Nervous

I have taken my blog to the books. Literally. Today I left for Young Life camp and will have little time to actually spend on my phone or computer. Therefore I will write my blog on notebook paper and update it electronically after camp. So the blog entries from Saturday June 8th through Sunday June 16th are all hand written. Well at least until I update them on blogger.

So this Saturday morning was spent at the REI garage sale, meeting a family I will be babysitting for in July, and packing for camp. I snagged some sweet new Chacos at the garage sale. They are the newer, thinner kind. I am pretty excited about them. Alaina showed up at my house around 3pm so we could start picking up the girls we were bringing with us to camp.

Three hours later we had seven girls packed, fed and ready to hit the road. A couple of my best friends, Grace and Lauren, helped drive all of us to Travis High School. From there two buses filled with East Austin Young Life kids and leaders left for Lost Canyon Young Life Camp in Williams, Arizona.

The point of us leaving at 7:00 at night was in hopes everyone would sleep on the bus. I don't know about you but sleeping on charter buses is my worst nightmare. I have never had a good sleep on a bus. Especially because I am so big. If you are over six foot, there is no way you will enjoy a peaceful sleep squished between two bus seats. Tall people problems. Hopefully the kids managed to get some rest. They need it. The attitudes our kids have with sleep is questionable. I would hate to see what they are like when they have been sleep deprived. Getting chills just imagining it.

Not entirely sure how this week will turn out. I have heard my share of horror stories. But since this is my first time taking Young Life kids to camp I am not really sure what to expect. I have set a couple goals to ensure I make the most of my time.

1.) Learn alongside these kids.
This is a time where I can be learning just as much as these kids. We will hear a speaker preach from Jesus' word every night. Why not soak up as much as I can.
2.) Love and Serve EVERYONE.
My girls know I love them and I will be serving them all week. How awesome would it be if all the kids were served by all the staff, leaders, and work crew. They would feel an overwhelming sense of Jesus. That is why I want to love and serve everyone, not just the seven girls I brought with me.
3.) Grow with God.
Building my relationship with Jesus will be a life long goal, not to mention one of my four summer goals. This is a break from my real schedule where I get to be reminded of God's love more intensely than normal. If I can't take this time to grow in my relationship with God then I am wasting a prime opportunity.
4.) Form relationships with my girls that have spiritual intentions. 
These seven girls I have brought here need to know the purpose of my relationship with them. A purpose that is spiritual and based on the love of God. Any relationships I have that are spiritual far outweigh my relationships that are nonspiritual. It is time to make Jesus the focus of my relationship with my Young Life girls.

Honestly I am nervous. Yesterday was so stressful and exhausting. Then this morning one of our girls backed out of camp. Things haven't been going well lately. Though, being nervous can be used to my advantage. I don't know what to expect so the nervousness is also a little exciting. I cannot wait to share the day to day experiences with you. Most of my day tomorrow will be spent on a bus until we arrive at Lost Canyon right before dinner. Pray for me. I'll need it.