Final Weeks at YES

I've unfortunately gotten very behind on my posts, so this installment will cover Weeks 4, 5, and 6 of my time at St. Luke's Y.E.S.

Week 4

I had such an awesome time during my second week at the St. Luke's Y.E.S. center, and I cherished every single day. The highlight of the week, though, was most definitely the unforgettable kickball tournament. Every Friday, the high school kids at Y.E.S. as well of the staff divide into appointed teams to play three kickball games. According to me, my team was definitely the best because of the awesome sportsmanship of my teammates; according to our record, however, we were the worst. While we regularly lost both of our tournament games each week, my team never failed to encourage each other, giving high fives for both home runs as well as strikeouts. We brought our usual encouragement and optimism to Week 4's Friday tournament and used it to accomplish a seemingly impossible feat - we won BOTH of our games!! On top of that, the first team we played had previously been undefeated. I was both overjoyed and honored to be a part of such wonderful underdog victories.

Week 5

Much of this time was spent preparing for camp which would take place the week after. I had fun asking the Y.E.S. camp "old-timers" what their favorite part about camp was. My skating friend Passion, for example, reveled in explaining the adventures she had last year. She told me about how difficult it was for her to pluck up the courage to ride on the Giant Swing and fly on the Zip Line. I found that her story related perfectly to the camp's theme this year: No Guts, No Glory. At camp, we would be using stories from the Book of Judges to show the kids that faith in Jesus brings both hardship and salvation. The end of Week 5 was sad for me because Friday was the last day I saw many of the littlest campers. Children younger than those entering the 2nd Grade were not allowed to attend camp yet, so I would not get to see them the next week. I finished work that Friday with a heart both heavy from saying good-bye to several of my new friends and excited about the week to come.

Week 6

This was my all-time favorite week of Turner Fellowship and was definitely a life-changing experience! On Sunday afternoon my parents dropped me off at the Y.E.S. center where all the counselors were meeting to pack and leave for Camp Sycamore Creek in Joelton. I was assigned to be a cabin leader of six 2nd through 4th Grade girls along with two other counselors I met that Sunday named Meagan and Kacey. These women are two of the nicest people I have ever met, and I am glad to call them friends now. The girls in our cabin were just as wonderful. I had an amazing time getting to know them better. My favorite Cabin Nine memory was helping the girls come up with a skit to perform for the rest of the camp. Within a half-hour they had created a truly hilarious and sweet performance. The girls pretended to be a rap group made up of celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Willow Smith; after beat-boxing and dancing their hearts out, the youngest little girl named MacKenzie would begin to sing a hymn with the others subsequently joining in. I had an amazing time hanging out with the kids of other cabins as well. During free times I regularly volunteered to monitor the playground area, and one day a new friend of mine named Annabelle asked me to push her on the tire swing. I enjoyed seeing how much fun she was having laughing and twirling higher and higher on the swing. Annabelle was apparently impressed by my tire swing pushing skills so much that I later heard her tell her friends on the playground that she refused to be pushed on the tire swing unless she was spun the "Mary Katherine Way."
The best part of camp came on Thursday. That morning, we all crowded into the Y.E.S. buses and traveled to a local church to witness five campers and one counselor be baptized. It was all I could do to keep from weeping for joy as I watched each person be dunked into the holy water; I have never witnessed anything so monumental and radiating with goodness.

My last day at Y.E.S. camp was incredibly bittersweet for me. While I was happy to be seeing my family again and take a nice, long post-camp nap, it was very difficult to part with people with whom I have grown so close. I am extremely thankful for my Turner Fellowship experience and the wonderful relationship I have begun with the St. Luke's Y.E.S. center. I feel that God calls me to continue my service there so I am eager to return to Y.E.S. next summer.