Week at Camp

My week at FCA camp was definitely a memorable one and i already can't wait to go back next year.

Each day was the same but completely different in their own ways. First off, I met someone I can truly call one of my best friends and someone I am SOO blessed to have met. We instantly had a connection because of talking beforehand, but from the first night spent together, we had already gotten to know eachother and had so much fun together. She is a true woman of God and made such an impact on me in just a week than I ever thought could be possible :) and the best part is, she will be on my tennis team next year and going to my school and she will be such a great person to have around. After just 2 days spent with her at training, i knew the rest of the week was gonna be awesomee and that God had alot up his sleeve for me...

The day finally came to meet my girls, the 8 high school girls I would be in charge of for the week. Thoughts were running through my head like "oh man they are going to be quiet, they wont talk" or "they are gonna be trouble makers and then ill get in trouble idk what to do". I couldnt imagine that I would actually be leading girls in bible studies and being a role model for them to look up to. I knew that in being a role model I would have to open up to them, to tell them things I don't usually tell people and really have to tell them not only my testimony, but my experiences and ultimately, my mistakes. I was scared outta my mind. Throughout training I kept praying that God would empty me, that all of my fears would be poured out and that He would fill my heart with His words and His thoughts so that I could lead these girls with confidence. I kept telling myself, "I have confidence beyond reason because my confidence lies in Christ." All of the other huddle leaders were such amazing people, I couldn't believe i was surrounded by so many awesome people who were such great college athletes and christians.

As i began to meet my girls, I loved them right off the bat. they were the loud group, the ones who couldn't stop talking haha which of course made me happy because id rather have to shut them up then beg them to say something! My goal was to get to know each of them on a personal level and if that meant pulling them aside and talking to them then that's what i would do! I just wanted to know where they were at spiritually and what I could do to help them through their tough times. Our first huddle was pretty good, I asked them some questions about God based on the chapel that night and they were fairly open about things, but we were really just bonding. I think we spent half an hour the first night just going around the circle and saying things about ourselves and getting extremely hyper off candy haha but it was so much fun and i loved it because they were so close in age to me so i felt like i could just say whatever and we could talk as if we were close friends already. I just loved em soo much already haha.

Each day consisted of morning huddle time bible studies, tennis for 5-6 hours or so, free time, chapel and worship, then night time huddles with the group. I was SOO worn out. Let me tell you, I barely got any sleep because these girls would just talk and talk all night and then we would have to get up at 6:30 to knock on their doors to wake em up. But what was so amazing was that God gave me unlimited energy when I was around them. Yes i was dead tired and couldn't believe I was awake, but whenever I was around the girls, I got such a burst of energy that I could be so outgoing and so peppy while still dead tired. I knew God was giving me this strength and energy and it was an amazing feeling. Maybe I should consider a career in youth ministry? hhmm....

Chapel's were amazing. The pastor was the same guy from my church back at school so that was awesome! THere were so many awesome professional athletes who came to speak and share their testimonies with the kids. THey really had a lot to say and were so inspiring. Michael Chang (professional tennis player) came to hit with us and he was such an awesome guy. ALl the kids went crazy haha. One night at chapel, the last night, the pastor Mike offered a chance for those who had never committed their lives to Christ to stand up and be prayed over and dedicate their lives for the first time in their life. I was soo happy when I saw a few of my girls stand up, I imediately prayed over them and gave them SUCh a big hug, made me so happy that their lives were changed that week. The last night was also about relationships and women being treated with respect and finding men who truly treated them right and who also loved God and were able to place God above anything else in their relationship. Mike had all the guys stand up and pray over the girls, and all of us were BALLING. I don't think iv cried that hard in awhile, it was so awesome to hear 400 guys praying for us girls and praying that we would find guys who truly cared for us and would treat us the way we deserved to be treated. We then got to stand up and pray for the guys, which was an awesome experience as well. I get chills just thinking about it haha. It was amazing to see almost the entire guys side stand up when MIke asked those to stand up who were giving their lives to Christ for the first time. Most of these kids probably came just for the football training or the basketball help, little did they realize they would come out of camp a completely new person. Made me so happy to see that :)

By the last huddle, all my girls had truly opened up. We had all bonded so much and formed such amazing friendships. We were so hyper and having so much fun one of the nights that we lost track of time and barely had time for questions since each of us were laughing so hard at the stories we were telling. Some girls opened up about their mistakes, others opened up about family issues, and others opened up about problems in their relationships and friendships. We were all there for them though, and I hope they walked out feeling stronger about everything. One night I texted my girls saying something like, "I love you guys and I'm so excited about what God has in store for each of you and what He is doing in your lives." A few of the girls responded with 4 page texts saying how much of a role model I have been for them and how much I have changed their lives. I was practically crying reading their texts because to hear someone tell me that I am someone they look up to and hope to become made me realize how blessed I really was to be able to meet them and allow God to use me. It was definitely a highlight of my entire year :)


This week brought me so much closer to God and made me realize so much about the life Ive been living. I now dedicate time in my day to read my bible and pray over what im reading and spend more time in prayer than i ever have before. I now think about my workouts as glorifying God and knowing that He gets all the glory. I now realize that His love can really get me through anythign and that it's truly everlasting. I now realize how greater my life is because of my commitment to Christ and getting closer to Him. I now realize mistakes I've made and how I'm going to go about changing things. I now realize that I will never be in a relationship with a guy who does not have a relationship with God because God is always going to be put first. I now realize how 8 group of high school girls can truly change me :) now come on, how can anyone not believe that God is GREAT???