To the place that helped raise me,

To the place that helped raise me,

That’s right I’m talking to you Simpson Park! I just have to put this out there real quick. The only thing that crossed my mind that would have stopped me from going on the race, was for missing Simpson Park week, not missing Christmas or weddings, but a simple family camp in the middle of nowhere Michigan. I had A LOT of conversations about you with God prior to leaving as it was just around the corner and the anticipation of camp hits me months in advance even as an adult. You’ve been in my life for 17 years, that’s longer than most relationships I have with people in my life, and you’ve been there for way longer with others, and for some this year was their first encounter with you. I love that you’re a place for people to meet with the Spirit year after year, for 150+ years. While each year looks a little different, there is always one constant and that isn’t the people. It’s the fact that you welcome the Spirit of the Living God onto your grounds and people encounter Him there. I met Him there for the first time as a young child, and continue to meet Him there.

You’re the place I learned to conquer my fears and climb a rock wall (that one time you had a rock wall). You’re the placed where I learned silly songs in Hastings House that I still remember to this day. You’re the place where I made amazing life long friends when I was entering into the oh so scary middle school years. You’re the place where I surrendered a lot of hurts infront of a whole tabernacle full of people I didn’t know and was so beautifully prayed over by my sisters in a Christ. You’re the place where I got to baptize four of my sweet campers as they made new commitments to follow Jesus! You’re the place where I learned to find my voice as I worshiped without any shame connected to an off key note. You’re the place where growth, rejuvenation, and crazy amounts of fun happen. You’re the place where I got the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of so many amazing counselors that poured into me and where my campers will hopefully also pour into the next generation of girls.

Speaking of generations. I’m still so blown away by the families that come back year after year, decade after decade, and some even a century later. I can’t wait for my grandchildren to be apart of that lineage one day. It just shows how much prayer has gone into the multitudes of family camps that have happened on your grounds. I’m so thankful that I didn’t come in with generations of family to your grounds, because I found family on your grounds. At family camp, I have many moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas, and nieces and nephews from all over the world that come together for one week a year. I can walk anywhere on your grounds and be welcomed in for a meal or a quick chat on a picnic table. I love that about you.

Gosh there is so much more that I love about you and I could go on and on (but I’ll save that for next year when we’re reunited!) and remember all the memories connected to you. But this year has been different as I have never missed more than a day or two of camp in my 17 years. This year God has been speaking to me about how to still be involved with camp from across the world in Costa Rica. And He didn’t say it was to facetime my girls there, although I LOVE those quick chats with them! It has been to be in prayer over this week for sometime now. To intercede on behalf of those who haven’t yet met the Father, who need a refreshment in their spirit, or just need to know there is a God who is with them in the midst of the challenging year they’ve been having. And while it has been challenging to posture myself in this new way rather than feel like I just miss camp and so desperately want to be there, I get to connect to you in a new way. God has been showing me that for years people have prayed into this week, and how crazy their prayers have played out in the lives of those at camp. God has been teaching me that prayer is so powerful and so beautiful and that I can still be involved with camp this year from Costa Rica by praying for my girls, for families who just need rest from the hectic world they’re coming from, learning for myself how big of a God we serve that He can be in both Costa Rica and in Romeo, Michigan with you at once working in everyone’s lives.

Thank you for showing me what Kingdom looks like on Earth, I’m both excited and anxious to go out into the world on this thing called the World Race and find Kingdom everywhere I go because you taught me so well. All the love to you Simpson Park, see you in 365 days (God willing) I can’t wait to hear the stories that come from this week and share with you all the stories from around the world as you assisted in me receiving my call to be a missionary seven years ago. I said “here I am” and you helped send me. Thank you. I will always love you and be so grateful for the foundation you gave me.

Sincerely,

Kristin June

Daughter of the King, my Father

Faithful friend to Jesus

Servant of the Spirit

Lover of camp

P.S.

Also they say a picture is worth 1000 words but I only shared 977 words with 6 pictures!!