If you want to see the photos from my trip, go the this website.

http://web.mac.com/anniefdowns/

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

I’m home. I’m in Marietta. So I’m sorta home, because Scotland has quickly become a second home for my heart. Not one of those “I wish I was there all the time” homes, but one of those “I don’t miss you because I’ll see you soon” homes. Know what I mean?

There has been a lot of pressure to blog about my trip. Gosh, guys, give a girl a break. Phone calls, comments, emails. You don’t quit. And even though I’m totally exhausted (3:05am in Scotland, thank you very much), I’ll do my best. Actually, you’ll probably enjoy this more than a sane-Annie blog.

I’m sorry to tell you that I don’t have the right words yet to describe the trip. This picture helps. That’s how free I felt. That’s how lovely I felt (if that makes any sense). That’s how loved I felt.

Though I can’t say “here’s the total summary of the trip”, but I think I understand a few things better today than I did a few weeks ago.

I better understand the idea of joining in with the work that God is already doing. Jesus said that and I think I know a portion of the joy that He talked about- I loved feeling like God was working and I was there to take part. More than once on this trip, during this camp, I thought, “I’m really lucky that God brought me here to be a part of what He’s doing”. God is doing a SERIOUS work in Scotland. Anyone that is allowed to join in is privileged. No joke.

I better understand the peace of living full-tilt-no-other-focus for God. I mean, I think I love Him and do the best I can to live my life to worship Him, but there is something about waking up and going to bed with His plan on your mind. It’s one of the things I told God I wanted to keep as a habit in my real life.

I better understand the power of prayer. There were multiple times that I felt the literal strengthening in my soul and body after a direct email requesting prayer. Deep in me, the prayers made my heart pump stronger. I’ve always believed in praying and in the need for prayers, but I have never left a mission trip KNOWING that my prayer partners were my driving force. I would NOT have made it through this trip as strong and safe as I did without them.

I better understand the verse that says our battle is not against flesh and blood but against forces unseen. We have an enemy and he does not appreciate people claiming his territory for God. But greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world!!

I better understand the body of Christ. Somehow, these students and adults we met for the first time ever quickly became like family. Though they are from a different culture and different ages, we have a must stronger common thread- Jesus. And because of Him, we are in the same family. And that’s beautiful.

I better understand why it is important to travel. Because of this- we need to see the rest of the world to see the creativity that God displayed all over the Earth. On the left you see me and KTB at a place in Ireland called “Giant’s Causeway”. All these rocks are shaped as hexagons or octagons. Like, seriously, thousands and thousands of rocks. Look how big they are! And they are totally natural. Just made that way. Ridiculously creative. They say there is some scientific way that this is possibly possible, but I think it is MORE possible that God just enjoyed making it, carving the rocks by hand and then laying them together. It is truly the most amazing thing I have EVER seen. And that’s why you travel- to see more of God’s creative/loving/strong/etc. hand on our planet.

I better understand how big God is. He just is. His ways are so high and His thoughts so different. His plans are so good and so right. But here’s the cool thing about Him- because I better understand how big He is, I actually understand Him less. Does that make sense? I thought, more than once, that I used to think I had God figured out, then He does something, or shows me something, and I realize that He is huge and I’m can’t figure Him out. And I love Him for being bigger than my ability to know. Because that means I will never EVER run out of reasons to seek Him and know Him. And love Him.

So, can you guess I had fun? Cause I did. Don’t be deceived- this trip wasn’t problem free by any means- tears were shed more than once. But, in the end, God was bigger and better and deeper and stronger and all together more amazing than I could have ever imagined.

We’re already planning the ’08 trip and I’m thrilled.

I’m working on a website with my all my pictures, so I’ll put up the link as soon as I finish. Give me a couple of days, please. Then you can bombard me with pressure emails, comments, and phone calls again. Gah.

Sorry this ended up being so long. That whole thing I started out saying about not having the right words to say about this trip? Yeah, somehow I managed, didn’t I? Not a one of you is surprised.

Hi friends. Please keep praying for us in Scotland. God has big plans, but I need His strength and His Holy Spirit to lead me…. hold me…. speak through me…. all of it.

