First things first, It should be known that I haven't missed a day thus far, however last night I was camping out for a team-building exercise and did not have the time nor ability to update at that time. In my own tradition I'll just update you on both days here.
Thursday started out a bit rough.. The early mornings seem to disagree with me more and more each year... but despite this I seem to get more and more out of them. This year is no different... when my alarm goes off I can only seem to respond with a groan and try to drag myself out of bed and get the day rolling, hopefully getting a bit of momentum by breakfast...
Despite the difficulty at the beginning of the day I feel like I'm doing fairly well during the day. I have had it pointed out to me that I'm using more time to recover this year.. but I also think (perhaps erratically) that what I am devoting myself to, I'm doing more effectively than I have in years past.
Last night we hiked out a ways from the camp... and then we were faced with a challenge. Instead of returning to our beds, we were supposed to locate a few tents, dig a firepit, dig a latrine, and cook supper. Thankfully the team pulled together and after about an hour of steady work we had an incredible camp of no less than 5 tents, (and one bivy) a well cleared firepit, a fairly private and useful privy...
I got another chance to use my backpacking gear and everyone seemed to be in fairly high spirits when we returned to camp this morning. we finished the morning out with the first trail ride of the summer (which went very well)
This afternoon we did a bit of cleaning around camp and then spent a bit of time at the lake where we had a wonderful supper of burgers and bratwurst. After that we returned to camp and were released to spend our time as we would.
Tomorrow holds a bit more work with the horses, and some prep for camp next week. I really don't know if i'm catching up... but at least I feel a bit less like I'm being drug behind the schedule so far...
-Nick
Friday, June 7, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Year 2, Day 5. Scheduled by man, or appointed by God?
The last few days feel in themselves like a week of camp... I've begun to know and love the people I'm working with, and I feel like I'm beginning to hit the things that I know I can do well.
Yesterday I spent a bit of time in a series of meetings that really dropped my stress level, Firstly I'm a little more at peace about directing a week of Junior High camp at the end of the month. There is still a shocking amount of work to be done... but at very least the things I was worried about have mostly solved themselves and I can move on to other worries.
Secondly I've been asked to help build up and intentionally invest in the guys on staff this summer... Which isn't a daunting task at all right? Thankfully after fretting and noticing that I haven't had a chance to connect with a few of them over the last few days... I was able to have some time for a few really great conversations today, and I am very glad that those opportunities are becoming more and more appointed and less of my own forcing them to happen.
On a bit of a logistics/make you aware of what's been happening note, this morning we were finally able to get on horseback and begin to get a feel for our horses this year. There are a lot of familiar animals in the herd, but there are also a sizable amount of ones who are relative unknowns... thus far we're in very good shape and we do appreciate your continued prayers for safety and health (ours and the horses).
I also have been asked to be involved in primary camp next week, for which I'll be travelling up to Casper with a few of the other staff here... I'm a bit nervous but also very excited about what God will do despite my involvement. I'll try very hard to keep you updated so you can continue to walk that road with me.
Tonight I don't have any real compelling bunny trails going in my brain... but I just wanted to once again note that the team is doing very well, God is being glorified, and we're hoping and praying hard that the growth is sustainable and that we won't just flame out in the midst of this season.
With that... goodnight dear friends.
-Nick
Yesterday I spent a bit of time in a series of meetings that really dropped my stress level, Firstly I'm a little more at peace about directing a week of Junior High camp at the end of the month. There is still a shocking amount of work to be done... but at very least the things I was worried about have mostly solved themselves and I can move on to other worries.
Secondly I've been asked to help build up and intentionally invest in the guys on staff this summer... Which isn't a daunting task at all right? Thankfully after fretting and noticing that I haven't had a chance to connect with a few of them over the last few days... I was able to have some time for a few really great conversations today, and I am very glad that those opportunities are becoming more and more appointed and less of my own forcing them to happen.
On a bit of a logistics/make you aware of what's been happening note, this morning we were finally able to get on horseback and begin to get a feel for our horses this year. There are a lot of familiar animals in the herd, but there are also a sizable amount of ones who are relative unknowns... thus far we're in very good shape and we do appreciate your continued prayers for safety and health (ours and the horses).
