Happy 50th Anniversary Brookhill Ranch
If I tell my testimony of my life with Christ, it is interwoven with a place I went many times and in many seasons of my early life. This place is called Brookhill Ranch Camp.When I speak of my friends, you will hear of a handful that I met at this place. In fact, if you look in my text messages, I am talking to three of my camp friends and in my inbox messages I am in a group inbox with an entire girls staff from long ago and four other separate conversations with friends I met there. This place is interwoven in who I am, but the amazing thing is that it is not the actual place that makes me who I am, but a living Lord that encountered me with his incredible love and transformed me through this place many times.
It all started when my parents let me go with my childhood best friend to camp and we made memories. I was the camper who snuck food and brought ants in the cabin and passed notes instead of slept. I was the camper who inevitably would choose fun swim for all four activities if possible, but since I couldn't I would choose hodge podge, bumper boats, and drama. I was not the camper super pumped to be there, but I was sad to leave in the end. I remember my first counselor, but sadly not her name. She gave me a glow in the dark star at the end and talked to me about how Jesus cared for me so much and he wanted me to be a light for him. I wanted to be like her. I remember at devotions the counselors took us down the hill to see an amazing sunset and said "God painted this for you." and I skeptically thought "well, my favorite color is purple and there is no purple in this sunset, so it actually was not for me!" Then, in my spirit I felt like God was telling me to turn around and when I did I gasped and cried as I saw the entire sky was lit up in purple and I was the only one looking in that direction. The Lord built my faith so much in that moment. He sees me, he knows me, and he loves me I thought.I ended up skipping a few years of camp and came back in time for the very last summer I could attend.
During the school year before the last summer, a friend who had been to camp talked to me about their personal relationship with Jesus and how their life was changed forever by the presence of Christ. I was a Christian at the time, with an incredible family who knows the Lord, but my thoughts were not on Jesus and instead were on getting the clothes that would make me fit in, which boy I liked and who liked me, making the pom squad, dance team etc. My mind was NOT on things above my early year of fourteen. In a supernatural way, alone in my room, after talking to this friend my age who was having a real life relationship with the living God, I had an encounter with Jesus that took me into a deeper relationship with him that would transform the course of my life, my passions and everything that I am. He clearly spoke to my heart through his word and his spirit that I was forever loved by him and if I would choose to make the effort to seek him with all my heart, that I would find him and that if I chose the life he wanted to lead me in that it would all be worth it and that I could know him in a living and active way PERSONALLY.
As I went through camp graduation, I had a huge smile on my face, because I knew that it would be my turn to step up and be a leader and make a difference for Christ at camp. Not many places give young teenagers a place to grow up and have responsibility, but this place did. As I applied for the next summer, I was full of anticipation and was elated to be asked back for the two week session. (A HUGE deal when it existed). The summer after that I was asked to be on all summer staff mid summer as the senior counselor of kitchen. I still cant believe they trusted me with that and many rules for the kitchen staff now were made, because they didn't even think to make them until I took the role. ;) My third summer, Noel and I got to be co Senior counselors of kitchen and I had one of the best times of my life! These three years are what brought me so close to Connie Holmes, the cook of camp who was my leader. My last two summers were spent as the senior counselor of the Pintos cabin.
Thinking back, I have countless stories of ways the Lord used me, showed himself to me, and brought special people in my life to help me run the race of faith who I still talk to almost daily. The story of Hettie Lou Brooks and how the camp was founded inspired me to follow the Lord no matter where it leads and to have faith when nothing seems to make sense. My time there helped shape me to be the mom I am today and to not be completely overwhelmed by motherhood. I was used to twenty young ones in my care, afterall.;) I already knew what pure exhaustion and extreme love felt like thanks to all those weeks that turned into months, that turned into years.... I was inspired to go into ministry and to pray for a husband who shared that same passion. I was inspired to think of my own children I would have one day and what kind of legacy I wanted my life to leave. I wanted my life to not be lived for me, but for Christ so that the wake that I leave from the path of my life is LOVE, FAITH, HOPE, JOY, and most of all, a legacy of wholehearted love for Jesus Christ, our living savior and Lord. I saw Jesus be my strength when I had no strength and give me words to speak when I did not know what to say. I remember being 16 years old and asking the holy spirit to lead me to the child that he wanted me to talk to in that free time. He supernaturally (it was literally like a rope was tied to my heart and pulled me- it hasn't happened again, just that once) to a girl sitting alone on a rock. The lord revealed to me that she had been cutting herself and was thinking of suicide. He spoke that to my mind in a supernatural way and as I spoke with her the Lord gave me the right words to say and she broke down into tears and said "how did you know I was struggling so deeply? I tell no one about this." and I was able to tell her that a loving and personal God who is my friend told me this and that he has so much more for her than sadness and hurt. He had LIFE abundant for her in his presence. A few years later I got a letter. This letter said "you saved my life." and "if you would not have spoken to me that day I believe I would be dead by now." This same incredible girl moved on to be a counselor herself when she grew up. :) I remember many tears, especially at night as the girls started to feel the real love of God for them and as He kept giving me the right words to say. I remember one night looking at a girl I was talking with and thinking "Lord, she is crying, and you have taken over my speech so much that I do not even know what I am saying, so I know this is you. WOW, that was amazing what just came out of my mouth, thank you Jesus!"
You see, Brookhill is not about a life changing PLACE, but a life changing LORD! Happy fiftieth anniversary of the Lord's faithfulness to his people and to his promise to Hettie Lou when she chose that she would follow him no matter what it meant or where it lead her. That one candle in her camp window as a child was the beginning to many, many candles burning for Christ from the legacy her camp would become. He promised to be there and he has been and will be as her family that generation after generation living on that ranch choose to love the Lord with all that they are and all that they have. I am thankful that the Lord chose to weave my life into this story and that it will be woven in my life forever.
It all started when my parents let me go with my childhood best friend to camp and we made memories. I was the camper who snuck food and brought ants in the cabin and passed notes instead of slept. I was the camper who inevitably would choose fun swim for all four activities if possible, but since I couldn't I would choose hodge podge, bumper boats, and drama. I was not the camper super pumped to be there, but I was sad to leave in the end. I remember my first counselor, but sadly not her name. She gave me a glow in the dark star at the end and talked to me about how Jesus cared for me so much and he wanted me to be a light for him. I wanted to be like her. I remember at devotions the counselors took us down the hill to see an amazing sunset and said "God painted this for you." and I skeptically thought "well, my favorite color is purple and there is no purple in this sunset, so it actually was not for me!" Then, in my spirit I felt like God was telling me to turn around and when I did I gasped and cried as I saw the entire sky was lit up in purple and I was the only one looking in that direction. The Lord built my faith so much in that moment. He sees me, he knows me, and he loves me I thought.I ended up skipping a few years of camp and came back in time for the very last summer I could attend.
During the school year before the last summer, a friend who had been to camp talked to me about their personal relationship with Jesus and how their life was changed forever by the presence of Christ. I was a Christian at the time, with an incredible family who knows the Lord, but my thoughts were not on Jesus and instead were on getting the clothes that would make me fit in, which boy I liked and who liked me, making the pom squad, dance team etc. My mind was NOT on things above my early year of fourteen. In a supernatural way, alone in my room, after talking to this friend my age who was having a real life relationship with the living God, I had an encounter with Jesus that took me into a deeper relationship with him that would transform the course of my life, my passions and everything that I am. He clearly spoke to my heart through his word and his spirit that I was forever loved by him and if I would choose to make the effort to seek him with all my heart, that I would find him and that if I chose the life he wanted to lead me in that it would all be worth it and that I could know him in a living and active way PERSONALLY.
As I went through camp graduation, I had a huge smile on my face, because I knew that it would be my turn to step up and be a leader and make a difference for Christ at camp. Not many places give young teenagers a place to grow up and have responsibility, but this place did. As I applied for the next summer, I was full of anticipation and was elated to be asked back for the two week session. (A HUGE deal when it existed). The summer after that I was asked to be on all summer staff mid summer as the senior counselor of kitchen. I still cant believe they trusted me with that and many rules for the kitchen staff now were made, because they didn't even think to make them until I took the role. ;) My third summer, Noel and I got to be co Senior counselors of kitchen and I had one of the best times of my life! These three years are what brought me so close to Connie Holmes, the cook of camp who was my leader. My last two summers were spent as the senior counselor of the Pintos cabin.
Thinking back, I have countless stories of ways the Lord used me, showed himself to me, and brought special people in my life to help me run the race of faith who I still talk to almost daily. The story of Hettie Lou Brooks and how the camp was founded inspired me to follow the Lord no matter where it leads and to have faith when nothing seems to make sense. My time there helped shape me to be the mom I am today and to not be completely overwhelmed by motherhood. I was used to twenty young ones in my care, afterall.;) I already knew what pure exhaustion and extreme love felt like thanks to all those weeks that turned into months, that turned into years.... I was inspired to go into ministry and to pray for a husband who shared that same passion. I was inspired to think of my own children I would have one day and what kind of legacy I wanted my life to leave. I wanted my life to not be lived for me, but for Christ so that the wake that I leave from the path of my life is LOVE, FAITH, HOPE, JOY, and most of all, a legacy of wholehearted love for Jesus Christ, our living savior and Lord. I saw Jesus be my strength when I had no strength and give me words to speak when I did not know what to say. I remember being 16 years old and asking the holy spirit to lead me to the child that he wanted me to talk to in that free time. He supernaturally (it was literally like a rope was tied to my heart and pulled me- it hasn't happened again, just that once) to a girl sitting alone on a rock. The lord revealed to me that she had been cutting herself and was thinking of suicide. He spoke that to my mind in a supernatural way and as I spoke with her the Lord gave me the right words to say and she broke down into tears and said "how did you know I was struggling so deeply? I tell no one about this." and I was able to tell her that a loving and personal God who is my friend told me this and that he has so much more for her than sadness and hurt. He had LIFE abundant for her in his presence. A few years later I got a letter. This letter said "you saved my life." and "if you would not have spoken to me that day I believe I would be dead by now." This same incredible girl moved on to be a counselor herself when she grew up. :) I remember many tears, especially at night as the girls started to feel the real love of God for them and as He kept giving me the right words to say. I remember one night looking at a girl I was talking with and thinking "Lord, she is crying, and you have taken over my speech so much that I do not even know what I am saying, so I know this is you. WOW, that was amazing what just came out of my mouth, thank you Jesus!"
You see, Brookhill is not about a life changing PLACE, but a life changing LORD! Happy fiftieth anniversary of the Lord's faithfulness to his people and to his promise to Hettie Lou when she chose that she would follow him no matter what it meant or where it lead her. That one candle in her camp window as a child was the beginning to many, many candles burning for Christ from the legacy her camp would become. He promised to be there and he has been and will be as her family that generation after generation living on that ranch choose to love the Lord with all that they are and all that they have. I am thankful that the Lord chose to weave my life into this story and that it will be woven in my life forever.
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