A Braid Story…
Teenagers are seriously some of the bravest people I know. While we stood in our goofy outfits, eyes peeled to the ridge ahead of us for the white vans that soon approached, there were 15 teenagers anxiously waiting to get out of the van after a long ride to a camp in Wyoming they’ve never seen. It takes a lot of guts for many of these kids to throw themselves into the daily routines and rhythms of a community that is so starkly different from many of their worlds–like bucket showers, community meals, cleaning up camp, and our daily closing campfire.
A personal highlight for me each year are the girls I know from North and Apollo who end up out at camp. Each year when I sit, or hike, or teach scripture in these spaces I am reminded of God’s knowledge of people and how he has orchestrated these moments. After 80 encounters with a kid in a secular setting, he knew I’d get to be here in Wyoming, with this same kid studying Psalm 143 and talking about a God who loves us because of his character, not our own.
Another highlight was observing how a Braid volunteer’s family intentionally invests into two of the campers’ lives both at camp and back in St. Cloud. Watching how God brings redemption in unexpected ways is beautiful. He instills wonder and hope into people’s hearts where there was once only depression and anxiety. He brings healing to spaces we didn’t even know were broken. He often saves us from danger we didn’t even know was there. He has been merciful. He is merciful.
Please continue to pray for our leaders and students. Our leaders as they process their experiences in Wyoming at camp, as they continue to push in and seek God’s direction in their lives. Our students as they walk back into some dark and lonely places.
Thank you for your support…. love you all.
Angelina
