Week Seven: Lessons Learned

I mentioned that I'm learning lots about myself and others this summer. I knew the Lord wanted to open my eyes this summer when I signed up. But I could never guess what I would be learning; a lot of it has been really hard for me! Some things God has shown me lately:

• It's okay to be 100% of myself all the time. I shouldn't feel the need to hide any part of me from my friends.
• I do not always need to be the leader or the person with the plan. I can be just as effective as a follower and helper!
• Making a decision for life after graduation is a lot less scary now that I'm single. God's great plans now only affect myself, and that's a huge relief.
• Talking to teens is tough and I'm not that good at it. But I can pray for them like crazy and love on them through activities.
• I come across as uptight but my mischievous and silly side knows no bounds when it comes out. You may refer to me as Supreme Prankmaster upon my return.
• Although this world is broken, God gives us opportunities to see that life is beautiful. Even though things have been really difficult with my family this summer, I value every second I breathe and sunset I see.

I still have no idea what to do for my capstone project next spring orhave a plan for when I graduate. But I'm at peace about it right now because my world has been expanded and I have the strong sense I am being led down a path, even if I can't see it.

Kendra

Week Six: Time Is Sliding By

Ohmygosh. I have two and a half weeks left in Michigan! Where did time go? It feels like just yesterday we were settling into Lebanon and exploring the beach. I have learned so many things about myself from what the Lord is teaching me this summer, grown close to the residents and staff, and gottten a good tan. I never want it to end. Getting back into the swing of life on campus and at Landor in Cincinnati may be rough, luckily I get to bring 7 of my favorite people back with me.

We've been spending the last few weeks sharing Jesus and playing hard. Here's some pictures from the two slip n' slides we made for the kids this summer. One is into the channel and one goes directly into the lake. Talk about epic!

At the channel

at the beach

Week Six: So This Is Love

I've spent the past five plus weeks with five awesome Teen Staff people and I have to admit it; they mean the world to me. I can't imagine caring more for any other group of people. These kids have seen me crying, frustrated, hyper, and completely exhausted. If they still want to be friends with me after all of that, I owe the deepness of our friendship to the Lord.

Today we met as a team at Russ' Diner for an uplifting lunch. After we had eaten, we encouraged each member of our group personally and intentionally. I was overwhelmed to hear what people noticed about me and it reminded me how much the Lord loves and uses me. I also loved being able to share my heart for my teammates in a safe setting. To see Fay caring, Sarah accepting, Jon guiding, Ryan leading, and Shawn growing has truly been the highlight of my summer. There's no place I would rather be than right here.

spicy hot summer colors

Week Four: Bonfires

Every Thursday we have a bonfire with the Teens. We encourage them to share testimonies (they are always really awesome) and then we hangout and eat s'mores.

 the bonfire at the canal / 3rd week girls / Fay and Emily

Austin, Ryan, and some of the kids like to have Chubby Bunny competitions. The point of the game is to see who can get the most marshmallows in their mouth while clearly saying "Chubby Bunny." It's pretty hilarious because the boys look like chipmunks after a while.

 Austin stretching / "Chubby Bunny" / "Twubby Wunny"

Fay and Sarah always enjoy feeding the ducks. Sometimes Austin tries to catch one.

feeding ducks stale graham crackers / Austin Simpson, Duck Whisperer

Week Three: Play All Day

Camp is great. It's been really hard to keep track of what we do from day today because no day is the same. Teen staff works over 40 hours a week because of all the planning and prep we do for each session. But we love our hours off and take full advantage of them by napping or swim at the beach, playing soccer or volleyball, talking sunset walks, and eating tons of ice cream. My days are full of hard work, prayer, bonding, good food, and hard play.

The interesting thing about living at a camp all summer is that I've been losing track of time. The first week and a half went slowly, but now days seem to fly by. I tend to forget what days we did what activities—the weekdays feel like one never ending day. Confused yet? That makes two of us!

Staff volleyball game

Sorry for the sporatic posts, I'm having a hard time keeping up with our daily activities!
Kendra

Week Three: Chicago!

We decided to escape to Chicago for the weekend. The six of us took two cars for the three hour drive. Ryan and Shawn road with me and took turns napping. Ryan really enjoyed my fuzzy heart blanket.

In Chicago we explored Millenium Park, the Magnificent Mile, and Navy Pier. The girls and I popped in Zara and Topshop for some clothes lusting. We ate lunch at a small pub and dinner at Giordano's, which is famous for its deep-dish, inside out pizza.

 being cliché tourists at the Bean

Although the long drive was exhausting, it was so nice to spend time as the six of us (Teen Staff from UC) and catch up. I really love this group of people.

Kendra

Week Two: What We're Good For

As Teen Staff, we constantly meet new kids (the weeklies) and seeking to form real connections. Some of the kids who live at Maranatha all summer (the residents), also come to our daily meetings and activities. It's a good mix of new and familiar faces each week. I was overwhelmed with the challenge of befriending and then saying goodbye to the three girls in my small group last week. Amanda, Jill, and Mackenzie had good insight and real issues to talk about but I shot myself in the foot by feeling inadequate from the get go.

