An Answer for Caleb

My favorite picture of Caleb from the summer

One of the great things that happens at camp is that we all three meals together every day.  So every day you can end up sitting with different people and having different conversations, listening to people's stories.  It's so enjoyable.

One day I ended up sitting next to Caleb, who is in high school in Minnesota. This was his second summer at camp, and I became friends with him on Facebook.  As a result I had seen some prom pictures and asked him about them.  He proceeded to tell me how confusing girls could be and how he didn't understand them.

I said to him and Keith, who was sitting across the table from us, "I wouldn't go back and be a teenager again for any amount of money."

Keith said, "Well, if I could go back knowing what I know now..."

Caleb replied, "What do you know now?"

Very insightful.

Caleb is often very insightful.

I told him I'd have to think about that for a while.  I didn't have a good answer right then and there.  So that's what this post is all about.  Answering that really good question.

This is not the first time the idea of wishing you could know things that you will learn when you are older has been presented.  There is actually a book called Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self.  Many famous people contributed letters for this book.  You can read excerpts from the book here.  The letter by Jim Belushi is really wonderful.

So here's my own letter to my sixteen-year-old self.  I don't think it will help Caleb very much; lots of stuff you just have to figure out for yourself (but not necessarily by yourself).

Dear Pam,
I wish I could first of all convince you that you need to be less boy-crazy.  I know you hate it every time Mom points this out to you and you resent it, but she is right.  Other people may not know the non-stop obsession that boys hold in your mind, but you know.  Learn to be more subtle in acting on your feelings for boys.  I forgive you, though, because this drive to be accepted and attractive to the opposite sex is strong, almost overwhelming.

You're just beginning to understand what living the Christian life is all about.  Keep learning and listening from those around you because they are good people who love the Lord deeply.  Always take your faith seriously, but don't use it to build walls between you and your friends.  Find some common ground with people like Amy, maybe a project you can both agree upon as an important act of service.  This might open a door for great conversations about what you both believe.

Next year you'll be chosen to go to Girl's State.  GO!  Don't let your insecurities about wearing a one-piece swimsuit when everyone else there will have a two-piece suit keep you from having this great experience.  In reality it is such a small thing (although it is big in your mind).

When you get ready to go to college, check out a lot more schools.  You can go just about anywhere, and you can find great Christian people to be friends with on any campus.  Explore all your options.

Finally, just know that you're going to have a great life.  You'll find a good husband and raise some wonderful kids together.  You'll travel and end up getting to be a missionary, even though you think it's a dream that won't happen.  God is full of mercy and grace.  He will see you through the hard days that come, and He is worthy of all the praise for the blessings of the life you have ahead of you.  Thank Him every day for His great love. 

                                                                               Been there,
                                                                               Me

My sixteen-year-old self

Incredible Young People

Every summer we get to work with a group of incredible young people who make up the summer staff.  There is always a mix of familiar faces and those brand new to the Camp-of-the-Woods experience.  I come away each year feeling so blessed by the time I have been able to spend with these great kids.

The movie you will find at the end of this post was made as a tribute to them.  The song that plays is "Do Something" by Matthew West.  It is a great song, and the words are so true.  These young people took the challenge seriously, and THEY DID SOMETHING.  I was able to share some closing thoughts with them, and I'll share them again here.

"I am thankful for the investment you made in the Kingdom of God this summer.  You (and your parents) made the choice to forego money you could be making this summer and chose instead to invest in the lives of Canadian kids.  You have been the ones who cultivated the soil, who planted seeds, and in some cases who saw that seed bear fruit as some campers prayed with you to receive Christ.

In another sense, you too have been the soil.  There have been things that we in leadership have helped you with, rocks that needed to be removed from your life, rocks like attitudes of the heart that needed to be changed.  We have seen much growth in you, and we see your fruit.

You have done an amazing work this summer.  We talked many times about 2 Corinthians 5:20: We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us.  And so He says to you, through me, 'I love you all the time.  I want you to feel my love always.  What you have felt here at camp is what I want as a reality for your life.'

What a wise investment you have made by spending your summer here!  What will you do to make a wise investment when you get back home?"

It was a privilege to know these people and spend the summer with them.  I miss them very much.  I look forward to seeing them again soon.

You can watch the staff video here.

Treasure of the Summer

Finally we are home.

It was a wonderful summer full of hard work and lots of fun.  I have story upon story to tell.  I'll begin by sharing my treasures.  Every summer I collect a wide assortment of things that I love, things that connect me with people I've met over the summer.  Here are some of them:

My friend Billie loves to work with yarn.  In honor of our
theme this summer, she made Madeline and me
a pair of shark slippers. Adam has a pair too.
These make me laugh.

We have made friends with a couple from Michigan who live in a
 house on the other side of the highway from the camp.  Larry and
Noel live "off the grid" all summer.  Noel painted
this picture of The Loon's Nest.  It is beautiful.

One of my very favorite campers, Lindsey, drew this for me
while she was at camp.
She is such a talented artist, and I plan to have this framed.

For the past three years a man named Alex has come with
one of the work teams.
He is such an interesting man, and a retired shop teacher.
He made this cross for me to hold when I am praying.

It is always good to have tangible reminders of connections we make with others.  These things make my heart full with the memories of the great work we were so blessed to participate in this summer.

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.

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

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.

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.