Hi Everyone,
If you haven't already, please look at my pictures of West Africa (and Denmark). Click on any of them below. I have many more pictures not posted here if you want to see them let me know! Enjoy!
Cameroon-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=84360&id=602758518&l=3b2d5ec4fd
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=85749&id=602758518&l=28120fa905
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=85758&id=602758518&l=5da3c065d6
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105096&id=602758518&l=f4a06ed3c1
Benin-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=89994&id=602758518&l=3cb5c646d2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=92957&id=602758518&l=e1e34906cc
Togo-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105073&id=602758518&l=697b2dd6df
Burkina Faso-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105091&id=602758518&l=8953a4ee38
Flowers & Trees-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=87004&id=602758518&l=21b9da6e7f
Denmark-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105099&id=602758518&l=d4e263e3ec
Peace,
Tiffany
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
End of Team
Hello Everyone,
This past Saturday marked the official ending of my year on team. However, I have decided to work one last week at camp. I have mixed feelings about team being over. Realistically, my life on team was basically over after we finished debriefing with our team in May because at camp, we we don't function as a a team; instead we are part of a larger team with the staff here at camp.
It was nice to see all of the other teams at homecoming. Homecoming was a nice ending to team. All nine of the Youth Encounter teams had a concert and sharing time. It was a fun day! I will really miss other teamers.
I think it will take a lifetime for me to fully reflect on my year on team. I am continually learning more about how God used me during the year.
Peace,
Tiffany
This past Saturday marked the official ending of my year on team. However, I have decided to work one last week at camp. I have mixed feelings about team being over. Realistically, my life on team was basically over after we finished debriefing with our team in May because at camp, we we don't function as a a team; instead we are part of a larger team with the staff here at camp.
It was nice to see all of the other teams at homecoming. Homecoming was a nice ending to team. All nine of the Youth Encounter teams had a concert and sharing time. It was a fun day! I will really miss other teamers.
I think it will take a lifetime for me to fully reflect on my year on team. I am continually learning more about how God used me during the year.
Peace,
Tiffany
Thursday, July 16, 2009
More from Camp
Hello Everyone,
I am sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. I have been kept pretty busy with camp. The week of June 21st, I went to Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp for a week on servant staff there. It was a fun week. I cleaned, lifeguarded, lead games, sold candy, and helped serve food. It was a big change for me to be working with 280 kids! It was crazy! I enjoyed the week, but I did miss Ox Lake and the quietness of it. I also missed the small community feel that happens with fewer campers. I really enjoyed the worships at Wapo. They have a light worship as well as a drama worship. They also have many fun activities including a comedy night, really fun games, and a beach party.
The week of June 28th, I returned back Ox Lake for a week of campers. I shared a cabin with Emily, another counselor here. We had seven girls. Most of the campers that week were refugees from Sudan (or there parents were). It was cool to see people of different races coming together by the end of the week. I had a camper that challenged me quite a bit because she really enjoyed complaining. In spite of her constant complaining, I think that she had a pretty good week. It was cool to see how the other girls encouraged her to try new things.
Last week, I had seven campers in my own cabin. Five of them were Ethiopian kids or had Ethiopian parents. Again it was awesome to see a cabin of mixed races come together. They were really close by the end of the week!
This week, I have been the counselor for horse camp. I have ten girls by myself. It has been quite a challenge. The girls are really talkative and often don't listen. They spend a good chunk of the week learning about horses and working with them. We have to get up early so they can saddle the horses before the other groups come to ride. The girls have been awesome during Bible study. They ask really good questions and I can see how they are growing in their faith.
Peace,
Tiffany
I am sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. I have been kept pretty busy with camp. The week of June 21st, I went to Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp for a week on servant staff there. It was a fun week. I cleaned, lifeguarded, lead games, sold candy, and helped serve food. It was a big change for me to be working with 280 kids! It was crazy! I enjoyed the week, but I did miss Ox Lake and the quietness of it. I also missed the small community feel that happens with fewer campers. I really enjoyed the worships at Wapo. They have a light worship as well as a drama worship. They also have many fun activities including a comedy night, really fun games, and a beach party.
