Y-trip to NYC and Camp Deerpark

I led a alternative spring break trip last week to New York City and Camp Deerpark. This trip exceeded my wildest expectations on so many levels: I drove a mini-van aggressively through New York City without getting lost or having an accident, our work was energizing even though we were busy, our group experienced more unity than I have experienced in a group in a long time, and we experienced God in multiple diverse ways during the week.

In New York City, we stayed in the Bronx, visited a church connected to Camp Deerpark, went to a juvenile detention center for girls, went to a senior activities center, a detox and rehab AIDS hospital, heard about sex trafficking and did some listening prayer and community outreach. This part of the trip was very intense and relationship/people focused. We saw God work in everyday situations in a more immediate way.

At camp, we helped collect data for the forestry team by measuring plots of 60x30ft in a straight line and identified and measured all trees within the plot that were more than 5 inches in diameter. It was a very educational experience. I also helped with the camp's pre-hiring weekend, leading some activities for the potential staff members. This part of the trip reminded us of how God works not only in immediate ways as we saw in the city but also over decades and centuries, as a tree grows.

It is so awesome to see how God works both through people and through nature. This is just a brief overview of the week. I may have more specific reflections in the days/weeks to come.