CBS 3.5

Week five was very eventful, especially for Syd and I. We tried to find the balance of spending time with our family and soaking up every moment we have left with our friends. Syd and I feel so supported by our family and family friends and it's a treat to have them here to experience the place we love so much. It was so nice to have our parents in camp to do a bit of debriefing before we head home this Sunday. 

Last Wednesday was a great night for dancing since we we had 61 high school and junior highers and 20 college students. It seemed like we were so busy dancing with as many campers as we could. It made for a fun night! Last Thursday some campers and staff had an epic belly flop contest and about 150 campers watched from the beach. Spontaneous activities like that make me love camp. I love how it wasn't only staff and young campers participating but people of all ages came together and had a fun time doing something silly.

Sadly, we said goodbye to our week 5 campers in preparation to welcome our staff's 7th and final week here on the island. It was especially difficult to say goodbye to our loved ones as we watched them leave on the boat, but we are so thankful they were able to come. On Saturday night our staff put on our 2nd annual (revived) CBS Staff Coffeehouse. The Coffeehouse is a time where the staff can perform a talent of theirs, either individually, or in a group. It originated several years ago and the staff stopped doing it until it was revived last year. We had duets, quartets, science experiments, dancing, short plays, and an a Capella group. There's nothing more special than watching our kitchen team, facilities team, office team, and program team bond over watching our friends get up and showcase their gifts. After coffee house, we played Grey Wolf: A night game that is a mix between sardines and tag. This game, which was introduced to our staff last year, is such a thrilling game filled with screaming, laughs, and lots of running! 

On Sunday we welcomed our final week of campers. These past few days have been filled with a lot of "lasts" but we are really feeling God's presence. For our Sunday Evening small group, our group meets at Greg and Wendy's house which is built on the cliff. As we sat on their porch which overlooks the rock jetty, a huge bald eagle flew above us about 25 feet above our heads. It's moments like those that remind me how beautiful God's creation is and how he specifically designed us to savor it. 

Whether it's participating in a belly flop contest, hosting a coffeehouse, or playing a night game, I love seeing how we come up with random things to do in order to keep ourselves entertained. I appreciate this cove because it's a place where we can slow down and focus on what is important. One may say there isn't a whole lot to do here, but this place is designed for fellowship. When we are here we are celebrating what God has designed us to do: to live in a community that spurs you on without distraction. 

The women on staff have been reading a book called "10 Things for Teen Girls" by Kate Connor. I've been challenged by her words this past week. She writes "You are enough because God declares you so. This is the great scandal of the gospel. You are more sinful than you could dare to imagine, and you are more loved and accepted than you could ever dare hope. God doesn't love you because you are enough; you are enough because he loves you. This is God's story. His love makes you enough" (Connor). There are times where I don't feel like I'm enough for my campers. I'm tired, and I sometimes feel as though they aren't hearing what we say. But what Kate Connor says in this passage reminds me that I am enough because of what Jesus has done for me. I need only to be still and let him work. God has done some great work in my heart this summer and it's not because he only speaks to me at camp, it's because I take more time to listen. 

Be praying for our staff this week that we finish this race strong and we can enjoy every moment together. 

-Shel

CBS 3.4

I'm surprised by how refreshing week 4 was for me. In the beginning of the week I was kind of thrown off because I didn't know a ton of campers like I did the previous weeks. I am just blown away by the Lords work this week. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I had such a mature group of campers. On Thursdays we split our class up into gender groups so we can go deeper in our discussions. The girls opened up on such a deep level and I'm so grateful for their honesty. Week 4 reminded me that even though it seems like these families have it all together, they still come to camp with brokenness. They are desperate to be refreshed.  I'm thankful for the vulnerability of the girls in my class week 4.

This past week has been pretty fun! We finished the week with a kids campfire, more classes, banquet, and saying farewell to our week 4 campers. This weekend the majority of the program staff planned a 2 mile kayak trip to Whites Beach. I decided to stay back and make cinnamon scones with Virginia. You may be wondering why I gave up an adventure just to work in the kitchen but those of you who know Virginia probably know why I said yes. Every moment I have with her is amazing.  She is truly one of my best friends here on the island. It has always been a dream of mine to spend a day in the kitchen cooking with Mama V, and I'm so glad I took that opportunity.

