"I figured out my talent here when I was 11. I can breath underwater. I can go back and forth so many times. Dare me, I'll do it."

Friday morning bible study was one of my favorites that I've had with this group in awhile. Want to know why it was so great? Because they were asking questions and thinking through answer and wanting to figure things out. I love when I see Junior High kids get passionate about their faith. 

Grace, Maddie, Sydney and Lauren get the award for the "Most Likely To Visit My Room Every Passing Period." They might have to share the award with Meredith and Sarah too. I love these kids and can't believe a whole year with them is getting close to the end. I can't wait for them all to experience Wyld Life camp at the start of the summer.

After school I headed to Tecumseh for the Summer 2015 Coordinator Training. All of the directors, village directors and unit coordinators gather together for three days of training, brainstorming, planning and community. It's a weekend I always look forward to and it feels like the first little start of the summer. Friday night included introductions, a walk to the new Green Cathedral, the new River Village game and some wild games of Farkle.

One part of Saturday morning was a crazy awesome team building activity that none of these coords had ever experienced before.

Team Brave-- Molly Henry and Jack McGee

Team Pathfinder- Fabiano and Abby Bien

Team Warrior- John Henry and Emily Harlow

Team Blazer- Mike Jones and Erin O'Awesome

By the end of it our teams new each other a little bit better and we had a clearer picture of how important it is for all of us to work together through out the summer.

As the CILT Coord, I don't have a counterpart during this weekend like the rest of the counselors. I'll get to brainstorm and plan and train with other three CILT counselors next weekend, which I'm so pumped about, but this weekend I get to spend time with these awesome people. I love my friends Erin, Molly and Abby-- as Joel reminded me, all of the girl Coords this summer were once my campers. 

I love Emily and Dayna and how they're such great friends. Whether they're sharing Mike and Ikes or holding hands as we walk across camp-- they take care of each other.

It was a rainy weekend, but we found a little bit of sun to run out to Main Field, our home base in the summer.

There are so many things that still need to happen before summer, but the time will fly. There are only five weeks till we're back here for staff training with 120 counselors.

In just six weeks the first set of campers will be moving into their cabins, bursting with energy and anticipation for the best week of their whole year. 

Lucky for us, both Lillia and Elijah came to dinner with their moms Mel and Renee. 

Mike had to leave to chaperone the Kokomo HS Prom with Mel later that night. Then our well-dressed bosses, Tom and Joel, announced that we would be attending Prom as well. 

We stormed the costume closet and got dressed in the very best.

The employees and other customers in Dairy Queen weren't quite sure what was going on when we all rolled in with these ensembles.

There's a Just Dance set up in the back room and you better believe that we all took turns dancing. Camp people are all sorts of funny and weird and creative and up for anything.

Sunday I finished more bracelets as we talked, practiced presenting, worked on Unit goals and finished up with a cookout in the Riv.

I'm exhausted from late nights but incredibly excited for this upcoming summer. I feel confident in this team of counselors and directors and can't wait to get started.

Honorable Mention Blog Titles

*If Sarah Wright can farkle anyone can farkle. 

*I think I'm allergic to blizzards.

*Thank God for your thin shoulders.

*Are you mad at me? I LOVE camp.

*I'm not even going to smile because there's no hope.

*You can say old if you want, but I feel like a spring chicken.

*Neath these tall green trees we PREY!

"Just make sure I'm in my lulu pants and everybody is eating spaghetti and meatballs."

On a normal FBC day the girls work on bracelets that they've brought with them or they use a pattern on their phone to figure out a new one. But today I was brave. Today I agreed to teach the Sharkteeth pattern to seven girls. I learned from my friend Hope when she sat beside me and taught me what to do each step of the way. So we forgot about playing a game and just dove in. It took us 25 minutes to make the first square at the top-- friendship braceleting is not for the impatient. But the girls pushed through and next week we'll continue to next section. 

Julia and I got to play for a little while this afternoon. Hanging out with her is always fun because she's so kind, joyful and up for anything. Today our itinerary included a trip to the softball fields to see Katy, Genna, Ashley, Shelby, Madi and Kaylee in action and to bring a strawberry lemonade to Hannah who was there working for a class. Sports!

Tonight I attended a Celebration of Life for the father of two YL kids. He died suddenly last week and it's an understatement to say that he will be missed. I didn't have the honor of knowing this man, but I could speak to his greatness simply because I know two of his four children. Tonight we listened to family members and friends recall memories, speak of his characters and celebrate his passions. This man will be remembered most of all for his love of his family and friends. I wonder what you will be remembered for. I wonder if you're living a life that you will be proud of.

"I probably miss you 99% of my day. No, I actually just miss you all the time. 100% of it for sure."

I've been a little MIA from the blogging world for the last couple days but I've been staying busy...

Monday before YL I got to meet up with my friend Mel and her daughter Lillia. I'm excited that I'll get to see them both at Tecumseh this summer. 

