Headed there again || Midwest Bible Camp

W O O D.  A I R.  R E F R E S H.
The month of June has never had any other definition then "camp month" for me. Ever since I was a kid, nothing else happened in June. I never went anywhere else. I was always at Midwest Bible Camp (MWBC), a place that as a kid only meant friends and fun, but became to be so much more during junior high and especially high school. 

At the end of last summer, I was left hoping that my camp experience wouldn't end with me being a "high school graduate." I wasn't sure if that was going to be a reality or not. But God seemed to have more camp adventures for me and I ended up being roped into 3 different sessions this year. 

Although my experience at camp will be completely different than my "camper years," I am beyond excited to see what happens, (nervous also, but that's just normal.) I find that the best way to live life is to say: where will this adventure take me? 
I've never regretted anything yet. 

I'll talk to you at the end of June friends, with many photos and stories to share.

If you are interested in reading more about camp check out these posts from the archive: 
senior week 2012
intermediate week 2012

Intermediate Week.

INTERMEDIATE WEEK | THEME: "HOLY SATURATION!"
This second week of camp I was a counselor of seven
lovely girls. They were hilarious, they were hyper, they
always wanted to know what was happening next.

One of the things I love about being a counselor is
getting to know the kids. The kids in this age group
(7th-9th grade) are just beginning to discover who
they are. It's wonderful. I love watching them because
I remember being their age and even though it seems
like forever ago, it really wasn't.

I also love this age group because they surprise you
in so many ways. The way the think about things,
the knowledge they have and their thoughts on God
just amaze me.

I love this week. The staff and the campers are wonderful.
Now, for the photo dump.

The ever popular hangout place: the double swings.

The best tea in the world... obviously. (ps, thats JJ)

This is Billiey. And she is awesome. And no that's not her real name. (:

yes, those two guys in the middle of the field are dancing. Why? I have no idea.

You can always hear her laughing across the camp grounds.

One night at campfire, we all had glow sticks and held them in the air. It was pretty awesome. 

One night we had a themed dinner. The theme was superheros and one of my campers- Emily- went as her mom because her mom is her superhero. 

I taught at least six people what the term "golden hour" meant. Then for the rest of the week they'd exclaim "It's golden hour!!!!"

This is Colby. I've known this chick forever. 

This is Caris. I've known her since forever. 

Yes, Colby is throwing carrot cake.

But Maddy didn't catch it. 

The boys had a supply of pop for their "party" the last night of camp.

Rolling in the grass. Laying in the field. 

This is Maddy. She is crazy. I've known her since forever. 

Starting them young.

And so camp 2012 ended for me. I had the best of times
with some of my favorite people. It was just a fantastic
two weeks.

Did you attend/will you be attending any camps this summer?
I'd love to hear about them!

xo. marissa

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View full photo set: flicker sets

senior week.

SENIOR WEEK | THEME: "WHAT REALLY MATTERS?"

It was finally here. The week that everyone
had been posting statuses about. The week
that we all counted down to. Text were sent
out/received that said "I'm so excited to see you".
Excitement was so high that you wanted to
scream, jump up and down, pee your pants,
laugh and smile all at the same time. It wasn't
just because of the people we were going to
see. It was also because we knew this week
was going to be filled with awesomeness and
God.

People started arriving at camp. The excitement
was building. We screamed and hugged.
We signed up for cabins. We unpacked
our bags and rehashed old memories and what
we had been up too. We could tell it was going
to be a good week.

Senior week was nothing but fantastic. We were
vulnerable with each other. We admitted things
to each other. God grabbed us and showed us
what we had been missing. We put out trust in
God together, as a camp. We worshiped Him.
We spent 16 hours in prayer. We anointed
each other. We laughed, we cried and rejoiced
together, as a camp. We learned what really
matters. We formed a community.

We had fantastic discussions and talked for hours.
We helped each other. We formed new friendships
and strengthened old ones.

Camp had its serious times, but it had its fun times too.

We put together a fantastic talent show. We (as in my
cabin) dyed out hair purple. We played capture the flag.
We cracked jokes and made silly faces. We made tons
of friendship bracelets. We wrote notes. We made
 mailbags. We all dressed up for banquet. We sang
"you and I" over a hundred times. We bonded.

Erica gettin' her hair bleached! 

Maddy, our hair dyer!

(picture taken by megan) This is what my hair looked like after it was dyed. Pretty rad yes?

teaching my camp friends how to shoot in manuel/how to use a camera in general. It was hilarious. "What's ISO again?"

It was one of the hardest days ever when senior week ended.
I was standing by my friend Caris and after we finished
closing circle she said: "Marissa, we will never be campers
again... I'm going to cry..." and then we hugged and both of
us just cried for a few minutes. It was like a piece of our
childhood had ended- which in a way it had because camp
will never be the same for us.

As sad as it is that I will never be a camper again, senior week
will always hold a special place in my heart. Camp will always
be a part of my life, is some way or another.

xo. marissa.

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Check out Megan's senior week post: borderless: senior week.
View full photo set: flickr set-senior week