first week

first week of camp was crazy.
i have no time to really tell you all right now, i will get on tomorrow! love you all and talk with you soon!
k night!
o and a few lil word notes so that i can remember,
prayer is AMAZING!
lightning is awesome!
jesus rocks
my staff is amazing!
bunkbeds are a pain to build
black mold is not fun, and its disgusting!
thriller is hilarious to dance to!
loading and unloading a trailer of our whole production is tiring.
music rocks!
not eating the funk feels good!
seeing old familiar faces is great and really exciting!
my name is apparently now betty, or at least to my staff it is...long story, ill explain later!
later all!

an actually complete update!

seriously, we wont be able to blog this often so im taking full advantage of it!
this is becky (BTW)

i love you all! im having a blast! we get to hear fellow staff testimonies every night and i personally LOVE that time! i love hearing everyone's struggles, it is really encourageing to be able to hear about how they were able to trust God, and how God has been working in thier lives to bring them to this point.
Michele and i have not yet given our testimonies yet. sometime this week or next.

Justin says hello to all!

FYI Stafford Baptist. the possibility that you may see michele and i this summer when you come may be slim to none. it will be a surprise!

dude! im so excited about tomorrow! i dont know what is gonna happen, but i LOVE IT HERE!! dont get me wrong, i miss you all, but i love being here! this is my element! im so excited for our first camp next week! now that i kinda know what to do and all since doing staff last year, ive just kinda lost alot of that fear that is there that first week of camps. im just SO AMPT!!!! AHHH!!!!!

PRAYER PARAGRAPH!!!!
please keep us in your prayers as we do begin these camps. Kids arrive in a week to Shocco Springs in Alabama. its a camp of about 180 students. pray that the hearts of the Kids that are coming will begin to be opened to hear and recieve the message that God has waiting for them! Pray for our speaker, that God would Speak through him. Pray that any fear or uneasiness of leading a group would just be lifted from us staff, that we can just rely on God to help us remember everything we need to, and do alll that we need to. Pray for our strength and spirits and energy to be in tip top shape. Pray that God would help us see the kids through Jesus' eyes. Pray that as a whole, our focus remains on Christ.

thanks all! love you!
PS. Brett says hello! if anyone know who she is, she is a fellow staffer and shes pretty awesome!!!
PSS. if anyone would be willing to print these updates out(if they are importantish ones) and give a copy to my dad, that would be awesome! he kinda doesnt use computers....at all! thanks! mom i hope your reading these! love you both mom and dad!

Hello Stafford!!!

Hello all! This is Michele bloggin...my turn to tell what's going on here on the mountain..
Today was the second day of orientation and it was INTENSE!!! The morning sessions consist of a lot of information that we record in our binders and discuss the information...then we went outside and played the rec game that the campers will play when they get here. The afternoon session was crew stuff where we split up into our crews and learned our jobs, or at least tried to in my case. I'm in charge of product on the registration crew and i also take care of altar call stuff...but pretty much nothing is here yet so there's not a lot that i can do right now...i did get some stuff done but i think i get to have some "special" one-on-one time with drew mehta and get to learn all my stuff! I'm pretty excited! I'm such a beaver right now!!:)


It's really late and i have to get to bed cuz it's late and we have a long day tomorrow!
Love you all!
Michele

the end of our first day

so i cant be on here long, just wanted you all to know that we arrived safely as did everyone else, we were the lasts to arrive at the mountain and were greated with hugs and hellos and a few scared faces at my enthusiasm...heheh
(apparently those that know me have been *warning* everyone about my energy...this is funny to me, i hope i live up to the standard now set for me!!!)

we have begun the process of overloading the cranium. this will continue all week and it will be nuts! im so excited! i love this! its just plain amazing! i dont know how often i will be able to blog but this is a start!

love you all!

Today is THE day!!!

