crucifixion, as Jesus pursues Peter. He asks him three times "Do you love me?" And with each answer of "yes," I envision the sorrow and grief of Peter, caused by his denials, wiped clean through forgiveness. But, Jesus does not leave him there. He tells him to take care of his sheep (21:16). In essence, Jesus is telling Peter that if he really wants to show Jesus his love, he must display it to others. As we read in the book of Acts, Peter does just that through serving others and proclaiming the gospel message of Christ.

This encourages my heart greatly and is really the exclamation point on the excitement within me. I am tremendously grateful to have the opportunity to continue the display of Christ's love by my words and actions at Timber Wolf Lake. Whether it be in the community of interns, the morning gatherings in the kitchen, or an interaction with a camper, I am confident that God will provide many moments for this love to be shown. My prayer is that each day He will strengthen me and give me the courage to continuously be His hands and feet and take advantage of every opportunity given.

Yes, the excitement definitely outweighs the nervousness.