Cat Camp

I left August 10th on a journey I thought I was ready to take by storm on my own. I was prepared. All my life I was that little girl who was not afraid to go out of her comfort zone to try something new,  Costa Rica mission trips, Colorado for a month knowing no one, Camps every year; College for a year on my own, 5 hours away, no big deal.

Just to inform you, this is only one of the two cars I took with me to college.  Pack light was not an option 

Like the growing coffee addict I am, there was no way I could embark on a 5 hour journey to the good ole smokey mountains without a quick coffee stop in Black Mountain. We took the exit, hung a left and traveled for miles till I found this little coffee shack on the right side of the road, the best mocha I ever had.
I took the Sylva exit and took a left and traveled for miles till down in the valley I saw my new home. 9 floors up on Scott Hall I found room 915 and I began to settle in. After a stressful two days of unpacking and preparing, I said my goodbye to my Mom and Dad. Hearing them say they we're proud of me was the most meaningful thing; it's also what brought me to tear when I hugged them goodbye.
So back to Cat Camp, I am in FLI (Freshmen Leadership Institiute), we work on serving others and we grow as a community. Well with being in FLI it was recommended we go to Cat Camp, where you go for a week and learn leadership skills, how to work together and how to work when put in certain situations. I was more nervous than anything and when I left to for Cat Camp I began to question every dedcision I made, "Why am I here?", "Did I make the right decision to come to Western?". To the point where I actually made myself sick and wanted to leave and not come back (this was only the first day here). I prayed continuously through the day that the Lord would truly show me the reason that I was here and that I would realize this was where I was suppose to be all along.
You know when you see someone and they stand out to you for no apparent reason at first? Well that happened to me, our Cat Camp counselors are students just like us except a few years older. Well me and my good friend Sophie went up to this counselor to see if she wanted to go running with us, being she was on the track team at Western. So we are running hills, and at this point I had ate to much chocolate before and I was DYING! Michaela, the counselor was running with us and began to tell us about her life and her amazing testimony. I was so amazed because what I heard her say were things that I was struggling with, she began to talk to me about the Lord and she told me how her friend asked her one, "What are you trying not to feel?" weird question isn't it? But it made me think, What am I, Sydney trying not to feel? I had no answer at first but the more I thought about it I began to realize what it was..... Doubt. I didn't want to feel the doubt about being somewhere new knowing close to no one and having to be on my own. I didn't want to doubt my decision of going to Western and I wanted to truly understand the reason why I was here. I knew then and there that the reason I was here was to hear Michaela's story and realize that I wasn't alone in my struggles and worries. This was all in the first night I was at camp, and not going to lie. I cried like a baby because I was in such amazement on how the Lord works in his crazy ways.
Throughout the week we played games, worked in groups, and grew to know one another. My favorite activity was Cross the Line. Where 100 of us made a circle and when a question was asked, if it related to you, you would take a step in and see who else related to you. needless to say it was emotional but you realized you weren't alone in things that you had done or struggled with.
Throughout the rest of the week I grew in those friendships I made like no other and truly saw the Lord work in me along with everyone else there. And I found the true reason I was suppose to be here all along.

 This week was more than just a way to get to know people before classes start monday, it was a way for me to understand how the Lord works things out in ways you don't always understand at first. Another great thing about coming back to campus after Cat Camp is that my roomie Lizzie was here when I came home. I am so happy to have her here with me. Speaking of which, at this moment we are sitting in the dorm munching on a nice bowl of Mac N Cheese we whipped up together. Roommate bonding at its finest. We all went out last night and hung out with one another which consisted of midnight McDonald's runs and hiking up 9 flights of stairs.

 Today was our freshmen motivational speech and with my friends by my side and our new catamount foam fingers, I am ready for class to start Monday!