Act Normal: Joni and Friends Family Retreat 2015

Leadership. I've avoided it my entire life. It's for first born overachievers who like to be in charge and are comfortable telling groups of people what to do and how to do it. My dad and my oldest brother are leaders. Not me. Nope. No way. Nah-uh. No thank you. Not for me.

I had successfully avoided leadership for 35 years. Pretty good record, huh? Well, apparently it was time to break that ~~winning~~ streak so God put me on the leadership team for the 2015 Joni and Friends Family Retreat at Wonder Valley. I would be the Co-corrdinator of the STMs (Short Term Missionaries) and I would lead the Sibling Group.

*gulp*

Enter the theme verse for the week:

The months and weeks leading up to the Retreat involved lots of planning and preparation that was mostly done by other people on the leadership team. I contributed here and there but felt I could keep sliding by as a quasi leader.

Then the first day of Retreat came. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay home and hide. Maybe no one would notice. Shoot, my name was already in the program and I'd sent letters out and made phone calls telling people I was going to be one of their leaders. So I went, with butterflies in my stomach and against my better judgement, I went.

My first task was to train the 63 STMs about the rules of Retreat. Great, my favorite topic. Rules and following them. Fine, here I go. Don't smoke, drink, cuss (out loud), or text while serving. Phew! made it through that part. Then about half of them split off into another group and went outside.

Good, the group is smaller for this next training about explaining what developmental disabilities are. The only problem is that 63 divided by 2 in not 1. I prefer to talk to one person at a time but alas I was left with many many more than one. I managed to get through that training rather painlessly. I was really feeling like God was answering so many prayers with "Yes, I will help her. She most definitely needs it."

My next uncomfortable leadership task was to facilitate a 'disability training station'. There were 8 stations set up all over camp with activities designed to help the STMs experience a glimpse of what it's like to have a disability. My station was speech impairment. My station, as in I was the only one there. Just me, myself, and I. A group of people come to me and I boss them around and make them do things they are hesitant to do and that will make them uncomfortable. "Okay, everyone! At this station we were going to experience what it's like to have a speech impairment. All you need to do it put 3 marshmallows and a gram cracker in your mouth and then say what's on this card to your partner. You must verbalize what's on the card. This is not charades. Oh, and if you start choking, spit it all out into this big trash can. There's no choking allowed." :)

"What is your favorite fruit pie?

Then the Barrier Breakers International Performing Team took the stage. They never fail to make me wish I were one of them. Here they are at the end of their show, not lined up to take a bow, but to present the question, "Who is more disabled?" Someone who uses his/her gifts or someone who refuses to use the gifts he/she is given? Someone who only sees his/her limitations or someone who believes that With God, all things are possible?

I made it through all of the STM training and was still alive. It felt like a miracle. My rewards were getting to write lots of joy mail (notes of encouragement) and sitting in the back to get the full experience of worshiping with everyone.

The next big scary brand new leadership venture was Sibling Group. Four nights, one hour each night. The first night was spent playing hilarious games like putting vaseline on your face and seeing how many cheese balls your partner can make stick. Or dropping six mentos into a 2 liter of diet coke to see how high soda would shoot in the air. Or the ever popular Never Have I Ever game. "Never have I ever...~~wanted to be a leader~~ gone on a zip line." It was so much fun and such a pressure release to just enjoy being silly together.

the winners with 5 cheese balls stuck

2nd place with 3 cheese balls stuck

On night two our Talent Show plans started to come together. We would do a news cast highlighting the events of the week. Here are some of the stories we covered.

Our sign for the Talent Show

he bent down to get his pencil...

getting lost in the leaves

levitating

don't break in to people's rooms

or you might get a pink bear on your head. that's the lesson.

this was from the serious night...obviously.

epic leap of faith

My people.

Being in sibling group meant a respite from being responsible and mature. We ran screaming through the camp with masks on and TP'd. It was pure joy and freedom. It may sound crazy but it was one of the most deeply meaningful things that I did all week. It was a true Retreat from real life. As siblings we all know life is hard and frustrating and unfair and painful. What we don't experience enough is being able to forget about that stuff and fly around like wild little kids without a care in the world and only one thought on our minds...TP EVERYTHING!!! Pain can be loud but not on this night. On this night, joy was the only thing we could hear and it was music to my soul.

we found some more siblings along the way

so happy together!

We left our mark on the camp

Even me being a leader.

Below is the link to the amazing video chronicling the week. I think my favorite part is when Nathan (not my brother) winds up underhand and then throws the ball overhand. (4:37-4:44) Classic.

Joni and Friends Family Re treat Video Wonder Valley 2015

Bonus pictures: