we must protect this house!

It's been a while since I've been to camp, but my love for sleeping in tents (or cabins) and being outside almost all the time has not died.  It was rekindled this week at Basic Training Retreat (BTR) and I am missing it already.  I told my mom that it felt like Camp Alleghany all over again, except with guys. We ate in a dining hall. Bonded. Took showers in the communal girls bathroom. Bonded.  Sang tons of camp songs.  And then bonded some more.

Since three days of BTR would lead to a novel of a blog post, I'll give you my top three highlights.

1. Identity Circles  This was the first activity we did as a team.  We were each given a piece of paper with a circle in the middle where you write your name and then it what look like lollipops coming out of the large circle.  You can write anything that makes you "you."  If you do this with younger kids, you get simple things like their favorite food or tv show or the name of their pet dog, but with adults/teen agers, you get to the deeper stuff. It was a tough first activity, but we jumped right in and made it work.   It always amazes me what people have gone through to end up in the same spot as me. I love hearing about people and their life story, so this was maybe my favorite.
2. High Ropes Course  In case you all didn't know, I'm terrified of heights.   It must be genetic in some way because both my dad and Ben are too.  When we got to the high ropes course, I took one look and said no way.  There were four poles in the shape on a square and had three wires that made up each leg with one side open. Each side was a different level of difficulty, ranging from easy to medium to hard.  I knew that I would regret it if I didn't go, but I honestly didn't think I could do it.  I've been in situations where I've been paralyzed with fear.  As time passed, each of my team members were going up and coming down with such satisfaction.  One girl, Margaret, was equally as scared as I was, but did it and kept pushing me. Finally, I saddled up and climbed 40 feet in the air. I did the easiest one, where you climb up a telephone pole with hooks on it and then walk across a wire holding on to the wire on each side.  It was terrifying, yet exhilarating.  I am so glad I did it and knew that I would have regret it had I just stayed on the ground.  While the fear I had overcome seemed large, it was nothing compared to what my team mate, Ethan, was about to do.  Ethan has Cerebral Palsy and is in a chair for the most part. He can put weight on his legs, but his brain doesn't send the messages to his legs to move, so it takes a lot more energy to walk than it does for you or I. Watching him all weekend keep up with us was incredible, but when I turned around to see him putting a harness on, I was shocked.  He proceeded to pull himself up the 40 ft pole with just his arms. Every time he moved up, he would have to take his hands and pull his legs onto the pegs that were on the pole.  He made it to the top and then pulled himself across the wire and back. It was one of the most remarkable things I had ever seen.    Tears came to my eyes as I stood at the bottom, surrounded by the rest of my team, cheering Ethan on.  
3. Zoom- Zoom is a question game. I call it Whips thanks to Camp Alleghany, but it's the same thing, regardless of it's name.  You sit in a circle and "whip questions out".  So, for example, my question was "What is one thing off your bucket list?"  and everyone in the circle has to go around and answer.  If you don't have an answer or don't want to respond, you say ZOOM and you are skipped.  It's so much fun and the answers people come up with are hilarious.  One guy answered "the Kardashians" when asked his dream job because they don't have to do anything. Really??!?!?!? hahaha.  It was hilarious.

This weekend was "a blast and a half" as some would say.  I feel so much closer to my team and ready to take on the endless number of challenges that are about to come our way. Until now, we've focused more on team building and gaining trust in each other.  Now that we have that, we can focus more on the issue at hand. and the reason we have come to serve.  

Oh and for those of you who were wondering about the title...each team has a call back and that is ours.  When someone from our team speaks to the corps or introduces themselves, they always say "Hello my name is....and I am a PROUD corps member serving at NHCS" and the rest of the team responds "We must protect this house!" in support of the team member speaking.  Other teams have ones that correlate with their school and ours will probably change after we get tired of it, but for now, that is it.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes of all time...

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead