Yes, it’s official, I’m back from the great white north :) .

We got back to Normal, literally, last night from our jaunt up to InterVarsity’s training facility, Cedar Campus, where I staffed SGLT (Small Group Leaders Training) and worked with a bunch of talented, thoughtful students for a week.

This is my 4th or so time through SGLT and it always amazes me, and being at Cedar is always an amazing time. A staff worker friend commented on her blog recently that she loves Cedar because it’s nice to be quiet; to remove all the cares and typical distractions that flood into our lives and be, well, just quiet. A typical Cedar week starts off with a Retreat of Silence where the entire camp is quiet for 3 hours. I never really quite appreciated it as a student and as I get older, those are valuable moments because my world is anything but quiet.

It was great fun to get up with a nicer camera and photos will be up shortly too.

One thing I appreciate a ton about Cedar Campus is the food. I don’t think they know it, but the two cooks of Cedar are definately in the realm of people I admire from a distance. The care and detail that they put into their positions and how they prepare food speaks to me of worship of God. I appreciate the thought and detail that goes down even to the smallest detail (the coffee that they buy to put into the machines on either side and the selections of creamers that they have available).

Their work often challenges me to constantly how I look at mine. Do I love people I interact with? Does my creation of systems reflect my care for the people that will use them? Because I think quality of my work improves when I look less to just getting it done, seeing people less as distractions and more as individuals Jesus died for with specific needs, and seeking to please my creator by my own creation. Anyway, I’m rambling. In short, the cooks often are the biggest testimony to God’s grace and love in the whole week for me and I love the work that they do.

SGLT was phenomenal. I think I’ve said this, but as a comm major it was great fun to really talk and work with subject matter that I’m passionate about at length. I said this in the track, but some truly beautiful things happen in small groups and they’re great fun to watch develop.

For those of you that have been, what are some good memories from the week (or weeks past) for you?