In spite of my awkwardness, God gave me an opportunity to pray for Amanda and her sister Allison when they were having a tough time during the prayer walk. I had to swallow my fear to ask them if I could pray for them in the first place. But when I laid hands on them I felt the Lord's heart towards them and was able to speak his words of encouragement. Praying for them turned out to be a blessing for me too because I had been struggling with finding a place and using my strengths at camp. Although praying for someone when you don't know a thing about what is upsetting them is uncomfortable, I really felt in my element. It didn't seem to matter that I wasn't connecting in conversation the way that I had hoped. What mattered was the gifts God I had equipped me with for this exact situation.

I went on to pray for four other emotional girls. Each experience was humbling and difficult, but I believe God gave me the words to say. I don't know for sure if I conveyed what the Lord wanted to say with each girl. However, I heard from another resident that Amanda and Allison felt a lot of peace after the prayer walk and were excited to share their experience with prayer. That's one for God :)

Week Two: The Daily Grind

On Sundays we get a new batch of teens ready to start their week at camp. Teen Staff meets everyone on Sunday evenings by holding a Kickoff Night. We open with a movie all about us, a few silly skits, and then break into small groups by age. The first week of camp I met with the 17–18 year old girls.

Most morning sessions (9–12 am) consist of an opener (a silly competition like drinking soda out of a baby bottle or feeding your partner pudding blindfolded), worship, a lesson, small groups, and a game. We try to break up the spiritual learning with lots of fun and interactivity. I'm learning all types of camp games, so if you ever need an idea, I'm your girl.

The evening activity is different depending on the day.


Monday: The lifeguards reserve the pool for the Teen's use from 7–8 pm. We meet up for worship and then one of the Staff shares their testimony. After that the kids can play on the beach or swim in the pool. The girl staff members figured out pretty quickly that if we don't get in the pool right away we get splashed or thrown in.

worship poolside

Tuesday: This entire day is focused on missions and a particular nation in need. So far we have covered Indonesia, Bolivia, and my favorite, Burma. After educating the kids on the spiritual state of the country, we write them encouraging letters or pray for them. It's pretty awesome to see highschoolers care about other nations.

Wednesday: Guys and girls split up for separate activities. We normally talk to the girls about a particular topic to encourage them. We try to bake treats and treat ourselves to manicures or uplifting notes to each other.

Thursday: The kids meet us at the beach for a bonfire with worship and a testimony from one of their peers. We burn marshmallows for s'mores and try to avoid getting dropped in the lake. Unfortunately, my first escape attempt didn't go that well.

Friday: Friday morning is different from the other days because we guide the kids through a prayer walk with different stations and activities. Once every small group makes it to each station, we all meet in the prayer tower overlooking the lake and have a time of worship, confession, and communion. It varies from week to week but the Holy Spirit normally touches the teens and they open up about what they are struggling with. I loved praying for my girls for the first week.

Since most of the kids leave Saturday morning, we get them together for one last hurrah in the evening. Normally they want to play games or have a dance party.

Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon we invite the the teens to a planned activity. Last week they got really into boat building—a competition to build a boat that floats well out of the random items we give them. We took the makeshift crafts down to the canal and filled them with bocce balls and bricks until they sink. Sometimes we play more active games like kiddie pool kickball or dodgeball.

Boat Building

Good news! I got to design the weekly fliers for Teen Program. They get handed out to the new vacationers every week. I also am working on some Staff t-shirts. Our director approved them but I'm not sure how tedious the printing process will be. Keep you posted :)

Kendra

Week One: From Brazil to Lebanon

I mentioned that we moved from Brazil (a split cottage) to Lebanon (the Staff dorms above the teen room) on Friday of the first week. Let me just say that Lebanon is awesome—they thought of everything when they built it two years ago. Although there is space for more people, ten boys and eleven girls live here. We also have dorm parents to look out for us.

 Lebanon / view from Lebanon

The first floor is open for the camper's use. One side is a game room with ping pong tables and the other side is the Teen room where we meet. It has sound/music equipment and lots of chairs. In the back there's a large kitchen for the Staff to use for meals.

The top floor has a lounge with couches and bunk beds (we moved them in) for optimum movie viewing space. We also have a tiny deck for anyone who wants to survey all of Maranatha or escape from the chaos of Lebanon. Beyond the lounge the dorm is divided into a male and female half. Each side has two giant rooms with bunks and one large bathroom/laundry room. The dorm parents live in the bedroom in between the boys' and girls' sides.

I share a room with Fay, Sarah, and Susan

The Teen Staff are pretty spoiled because most of our meetings with the kids are held in the Teen room downstairs. We can literally roll out of bed and grab breakfast as we walk downstairs to work. Some of the other kids that live with us work in the dining hall or with the younger kids so they don't have it so easy. But we're bonding in spite of our different jobs and schedules! I plan on becoming bestfriends with Susan the female worship leader and Autumn, who works in the Sweet Shop.

I have a dinner meal plan but for breakfast and dinner we survive off pb&j or cereal. I can't wait to get paid because I could use more than one solid meal in my day. But the food in the dining hall is awesome; Italian night is my favorite because of the penne and cannolis.

Hope that gives you an idea of my pimped-out crib!
Kendra