Hello from home, where I’ve been since I got back from camp Saturday, and look out guys, because I actually have stuff to talk about today: camp was so amazing! I’ve never been to camp with Living Hope before, so I wasn’t really sure to expect, but it was such a great week!
Granted, things were a little chaotic and confusing at first, but then I mostly got things figured out and could just enjoy the amazingness of everything that was going on.
For starters, I didn’t realize it before I came, but the college kids and adults who came as chaperones actually got to have their own Bible Study groups and everything! We went through Ephesians at the same pace as the campers did, and I really learned a lot, along with getting to meet a lot of cool people. Our group even got to have a team name like the
others: we as the college group were Sonic Boom. It’s getting kind of late now, so I don’t have much time to talk about all the cool things we did, like our cheer-monkey-winning team cheer and the trust fall stuff we got to do for recreation (before I came to camp I thought a trust fall was just where you fall back and someone catches you), but I’ll try and post those stories in the et cetera section in the next day or two. I do want to mention, though, that the staffer in charge of our college Bible study was literally a broken leader (Jill :). He broke his arm setting up the day before the first camp was supposed to start, so this was his first week actually doing a camp, and he got to ease in and be a little spoiled with the college kids. I think this week he has ninth and tenth graders, so good luck to him :P (and yes, I did just mention that so I
could tell Jill tease Jill about the whole broken leader thing some more :)
Anyway, aside from getting to have Bible study and other activities with other college students, I was really amazed at how God was at work during camp. Thursday night, I think, is when things really hit their peak and we really felt God’s presence. During worship, they had an altar call, and so many campers went down, brought their friends with them to pray.
Our church devotion was after that, and so many students went to the front to tell about things in their past that God was helping them to get rid of, share callings they were feeling for the next step in their lives, and pray for their peers. It was really a blessing to see all the ways that God was working in the lives of all of our kids, and that was just from our church. I mean, I’ve heard people talk about the “camp high” before when they see kids just coming back from church camp, but I don’t think you can really understand it until you’ve actually been and experienced the fellowship and closeness to God that happens when so many people get together and spend their week studying the Bible and worshipping. I just can’t stress enough how awesome this whole thing was!
I’m not really sure how to transition now to something like Question Tuesday, but it’s getting late, and I have to get this posted. Just know, though, that this isn’t over. So far I feel like I’ve been mentioning camp more than Anna Beth’s talked about Britain and Europe, and I was only gone for a week. So anyway, here are this week’s Questions!
Rachael:
If I were to ask a question in the comments of your last blog the night before your suppose to blog again, would you see it?
Most likely. I usually check comments again before I post, just to make sure I haven’t missed anything. If there are a lot of questions, though, or they require a lot of thought, then I
might end up postponing them to next week anyway, like I did with AB’s a couple
weeks ago.
How much money would it cost to buy the city of Winner, South Dakota?
Probably like a billion dollars. Do the vlogbrothers find a specific price? It’s been too long since I watched that video, and I’m too lazy to look it up…
Under what circumstances would you eat a blended happy meal?
Probably none but the direst. In situations like these, I find that it’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes. That way you can make your own all new mistakes instead!
Can you tell what I've been doing for the past 2 days? (Hint 970 videos are a lot to
go through...)
:P Yay for YouTube!
Does Mr.Mime creep you out?
Not really. I think he’s pretty cool!
Favorite pokemon? Both out of the original pokemon and out of the newer
versions.
Now I have to go and look through all the
pokemon…hang on…
Eevee maybe? It’s cute, and can
turn into a lot of cool different pokemon. Except that when I get one I always
wish I could have several so I could have all the different evolve forms…
What do you know of the movie adaptations
of John Green's books?
That they don’t exist yet, which makes me sad. I think John was working on a script for one of them awhile back, though, which is cool. But at this point, any movies are probably not going to be out for several years minimum. So for now we’ll just have to be satisfied
with the books. Which isn’t too bad, since I still have several to read :)
Hank or John? Why?
