i'm off to camp! or, why i'll need an extra dose of energy this week

since literally the very first day i arrived in france, 4 months ago, we've been working hard to plan iccp's first ever adventure camp for jr. high and high schoolers. so it's hard to believe that we actually leave today! i'm so very excited to build relationships with this really great group of students; to do awesome fun stuff like white water rafting, spelunking, ropes courses, etc.; and to see how God will move this week! please pray for us this week, if you're so inclined, that we'll have safety, that everything will run smoothly, that we'll build good relationships with these students, and that God will work in their lives in a big way! oh and wish me luck keeping up with all these jr. high and high school crazies for a week.

these days. or, taking a yellow highlighter to the story of my week.

yesterday we did a lot of hard work out at anderland to get ready for kids camp (which is just a few weeks away!). i did manage to get in a fight with a giant tree branch and walk away with only a few scratches on my face. you should see the tree. to reward ourselves for our labor, we indulged our inner children for a few minutes and played with a giant parachute (see below).


today i can't stop listening to pedro the lion's achilles heel.

tomorrow is fete de la musique, which means lots of bands and music everywhere and people in the streets. can't wait. it will be magical.

right now i'm reading an amazing book by shane claiborne about a little group of dreamers living in community and being the church in philly. just found out there was a 7-alarm fire at their community house in philly, destroying their facilities and the homes of many of their community members. you can learn about it here. please please pray for the simple way. this radically missional community is blazing trails, and this is a part of the story we're all in.

somehow, i think grace is even more beautiful when it is acted out among our fellow less-than-perfect humans. i am so thankful for my team that allows me to be the really real me, embracing all the beautiful and ugly stuff in my insides. i love how we're learning to create a space where we can share with each other and truth reigns.

also: homemade mint tea. lunch in park jourdan with dear andrea. 80s dance party. internet at home. those awesome jones' wisdom on discipleship. one week until sister arrives.

some day, i'll blog again. or, a few pictures to tide you over.

i know, i know, it's been forever since i've written a blog. life = super busy. so this isn't even a blog right now, just an apology that it's been so long and a request that you don't give up on me. i promise an amazing blog is coming soon, including stories and pictures of my trip to london, my trip to paris, our teambuilding weekend, crazy youth group stories, and the adventures of moving in to a new apartment.

in the meantime, here are a few pictures of my new apartment! hooray!



my bedroom