This past year has brought with it many changes and challenges. My last year of college was remarkably my favorite. After hanging out with the same group of friends and having the same conversations, I felt like I was in a social rut. It was my student teaching experience that opened up my circle of friends for which I am greatly thankful. For 7 months, these girls became the closest friends I’ve ever had. We laughed, cried, prayed and basically lived life together during that brief span of time. However, as graduation loomed, God began to lead us in separate directions. Of our “faithful five”, one pursued her dream of adventure teaching English in China, another married the man of her dreams, and one left on a week’s notice to teach in the Virgin Islands. Another is currently contemplating future plans where she is slowly being led by God in multiple directions. And then there’s me. Yours truly left the familiarity of home to move up to Nashville to begin my adult life serving in the inner city.
Hannah (Virgin Islands), Lindsey (Married), Me (Inner City), Amanda (China)
In dealing with such a huge transition of having my dearest friends leave, my friend Ashley affectionately called it “The Summer of Goodbyes”. It literally was a time of insane transition which God sent my security blanket of friends off to make way for their interesting counterparts. Enter Cumberland Camp May 2009. For the past 7 years, I have always looked forward to summer camp for the fact that being a camp counselor means I get paid to run around outside and play (amongst teaching Biblical truths). After being rejected by the Girl Scouts (true story.), I reluctantly applied for a counselor position at the desperate plea of a friend. Her parents were the camp directors and they were in need of an extra female counselor. I said, “Why not,” and thus sealed my fate for 5 weeks during the summer.
However, once the list was finalized of counselors, I was not pleased at the selection of guys I was to work with. They were all 19-21, and since we went to the same school, I already knew what they were like. In my world literature class, I was assigned to sit by Joel. We developed a friendship on the basis of a girl who sat in front of him and made her romantic intentions known to him every day. Often times, Joel would start a count down when said girl walked into a room as to when she would turn around and blatantly throw herself at him. Yeah, we were “friends”, but this kid had a reputation. Of what? I’m not exactly sure. Next on the list was Michael. Let me tell ya, that Michael kid drove me absolutely crazy. He would approach my table at lunch, and once he sat down, he never shut his mouth. Literally. He would incessantly talk from the time he sat down until the time he left. So, being as stealth as I could be, I would come up with an excuse as to why I needed to abruptly leave just to avoid his presence. But now I was forced to be in his presence out in the wilderness for 5 weeks! And then there was Nicholas. My first memory of him involves our camp director saying “Now guys, I realize that I’ve hired some beautiful, Godly girls for the summer. More than anything, I want you to marry one of them (or at least someone like them). Just do it after the 5 weeks.” Immediately, Nicholas chimed in, “Hey ladies… so what are you doing after the next 5 weeks? Can I go ahead a schedule a date?”
Throughout my tenure this past summer, I grew to love these gentlemen. Not in a “you’re attractive, let’s go out” love, but a “I love you because of who you are and Christ is honored in it” kind of love. Of course, my friendship with these guys took some time. I don’t have a brother, so they graciously inundated me with “Manhood 101″ and in true Jyess fashion, I boldly instructed them in the art of appropriate dinner table conversation. For the longest time they thought I was a prude because I don’t talk about bodily functions at the dinner table, nor do I talk about my life in intimate detail. We now mutually respect each other. Those who I initially liked the least, I now love the most.
I'm Thankful for Unexpected Friendship.
Never saw it coming,
~Jyess
Tags: Boys, Camp, Friendship, Graduation, Jesus
