As soon as Vanessa heard the color theme for her team at youth camp, she ran to me to announce we were streaking her hair with scarlet red coloring. She had to take b-day pics before too, but it was fun how excited she became. And Zane had to show supporting spirit as well, only his turned out maroon with the same dye!
We sent Vanessa off for her first teen camp and as one of the younger ones there. I had full confidence that she would have a blast and enjoy the time with older friends. My prayers mostly revolved around physical protection. It was nice to not receive a call about a broken bone or other ailment.
Youth Pastor Dan gave the rundown.
And off they went!
Her brothers were hoping to say bye and give hugs but I had to hang around for my own pure enjoyment. :-)
There are a ton of pics. And I looked for them every day and throughout each day. I wasn't able to save them all here. :-) But I'm so thankful all the friends and counselors shared! It made me a little envious . . . :-)
The teams took turns serving and doing outreach programs. Vanessa got to serve banana pudding. She journaled a lot, so I do not need to repeat the major impact the experiences had on her, but I will note here that she raved and raved about the meatball sub at camp. :-) She did not like the chicken nuggets and powdered milk, though. :-)
The Camp hosts a 4th of July celebration, so Vanessa was able to enjoy her own round of fireworks! I bet it was a blast! (By this point a counselor shared a pic of Vanessa as red as a lobster. ;-)
This gal is a singer for the band, Breakaway.
It was awesome to see Vanessa greet her brothers with big hugs! And Hendrix and Zane were eager to help get her camp gear and load it back into the van.
Vanessa shared the impact her friends coming to Christ had on her and how thankful she is for each of them. It's moments like these I'm so extra thankful for her and proud of the way she speaks so well in front of others.