I also have been asked to be involved in primary camp next week, for which I'll be travelling up to Casper with a few of the other staff here... I'm a bit nervous but also very excited about what God will do despite my involvement. I'll try very hard to keep you updated so you can continue to walk that road with me.
Tonight I don't have any real compelling bunny trails going in my brain... but I just wanted to once again note that the team is doing very well, God is being glorified, and we're hoping and praying hard that the growth is sustainable and that we won't just flame out in the midst of this season.
With that... goodnight dear friends.
-Nick
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Year 2, Day 4. Hyperspeed!
You know that scene in star wars when Han Solo and Chewbacca go into hyperspace for the first time? As they move the throttle up the stars fly by and blur into lines making it completely impossible to distinguish individual points from one another. That is the way camp has begun to feel today...
It has been a rewarding experience. but I'm beginning to feel like i'm losing things along the line. To that end, this post will be remarkably short since the morning comes too soon and I did not sleep very well last night.
I hope this writing finds you all well, but for now... goodnight!
-Nick
Monday, June 3, 2013
Year 2, Day 3. In which I get to visit colorado! and where I look into the mists of the past.
Today was a fairly hectic day. I'm not sure if it's because I've got more going on, or if i'm getting old (something I've been accused of a few times). It started out bright and early at 7 am as a gratifyingly large group of the guy staff got together for a morning devotion... We decided to start in Ephesians and then see where we go from there. By now I shouldn't be amazed at the kindred spirits that tend to gravitate toward camp... but at the same time, I was surprised and glad to see how many of the guys stumbled down and hopped right in on the discussion. The Father truly has equipped and brought the right team together here.
After a few sessions of training covering a lot of information, from codes of conduct to taking the evaluation to determine love languages (according to the test I've got a nearly 4-way tie) and a discussion over how to encourage each other, until about 3 pm when we found out that due to some frustrating circumstances the other wrangler for the summer would need to be picked up from his home in ault, colorado. So myself and Martha (a faithful reader of this blog) hopped in her faithful vehicle and zipped over there and back, and I realized that I once again appear to be blessed with a wrangler who is far more of a cowboy than I will ever be. It's a wonderful problem to have, and I am excited about the journey ahead.
We returned to camp just in time to see a fire blazing merrily in the fire pit and as we unloaded and stretched our legs I noticed the mostly-melodic sound of worship songs drifting through the crisp evening air. Our fearless leaders Captain Tibbs, and Karisa shared a bit of their stories and encouraged us from their experiences and I had an idea that I will explain to you here.
As they shared their familiar and still amazing stories I decided that as a good follower of that example I'd share a bit of my story periodically with you. I waffled between opening with talking about my childhood camp and the impact those times had on my life... or writing about the last year and the intense journey that it has been, but I decided that I'd tell the story of how I ended up here at this camp in the summer of 2011.
To set the stage, I have been involved in camp for a very large portion of my life. I began to attend camp very young and as soon as I was able I began to work for the same camp I grew up attending. Even after I graduated high school camp was very close to my heart and I made the time to frequently help out whenever I could. Unfortunately when I moved to Spearfish for college I lost track of my childhood camp, and despite being a bit nostalgic and saddened by the loss of camp as a part of my summer I honestly felt like God had closed that door for that time. I missed camp... but it was time to grow up and move on.
After working fairly hard at school for a number of years I seemed to hit a wall emotionally, for a host of reasons (which I won't go into great detail about) I slipped into a dark season of my life. I became very frustrated with where my life was, and depressed about the futility of continuing in my current path. This season became so intense that I failed nearly a whole semester of classes due to being incapable of attending classes and my outlook being so dreary that at times I even found grocery shopping to be an incredible burden. As the year went on and this continued to ripple through my life my family and friends grew increasingly concerned (and with very good cause in hindsight) but I was fairly resistant to any offers of help or even admitting that I was in need of help. However early in the spring I remember very clearly waking up in the morning and feeling incredibly refreshed and aware, something I hadn't felt in months. I remember lying there and feeling like God was speaking to me and saying "get up, this is finished".