The week of June 28th, I returned back Ox Lake for a week of campers. I shared a cabin with Emily, another counselor here. We had seven girls. Most of the campers that week were refugees from Sudan (or there parents were). It was cool to see people of different races coming together by the end of the week. I had a camper that challenged me quite a bit because she really enjoyed complaining. In spite of her constant complaining, I think that she had a pretty good week. It was cool to see how the other girls encouraged her to try new things.
Last week, I had seven campers in my own cabin. Five of them were Ethiopian kids or had Ethiopian parents. Again it was awesome to see a cabin of mixed races come together. They were really close by the end of the week!
This week, I have been the counselor for horse camp. I have ten girls by myself. It has been quite a challenge. The girls are really talkative and often don't listen. They spend a good chunk of the week learning about horses and working with them. We have to get up early so they can saddle the horses before the other groups come to ride. The girls have been awesome during Bible study. They ask really good questions and I can see how they are growing in their faith.
Peace,
Tiffany
Saturday, June 20, 2009
First Week of Campers
Hello Everyone,
Two weeks ago, we did not have campers at Ox Lake international villages. We finished some planning and did some work projects. We also hosted the Seeds counselors, who are high schoolers that counsel little kids who come just for the weekends. We fed them and did some worships with them. We also did some stuff with Journey. Journey of the Cross is a high adventure program where the campers go rock climbing, horseback-riding, canoeing, and biking. They also do high ropes.
Last week, we had fourteen campers at our site. I was on servant staff with Adrienne and the program staff. We helped prepare meals and took care of a lot of little things that need to get done during the week. It was kind of a rough week for me, but the campers were great! I really enjoyed our camper that was autistic. He was very smart. Some of the kids were really nice to him, which was really encouraging to see. I got the chance to lifeguard several times. I had fun with the rest of the servant staff while we were busy cooking meals.
This week I will be at Wapo because there are only four campers at Ox.
Peace,
Tiffany
Two weeks ago, we did not have campers at Ox Lake international villages. We finished some planning and did some work projects. We also hosted the Seeds counselors, who are high schoolers that counsel little kids who come just for the weekends. We fed them and did some worships with them. We also did some stuff with Journey. Journey of the Cross is a high adventure program where the campers go rock climbing, horseback-riding, canoeing, and biking. They also do high ropes.
Last week, we had fourteen campers at our site. I was on servant staff with Adrienne and the program staff. We helped prepare meals and took care of a lot of little things that need to get done during the week. It was kind of a rough week for me, but the campers were great! I really enjoyed our camper that was autistic. He was very smart. Some of the kids were really nice to him, which was really encouraging to see. I got the chance to lifeguard several times. I had fun with the rest of the servant staff while we were busy cooking meals.
This week I will be at Wapo because there are only four campers at Ox.
Peace,
Tiffany
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Busy, but Relaxed--a Lesson in Flexibility
Hello Everyone,
Our time at Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp has been good. We have been training for camp. Feel free to visit http://www.campwapo.net/ to find out about the camps. We have been busy, but also it has been relaxed. Our schedule includes getting up early, cleaning at Ox Lake, learning games, planning Bible studies, worship, and whatever else our boss decides we need to do for the day. It is really fun because we actually don't know what we will be doing when we wake up every morning--it reminds me of Africa! I am already excited about the lax sense of time at Ox. We know what we need to get done and when it has to be done; we just do it in our own time. I have grown to love flexibility! I learned to be flexible in Africa. Often times in Africa, our schedule would change on a moment's notice. We also did a considerable amount of waiting in Africa. Before going to Africa, I probably would have been annoyed at the lax schedule of life at camp, but now I really enjoy it--however, occasionally, I find myself getting impatient (a curse of Western society).
What does life not by the clock mean? Well, it means taking time to be with the people around you without constantly wondering how much time you have spent together. It is a new sense of awareness. Often at camp, we find ourselves waiting for our Program Director, Dave Peet, to tell us what to do. While waiting, we enjoy spending time with each other. Sometimes we go canoeing or paddleboating, sometimes we just talk, other times we go on a walk.
If you haven't recently, spend a day without going by the clock. Just get done what you need to sometime during the day. Take time to just be.