WE LEAVE TODAY!!! its FINALLY HERE!!!

in 45 minutes from this moment we (michele and i) will be leaving with Ms. Patti and Tony to drop tony off and then head to the AIRPORT!!! this is NUTS!!! i am so excited for this summer!!!

i will be blogging so stay tuned, the only reason that i wouldnt be blogging is if the airport says i cant take my computer with me...that would stink!
i am off to get ready to go!!

oh and funny story, so i was putting my suitcase in the car yesterday and the wheel broke and created a hole! not cool! so thanks to my mom, we found a suitcase at walmart, that almost didnt fit my stuff in it...but i made it squish as Michele, Kristen, and Mrs. Patti looked on and laughed as i tried to suish everything i had had in my ginormous bag to the new differently sized slightly smaller bag...needless to say, it was interesting!

Zachery Aaron Castle 5-17-1987

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH!!!!!!!!

Today, if you havent caught onto this yet, is my brother Zach's birthday. so heres the top 21 things i love about my brother! i dont really know if he actually reads this....

1. his inicitials spell his name(for the most part) Z.A.C.

2. He loves Jesus!!!

3. He is REALLY FUNNY (at times)!!!!!

4. He was born in the spring, which is my fav time of year!!!

5. He is a gentleman

6. He doesnt mind spending time with his lil sis!

7. He has one of the awesomest laughs EVER!!!

8. He laughs ALOT!!! and at the silly things too!

9. he loves dogs!

10. He has some signature zach phases, they make me laugh!

11. he has good taste in music!

12. its really funny when he sings, like when he silly sings...if that makes sense...

13. he is really energetic!

14. He loves coffee!

15. i think its remarkable how he can drink like 3 of those engergy high caffenee drinks and it wont really affect him!

16. He can sleep through ANYTHING! you cant wake him up!

17. the signature zach smell, you can always tell when he has colone on...theres no slight small scent, its quite overpowering! but its awesome! it wouldnt be zach any other way!

18. i loves the great outdoors!

19. He is not afraid of much!

20. He is a true team player, always makeing sure that everyone is ok.

21. HES MY BROTHER!!! HES A CASTLE!!! WE CASTLES ARE BEAST!!! (aka, we cool!)


Love you BRO!!! Happy 21st Birthday!

48 hours!

not enough time!!! a load of laundry to do and so many other things!! tis nuts!

and the countdown continues!!!

67ish HOURS til WE LEAVE!!!!!

thoughts going through my head are excited jumbled chaos!!!!!!! i love it! and to let you know. the hours are passing very slowly!!!!!

im off to go finish packing for school!! mucho fun-o!!!!!

ode to the Garmans!!

i never thought i would highlight anyone in my blog, but ey, its worth it!

Annie, Colby, Darcy, Haley!

(yes, i got the pic from your blog!!! heheh)

i know that if you are reading this you are probably like, "oh come on Becky, your such a sap!"

well i dont care!

i dont get to tell them this enough so here goes!

Thank you so much for everything! you have meant so much too me and I love you all dearly! I could always come to you with anything and i know that wont change when you go to iceland/when i go to college, it will just be slightly more difficult with you in another country and not just across route 1.

this is so not goodbye! as ive said before, i dont like that word AT ALL!

But you've been in my life for so long that i cant picture it with out you all in it on a regular basis! no longer will i be able to pop in on annie and the girls for the sake of randomness, or bug colby at work with questions or nonsense!

well, i have so much to say, but yet not really, it wouldnt make sense right now.

thanks for being so Amazing, and for teaching me so much and welcoming me into your Home, and for being there for me since day one! I thank God for bringing you into my life!

dont let the girls forget me, cause that would stink!!!

love you!!!!!!!!!

Good luck in Iceland! I know that God will use you in awesome and wonderful ways there! keep blogging too!

the evil "g" word

im holding it together. two major goodbyes down, many more to go... i dont like goodbyes. so i refuse to say that anymore. from now on, it will be "see you later" this then means that its not forever, and i will see you all again!

gotta love stafford!

they def closed schools today, which means that i didnt have to work!!! exciting!!! hope everyone is stayin safe and dry!