Now I wouldn't go so far as to say that I heard an audible voice, but I do remember this incredibly clearly... I got up and went about my day and never sunk back to that place again. I can feel that place, or see that dark corner in my spirit from time to time but all it is now is an awareness of that place... I don't have any desire or necessity to live in that condition again.
Very shortly thereafter I received a call from a dear brother in Christ who informed me that he had given my number to some friends of his who were looking for a wrangler to come help with their horse program. He also informed me that he had been praying about it and that he felt it would be in my best interest to go do it. If I recall correctly he told me "when they call you, you need to tell them yes". Since he was (and still is) one of the few people who can say things like that to me... I prayed about it and took his advice... and a few short months later I began my first summer here at this camp. It's been a delightful rabbit hole... and the adventure is just beginning.
-Nick
p.s. I also shaved off my beard... and my face feels nekkid. I might post a picture tomorrow...
After a few sessions of training covering a lot of information, from codes of conduct to taking the evaluation to determine love languages (according to the test I've got a nearly 4-way tie) and a discussion over how to encourage each other, until about 3 pm when we found out that due to some frustrating circumstances the other wrangler for the summer would need to be picked up from his home in ault, colorado. So myself and Martha (a faithful reader of this blog) hopped in her faithful vehicle and zipped over there and back, and I realized that I once again appear to be blessed with a wrangler who is far more of a cowboy than I will ever be. It's a wonderful problem to have, and I am excited about the journey ahead.
We returned to camp just in time to see a fire blazing merrily in the fire pit and as we unloaded and stretched our legs I noticed the mostly-melodic sound of worship songs drifting through the crisp evening air. Our fearless leaders Captain Tibbs, and Karisa shared a bit of their stories and encouraged us from their experiences and I had an idea that I will explain to you here.
As they shared their familiar and still amazing stories I decided that as a good follower of that example I'd share a bit of my story periodically with you. I waffled between opening with talking about my childhood camp and the impact those times had on my life... or writing about the last year and the intense journey that it has been, but I decided that I'd tell the story of how I ended up here at this camp in the summer of 2011.
To set the stage, I have been involved in camp for a very large portion of my life. I began to attend camp very young and as soon as I was able I began to work for the same camp I grew up attending. Even after I graduated high school camp was very close to my heart and I made the time to frequently help out whenever I could. Unfortunately when I moved to Spearfish for college I lost track of my childhood camp, and despite being a bit nostalgic and saddened by the loss of camp as a part of my summer I honestly felt like God had closed that door for that time. I missed camp... but it was time to grow up and move on.
After working fairly hard at school for a number of years I seemed to hit a wall emotionally, for a host of reasons (which I won't go into great detail about) I slipped into a dark season of my life. I became very frustrated with where my life was, and depressed about the futility of continuing in my current path. This season became so intense that I failed nearly a whole semester of classes due to being incapable of attending classes and my outlook being so dreary that at times I even found grocery shopping to be an incredible burden. As the year went on and this continued to ripple through my life my family and friends grew increasingly concerned (and with very good cause in hindsight) but I was fairly resistant to any offers of help or even admitting that I was in need of help. However early in the spring I remember very clearly waking up in the morning and feeling incredibly refreshed and aware, something I hadn't felt in months. I remember lying there and feeling like God was speaking to me and saying "get up, this is finished".
Now I wouldn't go so far as to say that I heard an audible voice, but I do remember this incredibly clearly... I got up and went about my day and never sunk back to that place again. I can feel that place, or see that dark corner in my spirit from time to time but all it is now is an awareness of that place... I don't have any desire or necessity to live in that condition again.
Very shortly thereafter I received a call from a dear brother in Christ who informed me that he had given my number to some friends of his who were looking for a wrangler to come help with their horse program. He also informed me that he had been praying about it and that he felt it would be in my best interest to go do it. If I recall correctly he told me "when they call you, you need to tell them yes". Since he was (and still is) one of the few people who can say things like that to me... I prayed about it and took his advice... and a few short months later I began my first summer here at this camp. It's been a delightful rabbit hole... and the adventure is just beginning.
