After arriving at camp, I surprised myself by fervently wishing that I had taken a basic math course my last semester at college. Before tying on my apron in the Christikon kitchen, I didn't realize that cooks do math almost constantly: counting, adding, and multiplying took a lot of my brain power this summer! Over two months of measuring didn't quite plant it in my mind: Is it 4 cups to a quart? Or was it 16 cups to a gallon? Wait a minute...

This summer surprised me in other ways, too. I thought I knew what to expect with high-schoolers. I mean, I was one quite recently. But my memory must have been a little foggy: On the youth backpack that I was fortunate enough to lead, a group of ten Montanans showed me the maturity I wish I could have had in high school. Their energy and enthusiasm for every aspect of Christikon life made our time in the wilderness one of exploration, community and faith.

The community I experienced at Christikon this summer, with campers and staff alike, reinforced the most important part of this camp. Whether at worship, playing games with campers, hiking, eating candy at canteen, or having Quiet Time on the trail, I rediscovered what draws each of us to Christikon. It’s a place to be reminded of what truly matters: the love of God for all of God’s creation, love for each other, love for the wonder of this life that God, sometimes unexpectedly, reveals to us.

To borrow from part of this summer’s theme, it’s about seeing what’s really there — not always what we want to see, or what we think we will see, but something more awe-filled and "Aha!" than anything we could have predicted.

Sometimes it takes having your plans changed, or it takes one more time out on the trail with campers, or it takes another night of worship with your community to get the message to stick in your mind. But finally we may realize the gifts that God gives us when we least expect them.

Because it can be unexpected, it’s important to look at our lives and the lives around us with open eyes and open hearts. This past summer taught me that lesson over and over again, in addition to sharpening my mental math and cup to quart conversion abilities. Those measurements do come in handy while baking and cooking; but unexpected grace can bless us at any and all moments.

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