branded: oasis church camp 2014

Here's the second post recapping my #monumentalsummer! Enjoy the memories, the photos and everything else I can pile into this word box!

As I mentioned in my #monumentalsummer post, I was BEYOND stoked to head back to camp this year. God had begun such a work in me the year before, and I knew He was going to again. I was almost fearful though, because while I knew and shared with others that God had something BIG for us this year, I didn't know if that was meant solely for my life, our amazing group, or the camp as a whole.

I absolutely LOVE going to camp as a counselor. Don't get me wrong--being a camper in my middle school and high school days was GREAT. My mom went as a counselor for a couple of years, and even today we as a family still recall the memories and laugh--almost uncontrollably--when we think about the awesome times at Lake Texoma. But as a counselor, there's more of an investment in what's going on and in the lives of the students. And regardless of whether I'm a camper or counselor...I still pack like I'm going on a two-week excursion. 

I filled up the entire back seat of Mom's car!

I LOVE our group of students. We actually had three students join us that none of us really knew--two were teens of a missionary family our church supports and the other was a girl who knew the two teens. I'm so thankful that our group welcomed them with open arms as if they were faithful students in 180. (We miss y'all, Noah, Rachel and Stefani!!)

LOVE them all!

And beyond that, specifically, our girls' group was AMAZING! They got along so well and we had so much fun hanging out around camp and in the dorms (ESPECIALLY in the dorms!!) Admittedly, I LOVE taking selfies but at the same time I SUCK at them beyond belief. This was the first of TONS of selfies I took over the course of the week. =)

...and this is why I suck at selfies. #foreheadonly

The mornings of camp were filled with team games (RED TEAM!...Our name was WAR--We Are Redeemed) and sadly, I'm not the best counselor to motivate students. Honestly, I really just watched and cheered for them--I didn't even play.

I helped a little with the flag :)

In the afternoon, several activities were lined up around the camp like swimming, the Blob (or the Bloob, according to Kendale LOL) and my favorites, archery and rifling. It was during these two activities that I was able to spend time with several of the students on an individual and just enjoy life together. 

And in the evenings, we were able to hang out as a youth group and wander the camp. On the second night, we played my favorite game, human foosball (which, in and of itself, is a shocker because it's such an active game and if you know me, I'm the walking definition of lazy). We also played sand volleyball (again--me out of my comfort zone!) and my son Chris was AMAZING at it!

human foosball!

Day three...halfway through...if I had never gotten out of my comfort zone before...in my LIFE!, this was the day. Thanks to Jimmy Fallon, John Krasinski and Emma Stone for being my motivation as I did a Lip-Sync Off to one of my favorites--a classic, Bye Bye Bye from NSYNC (hashtag: EMBARRASSING) .

After lunch this day, the camp speaker looked straight at me and said, "Belinda, I didn't know you had those kind of moves in you."

 ...I didn't either.

That night was actually the day I attempted to take selfies with all of our students. Sadly, I think I missed a couple, but I had fun doing it. And then the next day, some of our students showed me how SUPER TALENTED they are with their rousing rendition of "Let it Go". Hashtag I love our teens.

Our last night, we had a DANCE PARTY! with glow sticks (I was hoping beyond belief we would have one. I even told our girls and they were like "Is this what you wanted?" ...YES.) And then, we had our epic youth group battle which was hilarious and messy and loud and included ice cream that everyone ate out of one bucket (which, now when I think about that, it's really kind of gross.) This led to the EPIC shaving cream fight, which I loved and where I screamed like a little girl each time our kids would spray me, and I still managed to take selfies while I was a literal white mess. =)

with rachel...

...and michael...

...and hailey! 

That last morning was bittersweet--for all the fun we had, it was ending. I took like a BUNCH of pictures that morning of our group and their new friends. I tried taking a "family photo" with "my kids" during our lunch stop in Post, and here's what we came up with (and these aren't even all my "kids".)

my kids chris, hailey and stefani. and my apparent granddaughter elizabeth took the photo :)

Yeah, the week was amazingly awesome and fun and memory-filled.

But this blog would be pointless if I didn't tell you about the most important parts of camp: the music, the messages and the actual Jesus aspect of camp.

group selfie with jt and stormi from breakaway

We were blessed with Breakaway, the praise band from Baptist Bible College. Musically, they were exceptional, but they really made an effort to get to know our students and spend time with them. They helped out with the games and their set list was awesome. When I taught the youth the week after camp, all the songs I picked were from camp. Not just because they were familiar, but because our youth grabbed on to the truth of the lyrics. There's nothing better than seeing teens dwell in the midst of musical worship and meet with God in the songs.

Our speaker, Ed Vernoy, was outstanding. And super nice. He saw me sitting there before our counselor meeting and just started talking to me and asking about me (along with that dreaded question, "are you here with your husband?" nope.). I even enjoyed his company during meals, talking about my family and reading and he truly took an interest.

His lessons were fantastic. He took us through the life of Daniel throughout the entire week, and I LOVED that we had a sermon series going on. They were easy to understand and I took SO MANY notes during the week. And honestly, I hate taking notes. I'm of the opinion that if it's important, I'll remember it, but there was so much truth spoken that I had to get it written. God wanted me to have it written, because it was during these times that He was really getting a hold of my heart.

my ever-so-messy camp notes.

Camp isn't just for the teens. It's for every single person that shows up. God has something for each of us. Going into camp, there were so many things weighing on my heart that I didn't want to serve as a distraction to my ministry to our students. I didn't want them to get in the way of being ministered to, as well. And sadly, some of those things showed up. I was confused. But it was like Brother Ed spoke about, confusion is okay. We might not know what's going on, but God does. He's got it.

There was this one area of my life, specifically, that God wanted the both of us to look at during the week. I was clinging so tightly to it, it moved me to tears during the lessons and even after the services. And even now, over a month later, I don't cling as tightly to it but I'm still as confused as ever about it. Camp is meant to be more than an emotional experience--it's a springboard to what's ahead. I read a quote that said one week of youth camp is equivalent to two years of youth ministry. For it to have that much of an impact in a life--even though I'm not a student, it HAS to go beyond the emotions.

My prayer is that I wasn't the only one who heard from God at camp. I don't think I was, but I earnestly hope that God spoke to hearts, teens and counselors alike. I know He did with a few of our girls who made decisions during that week, and in one of those instances God used me and she accepted Christ. And there's little signs and observations that He's doing a work within us--our youth ministry, individuals and in our counselors.

And I'm EXCITED to see where He's gonna take us.