Under the Stars

This blog post is dedicated to Charlotte, who told me I wouldn't write about this weekend's camping trip for a month. Since I like a good challenge, it is within 48 hours of the event, and here I am.

It is proving extremely difficult to type right now. We are cat-sitting for the weekend, and Titan is all over me, typing on the keyboard with his paws, crawling up my shirt, mewing when I push him aside. He's a good cat, and I like having him around, but it's hard to type consistently with his interruptions.

But that is not the point of me writing.

The point of me writing is to communicate an amazing fact: I am happy. This hasn't been the case, consistently, for about three years. But as my friends and I sat around the campfire Friday night, I couldn't help but be amazed at how God's will is infinitely better than my own. If he'd have let me leave this place when I asked him to (which was a lot over the past three years), I would've missed something amazing. Out in the woods on Friday night, I was just so thankful that God didn't listen to me. He made me wait, and he definitely came through. I was just not patient enough to remember that he would.

Our life group went camping Friday night. There was a break in the rain and the cold, and it was beautiful. Annie and I marveled at the sunset reflecting on the water as we drove out to the campsite. The stars were vibrant, the air was crisp, and the fellowship was fabulous. We ate hamburgers and smores, sang some worship songs, took a lot of pictures, and shared our stories. Each of us explained how we had come to know Jesus, and it was incredible to listen to all the different ways that he moves. It's also awesome to see the ways that he brings people together. Our group is so diverse, and we often say that many of us may not be friends if it wasn't for God. He is the glue that holds us together, and I'm feeling more and more blessed to be a part of this group as time goes on.

I always forget how much I enjoy camping until I go. I don't know why it's so hard to remember- so many of my closest encounters with God have occurred around the campfire. I accepted Jesus around the fire at East Iowa Bible Camp many, many summers ago. Our youth group campouts off the Homestead hill always were full of great worship, scary stories, and crazy antics. Our annual Antioch retreats in college were one of the highlights of the fall. This summer it was great to re-connect with my old roommates up in Clear Lake. It's always a better time than I think it will be, and this weekend was no different...

Here are some pictures:

Aleeta and me scavenging for dry firewood.

Ed was very bitter to not be allowed to sleep in the 15-person tent.

Randy, Annie, Aleeta, Ed and Charlotte.

Naldo, me and Ed.

The guys.

The ladies. And Ed. He managed to find his way into almost every photo taken all night.

And now it's time to go watch the final game of the baseball finals. The series is tied 3-3, so it's a big night. Oh, I hope those Indians are going all the way...