Hartland has come to an end. On our final day we finished up our jobs, cleaned up the camp, and had an awesome pizza party. Our final memory at Hartland was a group picture in the steps of the dining hall. After that we all jumped into the vans and drove back to the Joshua building. For some people it consisted of great music (thanks to the staff), and for others it was a little rough because of the windy roads. Once back we hopped out of the vans and we were tasked with washing them. After we finished cleaning all the vans they told us that our theme night was “The Fast and the Slow.” Some people dressed up as basketball characters, onesie animals, and old grandmas. We carried on the night with the Newly Roommate game. Representatives from each room’s boy and girls were placed on teams. The girls, if they won, wanted to wear sweatpants as their prize, and the boys chose no chores for a day. The boys won. Overall the trip was amazing. We received the opportunity to serve God in so many great ways.
Sean-On the car ride home Nathan was singing better than Mariah Carey. We had a really fun theme dinner tonight. I really liked getting to know the other guys in man hall over dinner. My roommate and I played the Newly Roomie Game and we answered a total of 2/4 right. I’d say that’s pretty good for knowing each other for a total of three weeks. And the best part is that the boys won the game so the girls have to do our chores.
Josiah-On the car ride home from Hartland Courtney played chill music including “Small Bump” by Ed Sheeran. After a long week I passed in and out of consciousness. The ride felt much shorter this time as opposed to on the way there. The theme dinner was great. Jake and Aiden did the best with a total of 4/4 questions answered correctly. Overall the night was fantastic.
Tori- This trip was awesome. It is amazing to see how God is working in all of my Joshua siblings lives. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work for His kingdom. On the way home I rode with Amy and listened to Justin Timberlake and random a Christian song. It was nice to just sit and relax after a great four days of great work. After washing the vans we came back to the theme night. I dressed up as Eeyore and was the SLOW of “The Fast and Slow.” The Newly Roommate game was a big hit, but I am sad that we lost. More chores for us. The best part about this week was that we accomplished so many awesome things for Hartland.
Rachel- This morning I finished my job of sealing the bunk beds at Hartland. I loved getting to know the girls on the team I was on while we were serving Hartland. On the car ride home we jammed out to some great tunes and Nathan did some fantastic singing. Once we finished cleaning the cars and unpacking we had a great dinner where we did speed friend dating. I got to know some girls that I haven’t talked to before so that was nice. Serving Hartland was a great opportunity and I’m glad we went.
God has really been pursuing our hearts through the past few days; either by stretching what we believe, teaching us how to serve, or even by helping us to enjoy the people around us. The number one thing that we will be taking away from our adventurous past couple of days is this; “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”-Mark 10:45. Jesus is our savior and though his love and compassion for us, our perfect example. This verse depicts that being followers of Christ means that we need to humbly submit to others and have a joyful heart to serve. As hard as we may find not choosing our fleshly desires, we know that following Jesus is more than worth the price. God is shaping and molding our hearts to be more aligned with His. We are grateful for our trip to Hartland and excited for what’s next!