John! Hank is cool, and I like some of his songs, but he’s also a lot more willing and open to talk about really gross things that I just don’t want to hear about. John, on the other hand, is
hilarious and writes books. It’s also really adorable when he talks about his
wife. And if that weren’t good enough, he has a baby!!!! Babies always win!!!
Do you think that sometimes JK resembles John Green?
I’ve never really thought about it before, but I suppose I could see the resemblance.
Will you go see the Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
movie?
Um, yeah! I read the book awhile ago, and it was really good! Which reminds me, I think Jill wanted to borrow that…
(This also goes out to Jill)
Have you read Uglies by Scott Westerfield? If not, why?
I mean, John Green is friends with him...
No. I’ve seen it in the store a lot, and I read about it once, but I couldn’t decide if it sounded like something I’d actually enjoy reading, so my indecision led to no book. Plus, when I first heard about it, I had no idea who John Green even was (my life used to be so sad… :P), so that factor did not weigh in on my mental conflict.
Shelby:
Would you ever come to Haiti?
Well, it wouldn’t be my ideal vacation place or anything, but to go see you, I would be very excited to go to Haiti :) You know, assuming I had the money and all.
What if I got married in Haiti?
Then I sincerely hope I would be able to make it.
What would you do if God called you to be a teacher in a third world
country?
Then I’d like to think that I would
go and teach in a third world country without too much arguing. I mean, if it’s
God’s will, He’s going to get me there eventually; I just hope that I would have
the obedience to submit to Him and not be all pigheaded about it.
Do you think that He would?
It’s possible. I mean, at this
point any teaching abroad I’ve considered would be temporary, like during my
student teaching or right after I graduate, through the Fulbright program or
something like that. I’ve never really considered leaving America on a more
permanent basis, though. I’m too fond of being in a familiar place with familiar
people to think I would do well in somewhere completely different and previously
unknown to me, though if God did call me elsewhere, I know that He would have no
trouble taking my fears and inadequacies and using them to show His own strength
and power (2 Corinthians 12:9). I mean, as a small example, I came to camp last
week: a new place where everyone there I either knew a little bit or not at all.
I was excited, but also worried; my whole reason for being there was to
facilitate the camp experience for the kids and make sure they were staying safe
and everything. You guys know I’m not that great at just walking up to people I
don’t know so well and starting up a conversation. But God gave me the strength
and courage to interact with the campers and other people at camp, if not as
much as a normal person, at least more than I thought I’d be able to, so that
hopefully I helped make it a more meaningful experience for them.
So, back to the question, I’ve
always figured that I would teach here in America, probably Kentucky, ideally
even Bowling Green, where it’s familiar and I’m comfortable. But that’s just my
half-baked plan, and who am I to try and guess what God has in store for me? I
know it’ll be infinitely better than anything I could come up with :)
Would you rather never be able to live in
America again or never be able to leave your house
again?
I would definitely rather never be able to live
in America again. Being shut into my house for the rest of my life would be
miserable for so many reasons, while having to live outside America, while
scary and unfamiliar, would be full of so much promise and potential. I would
be sad that it would be a lot more difficult to see any of my friends or
family, but we could still keep in touch with that newfangled fancy Internet,
and hopefully you all could come visit me on occasion. And if my only
limitation is my banishment from my home country, think of all the other places
I could go!
So, really, there’s no contest: live the rest of
my life as a shut-in with limited human contact and nowhere to go, or leave the
country and visit amazing places, hopefully getting occasional visits from the
people I love in the place that has banished me. Now I’m curious though: is
this a difficult question for anyone? Or would anyone actually prefer staying
at home? I’d like to hear your opinions on this one.
Jill:
Your answer to the
seven world wonders is a complete cop out. You didn’t even try to answer it! I
demand you try again.
Augh! I don’t know places Jill! Why do you do this to me?
1. Stonehenge
2. Venice canals
3. Grand Canyon
4. Niagara Falls
5. Mammoth Cave
6. Great Coral Reef
7. Pyramids
Happy now?