-Nick
p.s. I also shaved off my beard... and my face feels nekkid. I might post a picture tomorrow...
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Year 2, Day 2! Of church, fuego, and a herd of new people.
Today was fairly uneventful in that sit on a hilltop and watch clouds go by because all is right with the world sort of way. It started as many Sundays do (especially during camp season) with me staring blearily at my phone and wishing the hour of the alarm had taken a bit longer to arrive. I dragged myself out of bed and rumbled down the road to church. Thankfully the rumble is due to the gravel road and is not because of my muffler missing anymore! I was very much encouraged by running into the beginnings of the camp crowd and getting more than my regular dosage of hugs.
Over the course of the afternoon I had the privilege and pleasure of eating lunch with 3 of the gals on staff, consuming tasty ice cream and several hours of great conversation under a shady tree. (and a bit of minecraft to boot!)
Upon returning to camp I was immediately surrounded by a crowd of super enthusiastic and passionate staff members. I must confess I'm also excited... but it was a bit intimidating as well. Nothing a bit of introvert friendly tomahawk therapy couldn't fix though!
Training begins in earnest tomorrow morning and I fear the snowball effect that is camp will soon sweep me off my feet, but for now I"m doing well. Spirits are high and provisions are good.
-Nick
p.s. if you care to read more of my stuff I wrote a post for the haven site too! (http://www.havenontherock.org/posts/its-time-for-camp/)
Over the course of the afternoon I had the privilege and pleasure of eating lunch with 3 of the gals on staff, consuming tasty ice cream and several hours of great conversation under a shady tree. (and a bit of minecraft to boot!)
Upon returning to camp I was immediately surrounded by a crowd of super enthusiastic and passionate staff members. I must confess I'm also excited... but it was a bit intimidating as well. Nothing a bit of introvert friendly tomahawk therapy couldn't fix though!
Training begins in earnest tomorrow morning and I fear the snowball effect that is camp will soon sweep me off my feet, but for now I"m doing well. Spirits are high and provisions are good.
-Nick
p.s. if you care to read more of my stuff I wrote a post for the haven site too! (http://www.havenontherock.org/posts/its-time-for-camp/)
Setting the stage and asking for your support.
Likely if you've found this site you've already got a small grasp of what I'm up to but just to avoid confusion and to give a good point of reference for later in the summer I'd like to explain a bit more completely.
This summer I will be a wrangler and summer-long staff member at a camp just outside of Lingle, Wyoming. In the past this has been for an organization called Adventures in Christian Kamping (ACK) but due to God's incredible providence and an amazing merger process we've joined forces with Rimrock Bible camp and become Haven on the Rock.
I've worked at summer camps for 8 years now and the more I am involved the more I am convinced that this will always be an important part of my life. I am my best self when I'm at camp.
However I cannot do camp alone, as I've already mentioned in previous posts I need you support in number of ways. I'd like to explain a few of them to you and give you a bit more functional information on them.
Financial- I'd love for you to get involved in our ministry here at camp, if you're willing and able to do so. you can participate by donating by going to havenontherock.org/donate and going through the donation process there. If you'd like the donations to go to support me, then you may designate them on that site, or if you'd like to support the ministry as a whole that would be fantastic as well.
Encouragement- as I've already mentioned, I'm a sucker for comments in this blog or facebook, but I do also appreciate a good ol' snail mail letter every now and again. I've gotta warn you I'm not super great about responding in a timely manner but I do appreciate them greatly. If you want to send me mail then sent it off to
Nicholas Oegema
c/o Haven on the Rock
560 Rim Rock Rd.
Ft. Laramie, WY 82212
And last but certainly not least I desperately need your prayers. Now I fully recognize that God doesn't need us to do what he will... but the prayers of the righteous are powerful and I need all the help I can get. An old camp director said to me "around here we run on prayer and caffeine, and the caffeine is optional" Please keep me in your minds and hearts and pray frequently.
-Nick
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