CCE Unpacking List
It's been a while since I've shared on my blog, and a lot has happened since my last post. I've been working like crazy on fundraising, planned a party, and spent a week in Louisiana at one of my favorite places in the world.
Each year it feels like we're coming home when we pull onto Methodist Camp Road and up to Caney Lake. CCE (Christian Community Experience) is a summer camp for high school students, a home for the wanderers, and a place of love and family.
Creativity is a key element of our week at Caney, and one that I usually thrive at, however this year, my last year as a camper, I arrived and made my bed in the corner of Cabin 5 feeling overwhelmed and anxious. There was so much to be doing at home, and we felt so rushed up to the moments of getting here.
This year I did not finish what I worked on for creativity, nor did I share it at the end of the week. And when I came home with plans to finish the painting, I couldn't seem to pull what I needed to put it together. The blue and white colored canvas still sits unfinished next to my desk. I then realized that all the thoughts and revelations from the week still stirred in my head and I opened my journal and began to create.
I hope you'll enjoy my creativity from my 2017 senior year of CCE.
July 31st, 2017
It's been a week since we came home from CCE. At the beginning of the week, I journaled about how it seemed appropriate that I didn't have time this year for my usual tidy packing list. We've been so busy lately, that it didn't really feel like we were ready for CCE.
That busy unfocused mindset clouded my mind all week and was at the back of my mind when we sat down in night group on Thursday evening and were challenged to ask ourselves what Jesus would say to us if we were to sit alone with him in an empty field.
I sat quietly in my chair and thought.
And as I thought, I realized that all my distractions were valid and okay and were a part of who I am and who I was made to be. But what I was lacking was the ability to take a step back and see God in the distractions. What was missing was taking a moment to remember why I strive towards the goals that I do and to fulfill the spirit of God in those goals in each day that I work towards them. And so I wrote in the words of Jesus.
"Let go of your worry and breathe. I am guiding you, we will get there. Remember never to forget where you are each day."
Remembering where I am each day means realizing that God is a part of everything I do, packing list or not. It means that it's okay to be a mess sometimes, that you require nothing to be holy and beloved by Him, but that the grace you are allowed for being a mess gives you the chance, and hopefully the motivation, to grow through Christ.
In order to grow, I wanted to reflect on what this final crazy and wonderful journey as a CCE camper has given me.
So here is my CCE Unpacking List.
Ø AN ELEPHANT MADE OF CANEY PINE (lacking it's pink and purple polka dots)
A gift from Richard, a symbol of friendships and the effort that goes into them to be true. "The way we desire to be in relationships with others, God yearns for from us."
Ø UN-RETURNED EMAILS (from God!)
Sometimes you gotta check to make sure you didn't accidentally sort God's email into the junk folder, and sometimes you need to put it at the top of your to-do list to respond.
Ø A HUG-O-GRAM MENTALITY
It doesn't take much to brighten someone's day (or your own!), so why not take the time to pay attention?
Ø A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
Start and end each day being grateful--that is my promise to change. It's important to remember how great are you Lord.
Ø AN UN-FINISHED PAINTING
And the knowledge that it's okay to be unfinished sometimes.
Ø A RETIRED CCE SONGBOOK
Change and growth are part of life, but so is relishing the memories.
Ø A TOKEN FOR A GRADUATED SENIOR
What a confusing and melancholy feeling to no longer be a CCE camper after so many years. The token of a small painting to set on my desk as a reminder to live as a CCE camper each day.
Ø A JOURNAL FULL OF THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES
Pages filled with the love, growth, and peace that CCE brings.
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An excerpt from the beginning of the week:
"CCE always seems to come at the right time and give me what I need. Being content as you are, finding comfort in the mystery of God, learning how to love and to be. Learning that home means community, that it means God."
Thank you for being a part of my creativity by taking the time to read this.
Blessings,
Jenna
