There and Back Again {Camp Regen 2012}

I'd been anticipating it for a whole year, building up images in my mind of what it would be like. The images grew in quantity and magnitude as camp got closer and closer. I was warned by my parents to reel in my expectations, lest I be bitterly disappointed.

I didn't.

And for once, I wasn't let down.



"Nomad to Ghost Rider. Do you read me, Ghost Rider? We were just wondering how our dust tastes. Apply cold water to burn and await further instructions. Over and out."



 Very possibly, the van ride was the best part of the entire trip. Not only were the coolest people ever in mine (or probably because they were), we sang and danced for the vast majority of the time. I never before realized it was possible to dance in a van. There were great conversations about struggles and the hope of Heaven, several gripping games of Mafia, and a lot of stupidly hilarious inside jokes. ("Look! There's a Tuscan Raider riding an Al Qaeda!")

CrossLife!

We pulled into the Glorieta campus at 4:00 PM, our van rocking (literally) with the combined energy of 14 sugar-high, underslept teenagers who'd been crammed in a van together for 20 hours. Awesome.

Andrew Guiterrez and Austin Duncan who is, by the way, my new favorite speaker.

The first session, taught by Austin Duncan, was on the Lordship of Christ.

Pre-session reaction: "Oh boy, I've heard this a million times already. Guess this one is for the unbelievers who were dragged here."

Post-session reaction: [insert bawling here]

I was in tears. Never before did I fully grasp the completely implications of Christ being Lord of the Universe, and of my life. I am His posession. He is not only the purpose and master of my existence, but the essence of it. I owe everything to Him; my sole goal is to glorify Him and preach His Word.

Small group was full of tears and testimonies. Pledges to keep eachother accountable. Prayers.

Wow. 2 hours into camp, and already God is working in wonderful ways.



^Morning devotions and just chilling with my Meir <3^

HOO, HA, YELLOW JACKETS! HOO, HA, YELLOW JACKETS! RICKA RACKA FIRECRACKER SIS BOOM BAH! YELLOW JACKET YELLOW JACKETS RAH RAH RAH!

(rally session)

The games were fun, and messy, and loud, and...messy. Yeah.

Apparently, the game crew's idea of fun for highschoolers is feeding eachother disgusting foods and getting muddy. And actually, it was pretty fun. xD

The legendary Kajavikankan, which is supposed to be played around a trash can with a pig's head on it. We kinda got off-center :P Our pig was named Wilbur.

 Night game #2-Ultimate Steal the Bacon Tournament, played in 50 degree weather while being sprayed by fire trucks. If I hadn't gotten hypothermia, it would've been almost as fun as Mission Impossible, the first night game. That one made you feel like a secret agent. This, more like a gladiator.

Love these girls <3

Highlights: every single small group, but especially the first and last. Van ride. Being Simeon's sister. Talking with Meir and Flo in the canoe. Stealing Arob's soccer ball. Meeting Austin Duncan in the Chuckwagon. Emma flat ironing my hair (nobody recognized me :D). Flash mobbing. Mission Impossible. Our team owning Neb's Head. Brazilian Joe. "Hello, how ya durin', how ya durin', hello." Hearing Pastor John MacArthur, who is practically a celebrity ;)

With John MacArthur

 It was  time of raw honesty, intense Spiritual growth, and pure, immature fun. I walked away bursting with meaningful conversations and love for every single person in CrossLife.

God has blessed me so much here.

I can honestly say I'm ecstatic to share the Gospel and live a life on fire for Christ alongside so many other faithful Believers. Camp changed me, not just on the emotional level, but forever.

And, hopefully, I'll be back next year.

(Mrs. Langenberg gets all photo credit.)