Tuesday I was a timer at the Junior High's first home track meet. It was windy and mildly freezing, but totally worth it because I got to cheer on awesome kids like Fudge. 

Wednesday afternoon I reunited with my great friends Taylor and Allison. Taylor just returned from her grand adventure all over Europe and it was a necessity that we caught up. 

Taylor told us stories about her friends from Denmark, the rudest people in Pere Pinion, the kindest people are always Brazilians, swimming in the Mediterranean at midnight, living in 4 outfits for 80 days, shopping your hair off with a woman that doesn't speak English and kind host dads in Ireland. She really had the most fun. 

I got to gift both friends with canvases that hopefully speak to the phase of life that they're both in right now. I love these girls immensely. We still reminisce about the year we met when I got to be their YL leader their Senior year of HS. Somehow we packed four years of craziness, authenticity and road trips into those two semesters. 

 We just started talking about blogs in class this week and my kids are each writing their own. I tell them about Momastery, Young House Love, the Pioneer Woman, Michael Hyatt, Enjoying the Small Things and Storyline and I could just go on and on but have to cut myself off. Today I got this link to a new resource  called Five Things You Need To Know Before You Get Married from our friends at Storyline. I think it's good reading no matter what stage of life you're in.

Know what else I love? Finding selfies on my phone from kids like Sydney, Maddie and Grace. That Janelle Dewolf thought of me when someone dropped off this little porcelain doll for the Market at the Barn. She had KCraig bring it to me so that Annabelle can have a little sister.

Wednesday night Conner, Jess, KCraig and I gathered together to plan our last Campaigners of the year, talked about the first chapter of hurt, went through survey answers from our HS kids and dreamed about Wyld Life things. I'm so glad I get to be in community with these people.

"I wish I could trade hair with you and have that bob. I think I came out of the womb with a bob."

I love the song From The Day by I Am They. It's been on replay in my car for months, we talked about it in bible study last week and tonight it inspired Campaigners. Last week Chloe asked me if she could make a suggestion, "I think we need to hear more people's stories. My friends and I need to hear why people believe."

The song says, "From the day you saved my soul, till the very moment when I go home, I'll sing, I'll dance, my heart will overflow. From the day you saved my soul." On their website, band members have shared their own From The Day stories. They write about what led them to following Christ and making a relationship with him. It got us thinking about our own From The Day stories.

We learned the chorus of the song tonight and intermittently leaders stood up and shared their stories. KCraig, Scott, Jackie and Mike each have a unique story that brought them to where they are today. I love that no two stories are the same, there's no right way to get to know God. He meets us where we are, he puts specific people in our lives, he can redeem any situation. 

Then for about 10 minutes all of us had the chance to write down our From The Day story. Many of the kids in YL have made the decision to follow Christ, some are still figuring out and asking questions, others know a lot about God but don't know if they want to give everything over to Him. Wherever we're at, we've all got a story to tell.

For the last half hour we split into groups to share our stories with each other. Groups were all mixed up and crazy tonight which was perfect for this. I got to sit in a circle with Huffer, Beuoy, Karl the cool dragon, DMont, Hannah, Julia, Morgan, Chloe, Es, Olivia and Megan. One by one we each told our story--either by reading what we wrote or just talking. It was raw and honest and vulnerable and brave and so very cool. I feel like I got to know these kids so much better tonight.

Part of the story I shared,

I grew up in the church, listening to Adventures in Odyssey, competing in the Bible Bowl at Delphi United Methodist, singing in the balcony at church and going to Sunday School. I was always a "Christian." But I think the switch from knowing a lot about God to actually knowing God happened during all my summers as a camp kid at Tecumseh. In the Green Cathedral chapel, in devotion circles, in the songs at the end of closing campfire, in my friendships with counselors, under the green leaves and the stars that shine so bright I learned to really love God. Camp made him real to me-- more than just an idea, God was someone that loved me and wanted to be my friend.

My faith became a relationship that has continued to grow. I continue to learn that he can't be fit into a box or just one church. I get a bigger, more beautiful picture of this God I love in so many places. My faith has grown from leading Young Life in Holland, Carmel and HSE. From attending Mars Hill, Common Ground and Northview. From reading books by Bob Goff, Shauna Niequist, Donald Miller and Glennon Doyle Melton. From listening to music from people like Superchick, 10th Avenue North, Rend Collective and Christ Tomlin. From being a counselor and a teacher. From friendships with so many different kinds of kids and adults. From writing and praying and listening. From the day he saved my soul, my identity and purpose have been rooted in him.

I'm thankful that Chloe asked if we could switch things up. I'm thankful that I'm part of a team of leaders that will be transparent with kids and that they'll do the same with us. I'm thankful that God has stepped into each of our lives and that we're writing our story together. I'm thankful that these stories are not over yet.