Anna Beth:
Imagine that all the books in the world
are about to be permanently destroyed (this includes digital/internet copies
and audiobooks, no loopholes)...except for 10. These 10 books will survive for
ages and be the only books left for generations to come. What 10 books would
you choose to preserve?
K, the Bible for starters. Then I was going to say the 7 Harry Potter
books, but they would just take up too much room on the list… so instead the
Fault in our Stars and the first Artemis Fowl, then my next 7 are the Barnes and
Noble complete editions of: Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Edgar Allen
Poe, Sherlock Holmes, Narnia, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy.
Why do people like sad songs?
Sometimes
people just want to be sad. Sadness is an emotion that people feel, and there
are songs that cater to that emotion. I mean, a lot of the time a song is good
because people can relate to it, or it makes them feel something, and it’s
pretty easy to make something sad very emotive.
You meet your soul mate. However, there is a catch: Every three years, someone will break both of your soul mate's collarbones with a Crescent wrench, and there is only one way you can stop this from happening: You must swallow a pill that will make every song you hear--for the rest of your life--sound like Justin Bieber's song "Boyfriend." When you hear anything on the radio, it will sound (to your ears) like Justin Bieber. When you hear a commercial jingle on TV, it will sound like Justin Bieber; if you sing to yourself in the shower, your voice will sound like Justin Bieber(but it will only sound this way to you). Would you do it?
Would you still do it if you loved your soul mate but he didn't love you or know
what you had done for him?
Well, in this hypothetical situation I’m saying I would.
Especially after Jill explained how awful it is to have your collar bone broken,
I wouldn’t want my husband going through that! Maybe I’d learn to love Justin
Bieber :P Oh, but worship on Sundays would be so awful…
Would you rather have an assortment of awesome superpowers (telekinesis, flying, etc.) OR the ability to time travel?
An assortment of awesome superpowers. I’d
always be afraid of messing something up by my timetravelling shenanigans. So
unless I have a pro with me (coughdoctorcough), I wouldn’t want to mess with the
space-time continuum. Plus I always have trouble picking just one superpower to
want, so getting an assortment would cater to my indecisiveness quite well
:)
A boy you really like asks you on
a date. However, the Doctor comes that very night and invites you to travel with
him in the TARDIS. He makes it clear that this is your one chance to travel in
time and space. But--for some reason--it means you HAVE to stand the boy up
without warning, and this may be your only shot with him. Which do you
choose?
Ahh, you’re asking me to choose between love and adventure? I guess the main problem
here is that I don’t know the definite repercussions of my decision. I mean, I
know that it’s my only chance to travel with the Doctor, but I don’t know
whether this is the boy I could end up marrying or whether I’ll be able to
explain later and have another chance with him. There’s just so much
uncertainty!
Although, I am with the Doctor… I could ask him to do his
Time Lord magic and tell me whether losing this chance to go on the date would
totally screw up my love life forever, or if I’ll have another chance with the
boy, or if he’s not even the boy I should be going for. Because if I’ll have a
second chance, or he’s the wrong boy, then I’d definitely choose the Doctor. But
if it’s my only chance with my soul mate then I’d definitely choose the date.
Ok, I’d probably choose the Doctor. Because everything always seems to work out with
him. I mean, all the companions he’s had (at least of the new series that I’ve
seen) have ended up getting their happily ever afters. So it’d probably work
out. Right?
If you were going insane, would you
rather be seeing or hearing things that aren’t really
there?
I’d rather hear things that aren’t really there. Because then, since I won’t know
what’s real and what’s not, I can just learn only to respond to voices that I
can actually match a face to: like, I won’t acknowledge it unless I can see the
person or thing creating the noise. Then maybe I can hid my insanity for
awhile, and learn to deal with it. With seeing things, though, I don’t think
there’d really be a way to tell what’s real and what isn’t.
And this week’s winner is… Shelby! I really
liked her last two questions; they got me thinking and I feel like they were
worthwhile things to consider. So, happy Question Tuesday, sorry this blog is
so late, but I should be getting back on schedule by next week. Talk to you
later!
