So last January, I found out that I was put on to Ecola's Summer Ministry Team, a team that goes out during the summer for 8 weeks straight, during which we was camp counselors at kids camps. There were two teams, each with 5 members. My team consisted of Matt White, Katie White, Lisa Matz, Rhianna Moriarty, and myself. We started training sessions together with the other team during third term, which was led by the director of Ecola, Dave Duff. We started hanging out on Wednesday mornings before class and praying. We would spend an hour or so a week together, hanging out or creating skits (or being led around campus blindfolded.. ya that was fun haha)
Soon, Ecola was over and I got to stay on campus to work at the conference center and do more training sessions. That was one of the saddest days of my life... to see all of my friends leave. For them all to be there one morning and.. gone that evening. It still brings tears to my eyes, even now as I type this. And so another chapter began that day. We stayed on campus for 2 weeks training and hanging out and working for the Cannon Beach Conference Center. Those weeks went by fast, but not fast enough. By the end, we were aching to get out of there. I think it hurt us all too much to be there while no one else was.
Next up was the SMT camping trip! Matt and I left a day early because we were ready to leave CB and we stayed at his house for a couple of nights. We went camping along the Metolius River in Oregon. It was a lot of fun! It was just the two SMT teams and Dave, and we had a blast! The nights were SO cold, but we survived. I've also never had so much freeze dried food in my life, which was cool cause real food was great to come back to! haha
It was on this trip, we started finalizing what we thought we'd need for the summer in the way of mental state, closeness as a group, and devotionals for the campers. Being out there in nature was great enough, but the times where we all went off by ourselves and prayed, did our personal devos, and made up the devos we would need for teaching our campers, it was some of the closest feeling time I've had with God. I love God and I love the way He reveals Himself through nature!
Another note worthy thing was when all of us guys drove up towards Mt. Jefferson to hike a bit. We found a trailhead and hiked a bit in, but hit snow packs, which we hiked over for a while. Soon it was too difficult to keep going, so we just turned back, but not after stopping and looking over the gorge. (I wish I had brought my camera that day...)
After the camping trip, we all went to our respective homes (except Lisa, she went to Hawaii) and rested from the year and the camping trip, and tried to prepare for what the summer had in store for us. Key word is "tried".
Training feels like such a long time ago... Heck, Ecola feels as if it were years ago, yet it feels like yesterday. It all does. I've had a lot of time to reflect on Ecola and all that came with it this week, since a good number of my friends are back down there at second year. I miss it, yet I know that I'm where I need to be. Yet, I miss my friends, yet I know that I'll get to spend eternity with them! And I long for that day! The day that A) I meet my God face to face, and B) get to be reunited with all of my brothers and sisters!
Well, this is John Friend signing off, at least for now :)
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