the start of something good.: pennsylvania roadtripping #2

so, yes. back to the little trip i was making. sunday, i put the pedal to the medal. listened to some good jams. marveled at our country's beauty. enjoyed the quiet. ate up the time i had to think. especially after the busyness of the spring and camp season.

if you forgive my cell phone for its poor picture quality, take a looksy at some pics of the drive up:

state #2: driving through the heart of north carolina
(state #1: south carolina but i didn't take any
pictures there on the way up)

state #3: virginia is for lovers

state #4: west virginia

one of two mountain tunnels i encountered

state #5: pennsylvania

the beautiful rolling hills of the laurel mountains,
close to citi kidz

"we made it." whew. johns creek, ga to rector, pa. me and my little kia rolled into camp at approximately 4:20 pm. and, if i was honest, i would tell you that i had literally no idea what to expect, and i was a bit worried i would hate my time there. would i enjoy it? would i learn anything? would i like the people i met, as i knew NO ONE? would it even be worth the long drive to see this little ole camp in pa? why did i even come all this way? but, by 7:00 pm that night, i texted eric, thanking him for connecting me to timotheus, telling him i knew it was already well worth my time.

as my days there concluded, i knew this trip was one of a kind:

i saw citi kidz. in the flesh. i have heard about this place for at least two summers. eric talks about it a lot; he even stole some stuff from them - and, i can see why. they know how to get hype. and inner-city kids got rhythm. the counselors follow code 55 (five campers within five feet) like it's their job. the counselors have a huge heart for the kids. for the campers to know jesus. timotheus, the camp director, is a phenomenal leader and mentor. and, did i mention they work their tails off? c'mon overnight camp? hello? kids 24/7? i was even tired. and, i was just walking around all day. the activities and schedule were pretty similar to camp all-american, and i would imagine any other camp. it was just super cool to see their take on things...
i met some awesome people. remember how i was worried about that? i was welcomed into the leadership team of citi kidz. about eight of them. awesome fellas and ladies. they answered all the questions i wanted, let me follow them around during the day, and invited me into their nightly debrief meetings. as an aside, today in the cso office, eric said god created me to ask questions. ha...i so enjoyed spending time with them and sad i was unable to get to know all of them well. i learned a lot from these guys. about overnight camps, yes. but, about the lord. these folks walk by the spirit. and trust the lord. seriously. so encouraging and challenging. for example, i sat and chatted with dominique for a good 45 minutes about how god has provided for he and his fiance. it was pretty crazy some of the stuff that god has done for them. and, they are trusting that he will continue to take care of them. really take care of them...during the leadership team meeting my last night there, i sat in "the chair" listening to all the encouraging words these folks were saying about me. stuff i have been told many a times, but so cool and confirming to hear from folks you met five days ago. 'nique, mooka, dc, andrea, amanda, cassandra, goodie, caleb, demetrius, kendra, and timotheus - you guys are missed.
i rested. really rested. meaning, spiritual rest. i even prayed for that as i drove up. i didn't actually think it would happen though, cuz i was coming up here to observe and learn, not relax and rest. regardless, had a lovely chat with timotheus tuesday. mentioned to him how we finished caa on saturday, and i would begin support raising as soon as i returned to ga. he heard that and gave me the freedom to treat my time at citi kidz as a furlough. whoa. i so appreciated that. i spent the next day chilling at the lake. reading. praying. meditating. even beholding his beauty and trying to understand how big he is (isaiah 40)...so needed...especially, as i had realized that previous saturday how i had failed miserably at simply resting and knowing the lord this summer (see pa roadtrip #1). good time to be rejuvenated as i soon would enter a busy season of life. and, a great time to be reminded to sit with the lord. to rest in his strength. to remember he is the same god of the old testament as the new. meaning we see him part the red sea in the old testament, but somehow all we pray for is to change water into wine as he does in the new testament. he is the same god. and, i needed that reminder. and, to see the faith of others as they believe, trust, and walk with him.

i loaded up and hit the road early thursday morning. but, not too early. 7 am this time. the drive itself wasn't too bad, except i started feeling horrible around 10 am. and, meds weren't doing it for me. needless to say, when i got to my house, i slept and rested for the next three days. maybe god was forcing me to sleep, rest, and recover physically. ha. here are some pics of the drive home: