One Team, One God, One Goal

Life Action Blue Team, 2014-2015

I would like to introduce ya'll to my team. These are the people I will spending most of my time with this coming year and, lemme tell ya, they are pretty much amazing... 

we're just a lil' strange

 ...and somewhat crazy. In the best sense. It seems there's always a picture being taken and most of those times someone will yell "goofy pose!" and then who knows what'll happen. I love it!

We took these pictures at an event they put on for us here at camp called TEAM CHALLENGE. It was Red vs White vs Blue. Jimmy and Lori Herdklotz (our family revivalists) had these shirts made for us to wear to the event. I love them! (plus it made it a lot easier to spot my team members in the crowd!) Competition was fierce. Normally, they encourage all of the teams to think of ourselves as one big team: which is good and true, we have one God and one goal - to glorify God. On this night, though, they encouraged us to be sold out for our traveling teams and I can honestly say that I did feel more unity once we were all working together and rooting for each other. It's pretty amazing what can be accomplished with a bit of encouragement and a good attitude.

well...that happened

I got to participate in a word game that we played on stage. Four of us from the team were chosen and we had to be blindfolded (I was all like "words? blindness? I got this.) So, once our eyes were covered, we were each handed a letter that would be part of a four letter word. Using the clues the Head of Games was calling out, we had to figure out what the word was and then arrange our letters accordingly. Our team was doing SO well and it was a blast...then we got to the last word and the timer buzzed before we could figure out what letter each person had. Just so happened they were already spelling a word: unfortunately it was NOT a word that needed to be spelled, especially in a Christian ministry. There was a sudden hush and then a roar of laughter and boy, were our faces red!!! But it was all in good fun. = )

My favorite thing about the first pictures I put on here is that they were taken AFTER the challenge was over and we had just lost the victory by a .1 second difference in the last game. Our team was disappointed but we were still smiling and still goofing off. I love that.

I promised in my last post that I would tell y'all about our CM trip to Bair lake and the high-ropes course. It was WONDERFUL! The whole purpose of the trip is to build team unity and to learn how to work together. When we are teaching in clubs it is SO important that we are following our head teacher and paying attention to each other's needs. So we get there, and the very first activity we are told to do is find a partner and make sure one of us doesn't mind being blindfolded (this seems to be a theme in my life). I laughed. It ended up that I was in the one group of three because we had an odd number of people. It worked out well and actually made a few of the activities more fun and challenging. Have you ever tried to do a three-legged race with three people? We had to turn it into a four-legged race, which meant the middle person (me) had both legs tied to another person's. We came in last, but everyone cheered us on and we made it work. It was pretty cool having to find a new approach to an old game.

Then came my favorite part of the whole day: the high ropes course. Honestly, I just love getting up there and hanging around like a crazy monkey - and that's exactly what I did. I just zipped from one element to another and tried my best to keep my balance. There were some parts that I simply could not do the correct way (I blame it on the eyesight, but really, I think I'm just clumsy) so I would figure out another way to get across and then move on.

The other CMs kept cheering me on and telling me how amazed they were that I could do all that while having such bad vision. I felt the praise undeserved. My sight is no different up in the air than it is on the ground and, honestly, heights have never bothered me. Even if they did, I can't really see how high up I am so, as far as I'm concerned, I could be 3 feet off the ground instead of 20. There were a few people there, though, who are really and truly afraid of heights but they got up there and did it anyway. One girl took 30 minutes to make a 4 and 1/2 ft leap from one base to another, but SHE DID IT!! That person, i believe, is the one who deserves the praise and applause. She faced and conquered a fear while I - well - I was just having fun.

The Team challenge and the high ropes course are really just two events wrapped up in a lot of training here at the Life Action Family Camp. Most of our days are spent eating and training, eating and training, and eating and training. I've been so tired that I fell asleep sitting up a few times and I can't normally do that. TI's all worth it, though, and needed. Our team hits the road headed to Mississippi on Thursday, September 4 and I am so ready to blow this popsicle stand. Not that I don't love camp- I do - but I want to go and actually do all these things that we've been taking about for the past month.. I know there are some more necessary things we need to do here but I'm getting antsy. As you can tell, I need prayers for patience. = )

I've also been hit by a few heavy waves of homesickness. I've lost count of the times that I just want to go home and wrap my arms around my Daddy...or sit and chat with or go grocery shopping with or just sit and read different books together with my Mama... or argue with or goof off with all my weird siblings... or teach and chat with my Canfieldians...all of these and more.. I definitely need continual prayer for comfort and peace, purpose and passion. I know God has me here and His purpose is being fulfilled in my life: it's just not so easy sometimes. Lord, give me grace.

This week I have to practice teaching one of my lessons in front of all the CMs. EEP! Teaching in front of a bunch of kids is one thing: teaching in front of a bunch of adults while trying to pretend they are kids....yeah, totally different. Happily, I get to teach on the Greatness of God and I'm totally psyched because that is one of my favorite subjects. The lesson centers around God's creation of Space and how BIG He truly is. Then I get to tell the kids about how this HUGE God who is so GREAT thinks about them and cares for them and loves them beyond measure. One of the greatest privileges in the world, right there, folks.

I hope everything is going well with all of y'all, I'd love to hear what's going on in your lives. Thank you all so much for your prayers, and feel free to message me or comment below if I can return the favor.

Much love,
Anna

P.S. I got the shirt!!!!!

the front says BLINDSIGHT
(Courtney Peavy, you are awesome)