Later that afternoon, the women on staff had a tea party where we enjoyed the scones made by Mama V and her sous chef (yours truly). During our tea party the men on staff gathered in the dining hall and ate Tri-tip with their bare hands without wearing any shirts. They like to call this their "meating". You may think I'm joking but I say this with seriousness. They enjoy doing manly things while the women sip tea and eat scones. We finished the night with an (almost) full moon hike, a staff movie, and Paul's cookies. 

The best part about Week 5 so far is my family being here!!! Hooray! Sydney and I have anxiously awaited their arrival. Not only are my parents here but my aunt Sylvia, the Langs, and the Ellison's are here as well. I'm so refreshed by having so many familiar faces here with me. I'm especially grateful for the way my friends love my parents. I love seeing my parents interact with my all of my homies here. I'm so grateful that the Lord has given us this week to be together. WE MISS YOU ALEX AND ERIC!!!

Everyday when I have a moment to myself, whether its when I'm laying in my eno on the beach, sitting on the veranda, walking down the fairway, or laying in my bed underneath the stars, I take a moment to realize where I am. It's as if God has created this place just for me. I belong here. This is a place where people respect me and know what makes my heart beat. It's a place where I feel encouraged and loved. But above all, it's a place where the Lord has called me. I'm here on purpose.

 We have a week and a half left and I'm thrilled to see how God is going to move. I can go on and on about each person on staff and I refuse to come to terms that we only have a little over a week and a half left. 

Holy is the Lord revealed before my eyes, and my burning heart can scarcely take it in. As I behold your beauty with unworthy eyes, the only song my soul can find to sing is 'Hallelujah'

-Shel

Shelby Dreves 

Campus by the Sea

PO box 466

Avalon, CA 90704

CBS 3.3

Week three was tougher in a lot of ways compared to the three previous weeks. Even though the staff did a fantastic job serving our sweet campers, we were a lot more tired this week. We had 21 kids in our class!! Some kiddos in 5th and 6th grade needed a lot of one on one attention and it challenged me, Erik, and Taylor.

At times it was difficult finding the balance of hanging out with the kids who needed a lot of attention and setting personal boundaries so we didn't exhaust ourselves. Some of the children in our class don't want to waste a moment of our attention. I really prayed for a positive attitude this week. I prayed that God would give me the willingness to give positive attention to the kids who needed it most even when it was difficult. One particular girl left us on Saturday with tears in her eyes and it was in that moment I realized how special this place is for her. It's not only a place to learn about God, but a place where she is always loved, cherished, and noticed.

It was also very difficult to say goodbye to the week 3 of campers. It was such a treat to have the Yardley family in camp this week. Liz Yardley was on staff with us week 2 and she joined her family as a camper week 3. I am so blessed by their friendship. When they are here I feel as if it is my own family. The closeness that CBS families experience here on the island is unlike any other place and I believe it is one of many things that make this place so special. I watched the Yardley family line up on the pier with tears in my eyes not knowing the next time I would see them, since they live in North Carolina. However, I am confident in the friendship I have with them and even though every year is different, I trust the Lord will provide us a way to reconnect this coming year.

After the campers left, the staff spent the afternoon swimming, enoing (hammocking) under the pier, falling asleep over the water, going tubing, watching a movie on the beach, night snorkeling, and spending the evening studying the stars up at the cross. I'm thankful for the simplicity of our lives here at camp and I'm thankful for the simple times that put our busy lives on the mainland into perspective. 

Week 4 campers arrived on Sunday and for the 5th and 6th graders, this is a mellow group. Our 10 kids are mature, silly, and eager to learn. We have a lot of younger kids in camp this week so it has surely kept us on our toes!! 

Our staff has been reading a book called New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. This book has 365 daily devotions and it's been so cool reading the same thing as the rest of the staff everyday. On July 5th, Tripp wrote about our weakness and how "confessing our inability produces hunger for the power that is only ever found in Jesus" (Tripp). Week three I felt so weak. I tried to fix my tiredness on my own without looking to the Lord. Tripp reminded me that "our problem is our delusions of strength that keep us from seeking the grace that strengthens us in our weakness" (Tripp). I was so caught up with thinking I could do it on my own, and I was so wrong. I failed to unwrap the gift of grace that God has given me. If you're reading this: I hope you are challenged by Paul David Tripp's words the way I was. This week you will have at least one moment when you feel weak and you can attempt to use your own strength or or look to the one whose strength is plentiful. 

