Saturday, July 19, 2014

My Cluttered Brain



 
This has been a difficult week.  There have been so many things to deal with, some of them good and some of them bad.

This week of camp was the biggest of the summer.  We had 66 campers (max is 72).  Fortunately we had a group of about 20 from North Carolina join us, and they helped lighten the load.  They reinforced the kitchen work and the cleaning load, as well as joining in to help with activities for the campers.  Some of their young men stepped in to be team leaders, which was a big help for the guy counselors, who had some really difficult campers to deal with.
 

But for all the hard things this week, we could see progress in our campers.  Some of them prayed to receive Christ.  Some of them softened to the message.  And some of them just stopped hitting each other all the time.  It is good to be able to see small victories.

Adam spoke about compassion one night.  He is really able to break things down for the kids to understand.  On Friday, I saw one of our campers really get it.  I had picked him for a special game, and by mistake, I had picked another boy from his same team for the same game.  I had really messed up.  I told the boys to play “rock-paper-scissors” for it, and when they did, this boy, Matthew, won.  He was going to get to play the special part in our game.  The other boy, Shadin, who lost began to cry.  When Matthew saw him cry he said, “You do it.  It’ll be ok.”  I told him that he had just done what Adam had talked about.  He had seen a need, felt compassion, and then done something to meet the need.  It was a beautiful thing.

 
My special game helpers
 
Many of us working with the kids this week had stories like these to share.  These stories are what make our work worthwhile, even when it is hard.

By the end of the week we were all very tired, and we really need this weekend to recuperate before the next group of campers show up on Monday. For the kids who are coming, it is a brand new week.  For us, it is the fifth time through all of this.  Being enthusiastic at this point is a real challenge.  We are thankful for another group of reinforcements who have arrived to spur us on through this final week with kids.  I know when Monday comes and we see their faces, we will be ready to give them the best week of camp yet.

Personally, I had the wonderful experience of becoming a grandmother this week.  On the other hand, my uncle Ralph in Indianapolis had to be taken to the hospital and is now in rehab.  He is struggling, and I am not available to help.  It makes me feel sad.  These things are all a part of the mix as I move through my days here at camp.  It’s a lot to deal with.

So that why I’m up, posting this entry at midnight.  My body is tired, but my mind is spinning.   I felt like writing it all down might alleviate some of the clutter up there in my brain.

 Lots of times it does.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Dear Kathryn



 
Dear Kathryn,
I am so thankful that you are my daughter.  And now you have a daughter.

Madeline.

Maddie.

I hope you find all the joy and fulfillment in being her mom that I found in you.  You came into my life, and you saved me in a way.  I was lonely, and there you were, to fill up my time and my life.
For you it may be different, but in some way I suspect Madeline will save you too.  Mostly she will save you from yourself.  Becoming a mother roots out so much of one’s selfishness and self-centeredness.  

I  can’t wait to see you and to meet this new life you and Brandon have created.  She will be a much loved child.  You two have so much to offer her.

In the meantime, until I can get there in person, give her hugs and kisses for me, keep her fed and dry, sing her songs and pray over her.  This journey of parenthood and grandparenthood has just begun.  It will be a fantastic journey.
Love,

Mom

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Junior Campers: A Theory Proposed





This week was the first week of Junior camp for the summer.  Junior campers are ages 8-11.  For many of them, this is their first time away from home, away from parents.  Some find it great to be away for a while, and others struggle with homesickness and missing their moms.  For many of the youngest campers this is the first time they have been expected to do things for themselves:  straighten their beds, fold their clothes, pick out clothes and dress themselves.  Because of this, it makes for an interesting and exhausting week for the counselors.

For the guy counselors especially this was a hard week.  Guys are often not as nurturing and loving as girls, and so it is an adjustment to care for these little guys.  They have stepped into the role and done their best, but it’s a stretch for them, and it takes them out of their comfort zone.  For both the guys and the girls, this week was a test of patience.  They have learned much from their experience.

We had several campers this week who have issues with parents.  Some of the kids are in foster care and feel lost.  Two girls lost their mother last summer.  Others feel unloved for one reason or another.  Over the course of the week, as the kids start to open up, some of these issues come out.  I have a theory about why this happens, but it’s just that… a theory.  I think that the campers feel loved and cared for in a way that they don’t always feel.  I think it feels good to them.  Even if they can’t articulate it, I think they know this is how they should feel most of the time, and they realize what they are missing.

That also means that our staff is doing their job.  They are being the tangible love of Jesus to these kids.  So the campers respond.  They may not make any kind of spiritual decision.  They are small; many have never heard the story of Jesus.  But seeds are being sown, the soil of their life is being cultivated. 
For many of them, my prayer is that God will send others to water and reap in their lives when they are away from us.  We also pray that they will return next summer, so that we can have another opportunity to labor in their lives.  

It is a labor of love.


Sunday, July 6, 2014

Canada Day and More

 
 
This week we spent time with another group of teens.  There were many campers who have been coming for years now, and I have grown quite fond of them.  Because they have history with us, they are pretty comfortable sharing their lives with us.  Many of them struggle with hard things in their lives.  Several campers are in foster care.  This is our great opportunity to love them and share God's love with them.  A phrase that has come to be very meaningful to me this summer is found in 1 Corinthians 5:20: "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God is making his appeal through us."  What an awesome thought and responsibility... God using us to make his appeal to these boys and girls.  It makes you stop and think about everything that comes out of your mouth.
 
We had cold, rainy weather on Monday and Tuesday, but on Tuesday evening the sky cleared just in time for our fireworks.  The weather the rest of the week was much better but still a little cool.  The bugs have been voracious, but the campers and staff were real troopers through it all. 
 
I have grown to love the weeks we have teens.  We have a real chance to go deeper with these kids.  Next week is Junior 1.  We have to have a different approach with the younger kids.  They will require more care from us, and therefore, we will get tired.  But it is in these weeks that we develop relationships with the kids that make them want to come back again and again.  And if we can get them back, we can have the chance to go deeper with them as teens.  I look forward to a great week ahead.
 
 
One of my favorite moments of the week came when Alex played
Lobin the Lobster in our Deep Sea Drama.  He made the most of
his wonderful imagination and gave us a great show.

Kelsie and Mallory on the hike.  These two have taken on their
roles with great zeal.  I am so thankful they are here.


Will and John were both support staff this week.  We said goodbye
to Will over the weekend and he has returned home.

Harrison was on support staff this week and was also
a team captain.  He did a great job working with other
staff to play the music during our chapel times.


Mallory enjoyed the watermelon we had for dessert.  Can't you
just hear her talking?  She is always so entertaining.
 
 
We said a tearful goodbye to our dear Dr. Brenna.  We miss her already.
She is off to finish her residency for her medical licensing.