This week was a blessing and a great note to go out on. We had a large group of 7th and 8th graders and it was a pleasure to see a totally different style of directing implemented this week. I definitely learned a few things.
This week we went to a "new" lake (for us) and it was fun and exciting. I got to work on the pontoon crew again and had an enjoyable comparison to years past where I was indispensable on that job, but this year I'm just an option. It was a good feeling.
This week was my last working with Hunter on the cliff... it has been a joy and a learning experience to see his quiet strength at work day in and day out. How he's gracious, silly, and loves what he does. He never set out to teach me anything (other than a few new knots and how to aussie) but I learned a great deal by observing. I'm really looking forward to another year together at Grace.
I also faced my terror (I'm afraid of heights) and rappelled Aussie-style twice this week! For those that don't know, rappelling is normally a sitting position where you lean back and walk/run/jump backwards down a wall or cliff. Since Australia is the land down under, or upside down to where we're at... Aussie-style is where you rappel face first, leaning so far forward you're running down a cliff in defiance of the natural gravitational order. It was a fairly large accomplishment for me to do it the first time... so I had to do it again to prove to myself that it wasn't just a fluke. (A group of campers even witnessed the first one)
and finally the highlight of the week, and possibly the summer... In my scarce posts this year (22 is about a third of the amount I have done in years past. Granted this summer was 14 days shorter... but still) I have talked a little bit about my internal struggles with finding significance and/or finding my place at camp this year. This was partially put to rest when I was given the privilege of being a counselor for a week (my boys were great!) and finally buried with a stake through the heart yesterday afternoon in our end-of-the-week meeting. Captain Tibbs (or mild mannered Adam if you prefer) decided, entirely unbeknownst to me, to allow time for people to share a way that I had impacted them this year, or a camp story that we had together. It was humbling, encouraging, and generally shocking to me how many people shared... and how it wasn't just shallow stuff... Turns out God has been doing more through me than I ever realized. I can't take credit for that... and it was a perfect end to a wonky year.
So, Where does that leave us now? I'll continue to write and post periodically for a short time as I figure out what the next year is looking like. I often process through writing and when that's possible to share I will (but if this summer is an indicator then more of that will need to stay off the web than years past).
The immediate future looks a little like this:
-return to Rapid City tonight
-do laundry/rest/etc. for a few days
-Drive from Rapid City to Omaha on Tuesday
-Get integrated/trained for my new job at the school in Omaha
-Go on the RA trip for a week
-Return to Grace and complete final prep for new students arrival
-start classes
And that all happens in the next month (or less). I'll also need to find a second part-time job relatively quick after the start of classes. And there are a few other semi-important things brewing as well. It's shaping up to be a great year already!
Thank you for walking this journey with me this summer. I hope you stick around, but know I appreciate all of the prayer, comments, and encouragement more than I can adequately express.
-Nick
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