After having a week of wonderful visits with friends, I switched cars in Albuquerque and couldn't shake the feeling of being homesick. But I wasn't homesick for my family (it had only been a few hours) or for our new home (though I do like our new town!)...yet I just couldn't shake the feeling of being homesick. I asked God what I was so homesick for.....and it hit me. I was homesick for the community, familiarity, bonds, memories, inside jokes, history and memories that come with old, tried and true friendships. I was in a car with some beautiful ladies on a way to a retreat with the promise of new relationships, but it was a stark contrast to the weeks worth of familiarity that I had just left. I had not been that homesick since I was a little girl.
But if there was ever a cure for homesickness, a weekend at a Young Life camp did the job for me. If you have never been to a YL camp and come across the opportunity to go, here is my unashamed plug: GO. EXPERIENCE. You will not regret it one iota.
From the minute we walked into our rooms and saw the adorable goodies waiting for us on our beds and decorations, to the amazing music crew, the hilarious program characters and the speaker who breathed life into my tired bones, it was clear that everything was done with excellence for His Name's sake. Oh, did I mention the food??? Yep. Just as awesome. This ain't your average camp food. Oh no siree!
Late during the first night, my homesickness began to fade....because I was back in a familiar place. It wasn't because I had been to Lost Canyon before or because I was with my best friends. It was my first few hours at Lost Canyon and I had known a couple of the ladies for only a few hours. Instead, it was the familiarity of being with a group of folks who all wanted the same thing: to experience and glorify God. As we sang songs of praise, laughed hysterically at the program and heard the words of God through our speaker, it seemed to me a glimpse of what heaven could be like. Where we sing to our Creator, laugh with joy and hear His voice. It was all about Him and it WILL be all about Him.
Bottom line: for 36 hours, the retreat staff and crew poured into us. POURED into us in every way. These are just a few highlights that I walked away with and can't wait to share:
1) He is FOR us. Psalm 56:9. A gal who led the praise reminded us that though we know we are loved by God, sometimes we forget that He is FOR us. This was something I really needed to hear: I have experienced folks who I know without a doubt love me, but weren't FOR me when I needed them to be. I needed to hear that God is FOR me.
2) In the story of Mary and Martha, Nick our speaker, pointed out that Martha was not told that she was doing a bad thing. She wasn't sinning in her actions. Jesus just merely points out that Mary had chosen the 'better thing'. I feel overwhelmed by the many 'good' things I try to do/feel the need to do... but I am learning to discern and choose the 'better thing'.
3) Don and Renee Wooster gave a marriage seminar and it was EXCELLENT. Their words of wisdom made me want to love my husband even better. And they encouraged us in how to do it. They were transparent, real and such a breath of fresh air.
And the last thing I'll mention: the group of ladies I had the privilege to be with. WOW. In the hours spent in that minivan, I saw these gals with new eyes...through the eyes of God. Their stories are not mine to share, but my best description of their lives is 'beauty from ashes'. I came in with the impression that they were a secure, flawless, beautiful, professional, confident group of gals that I was just a wee bit, maybe slightly intimidated by. But their stories and scars make them real, beautiful, women that God is using for His Glory and I feel blessed to call them friends.
I can't wait to share more.......I need to pour it out because I am filled to the brim.
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