I’m here.
Things are AWESOME.Here is KTB and me in front of Edinburgh castle this afternoon. Yeah, we know we look good. Better than the castle, right? Nah, that’s a beautiful castle.

We start camp in 2 days- keep praying for us! Pray for me specifically Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights as I will be speaking at the camp. (If you wanna get technical, our service is at 7pm, so that’s 2pm your time. Just FYI.)

Hope y’all are holding it down in the ATL while I’m out. (Mama, don’t worry about what that means- it has nothing to do with drugs though, I promise.)

You KNOW I’m tired when I make jokes like that. Let’s just end it here.

1991. That’s when it all started. Dad was a counselor and I was the coolest of the cool- a rising 6th grade pre-camper. We had our own cabin. On the boys’ side of camp. It was an awesome year….for me. For Dad? Not so much. One experience with 8th grade boys and an overflowing toilet, and Dad decided camp wasn’t for him.

But it was for me. I fell in love that week. And I’ve never been able to shake it. FFA gets in your blood. Check that- it’s not FFA, it’s more than that. It’s that sound of the door of Mobley swinging open and the rush of air conditioning. It’s the smell of maple syrup in the dining hall letting you know that pancakes are the breakfast of choice. It’s the grass on the field rubbing your ankles as you follow the obstacle course. It’s the view from the top bleacher in Mobley, in the middle of worship, about 7 1/2 seconds after God’s presence falls like a cloud. It’s the campers. It’s the counselors. It’s the surprises. It’s the traditions. It’s the new t-shirts and then the array of old ones, scattered on camper bodies throughout camp. It’s when the bus pulls up and when the bus pulls away. It’s the seats in Georgia Power that are worn deep by many years of prayer meetings and impact groups. It’s the gross games and the challenges. It’s the team leaders and the bandannas. It’s the videos and the skits. All of it.

And it’s my memories. The things God has done in my life in that place. Truly EVERY significant spiritual experience I had in middle and high school happened in that campground- in the cabins, in Mobley, in the small chapel that we aren’t allowed to go in anymore. It’s who God is and how He moves in that place that make it sacred to me. To us. To thousands of people who have attended Summer Camp (or FUMC Youth Camp) and been changed for LIFE by what God does there.

And I almost didn’t go. Then, through many prayers by others and urging in my heart, I changed my mind. Within 10 minutes of being there on Sunday, I remembered why.

Because I really love youth ministry. I am a better, stronger, and more confident Annie when I am pouring my life and heart into students. It’s just true. I’ve been praying a lot about who God made me and what my purpose is. And to be honest, I don’t have an answer. But I do know this-I am more satisfied with my life and I feel more complete, in line, centered, whatever you want to say- when these guys, and their friends, are an active part of my life.

And camp reminds me of all of that. Living with them, though admittedly exhausting, is the best week of my year. A friend of mine put it perfectly today- “It is physically draining but emotionally strengthening”. Absolutely. In fact, I can’t stop calling and emailing the girls from my cabin because I miss them! I miss jumping on them first thing in the morning and singing in their ears until they remind me that “I only need 10 minutes to get ready!!”. (Shout out to my girl Chels!) I love hugging them as they cry over broken hearts, lives, moments, or relationships. I love kneeling with them at the altar and encountering God alongside them.

It was an amazing week. So many laughs, so many solid conversations, so many jokes that make me smile just thinking about them. A great new t-shirt. And so many memories that I will add to the collection from the last 16 camps (minus 1- Summer Camp 2000.) God used last week to do a lot in the lives of students and in my life- the word that will always be attached to this camp for me is “redemption”.

Let me not forget to mention that I got to be in a DUNK TANK for 1 1/2 hours! IT RULED. It’s on the list of things I want to do before I die. So needless to say, it was my own personal “90 minutes in Heaven”.

And because I’m a glutton for punishment, I include these for your viewing pleasure.

Brad listed people who meant a lot to him at camp and I would love to do that except that I know I would forget someone and get in trouble. So just know that if you were at camp last week and I love you (and you know who you are)- these sentences are true about you (so fill in your name):

My camp experience was better because ______ was there. I laughed with ________ and yet at the same time, I knew that ________ was making a big difference in the lives of the people around them. I’m really glad I know ________ and I hope ________ is at camp for many years to come.

