Windy Gap Trip Is Back!

Hey, everyone, it's Lauren Southard, a Young Life leader at Fayetteville High School! When I was asked to write the blog post about the high school team’s trip to Windy Gap,  I suddenly felt at a loss for words. How was I going to be able to fully paint the picture of our beautiful, spirit-filled week? Pardon me, while I type into words an indescribable week into a butchered description of, “The best week of your life!”

First off, I’ve been a camper. I’ve done work week, work crew, summer staff, and polar bear weekend. I had done everything except lead a group of girls at camp. I would be lying if I said it was easy. And to be honest, I found myself saying that phrase a lot while at camp. It’s not easy.

The cabin of girls I got to love were mostly underclassmen, ranging from 14-16 year old teenage girls. Many of them said they believed in Christ and I immediately thought, “This shouldn’t be too hard.” The Lord gracefully slapped me in the face Tuesday, not even 3 days in. We, as a cabin, got to explore our darkest corners. Our deepest hurts and secrets were revealed. I remember specifically sitting there with two girls buried in my shoulders sobbing, while I quietly asked the Lord, “Why?” Why is this world so harsh? Why is life so hard? Why do these precious girls have to endure this pain?

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry. I was really angry. I sat in a room with 11 other girls who all had to suffer issues way above their age level. It seemed so unfair. As I sat there thinking about how furious I was,  I could also feel a peace come over me. The Lord is the only one who could be behind that. It was like he was whispering, “I know.” He knows the hurt. He knows the pain. He feels it too. It’s an easy concept to understand, but when you’re blinded by anger and tears, it’s hard to grasp. It was as if He was in the room with us, crying and holding us close.

It took me a few days to realize the intimacy of that cabin time. The trust that was developed was incredible. We knew each other’s darkest secrets, but we still loved each other. What a beautiful display of Christ’s love! Looking back, I’m sure we were all unaware of the bond developing. But I can’t thank the Lord enough for it.

A passage another leader and I resonated on during camp was Isaiah 61:1-3:

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
to proclaim freedom for the captives 
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

 Camp is all about binding up the broken hearted. We, as leaders, are sent to proclaim the good news to these high schoolers. That’s the easy part; visiting ‘dark corners’ is the hard part. We do not forget the part where we are called to “bind up the brokenhearted.” That’s not to say we’re saviors, because we aren’t. But we do know the Savior. And we want nothing more than for our high school friends to find freedom from those ‘dark corners.’

I can’t even count the number of times I found myself saying, “It’s not easy” to one of my high school friends. Life is hard. Following Christ is hard sometimes. Faith is hard. But the joy the Lord gives to us is unexplainable. Windy Gap put that joy on display. Sure, we have dark corners, but how hard would those dark corners be if we didn’t have each other to cry on? I found myself thanking the Lord for those ‘dark corners’ by the end of the week. Thanking him that we had an excuse to NEED him, and WANT him. Without my dark corners, I probably wouldn’t have been in that room. I wouldn’t have been a shoulder to cry on for my sweet high school friends.

My first time leading experience wasn’t easy. But it was SO worth it.