Prayer requests:

-Healing for a few staff members who have colds

-For the families to feel God's presence this week at camp

-My friend Danika Langley (on the mainland) who had  surgery on her hip this past Monday. 

Sweet Jesus Christ, my clarity

Bread of heaven broken for me

Cup of salvation held up to drink

-Shel

Shelby Dreves 

PO Box 466

Avalon, CA 90704

CBS 3.2

It's hard to believe that we have already hit our half way mark for the summer. Last Wednesday evening I was able to start dancing again since I sprained my ankle! Swing dancing for the first time in a year brought me so much joy! We ended the week with a crazy, yet fun kids banquet. Each banquet gets crazy but I am thankful that our amazing staff always rises to the occasion. This past week has been an amazing one. As we said goodbye to our amazing week 2 campers, we welcomed an exciting weekend!!

On Saturday, July 2nd, once the campers left, our staff celebrated the 4th of July two days early with a picnic and field games. We were treated to corn on the cob, ribs, bbq chicken, potato salad, and cake! We had an Egg and spoon race, a water balloon toss, a 3 legged race, "king of the court" knockout style, and minute to win it games. We had four teams with about 12 VERY competitive people on each team which made these simple games seem just as important as the upcoming Olympics. Many people became so passionate about this simple picnic, but it made it so fun! We ended the night with a campfire, s'mores, and worship. We sang with full hearts and raspy voices from screaming our team chants earlier in the day, but not one yelp was wasted. Worshipping together was the perfect way to end such a fun day. 

On the actual Fourth of July, we had a normal morning and afternoon with our week 3 campers. The kitchen was sweet enough to rearrange the food schedule and have burgers on the beach to celebrate Independence Day. The elementary team led the kids in some fun night games and ended the day laying underneath the stars at the cross watching countless firework shows 26 miles away on the mainland. Praise the Lord the sky was clear! These people rock my world and I'm so thankful for the special memories that were made that night. 

This morning 38 staff members did the shore hike into Avalon. This short and dangerous hike is a fun tradition that is only for the staff! We helped each other over cliffs and jumped through the rocks. We left at 6AM and a few laughs and bloody knees later, we made it to town around 7:45. We are thankful that everyone made it safely and we are happy to be in town for our day off!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my ankle; I am feeling much better! I hiked the shore into town today with the rest of the staff, so I'm nearing my full recovery. 

If you are wondering how you can continue to pray for our staff, my biggest prayer is that we don't get comfortable where we are. My heart for the staff is to continue to jump out of our comfort zones when serving our campers. I want us to continue to go out of our way to invest in each person's life as well as keep pulling ourselves away to listen to God's voice. I want us to pursue friendships with people we have yet to seek out. I especially pray that each person won't take a single moment for granted.

Christ Alone, Cornerstone.

Weak made strong in the Savior's love.

Through the storm he is Lord, Lord of all! 

-Shel

Shelby Dreves 

Campus by the Sea

PO box 466

Avalon, CA 90704

CBS 3.1

Well, our staff has finished orientation week, Family Camp Week #1, and half of Family Camp Week #2! These last few weeks have been so incredible. It has been cool to see how God has moved in such a short period of time!

As most of you may know, my position this year looks a little different. This year I am the director of the Elementary program as well as a 5th and 6th grade teacher. I have been challenged by this new job in so many ways but the Lord has truly equipped me with the strength I've needed to succeed. The rest of the elementary staff has exceeded all expectations and I am so confident in who we are as a team. This summer I am working with Erik Anderson in the 5th and 6th grade class. Last year Erik and I worked together for a few weeks so it's been cool to pick up where we left off and  work together again this summer. I am astonished the by maturity of the 5th and 6th graders we are leading. They all have big hearts for the Lord and are genuinely curious about what it's like to live a fully-surrendered life. There's nothing more encouraging than seeing how much a 10 year old can grow spiritually in a week. 

