Last Sunday night, we finally arrived at Lake Ann Camp!! We
moved our stuff into cabins with the other counselors and then set up our
equipment… until we realized that in the chaos of trying to find the trusses to
take with us, we forgot that we also needed to bring the projectors, and
screen, and all the extra pieces we needed to set up the trussing system!! Jim called Colin
with a plan, and the next morning Caleb and Dane left to meet Jim halfway-ish
to get everything from him. But we got all our other stuff set up just in time
for the counselors to get out of their meeting; my good friends Trisha and
Kelsey came running into the chapel and gave me huge hugs! Soon after I saw my
future roommate Stephanie, along with all the other familiar faces from last
year. We joined the staff for their night hike and got to see the starry night
sky. Let me tell you, stars anywhere else cannot compare to stars at Lake Ann.
We also got to see Saturn through Brandon’s telescope!
On Monday and Tuesday, our team alternated between rehearsing music and joining the
counselors for Facilitator Training for the Initiatives Course. It was great to reconnect with old counselors and meet new counselors
through that whole process; we hung out with them during free time and
participated in the Initiatives Course with them. It was also awesome to
rehearse music and write some new intros; we borrowed a few musical ideas from
other artists and combined them with our favorite songs to create an entirely
different flavor. We played a new game I like to call “How Many Genres Can We
Use In ‘Romans 16:19’ At One Time?” and also combined the theme from Coldplay’s
song “Charlie Brown” with our song “Set Free,” and when we recorded it we
labeled it “Set Charlie Brown Free!” (unfortunately we can’t share that
recording with anyone for copyright reasons).
There was a time back in the fall when Dane and I were in
the van talking about all the things we wanted to do this summer, and one of
them was seeing the Horse Whisperer Demonstration that all the high school
campers get to see. We always missed it last summer because of our chapel
schedule, and we missed it training week because Tommy wanted to rehearse
(he actually just hates horses). I remember Dane screaming, “Colin! We have to
see the Horse Whisperer!” and the strange look we got in the rearview mirror
from our TL. Over time we explained to him what it was, and when we found out
that they would be doing it again this summer, we made a point to see it during
training week this year. So on Wednesday afternoon we joined the counselors on
the bus to Casa del Sol Ranch and met horse trainers Mark and Kae. Their unique
way of training horses focuses on a horse’s natural behaviors and building
trust in the human rider as opposed to actual vigorous training. They brought
out 4 horses and showed us the different ways that they behave and respond to
Mark’s voice and actions. Afterwards we debriefed in groups, drawing out the
spiritual implications and talking about how the relationship between Mark and
the horses is like the relationship God has with us. It was so powerful, and I
was so happy I finally got to see it.
Now you’re probably thinking that the week is winding down
at this point… NOPE! We left Thursday morning for the Mighty Pine River for the
counselor Fresh Start Trip. For them, it is 3 days of rafting and hardcore
camping, a time to bond with each other and practice for when they will take
their own campers on this trip. We went along with them, but only for 2 of the
days so we could get some rest in for this weekend. I am definitely NOT the
type of person who likes camping; I like my running water and flushing toilet.
But for only 2 days, it was actually a pretty fun trip. We were separated into
different rafts and got to know our groups really well as we asked each other
questions and got stuck on and under tree branches and rocks. It was a cool
time for me to get to know a couple of the girls that I didn’t know before, one
of which was Kayla who goes to the same school my sister goes to. We got into a
really long conversation about how following Christ looks much different in a
Christian environment as opposed to a non-Christian environment. The other
great thing about the trip was the food! Who knew how delicious and filling
Good Ole Raisins and Peanuts (Gorp) could be?
On Friday night we got in the van to leave after dinner, and
then realized it was already 9:30! After over 24 hours without our cell phones
and watches, we were totally psychologically thrown off as far as time goes. It
was SO REFRESHING to be free from being a slave to the clock and to my phone,
to enter into a new culture, so to speak, and focus on one step at a time without
a concept of time. The best part about the trip was the Solo Time after we got
off the river on Friday. I think they said it was a couple hours long. We
spread out all around the campground and chapel area and got to just read our
Bibles and journal and think and pray, with absolutely no distraction except
the beauty around us. I loved being able to journal about things that were
going on with me spiritually and then study a part of Philippians (that by
God’s design applied EXACTLY to what I had just been writing about) and finally
pray for my team, the LA staff, the other HeartSong teams, my friends and
family back home, and myself. After that we had dinner, and then our team left.
When we got back to Lake Ann, it was dark enough for a Team Bonfire. By this
time Abby, Ashtyn, and I had moved into our Koas for the summer, which surround a cute little fire pit that’s perfect for team times. This was
the first time all week we had been able to focus on our “team health,” so to
speak, discussing what has been going on and where we can go from here as far
as our ministry goes. We went over the first chapter of our team devotional study
and prayed for each other. By the time we were done, it was so late that we
didn’t really get much sleep before we had to get up to pack our trailer and
leave for our weekend church.
We arrived at First
Baptist Church of Okemos, MI on Saturday afternoon, and I immediately
recognized it from last summer! It was neat to see a lot of familiar faces (and
try to remember names). We ate dinner, hung out, and played for the youth
group on Saturday night; we also had a few prospective students from the area
come to visit and see us play! And even though it was a small group, they were
super responsive; we even had one kid attempt to crowd surf during “Go!”
This morning was another great time of worship with the
church congregation. They loved singing along with us, especially during “We
Will Glorify”; during that song I pulled out my earbud to listen to the congregation sing along.
We met a lot of really cool people who loved our music. Plus, our friend Heidi,
who was on Red Team last year, came to visit and see us play! It was so cool to
see her again and catch up a little bit. While we were tearing down, the pastor’s
kids (3 young children adopted from China) all wanted to help us with
EVERYTHING! They made tearing down slow but fun. Afterwards, we all went out to
a Chinese buffet for lunch (I had a déjà vu moment from last year) before
hopping on the van to go back to LA.
And so here I am again, in the van on a Sunday afternoon,
reflecting back on all the crazy things that happened in only a week! For most of
these things I could go into a lot more detail, but then this post would be
too long for you to want to read. It’s like what John said at the end of his
book: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written
down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books
that would be written” (John 21:25). God has already worked in my life in ways
that are too incredible and intricate for me to talk about in just one blog
post, not to mention the ways He’s worked in the lives of my teammates and everyone
we’ve met. Here’s to tomorrow, to the start of the first week for campers and the start of a whole new week of indescribable works of our Lord!
Until the next inadequate post, Soli Deo Gloria!
~Deanna
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