Camp!!!

Hey Y'all! I have returned from my week at Master's Camp. Did you miss me? I missed you too. Camp was amazing. I don't know where to begin...maybe the trip to the camp? Sounds great. On Monday the whole youth group piled into a bus and a van with our junk (Actually some of the luggage was in the bed of a truck) and we were off. I rode in the mini van with Fearless Leader and Chawah G. We mostly just rode quietly, enjoying the silence and the AC. For lunch we stopped at a place called Hippie Chick. It was interesting. All of the food was SUPER PRICEY. Holy cow. I bought the cheapest version of a burger. Without cheese it was like $9. That was a quarter of the money I'd brought with me. I was a bit bummed. lol. I was super hungry though. The burger was huge, I ate the whole thing and all of the salad that fell off. My buddy Papa Smurf threw out half of his burger. If I had known that he was going to waste that much food, I would have just eaten his instead of buying one. 😅 (That is really kind of gross, typically I wouldn't eat after him.) Suddenly, buckets of rain start falling from the sky. LOTS OF RAIN ALL OVER THE LUGGAGE. In moments everybody was moving as one body to move the luggage from the truck bed to the van. It took maybe one minute. I was just awed by the teamwork. My Bible was in my suitcase. It got a little wet, but not too bad. The rest of the ride I was in the bus. It was fun. Very loud. We got to the camp and had to wait in the bus for a bit while Mr. Kent signed us in. I laid on the two bus seats and hung my head in the aisle and Hocker played with my hair. By golly, I am like a little puppy. He's playing with my hair and I am just like 
The other boys in the bus were like, "Dude. What are you doing? That's so weird. Stop touching her hair." It was funny. Finally we got assigned to dorms. It was then that we discovered the boys had packed like...everything but the kitchen sink. I thought I'd over packed until I saw their luggage. HAHAHA.  Two or three boys helped the girls unload. They are so polite. I have to confess that I do not have a nickname for everyone, but I can try my best. There was a basketball tournament that we were in. The Flash and his buddy Galvin (not his real name, I just think it is funny that someone called him that the other day.) carried the team. I played as much as they let me, but since they are the ones that play basketball I did whatever the Flash told me. (I had, up to this point, never really spoken to Galvin and still had no reason to do so.) Our team got second place. Flash and Galvin are the best team. I just love watching them work together. Y'all might root for the Spurs or whatever team, but these two are my favorite players. A guy named Runks was the pastor for the week. He was so awesome. I threw a carrot at him one day at lunch. He looked at us (I was with my buddies) and throws salt packets at us. "Why are you throwing food at me, man?" He exclaims. Beb grabbed up the salt packs and threw them back saying, "Why you gotta be so salty?" It was so perfect. I was just dying with laughter. At a group meeting with our church, we all stated what we wanted to get out of camp. I had seen the group go to camp last year a bunch of kids and return a team. I wanted to join that team. (I had often felt left out or self conscious and worried that I don't fit in quite right.) I definitely feel that I have joined that team. Throughout the week, I often thought to myself, "If I could just do this better, I will fit in." Until one night, we were all opening up and one boy who is really good at everything and just super sweet says that he always feels self conscious and whatnot. He is talking and I am hearing my own thoughts through his words. I was so shocked, but it was what I needed. I don't have to be good at stuff to be part of the team. I am wanted and needed and I do fit in. I wanted to give him a hug and tell him something like, "Buddy, you are so special. You don't even know. Whenever I am near you I just feel safe, and we all love you so much." But I never got the chance to do so. Another night, I was super tired and kind of emotionally weak because of it. I had been feeling kind of like I don't fit in, just a bystander (This was actually two nights before the one I just spoke of.) There was one girl that was a little out there. She dances inappropriately and wears shorty shorts and flirts with young men from other churches. To protect her, the team came up with a plan. They would sit with two people from our group on each side of her. I did not know about this plan, I just wanted to sit with my friends. They took my seat and Fearless Leader told me to sit by this guy I did not know. She told me to stay there at all costs. I thought something like Our leader just told me to sit there. Surely there is a good reason.  So I did what she told me to. As loud as my logical thoughts were, there was also the thoughts that were asking why my friends did not want me. Why I could not sit in the empty seat between them that the particular girl had refused to sit in. During the worship service I could hardly bear it. Eventually one tear dripped down my face onto my chest. Then another. I was going to crack, going to lose the grip on my composure. On my left, the girl was complaining bitterly, on my right the boy was also a bit sour. In my mind, I gave up. Nobody will see you cry, it is dark and everyone is singing and looking towards the stage. Better to lose control now than during the service. I cried. It was bad, tears rolling. I tried to keep silent though. Keep from doing that gasping thing one does when one cries hard. I was praying too. God help. Why don't they want me? I know they are just trying to keep her away from this guy. But why do I have to be the pawn in this plan that they did not explain? (I have been something of a meddler for most of my life, I saw through this plan even though Fearless Leader hadn't explained why it was so important that I did not leave that particular spot.) Suddenly, through the crowd I saw one face. Chawah G. She just came up and hugged me. That was when I totally lost control. Tears, heaving, gasps, the whole deal. I couldn't sing the songs because I was crying too hard, but I tried. God had literally told her to turn around. Even when nobody could see me, He helped. It was so awesome. I was wanted. I learned that I was needed. As much as I would love to tell you all so much more, my parents are telling me that I need to get off of the computer. I just want to say that I am so thankful that I go into into the world on The Mission and return to my team with the knowledge that they love me and will not let me fall. It was awesome to see everyone protect the one girl, our young men are truly just that. They are the kind that turn into real men and I am so proud of them. Have a great day guys. 😄😄😄