I am so happy that I am reunited with so many of last year's summer staff! It's fun to catch up with each person and listen to how God has worked in their life this past year. Many of them just finished their first year of college, and after finishing my first year away from home, it's been really cool to share mutual struggles and joys from the past school year. I am so grateful to be part of a staff full of people who are actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus. It's so refreshing to meet a large group of people who are seeking the same things I am. Their love for God's word is so inspiring and I am so grateful for each friendship. The last two weekends we have spent our time having Bunco parties, playing in the water, practicing our line and swing dancing, and eating as many of Papa Paul's cookies as we can handle. I soak in every moment that I spend with our staff because this uninterrupted time we have on the weekends is rare. 

Some of you may have heard that I sprained my ankle at the end of Orientation week. I spent 3 days hobbling around on crutches and sitting out on some fun activities. Shoutout to my awesome sister Sydney for carrying me back from our living area (Little G's) all the way to main camp on her back. That walk is about a 6 minute walk up hills, and multiple flights of stairs and I wish I could say I was surprised that she did it, but she's a beast to say the least.   For those of you who are familiar with Campus by the Sea, you have an idea of how difficult it is to "walk" with crutches and miss out on all the fun activities. After 3 days on crutches, 5 days of limping around, I am finally back to walking normally and playing simple games. My foot is still in a little pain but I am thankful for a fast recovery! Thanks for the way you have prayed and supported me this summer! 

Prayer requests:

-Stamina for the staff

-Continued healing for my ankle

-For the kids in my class who have a hard time focusing during discussions

-For the staff to not get tired of going out of our way to serve people

All I have needed thy Hand hath provided

Great is thy Faithfulness Lord unto me. 

-Shel

Shelby Dreves

Campus by the Sea

PO Box #466

Avalon, CA
 
 

I'm Unsatisfied

I'm Unsatisfied. Lately I have been a unsatisfied person. I have been given the world this winter break yet when one thing goes wrong I get so frustrated and it keeps me from counting the blessings that are happening right under my nose. There are so many examples I could share but this one illustrates it the best: 

(#)= blessings counted

My family was able to take an incredible trip to New York this past week. Most of you may know that we used my sister's flight benefits to fly standby in order to cut down the cost of the trip (1). We arrived to New York with no travel complications and enjoyed our 4 days in the big city. It was truly an incredible trip. It was probably the last opportunity that the 5 of us would all be traveling together, alone (2). We saw the Statue of Liberty (3), the Rockefeller Christmas tree (4), we saw our ancestors' name on Ellis Island (5), we went to see Jennifer Hudson perform in The Color Purple on Broadway (6), and we spent hours getting lost on the subway TOGETHER (7). We arrived at the airport only to find out that every single Virgin America flight to Los Angeles was overbooked by at least five seats, leaving us stranded at JFK. When you fly standby you can only get on a flight that has empty seats, so we were completely out of luck. I waited in the airport for 20 hours for a flight home. That was a really long day. A happy day lasts a minute and a stressful day lasts a decade. We debated driving home (yes, from NYC to LA) because we had absolutely no hope of getting on any flights. We decided to stay in the airport with the hope of getting on the 7AM flight. Long story short, we all made it home by the early evening (8). During those 20 hours I was completely consumed with stress. Not knowing when I was going to arrive home or if I was going to be able to travel to Boise for the New Year. I completely blocked our incredible trip out of my mind because I had was too busy worrying about not getting home. I didn't have time to think how lucky I was to spend an extra 20 hours with my family. I didn't have one second to think about how precious that time was, or a second to think of how lucky we were to experience a trip like that.

I'm done being unsatisfied. It's distracts me from counting my blessings. I'm so consumed with what others can do for me instead of looking back at the things at the things that God has already done. 

So I'm here at the airport and I missed my flight to Boise because I read my itinerary wrong (9). I consider this a blessing because this time at the airport has given me time to reflect of how important my blessings are. I saw God do great work in getting us home safely from New York after hours of waiting and I'm honestly thrilled to see how God uses other situations to bring Glory to Him. 

Friends, if we are too unsatisfied with where we are at in the moment, we miss out on what God is trying to do. 

