mmm yeah sleepouts yeah.

Sleepouts at camp are one of the coolest things ever.  When else would you have the chance to sleep outside under a sky full of stars?  When else could you sleep in hammocks by the river?  When else could you sleep on the largest suspension bridge in Indiana?  When else could you have the greatest time ever without getting any sleep?  Sleepouts are so cool, but Pathfinder girls usually don’t think so.  They find literally every excuse in the book to try to get their counselors to skip the sleepout.  Sometimes it works, but Jamie and I never give in; usually we just laugh at the ridiculousness that they try pulling on us. Week six we planned a sleepout in South Pasture, which requires a night hike out to the site, setting up the tent, and then devotions outside in the dark and in the grass.  We had girls left and right complaining and whining and making excuses from Monday morning when the schedule went up until Thursday night when the sleepout started.  It was a struggle to get everyone and their stuff ready and out the door, down the mudhike path, up the giant hill, and to the pasture.  After everyone got their stuff in the tent and all laid out, the complaining started to simmer down.  Devotions were great, and a lot of the girls shared.  When they all crawled back into the tent, they were all giggling and being friends and having such a great time, even if they didn’t ever really admit it. 

I love that camp gives you the opportunity to do so many new things.  I love that camp can prove you wrong; that you might actually really love something that you spent the entire week hating.  I love proving people wrong, in a good way of course, but especially when it’s a good thing for them.  Like these girls who totally loved the sleepout, even though they never completely admitted it.  I want to make more of my life about helping other people take advantage of every opportunity that they have, which is really easy at camp, but I want to continue doing it throughout the rest of the year.  I want to help people live out every moment of their life.