EPIC.

"PHANTOM RANCH...?!!" "IS RAWWW!!!!"
"TRADITIONSSSSSS, TRADITIONS."
"STEVE LAUGHLIN" "OHH NAH NAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
"AAYYEE-MEN. AYYYEE-MEN. AYEE-MEN. AMEN, AMEN."

You might read those quotes and think, "What the heck..?" But for anyone who has ever been to Urban week at Phantom Ranch, those are the norm. In fact, they might look at you like you were crazy because you didn't know them (Don't ask me how I know.....).

What is Urban week, you ask? Urban week is a camp put on by hosted by Armitage Baptist Church for high school students who live in, ...the suburbs. -____-.
I hope you know that was a joke... hence the URBAN in "urban week."

This was my first year going, and it DEFINITELY will not be my last (Lord willing).  I went with as a counselor with ICI (and let me tell you, I BARELY made the age cut, haha. #babyprobs).

Like I said in my previous post, when I saw the van come into the driveway, my heart was instantly filled with joy.  I love these kids. Spending a whole week with them, getting closer than ever with some of them, IT. WAS. BEAUTIFUL.

If you have never seen the Lord work in someone's life, I wish I could take you with me on the Tardis, go back to Sunday, and let you experience camp.  The Lord broke down not just walls, but BIG CONCRETE buildings.

I had the pleasure of being in Lonestar with two other co-counselors who were awesome and we were all very similar.  The girls in my cabin were all such a pleasure to have, they brought SOOO much laughter, a good amount of tears, and much more.  I got extremely close to three girls in particular thanks to how the cabin was set up.  There were 3 rooms total, one big one, and two smaller ones.  I was in one of the smaller rooms with 3 of my ICI girls.  Let me tell you, that week with them was LOUD, hilarious, and emotional. One night, I stayed up till 2:12 talking with one of them about her past, her present, and ultimately, the Gospel.

Every night, we had this time called Cabin Wrap-Ups.  As a cabin we reflected on the messages we heard at chapel that day.  Most girls stayed quiet, yet some girls were completely honest and transparent.  They admitted that they didn't know if God was real, and if he was why couldn't they see him? Why couldn't they feel him when they prayed?  What if this was all just a waste of time?

I am typing this today to tell you that those same girls, THOSE. SAME. GIRLS received the gift of salvation on Friday night.  It was the most beautiful, emotional, and humbling experience ever. Let me take you back to that tear-filled night.

Oaks Chapel: lights dimmed, except for the spot light on Bryant, the speaker. His voice was cracking as tears were hitting the lenses of his glasses. He was pleading with these kids to accept the gospel.  (What happened next may at first seem like an "altar call", but it was more like a prayer time.)  Counselors- female and male, lined up the sides of Oak Chapel. "If there is anything you want to pray about, go to your Counselors and pray with them." 

So there I stood- puffy hair, my little brother's sweater, and my Nike running pants.  Music played in the background.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see one of my girls getting up, tears soaking her cheeks.  I see her walking towards me. "Oh my goodness.. I wonder what's wrong," I thought as  she walked towards me. I gave her the biggest hug while she cried on my shoulder. "I want to accept Jesus into my life," she said, shaking her head as if that were a silly question. I completely lost it. Her friend came up behind sobbing into her black and white stripped dress and said, "Me too."  I stretched my short little arms across them and just cried with them, but tears of utter joy.

Later that night there was a bonfire. *"Ohhhhh bonfire. Light it up, light it up." 4x* It was me, my two girls, plus two other ones, and my two little brothers.  I told one of them how I felt that I wasn't worthy enough to pray that HUGE prayer, questioning why would God use me for such an important task?  We all spent that night just listening to how God was working through the lives of the other campers, and even some of the counselors.

When I thought that that night would finish without one of my girls who I had grown really close with receiving salvation, God had shown me once again that it is HIS timing that is perfect.  Not mine.  The last girl pulled me and my "co-worker/supervisor.....?" aside and said, "You guys said you guys can't replace my aunt, but you guys are extremely close. I want to bring my imperfections to God, and let him work through them.  If I die tonight, I want people to know I was happy."  With that, me and my co-workervisor.. looked at each other, amazed and shocked.  We ended the night by praying for her, and more tears, and more hugs.

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Sorry for this long post, but.. let me just finish off with this quick thought (dang, that word.. haha #youthminprobs).  After the "Life-on-life Ministry" class at the Legacy conference, I spoke to the teacher.  He told me, "At the end of the day you have to be obedient to God."
With all that went on this week, and just my overall experience in what a potential career in full-time ministry would look like and be like, I know this is what God is calling me too.

Being with these kids... when I'm with them.. I have this joy inside of me, like I can't explain.  And I just wanna see them all succeed in life, but more importantly I want to see them all reach the world for Christ.  The thought of facilitating that for them, of being there for them despite those who have left them... I really don't think it can get any better than that.