I should be asleep because 5:45 a.m. is gonna come early, but I think I'm just going to write a little before i get there.
Today a family of about 70 people went their separate ways from camp. It has to happen. There are some days when you welcome the idea of sleep and fewer responsibilities, and there are some days that you want to run screaming in the other direction. I mean, the place is so incredibly blessed that it almost seems magical.
A month and a half ago, i showed up at this place in dark depths of dispair. I mean, I was competing with the San Andres fault, and the earths iron core was starting to get a little nervous. At home, I am surrounded by people who love me, but at camp, I was surrounded by strangers who loved me. They loved me for simple reasons like an extra hand to clean up a bathroom, or somebody else to help set the dining hall. But still, they welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like I had been there from the very beginning. But, just love can't break down the walls that I had built.
That's where God decided I needed a direct line. As in... "Jordan... I love you. You are lovable by yourself. Your mistakes are gone, and you just have to forgive..." Right smack in the middle of the dining hall while I was putting out forks for Wednesday dinner. Kid you freaking not. I walked into the dining hall probably a little worse than a mess... and I walked out with a new purpose in my life. Staff worship was focused on healing. So, after I came to terms with everything that I needed to move past in life, Pastor Mary swooped in and told a powerful story on healing, and made it interactive. By the time I walked out of that craft lodge, I knew that I was going to be just fine. I knew how blessed I was. And I knew that I was on my way to being happier than I had been in a long time.
I just had no idea how amazing this happiness would feel.
I just got back from spending just half a week with these people. And I feel so rejuvenated. This time, it was my faith. I've been so happy lately, and I've just moved away from the real reason I experience this happiness - because God gave it to me. I can't express how powerful the Spirit was this week. How I just couldn't stop myself from smiling as I sang praises this morning. How I was so happy that I had to laugh out loud during the Friday night closing circle with E*Hill. And how I felt like I had died and gone to heaven while standing between Janet and Rebecca and trying to do the motions to Lord I Lift Your Name On High while still holding hands. Everything about camp just makes me feel so full of the Spirit.
And all of this happened in just 11 days.
I have to admit that I wouldn't have been so open to all of these transformations had it not been for the incredible people both at camp and outside of camp. Camp is the catalyst, the thing that grabs me and says, "Hey, shut up and listen for a second. You are about to miss something really important" but I couldn't have done it without the prayers, the encouragement, and the tons of time that people have spent listening to me.
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