My First Blog Post Ever

Hey friends and family! 

So I promised many of you that I would start a blog about my adventures in Colorado.  So here it is!

I'm not sure I have been here long enough to really explain what it is like or going to be like, but I will start from the beginning and see what I come up with.

July 26, 5:08am I begin my journey to Horn Creek near Westcliffe, CO.  I loved getting to see the sunrise near Yankton, SD and the many other unique observations I made along the way.  First of all, Nebraska is the brownest state I've ever seen, except for the fields they flood to grow a crop of some sort.  I never figured out what it was exactly, but those were the only green fields in the entire state!  When I finally got to Colorado, I kept seeing little windmills (not the big wind turbines but small, farm friendly size ones) with cows around them.  There were no other cows, just the ones by the windmills.  Denver to Colorado Springs was a very pretty drive, but it was hard to pay attention because of all the curvy roads so I didn't get to see as much as I wanted to.  Bummer.  I saw more of Colorado Springs than I intended with one of my wrong turns, but it was just a minor setback--no harm done :)

I finally reached Horn Creek after about 4 wrong turns, 3 states, 1 time zone change and 14 1/2 hours of driving, including stops.  I was introduced to some staff and put all my laundry in the dryers to prevent bed bugs.  My mom and I spent a lot of time rolling my clothes so they'd all fit nicely into my duffle bags, all to just dump them out when I got there.  It's okay though since it's for a good reason!  I got a small tour of camp and unpacked/repacked my stuff the rest of the night.  The next day I was able to explore most of the day until my shift at 5:30pm.  There are three camps at Horn Creek: Meadows, Ranch and Lodge.  I was assigned to be a server at Lodge.  Servers are similar to wait staff/bussing staff at a restaurant.  We bring out the food, clean up tables, reset the tables and repeat it again for the next meal.  We also do other cleaning jobs and miscellaneous things around the camp.  At first, the job seemed like it would get very monotonous, which it sort of does.  But, the people are what make it an enjoyable experience.  Getting to know my co-workers and the guests who are residing in Lodge for the week is really what makes the job fun.

I have already learned a TON about what it is like to be a servant and to hold others higher than yourself.  I recently read in Mark 10 about the parable of the rich young man who "kept all of the commandments since his youth".  So Jesus asks him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor.  But what really stuck out to me was it said "Jesus LOVED him" and asked him to do this seemingly impossible task.  When we are put in positions to do something we might not really want to do, that's when God is growing us.  I know I have been growing already in having a positive attitude about things and to be more outgoing in getting to know people.  

I have truly been blessed by the friends I've made so far with the summer staff here already and am very excited to see what the future holds.  I know it will be completely different when I get back and the summer staff are all gone, but at the same time I'm ready to begin this new chapter in my life, with all of it's challenges, struggles and growth that are in store.  I am prepared to be refined by the fire of the Lord and to reflect on who He wants me to be and who I am, so most likely taking on the challenge to change many things about myself.