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.