CCCA Conference

On Tuesday the interns (minus Ryan because he is on a mission trip to Ethiopia with his church) and Matt went to Tuscarora Inn in PA for the CCCA Mid-Atlantic Sectional Conference. On the way up in the van we took turns playing a favorite song by taking turns plugging our ipods into the speakers. That made for a very diverse van ride! The next few days were filled with sessions lead by Gordan MacDonald, workshops lead by peers and experts in the campground ministry, fellowship around tables of good food, bonding on the volleyball court, practicing Winter Meltdown skits in our spare time and soaking up as much information as our brains could possibly hold. We made new friends, gained new perspectives, tried new things and grew in new ways. On Wednesday Zig came up and Matt went home. (they tag teamed the conference so that they could each have time to work on Winter Meltdown stuff) When Thursday came it was bitter-sweet saying good-bye to the people we had connected with over the past few days! But it was good to be headed back to the ranch! We are all ready to be in Winter Meltdown gear! On the way home we had great conversations with Zig! We also had a flat tire, that was an adventure that caused some laughs, but we made it back safe and sound!

People that touched our hearts:

• Joe; He shared a meal with LaDessa and then came to watch us practice our skits. He was a funny older guy who made us giggle. He was so moved by Beth's performance of a poem that he opened up and shared with us about his past and the struggles that he has overcome! What an amazing story! Joe became a special friend for the rest of the week! We inspired each other!

• Theresa; What an amazing woman of God! She has such a passion for youth and such an open and giving spirit! We couldn't get enough of her. I personally think I could sit and talk with her for days on end and still feel like she had more to offer me.

• Erin and Theresa V.; People in the same generation as us! What fun girls! What an inspiration to see people our age being used by God in camp leadership positions!

• Mr. Francis; Now there is a man who knows what it is all about! Serving the Lord!
  

Things that made us laugh:

• The Game show.... you had to be there, but trust me, it was hilarious! (we all got up on stage and played... even Zig!)
• The little peddle bikes.
• The speakers. (camp people have great senses of humor!)
• Uff' da! (it means " Awe Nuts" in Norwegian, and the Inn has a Norwegian background, so we picked up the phrase and then naturally we all bought T-shirts!)
• And much, much more.......