Love,
Sara
P.S. Sorry the formatting's weird. It's late, and I'm too tired to go through and fix all of it :/
Granted, things were a little chaotic and confusing at first, but then I mostly got things figured out and could just enjoy the amazingness of everything that was going on.
For starters, I didn’t realize it before I came, but the college kids and adults who came as chaperones actually got to have their own Bible Study groups and everything! We went through Ephesians at the same pace as the campers did, and I really learned a lot, along with getting to meet a lot of cool people. Our group even got to have a team name like the
others: we as the college group were Sonic Boom. It’s getting kind of late now, so I don’t have much time to talk about all the cool things we did, like our cheer-monkey-winning team cheer and the trust fall stuff we got to do for recreation (before I came to camp I thought a trust fall was just where you fall back and someone catches you), but I’ll try and post those stories in the et cetera section in the next day or two. I do want to mention, though, that the staffer in charge of our college Bible study was literally a broken leader (Jill :). He broke his arm setting up the day before the first camp was supposed to start, so this was his first week actually doing a camp, and he got to ease in and be a little spoiled with the college kids. I think this week he has ninth and tenth graders, so good luck to him :P (and yes, I did just mention that so I
could tell Jill tease Jill about the whole broken leader thing some more :)
Anyway, aside from getting to have Bible study and other activities with other college students, I was really amazed at how God was at work during camp. Thursday night, I think, is when things really hit their peak and we really felt God’s presence. During worship, they had an altar call, and so many campers went down, brought their friends with them to pray.
Our church devotion was after that, and so many students went to the front to tell about things in their past that God was helping them to get rid of, share callings they were feeling for the next step in their lives, and pray for their peers. It was really a blessing to see all the ways that God was working in the lives of all of our kids, and that was just from our church. I mean, I’ve heard people talk about the “camp high” before when they see kids just coming back from church camp, but I don’t think you can really understand it until you’ve actually been and experienced the fellowship and closeness to God that happens when so many people get together and spend their week studying the Bible and worshipping. I just can’t stress enough how awesome this whole thing was!
I’m not really sure how to transition now to something like Question Tuesday, but it’s getting late, and I have to get this posted. Just know, though, that this isn’t over. So far I feel like I’ve been mentioning camp more than Anna Beth’s talked about Britain and Europe, and I was only gone for a week. So anyway, here are this week’s Questions!
Rachael:
If I were to ask a question in the comments of your last blog the night before your suppose to blog again, would you see it?
Most likely. I usually check comments again before I post, just to make sure I haven’t missed anything. If there are a lot of questions, though, or they require a lot of thought, then I
might end up postponing them to next week anyway, like I did with AB’s a couple
weeks ago.
How much money would it cost to buy the city of Winner, South Dakota?
Probably like a billion dollars. Do the vlogbrothers find a specific price? It’s been too long since I watched that video, and I’m too lazy to look it up…
Under what circumstances would you eat a blended happy meal?
Probably none but the direst. In situations like these, I find that it’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes. That way you can make your own all new mistakes instead!
Can you tell what I've been doing for the past 2 days? (Hint 970 videos are a lot to
go through...)
:P Yay for YouTube!
Does Mr.Mime creep you out?
Not really. I think he’s pretty cool!
Favorite pokemon? Both out of the original pokemon and out of the newer
versions.
Now I have to go and look through all the
pokemon…hang on…
Eevee maybe? It’s cute, and can
turn into a lot of cool different pokemon. Except that when I get one I always
wish I could have several so I could have all the different evolve forms…
What do you know of the movie adaptations
of John Green's books?
That they don’t exist yet, which makes me sad. I think John was working on a script for one of them awhile back, though, which is cool. But at this point, any movies are probably not going to be out for several years minimum. So for now we’ll just have to be satisfied
with the books. Which isn’t too bad, since I still have several to read :)
Hank or John? Why?
John! Hank is cool, and I like some of his songs, but he’s also a lot more willing and open to talk about really gross things that I just don’t want to hear about. John, on the other hand, is
hilarious and writes books. It’s also really adorable when he talks about his
wife. And if that weren’t good enough, he has a baby!!!! Babies always win!!!
