A Scenic Guthrie Grove Pic for Jeff

You're welcome, sir.

Legendary Moments

This last week I was fortunate to spend time at Guthrie Grove Reunion with many Lamoni friends and teachers. In my many travels this summer, I've witnessed many baptisms of people I don't really know well, but I was fortunate to witness a special day for my good friend Dylan Pitt! This awesome dude was ordained to the office of Deacon last Sunday.

Appreciative of your ministry, Dylanito!

I also witnessed a GG first, a female winner of "wall ball" in the upper division: Reagan Swanson. Get. It. She also won a GU t-shirt. Odin Rivera took first in the junior division. Paul Davis acted as sportscaster for this monumental event. More epic events to come next week at Spec!

Jaden Rivera with an epic catch. Odin and Mason, "The Red Dot" fielding

Other DP odds and ends

Other DP things that didn't make it in other posts

Singing "Never Alone" with Gwen and Eric Vogelsang at the final Reunion service

Teambuilding is wild

Pudding Challenge-7 lbs of vanilla between 6 people.

"The G-Reps that they give you they say are really fun...

But when they start their slideshow, people turn and run! Ooooooh I don't wanna go to Deer Park Camp! Gee, Mom, I wanna go, but they won't let me go! Gee, Mom, I wanna go hoo-ooo-ooome"

#symbolicallyhugginginanimateobjects

Ah, Deer Park, you've been good to me.

Senior High Camp was a blessing. I can't believe it's already been a week since I've been there.  It's hard for a campground other than my own to feel like home, but DP definitely felt that way after two weeks of being there!

I counseled, kayaked, lifeguarded, taught classes, led campfire, and enjoyed fellowshipping with some fantastic youth and staff. Shout out to Alyshia Newhart for being a kick-butt director and to the ladies of Cabin Thirteen! Love you guys.

Aren't they beautiful?? Check out Jackie's AWESOME shirt ;)

We began our week as staff in prayerful meditation walking through the labyrinth. It was built by the Junior High and Senior Highs a couple years back with the help of my good friend Lisa Prosser-Dodds. She's kind of amazing. It was neat to be back on her old stomping grounds after working for she and her husband Tim last summer at Happy Valley Conference Center.

We tackled tough conversations about poverty and stewardship, feminism, and humanizing the twelve apostles, and the Senior High were phenomenal. Some of the finest young adults I've ever met. COC is in good hands with these kids.

Highlights of the week:

• Kayaking on the lake three days with Glenn Abbott and Justin Paulson
• Having late night chats with my co-counselor, Megan, and the lovely women of Cabin Thirteen: Sera, Rachel, Erica, Jackie, and Emily. 
• Hanging with GU Friends Jacob Soltis, Jade Gomez, Nicholas White, Serra Ritner, Becca Ferguson, and Brooke Lavery
• Teaching a class on poverty and stewardship
• A break with my Pennsylvania family, the Vogelsangs, to chat and do laundry
• Scott "the Hulk" Lavery's legendary canoe rescue, complete with a ridiculous grunting noise described as "majestic" by one camper
• Improv night with Becca Ferguson and Kara Vojcsik 

Josh, also sporting a fine shirt, won a pizza!

• Experiencing Philly with Laura, Brooke, and Mike Lavery (complete with a tearful airport goodbye to Laura and Brooke)

naps on naps on naps

The key to survival when attending camps upon camps: REST

What do you not get very much of during camps?: REST

Mikayla makes fun, but this was a golden moment in a wonderful, but tiring week

poolside at the Vogelsangs aka "Deer Park West"

Kara also stole me away from the campgrounds for a much needed coffee break. 

Love this lady

After a wonderful, but very short, break at the Vogelsangs house (approx two minutes from the campgrounds) joined by the Vogelsangs, Conways, and other camp friends, I am back at DP for Senior High Camp. I am thankful for the wonderful friends I made at reunion and miss them so much already! I am grateful to see some of them again at Senior High Camp, but I will especially miss my young adult friends Kara, Jacob, Jacob, Mikayla, Hannah, Brooke, and Becca. Love you all!

#deerpark

Reasons why I love Deer Park Reunion

#extendedfamily

#guestministrybylaurenhallanddavidbolton

#workoutswithbeccaferguson

#jamminwithGUpeeps

#killerseniorhigh

#beautifulcreation

#crossfithashtagforjeffnissen

#newhoperules

#gupals #newhope #delawhere? #river

#deliciousfood

#campfiresintheround

#vogelsangslaverysconways

#pennsylvaniafamily

#lotsofgracelandfamilies

#awesomeworship

#hikeswithericandian

#feelslikehome

And the sun sets on Powderfork...

Two weeks ago, I spent the week at my first Jr. High/Senior High camp in Bald Knob, Arkansas with some pretty awesome people. We focused on the theme, “God Can See Our True Colors”.

