Going Home

I'm on vacation!
And I go to camp tomorrow!
I feel like I'm 12 again, going to camp for the first time. I feel a little bit silly, getting so excited about going to a place I've been going to for the last 15 years. But I am. I've been looking forward to this week all summer. And as we've gotten closer, I've become more anxious to be there. I think part of the reason is seeing so many old friends who I know will be there. There's going to be an incredible group of volunteers...plus one who I hear doesn't want to work. (Can't wait to see you, Jim!) :-)
It is kind of amazing to think that I've had some kind of connection with camp for fifteen years. It's been six summers since I last worked there, but in those six years I've managed to go there in some form...for BBQs, to drop off/pick up a brother, or to volunteer. And every time I go, it kind of feels like coming home. There's something about the place that realigns me...that straightens me out and reconnects me. At camp, I feel God's physical presence more strongly than I do anywhere else. Probably because it was during my summers as a camper and a jr. staffer that God truly became real to me. My faith went from just believing in Him to having a personal relationship with Him. And that relationship grew and strengthened during my summers as a counselor. No matter where I am in my faith, whenever I go to camp, I'm reminded of where I've been and how I've grown, and that's what realigns me.
You know what I can't wait to do when I get there?
See the stars. I always loved to sit out by the lake after evening devos, and just look at the stars. I miss the stars in the city.