Yes, I got this from the camp website... no, my method probably wasn't legal (copypasting the whole screen into paint and cutting the picture). But I don't have my pics developed yet so this will do. Plus it's a lovely picture of all of us, eh?
left to right: Elizabeth, Danielle, me, Ashley, Kristen, Tyleasha, Brittany, Kassie and Emily.
In the nine days or less that I've spent at Camp Patmos, one thing has become really, really clear: this is no ordinary place. No, Patmos is a retreat in every sense of the word, an entire other world where nothing bad can touch anyone. Maybe it's the lake, maybe it's the sunshine, or more likely, maybe it's God's doing. It's peaceful like nothing else. Everyone gets along perfectly and everyone grows in their faith. You can't avoid it. My week was no different.
1. First of all, I had such a great time with everybody, as soon as we got to the church Monday morning I think we could all just tell, this was going to be a ton of fun, and boy it sure was. It felt like the whole camp was the same way, there was just this happy-excited vibe everywhere. I can't remember another time when it was so easy to just chill and be myself. And that includes the staff, I bet I could've walked up to any of them and come away with a friend or at least a smile. We also got to spend a lot of time with the Jackson family and they're some of the greatest people ever. And of course there were the eight of us plus Mrs. Kozy in AJ4... you guys are wicked amazing. So you pair these incredible people with a few crazy activities/games/etc. and some beautiful weather and too few hours of sleep and you get way too much fun.
2. I turned fourteen at 3:33 p.m. on Thursday, July 20. I found out later that I was on a boat at that time after a wild tubing adventure (well, a very careful wild tubing adventure because this was the day after the chin incident haha) with Kristen. The camp sang to me in a.m. chapel because my cabin-mates are lovely people like that and arranged it. I'm pretty sure this was the day we saw a snake eating a fish... wow gross. but it was a fabulous day except for that.
3. Then there's the other side, maybe the real side, of camp: what happens in chapel and on the shore, I guess it's what happens in our hearts. God really spoke to me this week through P.D., His Word, the devotions, you guys, even the songs. I remember listening on Monday night to P.D.'s first message and thinking "this is going to be quite a week." A lot of my doubts were cleared up this week and for some reason that was really hard. By (I think) Wednsday night, I'd realized that suddenly most of my doubts about Christianity had been proven unfounded. I'm not sure why but I found myself desperately searching for something I could argue. When I could come up with nothing I was... well, at a loss for words. I've spent this past year arguing, finding a difference almost weekly between Catholicsism and Christianity, or finding a verse I didn't understand, and giving it to Emily to defend; of course she never failed. But it wasn't until Thursday, over a year after I was saved, that I had no reason to doubt that salvation. That was a powerful feeling. I remember sitting there by the shore, only a few hours into being fourteen, after an intense message from P.D. about what it really means to be saved. The following morning we got to do our own devotions and I ended up in Romans 8 , and jumping into my face were the words "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." For the first time in a long time I think I understood that I don't understand, if that makes any sense. I think I finally got that sometimes there's no one to blame, some things just had to happen and I may never know the reason. It's been the hardest thing to find something I feel I can honestly and totally believe in, but now, I know it's the truth. God used this place and this week and these people to fill me with peace, a reassurance that He will never leave me or forsake me.
And I'm not going to finish this off saying I can't wait to go back. I mean, I can't, I'm psyched for Banished (hopefully I'll be there, and my brother might come too if we're lucky and Dan will go) and of course next summer, but I must admit I'm pretty psyched to be home too. I'm ready to go out there and share what I've learned over the past year and bring Jesus to the world (or bring the world to Jesus if you like). I'm ready for high school and whatever it brings, as long as I stay devoted to studying the Word and praying- haha, devoted to my devotions- I can stay close to God and bring His light to others. I can be salty and slow down the decay of this crazy world. But one thing P.D. said really got to me, the thing about how your Christian friends should be your closest friends. I don't have a ton of Christian friends outside of church, just a few others at school who I'm not very close to and maybe two or three at ballet. So will you guys hold me to accountability? it would be amazing if yes.
So I'm going to close this instead with a quote I saw on Emily's wall when we got back to the Kozy's house that really seemed to sum up the whole week, excuse the loose paraphrase because I don't remember it exactly-
"A lighthouse doesn't run around beating people with its light.
It just shines." -anonymous
