camp eagle senior trip 2016
This is the video from the trip Class of 2017 took to Camp Eagle last year. I never get tired of watching this. What an adventure that was.
Also this is what I wrote after that trip as we entered our senior year together. Crazy how fast time flies...
Dear Class of 2017,
We’ve just returned from the senior trip we’ve heard about for years. I’m so proud of us and what we accomplished and SO pumped for what God is about to do through us. I just wanted to share with y’all some things I learned this week. I learned about the power of family, in a different way. You know, we hear all the time about how much we are blessed to go to legacy and the teachers and all that jazz…but it’s the truest thing. Here is just one of countless examples…I’ll never forget…after hours of running around none-stop, coated in sand and sweat, smelling nasty, I somehow managed to rip a toenail clean off during an intense rally on the volleyball court. Mrs Babb came to my rescue and insisted on carrying me on her back to fix my now bloody foot. I laughed through the stinging pain and refused the offer, but she ended up carrying me all the way back to the cabin, poured on half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, then rapped my lovely toe sort of mummy style. The teachers we are surrounded by are so much more extraordinary than we think. They aren’t there just to hand out assignments and cloud our lives with unwanted homework. Legacy is a family. These people genuinely care and love us with a crazy authentic love. They want us to grow and learn from our mistakes. They want us to fall in love with our Savior and guide us through the chaos that highschool is. They see the best in us. And that is something you don’t find just anywhere. We are beyond blessed, people.
Another thing we talked about this week was being bold enough to “step out of the boat”. There is reason Peter is the only name mentioned out of the disciples in the that story. He saw Jesus walking on the water and desired to obey His simple command to “Come” with his whole being. The waters were wild and daunting. But he was bold enough to get out of the safety and the comfort of the boat and follow Jesus. Jesus is calling us. He desperately wants us to follow him and trust him. The moment Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he became distracted and scared of his surroundings. This didn’t surprise Jesus or aggravate Him or dissatisfy Him. When Peter cried out in desperation, Jesus immediately held out his hands and came to his rescue. He pulled him out of the roaring waters and loved him. His plan for our lives will not be easy or comfortable. When we fix our eyes on Him and choose to be vulnerable to the unknown, we choose to let God take control. If it doesn’t scare the crap out of you at least a little, then its probably not His plan. Just like that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach pretty much all of us experienced standing on that tiny platform before throwing ourselves off the cliff in attempt to catch the trapeze, we have to trust that the rope will catch us. Honestly, senior year scares the crap out of me. I am terrified. I scared of all the “lasts”. Last cross country season, last first day of school, last homecoming, last track season, last year of living with my parents, last year of HIGH SCHOOL…how did this happen?! Its SO unbelievably crazy how fast time flies. Its completely overwhelming. But its all part of the journey. With all that fear creeping into my thoughts, the refreshing fact is, I know it’ll all be ok. Because it says “do not be afraid” 365 times in the bible. And He said it right there on the water with Peter too. God’s got this. Some how, some way, He’ll get us through this year.
Before I end this, I just want to tell y’all how crazy thankful I am. On Wednesday night, y’all sang like angels, even though that sounds super cheesy. I’ve never heard us worship with that much authenticity before. Coach Galloway is completely right, we were not put on this earth just to play slither haha! I know some hearts were pretty wrecked by the end, there were lots of beautiful tears shedding, it was definitely tough to hold it all together…but the Holy Spirit showed up that night. He showed up in a way only he can. We embraced the devastating impact of his love that night. The joy was overflowing. Y’all have hearts of pure gold and I hope you know how much of a blessing you are. I want to encourage y’all to not loose this momentum. That was not a camp high or just an explosion of emotion, that was real. It was as real as real can be. Personally, Camp Eagle has played a huge part in my life before this trip. I remember feeling engulfed in genuine love and released from a gripping bitterness that had been on my shoulders for wayyyy too long last summer in that same pavilion. I cried like baby. I understand what its like to finally be free from the crap that had previously held me back from pursuing God the way I should. Guys, we have an opportunity next year. Let’s lead with that same passion. It’s going to be an amazing year…I’m so grateful for y’all. Class of 2017 is taking on senior year by storm…lets do this!
Kenna
