Camp Life

Guys...this is where I work.
I know.
It's ridiculous how beautiful it is.
And honestly, I hardly ever take it for granted.
I still take photos of amazing sunsets like this at least once a week.
I still sit on the sandy shore and soak it all in.

This is summer number 15 here.
Sometimes I can't even believe it.
Other times I wonder if I've ever done any thing else in life.
College?
Was that real?
Did I really have a life that involved summer vacations?

Sometimes God completely blindsides you and knocks your plans totally out of whack.
Sometimes He has something prepared for you that you couldn't even begin to imagine.
That was what camp was for me.
Completely out of the blue, it was dropped in my lap.

And now, as I'm deep into this summer, I'm again in awe of how ministry works.
It is hard.
Probably the hardest thing I've ever done.
Grueling, humbling, exhausting.
It is also beyond words amazing.
One of the best things I've ever done.
Laughter, friendship, joy.

For those of you who have lived in the camp world, I know you get it.
We could talk about eating junk food and Popsicles when it's 5,000 degrees outside.
We could talk about being so tired that every little thing is funny/hysterical/the best.
We could talk about how kids are the craziest, funniest, most challenging little people.
We could talk about the difference between camp friends and non-camp friends.
And you would get it.

There is something so unique and amazing about camp ministry...
Something that I love and will love until my dying day.
Even in the exhausting thick of it, I always want more.