AWESOME in ARIZONA!!!

So sorry for the long delay. I can' believe all the travel I've done this summer. Saturday I returned from the YoungLives camp trip in Williams, AZ. It was so great! I hope to have pictures from others soon to post but I did not take a camera myself. There was such a difference between the girls from the first day to the last. We were concerned about division amongst our group (high school stuff) and that was never an issue. I admit that before going I was not embracing the week to be had. I did not know many of the girls and was forecasting a battle with bad attitudes. One of my girls, Jessica, had the biggest transformation in the group. YoungLife did an excellent job with their camp. They are so good at meeting kids where they are and transforming their lives through music, messages, and skits. We had some emotional 'cabin time' meetings when we were able to discuss openly and the girls' walls came down. It was a real pleasure for me to watch them love their kids. Despite what may be the stereotypical thought on young teen moms, they LOVE their kids without question. It is clear that they want the best for them. Their tactics may not always be my choosing but it was a joy to see the closeness between mom and baby. It was also great fun getting to know the girls. They were so fun to be around. We had lots of good laughs and created many memories. There were about 200 campers there and it was so sad to learn of the dysfuncation that many of them come from: molestation, alcoholism, abandonment, rape, drugs, and theft (often from within their own family). Society is quick to blame teen moms for thier situations but the true blame goes to the generation before them that failed to raise them. Many of them to well for what they have to work with. It was a great learning experience for me. I am still recovering from the trip. I will add more later.