Summer 10

Wow.....where do I begin? This has been the greatest summer of my life! I knew it was going to be good, but not like this! I went from Prescott, AZ to New Orleans, LA back to Phoenix, then I did Vacation Bible School, then I went to Glorieta, NM! And worked in between it all! To top it all off, I turned 18 and graduated from High School! Who could've asked for a better summer!?

Prescott, AZ......Kids Camp! I had the opportunity of becoming a counselor for my churches annual Kids Camp. The theme this year was Holy Armor, The Armor of God! It was a great week, and I spent it with some great people. Whether I was hearing kids scream, "COMMANDER, COMMANDER" (my nickname for the week) or I was hanging out with Aaron Whiteley, Bailey Williams, and Rachel Butler eating junk food, listening to music and partying it up, it was so good. What I loved most was that I was leading worship for them after playing guitar for only a few short months, and I would say it went well! That week is going to be a week I shall never forget!

Now onto New Orleans! It was my last Mission Trip with Living Water! It was an amazing week! I got to know more people and had NO DRAMA, a first for me when it comes to Mission Trip, haha. But that week we were helping the St. Bernard Project with some serious problems left over from Hurricane Katrina, yes 5 years after the great storm there are still houses untouched! Although I had never sweat more and worked harder in my life, I would say it was one of the best Mission Trips I had been on, not just because of the work projects, but also due to the fact that I met some great people and had one particular experience. It was our last worship concert of the week and it was my favorite. Not because we were leaving but because God was so evident there. It was my first time sharing my testimony, and it won't be the last! It may have been small, but it was awesome!

Ah, VBS! This year the theme was Saddle Ridge Ranch! I was a leader in the Recreation department. It was my job to let the kids play games, while learn about Jesus! I had done rec the past 4 or 5 years, but this year was different. We had a new rec leader, Brian McCoy, but what was so different was the fact that he put me in charge! I had to pick the games, arrange when to play, and figure out how to make them more fun than they were. The truth is, after the first day I epically failed! I couldn't believe it. But the next day came around and I started making up my own games, and the kids really enjoyed them. I also was able to be part of the Worship Rally dramas and dances. I was the infamous Saddle Ridge Ranch Bandit every day! I got caught, every day but they let me go cause I promised to follow Jesus and to help out! Now the dances.....that was a fun sight! I learned them on stage in front of everyone during the Worship Rally! The kids noticed and I was embarrassed! But oh well, it was fun and SO worth it!

Camp, Camp, Camp! There is really no way to describe it this year, but indescribable! It was my highlight for the Summer! I didn't really like the band or pastor very much, but my Bible Study, The Stallions, reigned supreme over all the other groups! My bible study was unique, and the moment I walked into those doors, I knew something was off. But was I wrong! It wasn't off it was extraordinary! In the first five minutes everyone seemed to ignore the fact that we are from all over the country and dove right into awesome friendships! We all had gotten along but for me in particular I get to know 4 individuals, Cassie, Chaz, Ray and Ethan. These kids were amazing! They cheered as loud as they could, They ran around as much as possible and most of all they loved each other! The first day of rec came, and I knew we needed to show the other groups who we were! So at the rec rally, I grabbed the flag stood in front of our group and started chanting STALLIONS, STALLIONS, STALLIONS! to the point where my voice was going away. I then shouted WHO ARE WE!? and the group repeated, STALLIONS! and we did that to the point where my voice did go away! That day we won the Spirit Cup and showed who we were! The week went on this was pretty much every day, then Mega came up! We tried our hardest, but sadly we lost by a few seconds. We cheered on the group who won and moved on. To this day, one month after camp, the Stallions are still in contact and we are  planning a reunion this winter! Oh yeah, good year at camp!

Now, I start school in about 2 weeks and I am excited! I am all registered and ready to start the beginning of the rest of my life!