What just happened?

Earlier today the camp director told my team and me that several students involved in M-FUGE, and therefore off site working on mission projects during the day, wanted to take part in our track time and give us some feedback. He asked if we’d be willing to do so, and Emily and I agreed to meet them at the Chuck Wagon (the food joint at the camp) around 4 p.m. and talk with them.

So we did. Their student minister was happy to see us and recognized me from my picture in the magazine. The teens informed me they liked my column and read it often. That was a little freaky, because I’m used to flying under the radar. The kids gave us some great feedback, and we started packing up our stuff to leave. That’s when the really weird thing happened.

One of the girls asked for my autograph. I didn’t really know what to do, because, truly, I am not famous. I work on this magazine because I want teens to know that God is real in every part of their lives and they can live for Him full throttle now, something I honestly wish someone had told me as a teenager, because I didn’t get it until much later.

So I did it, because she wouldn’t leave unless I did. Then a guy asked for my autograph next to my picture on the editor’s note page. So I did it, still sort of in shock.

Then, a couple high school guys came up and told me how they read ec and asked for my autograph. I asked if they knew my name; “Myspace/Mandy,” they replied. (That’s the title of my old column; it’s changing in the redesign.) They even said they’d tried to find me on MySpace! One wanted me to sign his nametag, the other his hand.

So I’m sorta like a rock star.

Only way less cool.

(Then their youth minister showed me a quiz he’d made about the past several issues so his students would read and remember what was in there. I’ve never been a question on a quiz before. Until now.)

It was a surreal experience. Wow.