It seems a lifetime ago that I last wrote for this space. An incredible amount of wonder, frustration, struggle, and blessing have occurred and while I might try to share some of that with you in the days and weeks to come I cannot possibly do any of it justice during this post so I won't even attempt.
I arrived here at Haven on the Rock (havenontherock.org) yesterday evening after a semi-eventful drive from my (former) hometown of Spearfish, SD. It began in the rain, the same rain that had plagued my moving out of my apartment just 24 hours prior... but before I could venture out of the Black Hills the steady drizzle turned into something a bit more exciting...
Yep, as if to remind me of all the 'fun' I've had over the years driving in the wintry weather... on May 31st it decides to snow on me as I leave the black hills behind.
Slightly daunted and more than a bit annoyed at driving far below the speed limit for quite some time I continued on my merry way and eventually arrived at Haven and thankfully I'm one of the first ones here so I can stake out my regular bunk and I have a bit of time to get caught up on a few things (like writing this post).
What does the next few days hold? I suspect a flurry of activity involving competing projects and to-do lists trying to take over the limited hours. And in the finest tradition of these posts, I must confess to a bit of trepidation coming into this season... my capacity for people and quickly processing experiences like camp has been impaired lately, even attending my home church is often an overwhelming experience, but whether or not I'm ready... A large portion of the staff arrive tomorrow and after we hit the ground running, getting kids is not far behind. Please be praying that I'll have an extra measure of grace to meet the challenge of camp.
Beyond just prayer I'd ask a few favors of you my readers. (likely just my mom, but made plural just in case there are more of you out there)
1) Pray for me lots, I promise to update this blog as faithfully as possible and as honestly as possible. If I'm struggling and in pain, if I'm aware of it.. it gets noted here. I am not an island and I need your support and encouragement to make this work without curling up into an exhausted little ball.
2) Read the updates and respond! whether you comment on the link when I post it on facebook or if you comment here, I read all the comments and I treasure the input. If I say something that has some meaning to you, please say so... we walk this road together so lets make it meaningful together.
3) pray for the team and the kids. I tend to run on a bit about my own corner of camp but in the grand scheme of things i'm really a minor cog in a much more valuable machine. Ultimately I'm expendable, but the ministry and mission we have here is not.
4) Share this address with whomever you feel would enjoy it. I try to be honest on here, sometimes too much so, but I don't say anything I need to keep secret. This is not fight club, if you want to talk about it, please do so.
5) and last and possibly least, donate. I'll write my support letter post in the next day or so, but the short story is... I don't get rich doing this work and unfortunately I haven't found a good way to get by without some sort of funds to pay the gas pump and whatnot. I need you to partner with me if you feel so led. If you're at all leaning that way please read my next post. If not, please continue to read regardless.
It's good to be back, and I'm excited for what God has in store this summer... know that whomever you are and wherever you read this from, I love you for walking this journey with me once again, lets see what craziness the next 60 days will hold!
-Nick
