Calvary Youth Missions Summer 2014: Wakey! Wakey Workcampers! Time to Rise and Shine!

Late nights....early mornings....sleeping in a weird place with a lot of people you don't know....sounds in the middle of the night....strange colored lights shining through the window....Ah, the joys of workcamp communal living!
Well....OK...maybe not the joys but you can't have all the other amazing experiences without the list above to accompany the experience!
Today was our first full day of workcamp and after a long day and late night on Sunday there was a lot of different emotions early this morning when over the loud speaker comes a very loud and obnoxious voice that says...."Wakey! Wakey Workcampers and then starts to blast a very loud rendition of the Monumana song by The Muppets! The next few moments are met with varying reviews from those who know what is coming and are in anticipation of the beloved "wakey wakey" tradition at a Group Missions Workcamp to those who absolutely loath the tradition as well as many emotions between the extremes. Me, I have already been up for an hour when this happens at 5:45, working with the "Red Shirt" Staff crew as a camp volunteer and lugging ice bags, helping with preparing breakfast and getting things ready for the campers to experience their first day of camp as smoothly as possible. I will also be up until about midnight helping with planning, prep for tomorrow and working on this blog. Personally....I LOVE the Wakey Wakey song and the experience which includes a different song every morning over the loud speaker for your waking pleasure! ---- Or not!
After breakfast and worship/info meeting first thing this morning, the 34 crews are off to work on a total of 32 homes this week here in Monument Valley and are on the road to their sites with tools, Bible and lunches in tow! As well as a sense of adventure and anticipation of arriving at their sites, meeting their residents and getting started on all the projects that last night seemed to be overwhelming at first glance.
As I work at the school all day getting things ready for the afternoon and the rest of the week as well as manning the phones, answering questions and helping to solve problems...the rest of our Calvary group are on their sites getting started. Each of our youth group is on a different crew in a different part of the area from as far away as an hour into the desert and others just a few blocks away.
Either way it is a world apart from the norm of what any of us have experienced before in a mission trip and challenge each in different ways and on different levels.
Overall it has been an amazing day with many things to be thankful for and a sense that God is truly in this place and has a hand in our personal transformations this week through "God Sightings" and ways he has touched us and those around us.
Some of the things mentioned in our home group devotions this evening were.....
"I am finding that I am opening up more and am not so afraid of talking to other people and that is new for me."
"I really felt the presence of God at our site today during our devotion time. Our whole group felt his presence at the same time and it really stopped all of us in that moment we shared."
"Even though it was really hot and sunny, for some reason our house we worked on today stayed in the shade all day."
"I see God in watching all you youth and how your leadership skills and strength have grown and strengthened over the years and I am proud of that in all of you."
Tomorrow will be another day of early morning, long day, hot sun and a lot of fun, learning, bonding, growing and transformations.
God will once again shine his light on the beauty of his creations in this amazing place called Monument Valley!