Do you think that sometimes JK resembles John Green?
I’ve never really thought about it before, but I suppose I could see the resemblance.
Will you go see the Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
movie?
Um, yeah! I read the book awhile ago, and it was really good! Which reminds me, I think Jill wanted to borrow that…
(This also goes out to Jill)
Have you read Uglies by Scott Westerfield? If not, why?
I mean, John Green is friends with him...
No. I’ve seen it in the store a lot, and I read about it once, but I couldn’t decide if it sounded like something I’d actually enjoy reading, so my indecision led to no book. Plus, when I first heard about it, I had no idea who John Green even was (my life used to be so sad… :P), so that factor did not weigh in on my mental conflict.
Shelby:
Would you ever come to Haiti?
Well, it wouldn’t be my ideal vacation place or anything, but to go see you, I would be very excited to go to Haiti :) You know, assuming I had the money and all.
What if I got married in Haiti?
Then I sincerely hope I would be able to make it.
What would you do if God called you to be a teacher in a third world
country?
Then I’d like to think that I would
go and teach in a third world country without too much arguing. I mean, if it’s
God’s will, He’s going to get me there eventually; I just hope that I would have
the obedience to submit to Him and not be all pigheaded about it.
Do you think that He would?
It’s possible. I mean, at this
point any teaching abroad I’ve considered would be temporary, like during my
student teaching or right after I graduate, through the Fulbright program or
something like that. I’ve never really considered leaving America on a more
permanent basis, though. I’m too fond of being in a familiar place with familiar
people to think I would do well in somewhere completely different and previously
unknown to me, though if God did call me elsewhere, I know that He would have no
trouble taking my fears and inadequacies and using them to show His own strength
and power (2 Corinthians 12:9). I mean, as a small example, I came to camp last
week: a new place where everyone there I either knew a little bit or not at all.
I was excited, but also worried; my whole reason for being there was to
facilitate the camp experience for the kids and make sure they were staying safe
and everything. You guys know I’m not that great at just walking up to people I
don’t know so well and starting up a conversation. But God gave me the strength
and courage to interact with the campers and other people at camp, if not as
much as a normal person, at least more than I thought I’d be able to, so that
hopefully I helped make it a more meaningful experience for them.
So, back to the question, I’ve
always figured that I would teach here in America, probably Kentucky, ideally
even Bowling Green, where it’s familiar and I’m comfortable. But that’s just my
half-baked plan, and who am I to try and guess what God has in store for me? I
know it’ll be infinitely better than anything I could come up with :)
Would you rather never be able to live in
America again or never be able to leave your house
again?
I would definitely rather never be able to live
in America again. Being shut into my house for the rest of my life would be
miserable for so many reasons, while having to live outside America, while
scary and unfamiliar, would be full of so much promise and potential. I would
be sad that it would be a lot more difficult to see any of my friends or
family, but we could still keep in touch with that newfangled fancy Internet,
and hopefully you all could come visit me on occasion. And if my only
limitation is my banishment from my home country, think of all the other places
I could go!
So, really, there’s no contest: live the rest of
my life as a shut-in with limited human contact and nowhere to go, or leave the
country and visit amazing places, hopefully getting occasional visits from the
people I love in the place that has banished me. Now I’m curious though: is
this a difficult question for anyone? Or would anyone actually prefer staying
at home? I’d like to hear your opinions on this one.
Jill:
Your answer to the
seven world wonders is a complete cop out. You didn’t even try to answer it! I
demand you try again.
Augh! I don’t know places Jill! Why do you do this to me?
1. Stonehenge
2. Venice canals
3. Grand Canyon
4. Niagara Falls
5. Mammoth Cave
6. Great Coral Reef
7. Pyramids
Happy now?
Anna Beth:
Imagine that all the books in the world
are about to be permanently destroyed (this includes digital/internet copies
and audiobooks, no loopholes)...except for 10. These 10 books will survive for
ages and be the only books left for generations to come. What 10 books would
you choose to preserve?