I enjoyed fellowshipping and having fun with campers from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi playing ultimate rock paper scissors, gaga ball, Rooster of the Roof, and Trainwreck.  I found a soul sister in my co-counselor Holly Russell who is probably one of the funniest women in all of Arkansas.

 

The littlest camper of all: Emma

The highlight of my week? Prank wars. Growing up going to a fancy campground such as Doniphan in Missouri, we would probably get kicked out of camp for pulling any messy pranks. However, at Powderfork things are a little different. The ladies came with NO AMMO. Holly and I were determined to be prepared for the ensuing onslaught that the boys had set up for us. We got an insider to steal and hide all their pillows while we set up a trap with a spray hose. It was shaving cream and water everywhere! Fortunately, it didn’t go much further. We had good, clean fun. Warning: Pranks are not for all campgrounds.

The Less Glamorous Side of Repping....

Days are great when you start off by losing your wallet.

Oh, wait. No they aren’t. On my first flight out to camps (I drove to my first two), I realized I left my wallet hanging out with friends the night before at a shaved ice stand.

It wasn’t returned.

After scrambling to find my passport with nearly no money, I made it to my connecting flight from KC to Dallas. I chatted when a lovely couple who met at Graceland that I sat next to on the plane (small world).

And then my next flight from Dallas to Little Rock was cancelled.

There were 5 flights that went to Little Rock from Dallas that day, and mine was not one of them.

I spent nine hours cruisin’ around the Dallas airport, eating, reading, working. Needless to say, American Airlines is not my favorite.

Rep Fuel

Jesus turned water into wine. Starbucks turned water into coffee. Both are miracles.

Blessings abound

9 Lessons I learned from Junior Camp

Last Sunday I traveled to Camp Ozark in Neosho, Missouri for a Junior Camp. It's never to early to start talking about college! It was a fun and enlightening experience. Here are the tidbits I took away from camp:

1) Name tag lanyards are incredibly versatile. Not only to they serve their purpose of displaying your name, they also double as great fishing poles for catching crawdads.

Deadliest Catch-Camp Ozark Edition

2) They also can be made into bow and arrows, if you are especially creative.

3) Copious amounts of coffee are needed to properly energize Junior Camp staff. But make sure you drink from the right pot. Five cups of decaf does nothing.

4) Counselors can also act as human flotation devices for small children in the pool.

5) "Rest time" lasts about 15 minutes in campers eyes.

6) Homemade Ice Cream can be made in plastic baggies. Who knew?

7) Never be too far from a bed after Junior Camp. Triple the amount of sleep you've had the last few days and that's what you will need to survive.

8) Camp traditions are fun everywhere-example A) Coin lines from the tabernacle to the lodge to raise money for camp B) Duck Races with plastic ducks

9) Kids are cute and love the little fold up maps from Graceland almost as much as GU Pens.

Nap time is calling. My next camp starts Sunday. Until next time!

Room 5! Their counselor in need of serious rest

We Are Only Visitors

My adventures began this week at Woodland Hills Reunion in Saint Clair, Missouri. For three weeks I anxiously awaited to begin my summer as a Graceland Summer Rep. I was determined to recruit ALL the students. That's my job. Talk about Graceland. Pretty simple, seeing as I've been surrounded by GU paraphernalia, stories, and culture my entire life. 

Siri took me to a field, rather than this sign. 

However, my attitude quickly changed the moment I stepped out of my Graceland vehicle at Woodland Hills Reunion when I realized: WHO ARE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE??


It's easy to talk about Graceland when you sort of know people, but when you know absolutely no one....that's a little more difficult.

Priority number one quickly shifted to building relationships (Hope that's okay, Greg!).
And that-that was easy. It's amazing that almost anywhere can become like home when you are part of the Community of Christ Church.


I was blessed to spend the week with about fifty COC members spanning from Columbia to Saint Louis and feel especially fortunate to have spent time with probably some of the most rockin' Junior High/Senior High groups I've ever met (whom I miss very much!!).

Some of my girls. We were pros at 3 letter word Scrabble games

#inspired

I felt right at home leading campfires (my favorite was with Tina!) and co-teaching Senior High class with Allen. One of the literal and figurative high points was hiking to "Inspiration Point" with the Junior High (and later on my own...which I didn't know was not allowed until later...whoops).

We had a great night after Campfire Sunday playing GU games! A Special Shoutout to the Senior and Junior High for participating and friends Allen Williston, John Williams, and Pam Cress!

Tina calls this a "white girl selfie"-they all wore their GU shirts! I almost cried

                                     
I always felt included participating in worship, classes, campfire, and fellowship. Every night Ralph would tell "Little Eagle" stories with lessons from the "Great Spirit". The last night he reminded us all of something that I will carry with me the rest of my summer-We are only visitors. At campgrounds. On this earth. We are only visitors-so let's make the best of our time here! I (tearfully) left Woodland Hills with new friends and great memories. Thanks for a great reunion guys!