Most of you know I was selected to participate in the year-long internship program through Young Life. I will be living at the Washington Family Ranch in Antelope, Oregon for the next year starting October 1st! If you don't know anything about Young Life, I encourage you to check out their website. If you don't know anything about the "cultish" history of Antetelope, OR (which, why would you?)-- make sure to check that out too!
While at camp I will be working along with other full-time staff to serve the kids and various guest groups that come to camp year round. I just found out my placement for the year--the dining hall (my first choice!) I'm super excited because that was my favorite part of camp when I went as a sophomore in High School--the servers and the fun atmosphere...not to mention the fantastic food served! Lots of people keep asking me why i would ever want to work at a camp all year--and it's hard for me to explain why. It will be strange, and probably sometimes sad to be in the middle of nowhere with no movie theaters, targets or coffee shops near by...but nevertheless, I'm excited to have such a unique job, and for all the fun people I'm soon to meet. If you've ever been to a Young Life camp, you should know what I mean. It's not a normal camp experience...it's different!
Besides all the work, the internship is built to be a mentornship, of sorts. I will be meeting weekly with small groups and a personal mentor as we try to figure out just what I was meant to be doing in this life and so on.
The camper fees at WFR will cover the majority of my expenses and salary, but each intern is asked to raise a moderate amount of money to help make this program possible (aka pay for our health insurance). I am already being challenged as it is hard for me to ask for support, espessially in economic times like these. My boss and "wise old sages" in my life are encouraging me that fund raising is not just asking for money, but giving people the opportunity to serve and bless others in a different way than going into ministry. I'm trying to keep that in mind, but i'm sure I will wince at least once when I drop my letters in the mail.
I hit the road September 25th. Pray for me, or send good vibes my way if you think of it. As with all major transitions, this is a little scary and fairly stressful! I promise I will return the favor later.
Hopefully I can keep this little guy updated enough...even if Chuck is the only one reading it. Ciao for now!
I have a poem for you called "Is Oregon ready for Sonia." It is a masterpiece of English literature. If you send your email address to me, I'll send it back.
ReplyDeleteAlan
parksa@lawrence.edu