K, the Bible for starters. Then I was going to say the 7 Harry Potter
books, but they would just take up too much room on the list… so instead the
Fault in our Stars and the first Artemis Fowl, then my next 7 are the Barnes and
Noble complete editions of: Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Edgar Allen
Poe, Sherlock Holmes, Narnia, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy.
Why do people like sad songs?
Sometimes
people just want to be sad. Sadness is an emotion that people feel, and there
are songs that cater to that emotion. I mean, a lot of the time a song is good
because people can relate to it, or it makes them feel something, and it’s
pretty easy to make something sad very emotive.
You meet your soul mate. However, there is a catch: Every three years, someone will break both of your soul mate's collarbones with a Crescent wrench, and there is only one way you can stop this from happening: You must swallow a pill that will make every song you hear--for the rest of your life--sound like Justin Bieber's song "Boyfriend." When you hear anything on the radio, it will sound (to your ears) like Justin Bieber. When you hear a commercial jingle on TV, it will sound like Justin Bieber; if you sing to yourself in the shower, your voice will sound like Justin Bieber(but it will only sound this way to you). Would you do it?
Would you still do it if you loved your soul mate but he didn't love you or know
what you had done for him?
Well, in this hypothetical situation I’m saying I would.
Especially after Jill explained how awful it is to have your collar bone broken,
I wouldn’t want my husband going through that! Maybe I’d learn to love Justin
Bieber :P Oh, but worship on Sundays would be so awful…
Would you rather have an assortment of awesome superpowers (telekinesis, flying, etc.) OR the ability to time travel?
An assortment of awesome superpowers. I’d
always be afraid of messing something up by my timetravelling shenanigans. So
unless I have a pro with me (coughdoctorcough), I wouldn’t want to mess with the
space-time continuum. Plus I always have trouble picking just one superpower to
want, so getting an assortment would cater to my indecisiveness quite well
:)
A boy you really like asks you on
a date. However, the Doctor comes that very night and invites you to travel with
him in the TARDIS. He makes it clear that this is your one chance to travel in
time and space. But--for some reason--it means you HAVE to stand the boy up
without warning, and this may be your only shot with him. Which do you
choose?
Ahh, you’re asking me to choose between love and adventure? I guess the main problem
here is that I don’t know the definite repercussions of my decision. I mean, I
know that it’s my only chance to travel with the Doctor, but I don’t know
whether this is the boy I could end up marrying or whether I’ll be able to
explain later and have another chance with him. There’s just so much
uncertainty!
Although, I am with the Doctor… I could ask him to do his
Time Lord magic and tell me whether losing this chance to go on the date would
totally screw up my love life forever, or if I’ll have another chance with the
boy, or if he’s not even the boy I should be going for. Because if I’ll have a
second chance, or he’s the wrong boy, then I’d definitely choose the Doctor. But
if it’s my only chance with my soul mate then I’d definitely choose the date.
Ok, I’d probably choose the Doctor. Because everything always seems to work out with
him. I mean, all the companions he’s had (at least of the new series that I’ve
seen) have ended up getting their happily ever afters. So it’d probably work
out. Right?
If you were going insane, would you
rather be seeing or hearing things that aren’t really
there?
I’d rather hear things that aren’t really there. Because then, since I won’t know
what’s real and what’s not, I can just learn only to respond to voices that I
can actually match a face to: like, I won’t acknowledge it unless I can see the
person or thing creating the noise. Then maybe I can hid my insanity for
awhile, and learn to deal with it. With seeing things, though, I don’t think
there’d really be a way to tell what’s real and what isn’t.
And this week’s winner is… Shelby! I really
liked her last two questions; they got me thinking and I feel like they were
worthwhile things to consider. So, happy Question Tuesday, sorry this blog is
so late, but I should be getting back on schedule by next week. Talk to you
later!
Love,
Sara
P.S. Sorry the formatting's weird. It's late, and I'm too tired to go through and fix all of it :/
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