I know I plan to be.

Just FYI- we’re going to be posting videos from camp on the blog over the next few days. Right now, you can see possibly one of my favorite parts of camp- MORNING CALL. It’s seriously hilarious.

CAMP BLOG HERE!

At some point pre-Scotland (which is tomorrow afternoon! Augh!), I want to blog about my experience at camp and my cabin (they were awesome). We’ll try to get that done, but no promises.

April, me, and Amy and the amazing bride Staci! So fun!

I turned 27 yesterday. 07-07-07. The birthday I’ve waited my entire life for. Truly.

I’ve always loved 7s. In fact, my soccer number from 6th grade up, 19 seasons total (including school and rec) was 21- 3 7s. Except for my freshman year at Sprayberry- some senior was already 21, so we took a piece of ankle tape, slapped it on my back, and my number became 121. Easy as pie.

That’s fact #1. I love 7s.

Fact #2 is that I love my birthday. A LOT. I just think it is really fun to have an entire day dedicated to you- or ahem….me, as the case may be.

So, obviously, two things I love being combined was, in my personal opinion, heavenly. I had lavish plans for the big day. Who I would eat each meal with, where we would go, etc. Pretty much having the right to plan out everyone’s life for 24 hours- for no other reason than I was born. 27 years ago. On July 7th.

And then a friend of mine, who has asked me to be a bridesmaid, moves her wedding to 7pm on 07-07-07. Meaning I spend my entire birthday I’ve waited my whole life for (known from here on out as “BIWMWLF”) in Athens, away from my family and close hometown friends (close Athens friend will be there- a silver lining), with the focus on SOMEONE ELSE.

Bummer. Big time.

(At this point in the story, I’m sure you’ve thought, “Man, Annie is a pretty selfish person. I’m not sure I like her anymore. I wonder if I want to continue to be friends with her?”. Don’t delete me from your cell phone contact list yet, people. There’s redemption in the end.)

So I pitch a baby fit in my mind every now and again leading up to BIWMWLF and wedding day, combined. My friends sympathize and stroke my selfish heart- not because they are bad or selfish people, but because they know how much I love my birthday- they offer to celebrate with me earlier or later, to do the best they can to honor the fact that I was born. Just giving this baby a pacifier. Whaaaaa (insert baby crying sound effect here).

[And please understand- I LOVE the bride and groom in this story. This has NOTHING to do with my feelings for them. This is only a product of complete selfishness. I was honored to be asked to be in the wedding and I chose to say yes, to stand with them. Even when they moved the wedding, I wanted to be in it. Bride-friend is dear to me. So, continue reading now that we've gotten that out of the way.]

Fast forward to yesterday morning- yes, the first hours of BIWMWLF. I get many nice messages from people and yet I start to feel a twinge of guilt because on a day that I should have been focused on bride-friend, all I could think about was ME. Lame, I know. A few of us go to lunch at my fav Athens establishment- Barberito’s- downtown. (Don’t try to pull a Barberito’s on the Eastside, like all locations are equal- that ain’t genuine. It’s downtown Athens or nothing, baby.) Many sweet people in the wedding party pull me aside and whisper, “by the way, happy birthday”, and every time it turns the conviction knife in my heart. I’m grateful they remembered, but I’m saddened that I ever thought so much of myself.

As we stood on the stage, the wedding began, and God began to speak to my heart- about His plans and how NOTHING is accidental. Here I was- standing up and getting to celebrate another birth- the birth of a marriage, a family, a Godly lineage. I start thinking about how really, when push comes to shove, why wouldn’t I want to spend BIWMWLF honoring someone else? I mean, let’s be honest. I’ll have a LOT of birthdays (knock on wood), but these two only make this commitment once. And I got to be a part of that. It was an honor.

Because really, just like birth is a miracle (God knits us together in our mothers’ wombs? Amazing!), so is a marriage relationship- what God does to bring two hearts together and form a family is miraculous. And I was given the chance, actually- I was BLESSED to celebrate two in one.

Then our friend and musician Joel Goddard begins to sing his song “Awesomeness”.