Follow The Shepherd Home: Summer 2012

The Place to Be...

Any of y’all that know me know my love for summer camp. I really think Twin Lakes is one of the best places on this earth and jokingly always tell people it’s a “glimpse” of what heaven will be like. This is mainly because of the community there, which I will talk about later!

This past summer was the second year I’ve spent working at camp and it was absolutely amazing, once again. The first summer I worked I was a counselor on Lakeside (the little kiddos, usually 8-9 year olds.) I loved every minute of it. But this past summer I was the LIT director- LITs are “leaders in training” which are 13-15 year olds who come to camp to serve and learn what that means in the name of Christ. I was anxious whenever I found out the job (going from 8 year olds to 13 year olds is a huge jump.) But let me tell you, I ended up absolutely LOVING it and God taught me so much.

My favorite verses this summer were Colossians 4:2-6-

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison- that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

I can start by saying that my summer would not have been the same without the other 3 LIT directors I worked with. It’s so amazing how God worked out everything so perfectly. The other girl LIT director was Kristin and I could NOT have made it without this girl. She is one of the most wonderful people you’ll ever meet and shines the light of Christ to all she meets. She is extremely energetic, positive, and so much fun to be around! It’s safe to say we were together 20 hours of every day and never once bothered each other. I’m so thankful for her constant encouragement, the laughter she always brings, and the love she has for Christ. We worked with two different guy LIT directors, Justin was the first 2 weeks, and Brandon was the last 5 weeks! This summer was Justin’s third summer being LIT director so he knew the ropes. His passion for the program and love he had for the LITs was always so exciting to see. Justin is always bringing the fun and such a hard worker. Brandon took over after two weeks and did a great job. He was always so goofy and had such good spirits about everything. My experience as LIT director wouldn’t have been the same without these three awesome people.

This is Kristin, my other half this summer (literally and figuratively- we were playing siamese twins in this particular skit) She's probably the greatest person ever! So thankful for this sister I have in Christ!

This is JUSTIN! (the one kneeling in Maroon) This guy is so great and was so much fun to work with. I think this picture shows how much the guy LITs loved him and how silly he is!

This is Brandon, aka B-Dawg. We love being awkward together (hence the picture) and enjoying riding around on the gator blowing up pretend bird. Brandon did such a good job with the LITs and I'm so thankful for him!

I could sit down with you and tell you a ton of stories from the summer about these precious LITs. I know that technically I was their “director” meaning I instructed them (and my hope and prayer is that I did) but they taught me so much. Even though each week was a new set of 30 kids and they were different, I noticed one thing usually was pretty much the same.

First group of LITs!!! Loved these kids so much.

At the end of each week I’d always ask the girls what their favorite part of camp was during one-on-ones and SO many of them would always say “All the people here at camp. I’ve loved hanging out with the other LITs and all the staff. Everyone here is so nice and I feel like I can be myself.” This was so cool to me! To me this was them just showing the human nature and how we are made for community and relationships, and most importantly a community bonded in Christ. It was just neat to see them indirectly show the need and longing they have for those companionships in their words, but not always see that what made Twin Lakes so special is that it’s Christ centered. So I felt like God always gave me the opportunity to point that out to them. To show them that when a group of believers are working towards a common goal (sharing the gospel) beautiful things happen and God will bless those relationships. Because I know for me, even growing up in the Church, didn’t realize what a strong need we have for Christian community until after spending a summer at Twin Lakes.

My sweet, hilarious Anna from week one! This girl means so much to me!

Epic picture... Our photographer caught us breaking the picnic table mid picture! Absolutely priceless!

One huge part of the LIT program is working in the Dining Halls. This is To-To and Adriana, two of the kitchen ladies. I absolutely adored both of them and we all became like family.

Acting like Raptors :)

Wild Wednesday grilling- a weekly event! We love RESA!!!

I cannot fully explain how much Twin Lakes means to me. It’s truly amazing to see the power of Christ lived out in those who love him. God is at work, all the time, and it’s so amazing to see and hear about how He’s working in the lives of his children.