2 months + STP = 1 unforgettable summer

Imagine that for two months of your summer you will be living in Pigeon Forge, TN in a cabin with 11 other people (strangers, maybe acquaintances at best), working at Dollywood, and focusing solely on your relationship with Christ. Having been denied access to TV and internet and being cramped into tight quarters, you are forced into a world where you can't escape the present reality by running to your room and locking the door behind you or getting on facebook chat to talk with a friend who only tells you what you want to hear and not what you need to hear. You're forced to make good use of your time because if you don't do Bible study now there will be no time to do it later. Your day is scheduled from the moment you wake up to the moment you collapse on top of your bed from exhaustion. You wake up no later than 8am so you can do your quiet time, if not because you want to then because someone is bound to ask you about it later. Then you do a little bit of Bible study or whatever and by 10am it's time to get ready for work. Work from 11-7:30 and it's 8pm by the time you get home leaving you less than 10 minutes to get yourself somewhat presentable for A) evangelism, B) workshop, or C) Nav Night.

Sound intense? Yeah, it was. Would I do it again in a heartbeat? Yes, yes I would.

I spent my summer focusing on three things: 1) my relationship with Christ, 2) my relationship with others and 3) myself. I studied the book of 2 Timothy, did daily quiet times and weekly XTAWGs (Extended Time Alone with God) where I would spend three consecutive hours simply focusing on God, His word and prayer. I learned how to get along with other girls through living with them as well as relating to the opposite sex through work, Team Date Nights and casual interactions. I also engaged on 1:1 conversations with my team leader whose job it was to disciple me and to help me along the way during this spiritual journey. Through those conversations I was able to learn more about myself in 2 months than in my entire lifetime, but we'll get into that more later.

This blog begins as a description of what I learned at the Navigators' Smoky Mountain Summer Summer Training Program 2010 (SMS STP 2010). It will continue as a way to release a mask that I've worn for years without realizing it. May these posts about my experiences be as encouraging to you as my experiences have been to me.

Thanks for reading!

<3 Kayla