calvin crest.

my favorite week of the year.
every year, i go into the week worried that my expectations will be too high, and i'll be disappointed or worse, i'll disappoint my campers. 
like what if they don't learn about him? the camp high isn't a necessity to faith, but it's helpful. like the bullets you get during mario kart that speed you along for a while. that's what the camp high does. gives your faith enough power to hold you up for a bit. 
or what if they don't separate their cliques and get to know other people? i don't expect everyone to be bff, but it's important for them to be out of their comfort zone and get to know others.
what if they think our activities are stupid? we worked really hard on the schedule for the week, but i knew if they didn't buy into the games, it'd be miserable for them. 
what if they weren't open and real with themselves and with me? in irvine they don't get time to process, so they desperately need this week for that. it's always stressful for me to see if they'll actually take that space, and run with it.
god is so great though, and every year he provides exactly what my girls need, and i learned something every other minute.
needless to say, i was not disappointed last week. 

we all made new friends!

we tried new things (like a 14 mile mountain bike ride!)

they got messy. sooo messy. but when do you really get to go down a slip in slide full of oil, vinegar, ketchup, pancake mix, soy sauce, texas ranch, italian dressing...?

they learned to be real, open, honest, and love themselves a little more. and  they learned to trust me just a little. i'm honored and proud of them. 

we had fun. and dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls. so cute!

gabi and i learned to climb real tall trees! (or we had a little help...)

they learned to work as a team, and look out for each other.

we learned to stand out! and we had yellow dress up night wednesday.

my princesses! i learned how much i love them!

my gabi and neal as mad cows.. they taught me how to laugh harder than i've ever laughed, and believe in myself, my story, and my love for the kids a little more.

there are a million stories i could share, a million little moments i watched happen or we experienced as a group that were so, so good. but what is most important is that god was so present and real while we were there, which was exactly what these high schoolers were craving.
i'm so thankful for them, our week, and your prayers!