Say So

Tonight, I was reminded of one of my most favorite parts of Young Life camp.

Nate's dad preached at the midweek service at church tonight and one of the scriptures that he shared was Psalm 107:2.

New King James Version

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..."

The Message says it like this:

 "Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
    His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
    Tell how he freed you from oppression,
Then rounded you up from all over the place,
    from the four winds, from the seven seas."

If you have ever been to a Young Life camp, you know that it isn't like any other summer camp.  If you have never been, you are missing out.  It is never too late to experience it - you could always be an Adult Guest.  For lack of a better explanation, it is more like a week-long stay at a ridiculously fun resort with the most genuine and friendly people around.  If you ask me, it is a glimpse into Heaven... complete with meals served family style, laughter, adventure, and of course water slides and zip lines.

I attended camp at Woodleaf in 2000 and worked at Oakbridge during the summer of 2001, Windy Gap during the summer of 2002, Crooked Creek in the winter of 2002, Frontier Ranch during the summer of 2003, Washington Family Ranch in the spring of 2004, and Lost Canyon during the summer of 2004.  As I typed out each camp that I have had the privilege to attend or work at, I couldn't help but well up with tears.

I first met my dear friend Lydia at Woodleaf... she was a Baker from San Diego with such zeal for life, you couldn't help but want to know her.  Upon her return to San Diego she took me under her wing and didn't tell me how to live a life reflecting a love and passion for Jesus but SHOWED me.  She introduced me to Beth Moore.  She got in the tank with me when I was baptized.  She told me the hard truth, and continues to do so.  Lydia is the real deal.

I can't help but laugh when I think about my time at Oakbridge, mainly because I think about the start of my friendship with Rosie.  As I have shared in previous posts, I was not Rosie's cup of tea when our paths first crossed.  Eventually Rosie came around to my amazingness and drank the Kool-Aid.  (Kidding - kind of.)  Almost 12 years later, I still count Rosie as one of my best friends.  She has shared her family with me.  She will probably never get over me ruining her nap under the buffet line during Cartoon Breakfast but that is on her.

Windy Gap was an interesting experience in that it was my first time traveling all the way across the country on my own, not knowing anyone that I would be working with.  The Monsoons at Windy Gap were unlike anything I had ever experienced.  Two of my most favorite memories of my time at Windy Gap were taking the old plastic mattresses out of the storage area to slide down the wet hills during a rain storm and sitting in the valley in the pitch black singing the kids out of their quiet time on Cross-Talk night.

Winter Camp at Crooked Creek was a fun camp to be a part of.  I was still in High School but I was a Wyld Life leader so I was able to join my team as the Work Crew for the camp.  We woke up early to prepare breakfast before heading to the slopes and got dinner ready and cleaned up upon the return from the mountain.  I never thought that washing dishes, setting and clearing tables, and preparing meals could be so fun until I worked at a Young Life camp.

Frontier Ranch will always hold a VERY special place in my heart.  It was the summer before leaving for Seattle Pacific and I was on top of the world.  My work crew boss, Kristen Odmark, was and still is an incredible blessing.  There was a cabin of girls from somewhere in the Midwest that brought me such joy - they always sent their leader in EXTRA early so they could sit at my table.  There is something magical that happens in the dining rooms of Young Life camps.  The power in sitting down for a meal family-style is something that we could all learn from the way Young Life does camping.  Just as with Crooked Creek, I learned how fun it could be to prepare for and clean up after meals.  We made games out of getting the dining room set up.  We experienced joy in the pits (that's what they call the dish washing area).  One of my favorite moments at Frontier Ranch was getting to share my story with the campers during "Work Crew Club" one morning.  I got to share my journey of finding faith and making it my own.  I got to share how God met me where I was at and how He has been my Rock.  I was filled up while at Frontier.  I gained a confidence and self-respect that I had never had before.  I left Frontier Ranch ready to take on the world.

Washington Family Ranch was a fun road trip for Ali, Dan and me.  We made our way from SPU in Seattle, Washington to WFR in Antelope, Oregon to serve on the Work Crew for a winter camp.  We worked hard and played harder.  Ali had been to WFR many times before so we took her Civic around the property for a behind-the-scenes tour.  WFR has a REALLY interesting story, a story that sings a song of redemption, which is probably why I love the story so much.

I spent two months at Lost Canyon in 2004 and had an absolute blast.  During the first month, I was with people from Orange County, some of whom I knew from SPU and through Lydia (her now brother-in-law was there with me... small world).  During the second month, Kristi joined me and we were there with a group from Santa Barbara.  Being on Summer Staff vs Work Crew was such a new and fun experience.  Both months were full of fun, great memories, and lots of laughter.

Back to the main point of this ridiculously long post...

One of my most favorite parts of Young Life camp is the "Say so".  Throughout the week, students hear from the speaker, and their leaders in Cabin Time, about this guy named Jesus.  The students hear who Jesus is, what He did for you and I, and what that means for us, and then the students are given an opportunity to think about how that applies to their life and potentially make a life-changing decision.  After that opportunity to reflect and decide, we give them an opportunity to "Say so"!

MANY MANY a tear have been shed while watching the "Say so" take place.  There is nothing like watching the kid who didn't want to come to camp stand up and say so and go on to say that he really did have the best week of his life (Young Life offers a money back guarantee that kids will have the best week of their life).  Or the kid that hung out at the smoking pit (yes, there is a smoking pit at camp, get over your preconceived notions about this and really think through the thought process behind it and you will understand) who didn't want to participate in any of the games or activity stands up with hands trembling.  What about the bus driver who decided to stay at camp all week, in his bus, rather than going home, just so he could see what it is that makes this place so different - he stands up with tears falling down his face.  Leaders who heard the gospel in a new way that made them decide to say so all over again.  I wish that everyone could have the opportunity to experience the "Say so" at a Young Life camp.  I am so thankful that I have been able to experience it over 25 times, each time being so different yet so similar.  I am blessed.