I have no idea where to begin. You know those times where there is so much love, and laughter that it seems like magic, and yet at the same time, there are struggles and growth that changes your life forever? This was one of those times. Every year that I have gone on this trip, has been one of those times.
Ok, let me start at the beginning. I went on a mission trip with my church youth group. We went to Kansas, to the church/camp that our youth pastor is from. We were the camp staff/councilors/janitors/doers of anything that needs doing. This is my third year going, and as always, it was an amazing trip.
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| (Holly, on the way there.) |
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We left early on Friday morning, and got there around 7:00pm their time. The ride in the van is always fun, and we spent out time holding up bridges and overpasses, and paddling over the water. :) We spend Friday night at the camp just chillin', and listening to Katie play her ukelele. :)
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| (Melissa enjoying the fan.) |
Saturday was spent getting the camp ready for the campers, and practicing the music and the lessons. Sunday we went to church, (which is at the camp.) and then we had free time, untill we had a team meeting in the evening. Then on Monday morning the campers arrived.
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| (My campers. L-R , Ashton, Anna Grace, Adrian, and Alexis.) |
Then of course, bright and early on Tuesday morning, we headed down to the water slide, which is a little bit of a hike, and then after lunch we had horses and crafts, and then we played darebase.
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| (Holly, and her campers going down the slide.) |
Tuesday night was hard. During darebase, my dear sister Katie became dehydrated, and over heated, and was really sick. So I was really worried about her, and it was hard to put on a smile for the kids. They left to take her to the hospital, and we all had to go to bed. I couldn't sleep because I was worried and a little homesick. The next morning, Katie was back, and 100% herself. :) They had gotten hold of her doctor here in Indiana, and he told them exactly what to do and so she was fine, and didn't actually have to go to the hospital. :)
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| (Kendra and Melissa, before the big game.) |
Wednesday went pretty smoothly, we were all just very tired at this point. In the afternoon we had the councilor hunt. That's where all of us councilors hide and the kids try to find us. If we get found, then at the end of the week we get a pie in the face, and if we don't get found we get to pie a camper. Then on Wednesday night we went to bed like normal, but then woke the kids up and had a late night talent show. It was lots of fun. That whole thing started a couple of years ago when there was a tornado warning, and we all had to go up to the church, and do something to keep the kids calm.
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| (Melissa and Holly getting ready for the councilor hunt.) |
Then on Thursday morning we got up and had a dunk tank. That is always fun, and it's nice to get wet, because it's so hot out. then we had the councilor hunt consequences. I didn't get found this year, so I got to pie Calista, one of Holly's campers. :)
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| (Katie and Mallory at the dunk tank) |
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| (Kendra and Melissa pieing Anna and Maria) |
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| (Me with Calista after she was pied.) |
Then at 3:00 on Thursday the campers went home. We were super tired and really hyper, so It was a good night. We went out to eat at pizza hut, then went to walmart. The trip to walmart was lots of fun because we all got pillow pets, and I couldn't stop laughing for like five minuets straight.
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| (Jeffery, Kendra, Amelia, me, and Rachel in Walmart with our pillow pets.) |
Then on Friday morning we headed out to the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, MO.
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| (Kendra, Holly, Amelia, Mallory, Rachel, Melissa, and I at Worlds of Fun.) |
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Now once we had been there for a while and I had ridden one of the big roller coasters twice in a row, I started to feel sick. It was 104 degrees and we were on blacktop, surrounded by metal. So we went into a store with air conditioning so we could cool off. It was getting harder to breathe, and so I sat down. After a little bit Melissa called Pastor Steve, and he came and got the nurse lady, and they took me to the nurses station. Once they had gotten me to stop hyperventilating, I felt much better. This was almost the exact same thing that had happened to Katie. There is some more that happened, but it's not really important to the story. Then I was car sick almost the whole way home. So the rest of the way home, I got to ride in the mini van with Mrs. Schultze and Mrs. Hardacre and the two little girls. So that was fun. And Holly and Melissa took turns being with me in the van.
After Worlds of Fun, we stayed overnight at the University of Missouri, which was fun, and we had debriefing, which is when we talk about what happened over the week, and how God used us. That is my favorite part of the whole week. Then on Saturday, we came home. And I have officially felt all better since Saturday afternoon.
This has been an amazing week, and there is so much more I could tell you. I could tell you tons of inside jokes you wouldn't get, I could tell you every single thing I learned, but that would take forever. I don't regret any of it, especially getting sick, because it brought me a lot closer with several of my dear friends, and I will never regret that. In fact I would do it all 10 times over again if I could. God has giving me the most amazing, amazing, amazing, church family, and I don't know what i would ever do with out them. I have already started the countdown until next year! I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!
-SM
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