Summer 2009 at Lake Retreat

Captivated

The wind and the clouds and the blue in the sky
The sun and the moon and the stars so high
That's what draws me to You

When I wake unto the morning it gives me your sight
When I look across the ocean it echoes Your might

The sand on the shore and the waves in the sea
The air in my lungs and the way You made me
That's what draws me to You

The wind and the clouds and the blue in the sky
The sun and the moon and the stars so high
The sand on the shore and the waves in the sea
The air in my lungs and the way You made me

The blood in my veins and my heart You invade
The plants how they grow and the trees and their shade
The way that I feel and the Love in my soul
I thank you, my God for letting me know

Lake Retreat.
May 15, 2009 - August 22, 2009.
Perhaps I will be there again in 2010.
[And only perhaps.]

For those of you who really know me well,
I have a random and goodish memory.
It is random because I can remember random moments and days and like exactly 
what was going down.

Like May 5 2005 where Janell told me I look cute... and
And I told her that is an understatement
And then she said I look hot and I said that it is the ridiculous statement.
And from that day on, every once in a while we would say all that to each other.
And that was during a track meet at Okasta which was 3 hours away from VCHS and 
I did horrendous in the 300 hurdles and the 800 was alright cus I got points 
and was lame in throwing.
I was lying on the ground and looking at the sky where the
clouds where moving quite rapidly, and I was thoroughly amused.

Memory making moments has and are happening here at Lake Retreat this summer.
I have met some amazing people.
And the world is much smaller than we make it out to be sometimes.
I have seen a good few of people here at LR that I went to school with or 
they are parents of the kids.
I loved my high school.
I went to a small one, but that has not stopped me seeing people unexpectedly 
3hrs away from Vancouver here at Lake Retreat.
Grant Miller and Jamie Kay are here this week with Awana camp leading worship
It is so VCHS all over again at moments.
Grant led worship and Jamie and I were also on the worship team at VC.
I just went to their worship session and that was pretty much amazing.

A few days ago I was overwhelmed by sweet joy. [And that feeling still resides.]
It was a crazy feeling I do not think I have had since I left VCHS.

Now let me explain.

I graduated VC in 2008.
And I have attended a year of college at Washington State University in Vancouver.
The atmosphere of VC vs WSUV is so different.
Quite obviously it would be since one is private and the other is public.

VC was like one giant family.
We had only 120ish students through 9th-12th grade.
I had about 40 students in my class.
We were the largest class.
I knew many people and we could talk about Jesus in math class and all my classes.
We had chapel on Fridays. AMAZING like none other.
At VC we hugged each other at random and cared for one another.
We were like a big family. That was the atmosphere of my high school.
I have gone back to a football game last fall and there was this strange energy.
It is purely Jesus.
He is the life of VC and all of its wonderfulness.

That feeling that I had is of the love and joy ultimately through Jesus 
from hugs and good conversations from fellow VC students; Many of us who 
just were great friends and loved being around each other.

At WSUV it is not like that.
I have a few good friends, but that is about it.
I do not really hug people as much there since I do not know many people.

However, this summer here at Lake Retreat, I have made new friends on the staff 
and it has become that feeling of a family again. We are at a place where we all 
love Jesus and want others to know the same. And some of us randomly hug. We hang 
out and care for each other.

Now with that, I am here at Lake Retreat, and then some VC people 
[Who I haven’t seen in a year or two] 
come here that remind me of the feelings I had while at VC. 
Those feelings and emotions combined with the 
feeling of family at Lake Retreat and many other good things of that day 
[like amazing family campers, the lake, Sweet Tea, Tyree, 
River with ROCKS, the fact that Jesus loves me!, etc] 
left me overwhelmed with sweet joy.

I am not sure if many of you understand my feelings and thought process through all of this.
I know though that God brought me here to Lake Retreat for a reason.
This moment is one of the many reasons I will share in the days to come.
And this feeling I have is ultimately from God.

<3

Live a life worth living, a life lived for God.