All you need is L.O.V.E.: The End of Covecrest

Soooo it's been almost an entire month since my last post...fail. Sorry it has been so long! I didn't get on the computer my last 3 weeks at camp, thus no new posts. As for the last week that I've been back in LA, I have no excuse :-/ Sorry.

I am not even sure where to start with the second half of my time at Covecrest. Our last three weeks of camp were absolutely incredible! I was blessed to get to know so many amazing teens and their stories as I journeyed with them in their week at camp. Hearing about their lives and seeing how they changed in their week at Covecrest was so beautiful---I really do think that those teens had more of an impact on me than I ever could have had on them this summer. Put simply, Covecrest changed my life. The six weeks I spent there gave me the opportunity to experience living in community, allowed me to grow so much stronger in my faith, and helped me to develop a deeper love and appreciation for the eucharist. I learned so much from my time at Covecrest and sometimes it's hard to put it all into words. Here is a little bit of what I wrote in my journal on the plane ride back to LA:

Covecrest changed me in ways I don't really know how to describe. I had NO idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this mission. Little did I know, God was just waiting to rock my world. The last 6 weeks have been the most incredible, tiring, challenging, humbling, life-changing weeks in my life. I didn't even realize the brokenness I had coming to Covecrest--I thought I had everything pretty together, but I was wrong. Covecrest is such a place of healing, and I am blessed to have been able to experience that. My faith is no longer lukewarm. My heart was set on fire, and I didn't even see it coming. It has been such a blessing to be a part of this mission, and I am so so so thankful that God called me to Covecrest this summer. Even through all the ups & downs, all the laughter & tears, all the joys & heartbreaks---I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. My heart changed in the time I spent at Covecrest, and I want so badly to continue that growth and to continue to fall in love with the Lord. I want to be a better witness of Christ's love to the people around me. I desire to be boldly missionary, and to never forget the urgency of the mission that each of us is called to.

We made so many amazing memories at Covecrest, and did not take nearly enough pictures...here are just a few.

This is one side of the girls' bunkhouse (15 of us lived in this room, and this picture was taken at 6 am the morning we left...clearly we procrastinated on the cleaning/packing).

Playing guys vs. girls charades before a session during training week...the girls won, of course!

The inside of the 100 year old chapel...we spent a lot of time here :)

Playing a game of Drip Drip Drop---Duck Duck Goose, but with water.

A few of the girls hanging out before our last family dinner.

Some of the Summer Staffers after our last day in the mud pit! (I'm the 3rd from the left)

My Covecrest sisters and I praying together for holy men and holy families :)

My experience would not have been the same without my Covecrest family! To the missionaries, service crew, maintenance staff, and the beautiful familes at Covecrest---thank you for welcoming me into your lives with open arms. Thank you for showing me what it means to be missionary and allowing me to become a part of the Covecrest family. And of course, my beloved Summer Staffers. I could not have made it through this summer without all of you! Yall have become my brothers and sisters, and I cannot even explain the impact you had on me in the time we spent together. Thank you for loving me where I am at and teaching me to do the same. Thank you for being bold in your faith and showing me what it means to love without boundaries! I love you guys!

All the Summer Staffers on Father's Day with our fearless leader, Erik.