Looking ahead to February...

Hey everyone! Most of the snow that was around for winter training has melted, but of course there are rumors of another system moving in early next week. Who would have thought that even in Georgia I'm getting sick of the snow?

Well it's a pretty good bet in three weeks the last thing I'll be thinking about is snow. Our intern class will be heading to Nicaragua to help work at an international Young Life camp. Most likely we'll be placed on work teams to improve conditions around the camp including buildings, landscape, etc. I'm not sure really what to expect, but I'm excited to go on my first ever international mission trip.

Also, ahead is our next rotation of our internship. I'll be heading to the kitchen for three months. I'm definitely excited after really enjoying my week-long return during winter training. It looks look I'll at least be starting with the AM shift for February and then it is possible I'll get a taste of PM in March or April.

Before I go, here's an intern photo from Christmas. From left to right are: Luke (Illinois), Dani (Connecticut), me, Octavia (Florida), Patrick (Colorado), Lee Ann (South Carolina), Joseph (Virginia), Erin (Michigan), and Mike (New York). Thanks for your prayers for the nine of us as we prepare for our new rotations and trip to Nicaragua.

Blessings!

Winter Training and Storming...

Hey everyone! Well Winter Training is wrapping up here at SharpTop. Well I should say we're in the process of wrapping it up. The winter weather of snow, ice, sleet, and rain over the past couple of days has hindered the departure process for field staff. We're hoping everyone will be able to head back home safely soon.

Over the past week or so I have been working in the kitchen as an AM Cook. It was really fun being able to work with 6 of the other interns in the kitchen as well and we had a great group of cooks and pits crew (dishwashers) from Murfreesboro, TN. I also really enjoyed being able to translate my kitchen knowledge from last summer to SharpTop's kitchen. Although there are some differences in how things are prepared in this kitchen, as opposed to Timber Wolf, I found that I felt extremely comfortable jumping right in with the cooking, serving, and supervising throughout the week.

Alongside enjoying being back in the kitchen, I really loved the connections made with so many good people here. I was able to reconnect with many staff who were on assigned team at Timber Wolf last summer, talk to people who I led with in Eastern Ottawa and student staff, and met many other amazing staff from around the country. Relationships are a big part of this ministry, so it was no surprise that this was one of the biggest highlights for me.

Now we (the interns) are taking care of the remaining field staff who are still at camp and gearing up for the post-winter training clean up process. Then, it's back to our departments (maintenance for me) for a couple of weeks before beginning new rotations at the beginning of February. Finally, before we know it, our mission trip to Nicaragua will be here in just over a month. Many things to look forward to, but for now trying to take advantage of living each day in the here and now to the fullest. Thanks for your continued prayers for this internship. Blessings!

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!