Peace,
Tiffany
Our time at Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp has been good. We have been training for camp. Feel free to visit http://www.campwapo.net/ to find out about the camps. We have been busy, but also it has been relaxed. Our schedule includes getting up early, cleaning at Ox Lake, learning games, planning Bible studies, worship, and whatever else our boss decides we need to do for the day. It is really fun because we actually don't know what we will be doing when we wake up every morning--it reminds me of Africa! I am already excited about the lax sense of time at Ox. We know what we need to get done and when it has to be done; we just do it in our own time. I have grown to love flexibility! I learned to be flexible in Africa. Often times in Africa, our schedule would change on a moment's notice. We also did a considerable amount of waiting in Africa. Before going to Africa, I probably would have been annoyed at the lax schedule of life at camp, but now I really enjoy it--however, occasionally, I find myself getting impatient (a curse of Western society).
What does life not by the clock mean? Well, it means taking time to be with the people around you without constantly wondering how much time you have spent together. It is a new sense of awareness. Often at camp, we find ourselves waiting for our Program Director, Dave Peet, to tell us what to do. While waiting, we enjoy spending time with each other. Sometimes we go canoeing or paddleboating, sometimes we just talk, other times we go on a walk.
If you haven't recently, spend a day without going by the clock. Just get done what you need to sometime during the day. Take time to just be.
Peace,
Tiffany
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Just Waiting
Hello Everyone,
Now, we are just at a waiting time. Last week, we weren't too busy. We were at Luther Dell with all of the teams. It was really nice to see all of the teams and their programs, but we weren't doing much there. We had a week of debriefing/camp preparation. As a team, we talked about our year and shared some stories. We created some closure since we won't function as much as a team at camp. It was a pretty boring week for us, but also very tiring because we had very long days. I enjoyed hearing stories from the other international teams.
It will be very different to be at camp. The six of us will be counselors with five others. It is a tough transition to be going from constantly traveling to living in one place, from being with your teammates all of the time to only sometimes, and from staying with host homes to having a cabin full of kids to look after. In addition to that we are still suffering from some jet lag and culture shock. I am sure we will make the adjustments we need to--with time.
So now, we are waiting. Waiting for camp to start. Waiting to see how life on team will be different at camp. Waiting to have time to really process how we have changed after being overseas. Waiting to figure out what we will do after team. Waiting.
Friday, we left Luther Dell and the electric teams for Wapogasset Bible Camp, where we will be until Tuesday. The electric teams have a week off before Vacation Bible School starts, which we are kind of annoyed with because we don't get this week off--but oh well! We will be doing some training at Wapo, then we will go to Ox Lake. Wapo is like a resort. Because of that, it doesn't really feel like camp to me. It is really nice! The Ox Lake staff call it Hotel Wapo. I have really enjoyed my time at Wapo. Friday night and Saturday, we didn't have to do anything. I enjoyed my time off by going paddle boating and canoeing. Unlike Wapo, Ox Lake is a rustic camp without running water and electricity. I am nervous and excited about this. We have two weeks of training for camp.
Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all have a wonderful summer! I will probably post occasionally from camp.
Peace,
Tiffany
Now, we are just at a waiting time. Last week, we weren't too busy. We were at Luther Dell with all of the teams. It was really nice to see all of the teams and their programs, but we weren't doing much there. We had a week of debriefing/camp preparation. As a team, we talked about our year and shared some stories. We created some closure since we won't function as much as a team at camp. It was a pretty boring week for us, but also very tiring because we had very long days. I enjoyed hearing stories from the other international teams.
It will be very different to be at camp. The six of us will be counselors with five others. It is a tough transition to be going from constantly traveling to living in one place, from being with your teammates all of the time to only sometimes, and from staying with host homes to having a cabin full of kids to look after. In addition to that we are still suffering from some jet lag and culture shock. I am sure we will make the adjustments we need to--with time.
So now, we are waiting. Waiting for camp to start. Waiting to see how life on team will be different at camp. Waiting to have time to really process how we have changed after being overseas. Waiting to figure out what we will do after team. Waiting.
