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
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
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
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Year 2, Day 1. Round 3! Ready or not here it is.
(if the title seems misleading, this is my third year at this camp, but my second year writing about it)
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
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
Sunday, October 7, 2012
The end. As incoherent and late as ever.
The end of the summer arrived somewhat stealthily, it sneaked onto the end of a week filled with stress and improvisation. It waved from the train as it shot past and before I knew it the bustle of background noise and undeniable evidence of habitation had faded and camp was once again a quiet forlorn place just waiting to be filled with life and passion and laughter and incredibly hard work. It also happened while I was reeling from an emotional snap-punch and by the time I was fully aware of which way was up the team had slipped off into the shadows, back to whatever they do the rest of the year.
It was profoundly heartbreaking to know most likely I'll never see some of them again. At the same time it also gives some contextual value to say that we weren't a collection of lost people (some of us are) looking for something to do for a few months, we were by and large an assortment of passionate servants who put our lives, our jobs, our friendships, relationships, families, and countless other things on hold for two months. 60 days to do a job, grow a team, and change our lives forever.
Now, here I sit at nearly 120 days from the beginning of the summer. The summer has already slipped into the past, I can't even remember all of the things I wrote about through the course of this blog but I can easily say that I am a better person, a better man because of the two months I spent there. I always go into the summer expecting great things of those around me and I love seeing the growth that can happen in a child in 5 days. Despite this, I never fully expect the profound changes that happen in my own self each summer. On one hand I wish I could work camp year round, but at the same time it's useful to me to have the time to process what the summer was. What was it you may ask? I don't know... but I do know I'm more compassionate than I started out, I am aware and grieved by my own capacity to be petty and mean and being around an incredibly amount of incredible people on the move has inspired me to not be so comfortable where I'm at.
I recently described where I'm at right now as standing on the top of a rocky column, cliffs all around me. As I look down in many different directions I'm kicking little pebbles off and trying to gauge how they're dropping. It's coming to the point where I'll be jumping... and as the summer has reminded me for a second year in a row, without jumping I wouldn't have two of the best seasons of my life.
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