It is really difficult to sum up this summer.  I have so many memories and emotions and I am just starting to process them all.  I do not know how long it will take for me to fully process what God has taught me this summer and to realize the impact this experience will have on my life.  One thing I do know is that I want to continue to build the relationships that I have started this summer.  Relationships are integral to any ministry, but I have learned that without relationships this ministry would have never begun and would not continue.  I am thankful for everyone that supported me this summer both financially and in prayer.

Friday was the last day of “normal” camp.  Next week we are going to have camp, but it will be for the kids that are not going to the overnight camp in Pennsylvania.

At numerous times this weekend I have found myself to be reflecting on the different events that took place this summer.  I think this is largely due to the fact that we are about to start the final week of day camp before a majority of the kids (and interns) go to a Christian sports camp in Pennsylvania.  I have many stories and thoughts running through my head, so I will try to make this entry as coherent as possible.   

This morning CHAT had the privilege of worshiping with the congregation of Leigh Street Baptist Church who has been hosting the day camp.  We tried to give the congregation a glimpse of what day camp is like.  My middle school and high school girls presented the banner that they have been working on since the beginning of camp.  The banner consists of 12 quilt squares, 9 of the squares represent the Fruits of Spirit from Galatians and the other 3 squares thank the church and contain the signatures of the campers.  The girls decided to depict the Fruits of the Spirit because those are the attributes that our behavior incentive program has been focusing

This week is the halfway point, so to rest and reflect the interns went on a retreat.

This week our book discussions and morning devotions have been focused on racial reconciliation.  The interns are all reading the book More Than Equals by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice and we have discussions surrounding the book on Mondays.  Frequently throughout our discussion and the morning devotions the question has been asked: Who is your neighbor?  This is a question that was brought up to me during one of my seminary classes last semester.  My professor told me how this is not a simple question, but is a theological question.  I don’t think I fully thought about this comment until this week.  We as a societ

This week was our first full week of camp and I am exhausted.  It continues to amaze me how excited the kids become due to the activities we are doing.

This week was extremely busy.  We had our normal tutoring program on Monday and Tuesday, went swimming at a private school on Wednesday, day camp began on Thursday, swimming at Pocahontas State Park on Friday, and camping this weekend in North Carolina.  Throughout this week encouragement has gotten all of us through this hectic, tiring, and fun week.  There were numerous moments this week that stick out to me, but I am going to focus on only a couple of situations.

Once in a while I have to stop and remind myself that this is only the second week of the internship.  So much has taken place that it is difficult to figure out what to focus on when writing these blogs and how to communicate what took place in a coherent manner.  One theme that has struck me throughout this week is the necessity to reach out; I need to reach out to build relationships with others in this community and I need to reach out for support from others in this community.

       Our internship officially started on Sunday with worship at East End Fellowship.  The message centered on passages from Proverbs and being humble.  This was a perfect message to set the tone for my summer internship.  Honestly, I started my internship with confidence.  I expected that I would be the oldest intern and that my previous experiences as a teacher and in youth ministry would be helpful.  In addition, I have been volunteering with CHAT since August, so I came into this experience thinking I had an idea of what to expect, but this is not the case.  I have learned very quickly that tutoring and attending special events for CHAT is just a small fraction of what it means to work with CHAT and being a part of the community.