2014: A brand new year!
I am very excited about this new year, on the very first day I found out that I was going to be an RMR guide! {RMR is a Young Life adventure camp- I will be guiding trips of high schoolers on week long backpacking adventures in Colorado for the next two summers} Part of being a guide requires that I go to three weekend trainings this spring and then a trail training trip {week-long backpacking trip with all of the guides} at the end of May.
This past weekend was our first training, it is called Heart of a Guide {HOG} and going into the weekend I had a crazy mix of emotions. I was so excited to be a part of this awesome Jesus-loving community that I had tasted before, I was ready and willing to learn about what The Lord had in store for me in this, but I was also terrified. My favorite color is pink, I have been camping like 3 times in my entire life {and one of those times was in a parking lot} I am also a Texan and most of these guides are really awesome super Colorado-y and I felt inadequate. I was so consumed by all of the fears of being out of my element that I forgot about why I decided I wanted to guide in the first place-because I love Jesus and I want to show high schoolers what true life is.
From the moment the weekend started all of my fears started to diminish. On Friday I went skiing with some of the other guides, and was immediately welcomed into a deep community. From Breckenridge we drove to the cabin where all of our trainings will take place. After a couple hours {we got incredibly lost, a car caught on fire, it was an experience let me tell you} we arrived at HOG. I walked in proudly with my Vera Bradley duffel, pink sleeping bag, and a bunch of other pink and monogrammed stuff. We got to hear Joey, the director, talk about how God is doing a brand new thing in each of us, it is a new season, and he asked "what is going to mark this season for you?" I had no idea. Following the talk we got to worship all together, which is so powerful to me...I love music and dancing...then we got into small groups to talk about where we were coming into the weekend, what we were risking, and we talked about what we want from this new season. Intense. Immediate. Deepness. I am not really used to that but it turns out I like it. I love that Jesus brings people together and a group of almost strangers can share life with each other. Day two was 'snow' much fun-literally. We went out into the crazy deep awesome fluffy snow to learn how to traverse {I think that is just a fancy word for walk-across} a snow field, how to place and make a snow anchor, and a lot about avalanches- I learned a lot and also had so much fun playing in the snow. Our next activity was guy/girl split up talk about your feelings time...again we talked about what we wanted for this next season, then we 'pop-corned' {like when you are in fifth grade and reading a story} to share- you cannot hide in this place, everyone wants to know what is really going on, everyone cares about everyone, its not fake, its real, its intimacy. Here is what I want: I want Jesus. I want to seek Him and pursue Him...I want peace and love and joy and goodness, but not without Jesus, I want to be a woman after the heart of Christ and then become a woman of peace, love, joy, and goodness, I want nothing else but Jesus. We had another talk that night, more worship, and more small group time. During our small group we prayed for each other and asked The Lord for words and visions for each other. What an experience-it is really fun to watch The Lord show up. That was really the highlight of my weekend until later that night when I was getting ready for bed I heard some great music going on downstairs so I obviously followed the sound...I started swing dancing with one of the other guides and that lasted about an hour---way too fun---at that moment I felt like I really did belong in this place, I was having so much fun and was reminded that God works out everything for His good, and when things work out it is really fun! The night went on we danced for hours started the frozen sound track I sprained my ankle {totally worth it} seriously I cannot even describe the joy. The next morning was the last morning and I really decided what was going to mark my next season. Because of the things that were spoken to me during small group time I decided to really enter in to being the bride of Christ, something that is often mentioned in scripture. I want to understand what it looks like to be a bride, to be mature in my relationship with Jesus, to want nothing but Him. So entering into that season of unadulterated worship for my father in heaven is what I am seeking. RMR is now home, the other guides are family, and it took no time. As soon as I got there my insecurities went out the window and I felt like I belonged, because I did, because The Lord brought me there for a really good reason and I am thankful.
Skiing at Breckenridge
Snow training