The Sword of the Spirit

I have procrastinated on writing this blog because I don’t want to face the emotions that come with this post. It is true that God loves Campus by the Sea; and He delights in using that space to change people’s hearts. Usually the lamest week of the year is the one after I come home from CBS; Which usually consists of me sitting on the couch watching Netflix, and thinking of what my camp friends are doing at the moment. I ask myself “If I was at camp right now, what would I be doing?”. I exhaust my friends and family with stories about my camp friends. I say things that I know my camp friends would laugh at, but my family doesn’t even catch. I tell 20 minute long stories that finish with “I guess you had to be there”. It’s hard. It’s hard because every summer I discover a community that can only be found in one place. And that place is 26 miles across the sea away from me.

People have a hard time believing me when I tell them that each summer is different than the last. The people who have been following my ministry at Campus by the Sea probably think the stories are redundant. With each summer comes new friends, growth, and silly stories. I loved this summer for a completely different reason than the last. The growth that took place in my heart was incredible. One thing that made a huge difference was entering the summer with a lot of prayer. Most of you already know that my job looked a lot different this summer. Yes, I was still an elementary teacher, but I was also the Assistant Elementary Director. I knew that I could handle the responsibilities that came with this job, however, I had some worries. Being a leader has never been difficult for me, but being humble while doing it was what I struggled with. My prayer for the summer was not to take control of a team but to really lead a team humbly. Throughout the beginning of the summer I was constantly worried about stepping on people’s toes and making sure that I wasn’t micromanaging certain things. One awesome tradition that the staff has is writing each other encouragement notes on a weekly basis. These itty bitty notes are commonly used to affirm one another throughout the week. It was so awesome to be affirmed as a leader throughout the summer. People’s kind words helped me more than they knew. This reminded me that God was using my friends to answer the prayer that I had been praying since before I even got to the island. All summer we discussed that, as Christians, it is important to spur each other on and the staff did a great job of doing just that. I have never felt more encouraged and affirmed than I did this summer.

Some of you may know that our staff read A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture by David Platt. Each chapter of Platt’s book addresses some of the most pressing social issues of today. He talks about how Christians can take a stand against our culture while using the Bible and a moral compass. Our staff met every Sunday morning to discuss the chapters and talk about how we can learn to address the hard topics that David Platt challenged us with.  For example, near the beginning of the summer, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all 50 States. Of course, Platt wrote about this topic in one of his chapters of his book. It was so refreshing to sit in the room with other believers and talk about ways we can speak truth into our peer’s lives with grace, while using the Bible as our number one reference tool. I have had so many cases where my friends have asked me about certain social issues and how Christians view them. The best I could do was explain to them how we view certain things, but at times I wasn’t able to back it up biblically.  David Platt’s book encouraged me to dive into the Bible and really search for answers. I feel like for the first time in my life I was really craving God’s word.

 Our staff also had the opportunity to study Ephesians. In one of our morning meetings we discussed chapter 6; When Paul writes about putting on the full armor of God in order to stand against the “spiritual forces of evil” (Eph 6:12). We went around to each person at the meeting and had each person talk about which piece of armor we needed the most in the following days. (To reread or refresh your memory of Ephesians 6 click HERE). I am aware that we should put the full armor on, but I have been starting each day thinking of which piece of armor I need most. After reflecting on the summer and looking ahead at the school year, I am aware that even though I am attending a Christian school, I am still facing a hard battle against the evil one. After really seeing what its like to look to the Bible for answers, I’ve decided that the piece I need most is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I challenge you to find time to read through Ephesians and think about which part of the armor you need most entering this new school or work year.

This summer was a very important summer for me; Considering that after it's completion, I would move away from home for the first time. The last few weeks I have been plunged into college and dorm life. Even though there are plenty of opportunities to grow spiritually at the Christian school I attend, it's up to me to take advantage of those opportunities. Not all the people that attend my school love Jesus, or even believe in God for that matter. I have told my family and friends that I have never felt more ready for college because this past summer I have been encouraged so much by my peers and equipped with the truth of God’s word. So here I am at Grand Canyon University, starting a brand new school year at a brand new place with the Sword of the Spirit in my back pocket.

Thank you to my family and friends who prayed for me and supported me throughout my time at Campus by the Sea. And thanks to the amazing staff that I got to work with this summer, I am humbled to have had the opportunity to serve alongside you all.

My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Psalm 25:15

-Shel