8 DAYS!!!!!!

so today i actually made it to church, (sorry for not the last couple weeks, babys christening and then a ball game hindered my coming to church, but were both awesome events!!!!)

this week is a week of lasts for me. last sunday school. last monday night bible study. last tuesday night pillar youth group. last wednesday night stafford youth group. and then next sunday will be my last sunday at Stafford Baptist. last time to see colby and annie and the girls for about 2 YEARS! im probably gonna tear up alot this week. its my last week with the kids at work, with friends, family. its kinda crazy. ive never had such a bitter sweet feeling in my life! Im so EXCITED for the summer, and for school, but im not a good goodbyer...i hate doing it. infact i usually avoid it at all possibilities.

That you to my wonderful most fav. sunday school class ever for this morning...while i didnt really know how to react to all the good stuff being said, it was encourageing. thank you for everything Jason & Tracee! you are AMAZING! and im gonna miss you and the kids like crazy!!!!

If there is one thing I will miss, it will be my Stafford Baptist Family, and all who are connected to it.

i gotta save my tears for later so this is as far as i write tonight about this whole goodbye thing.

so until i regain composure...

11 DAYS!!!

Today i completed my file transfering. (i moved all my documents, pictures, music, etc. from my home computer to my laptop)
after needing to find it a new battery, then a new charger, and an external harddrive, i finally finished it all off today by adding the pics from my camera to the computer so i will have space for the summer.
it was a long process that was shortened by the brilliance of my tech savy friend Kristen Marks!
bless you!!

Michele and I depart in 11 days to Georgia.
if you would like to know the specific dates and locations of where we will be, here is a lil list for you.

Camp Schedule

May 19-23 Orientation- Global Retreat Center (Georgia)
May 26-30 Camp 1- Shocco Springs (Alabama)
June 2-6 Camp 2-Global Retreat Center (Georgia)
June 9-13 Camp 3-Laguna Beach (Florida)
June 16-20 Camp 4-Eagle Eyrie (Virginia)
June 21-25 Camp 5-Shocco Springs (Alabama)
June 25-29 Camp 6-Shocco Springs (Alabama)
June 30-July 7 Reorientation Break/Team Building (Georgia)
July 8-11 Camp 7-Cohutta Springs (Georgia)
July 14-18 Camp 8-Bradenton (Florida)
July 21-25 Camp 9-Blue Ridge (North Carolina)
July 28-Aug. 1 Camp 10-Twin Lakes (Mississippi)
August 4-8 Camp 11-Laguna Beach (Florida)

im rather EXCITED! to say the least...

today is may 3rd, and in an hour that will change.

15 DAYS!!!!


ok, now that that was the updated countdown, i dont have much time tonight to write cause im tired, but really am looking at how the next two weeks of my life are panning out thus far in my mind and tonight, for some reason, i just got a sense of overwelming craze. if that makes any sense.

in the next two weeks, i have to figure out how to pay for school, and i also have to pack up my life, one third for global, two thirds for college.
to attain those goals i have to go through some boxes, i have to do around 6 or so loads of laundry, (i kinda thin out my laundry or hide it in corners in my room casue i never have time to do it...) which include the need to wash all my sheets and blanket and pillow cases. i have to pack for global completely, and then set those two bags aside so i can box up the rest of my life for my parents to ship down to my school over the summer. thursdays are all i have to do this. and i only have two of them left. im feeling a bit uncertain...

so time i have to do all this might seem like two days but in reality, its only 4 days. (2 thursdays and that saturday and sunday before i leave.)



weird thing is that even with that all in my head, somehow, my excitement for the summer and for starting this next chapter in my life, it out ways and beats out everything else! some how im still on cloud nine! only Jesus! HE IS AMAZING!!!!!!