Friday, we left Luther Dell and the electric teams for Wapogasset Bible Camp, where we will be until Tuesday. The electric teams have a week off before Vacation Bible School starts, which we are kind of annoyed with because we don't get this week off--but oh well! We will be doing some training at Wapo, then we will go to Ox Lake. Wapo is like a resort. Because of that, it doesn't really feel like camp to me. It is really nice! The Ox Lake staff call it Hotel Wapo. I have really enjoyed my time at Wapo. Friday night and Saturday, we didn't have to do anything. I enjoyed my time off by going paddle boating and canoeing. Unlike Wapo, Ox Lake is a rustic camp without running water and electricity. I am nervous and excited about this. We have two weeks of training for camp.
Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all have a wonderful summer! I will probably post occasionally from camp.
Peace,
Tiffany
Monday, May 18, 2009
Back in the States
Hello Everyone,
Cross Fire is back in the United States! On Monday, us four girls were reunited with Prosper and Luke. They picked us up at the airport, where we traveled to the Wright's house, the host home that we stayed at before going to Africa. They are great! We are all staying with them. During the week, we met with the office staff, had some rehearsal, recorded our cross-cultural songs for the other teams, and share stories with the other international teams. It was so nice to see the office staff and the other teams! We met with our staff person, Liz Lord, to do some debriefing about our overseas tour. For the most part, we are still processing our thoughts and feelings about our experiences overseas.
Wednesday night, we went to the Alliance Church of the Valley to meet with the junior high youth. We played some games with them. Then had a half hour to share about our time in Africa. It was a really fun time! Sonja stayed back because she was still sick. We told the kids about how interactive the worship is in Africa. We were thrilled to get them jumping up and down!
Friday night, we went Captive Free Central Plains concert (another Youth Encounter team). Sunday night, their team came to stay at the Wright's house too! Sunday, we got to ride on a four-wheeler and moped. It was so much fun! We grilled and enjoyed some root beer floats with Central Plains. We had a bonfire and made some s'mores. It was a nice night and the sky was full of beautiful stars.
Today, Monday, all of the Youth Encounter teams are headed to Luther Dell. The electric teams will have Vacation Bible School training, while the two acoustic teams (us and New Dawn to Asia) will be getting ready for camp. I am excited to spend some time at Luther Dell. All of the teams will do their program for the other teams. Friday, we will go to Ox Lake/Wapo Bible Camps for two weeks of training for summer camp. Cross Fire will be working at Ox Lake International Villages for the summer. There is no running water or electricity at camp. We will pump our own water. There are horses, canoes, tubing down the Apple River, and a ropes course. We will be working with 4th through 9th graders.
Peace,
Tiffany
Cross Fire is back in the United States! On Monday, us four girls were reunited with Prosper and Luke. They picked us up at the airport, where we traveled to the Wright's house, the host home that we stayed at before going to Africa. They are great! We are all staying with them. During the week, we met with the office staff, had some rehearsal, recorded our cross-cultural songs for the other teams, and share stories with the other international teams. It was so nice to see the office staff and the other teams! We met with our staff person, Liz Lord, to do some debriefing about our overseas tour. For the most part, we are still processing our thoughts and feelings about our experiences overseas.
Wednesday night, we went to the Alliance Church of the Valley to meet with the junior high youth. We played some games with them. Then had a half hour to share about our time in Africa. It was a really fun time! Sonja stayed back because she was still sick. We told the kids about how interactive the worship is in Africa. We were thrilled to get them jumping up and down!
Friday night, we went Captive Free Central Plains concert (another Youth Encounter team). Sunday night, their team came to stay at the Wright's house too! Sunday, we got to ride on a four-wheeler and moped. It was so much fun! We grilled and enjoyed some root beer floats with Central Plains. We had a bonfire and made some s'mores. It was a nice night and the sky was full of beautiful stars.
Today, Monday, all of the Youth Encounter teams are headed to Luther Dell. The electric teams will have Vacation Bible School training, while the two acoustic teams (us and New Dawn to Asia) will be getting ready for camp. I am excited to spend some time at Luther Dell. All of the teams will do their program for the other teams. Friday, we will go to Ox Lake/Wapo Bible Camps for two weeks of training for summer camp. Cross Fire will be working at Ox Lake International Villages for the summer. There is no running water or electricity at camp. We will pump our own water. There are horses, canoes, tubing down the Apple River, and a ropes course. We will be working with 4th through 9th graders.
Peace,
Tiffany
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
