Update: Junior Week 2

We had our second group of junior campers last week, a full camp of 71 campers, almost half of them first time campers.  It's always exciting to have lots of new campers to introduce to the joy of camp and, for some of them, to the stories of Jesus for the first time.  Overall they were a very nice group of kids with very little homesickness or behavior problems.

There was a tragedy in the nearby city of Dryden last week.  The principal of the Catholic elementary school and his 17-year-old son were killed in a car accident.  It was quite a blow to the community, and several of our campers who attend St. Joseph's were camping with us last week. A couple of the parents let us know that it made things easier for them, knowing that their kids were being cared for by us during this hard time.  It is a blessing to us to be able to have these strong community ties, and we were glad to assist these families.

There was a round of sickness that struck several people including me.  I had a severe cold that laid me up for the entire day on Tuesday, and then I had to take it easy to get back to full strength by Friday.  It's a good thing to find out you're not irreplaceable.  Josh, one of the cabin leaders who had heard me tell the same story every Tuesday, stepped in to take the kids on their hike and tell the story of Peter following Jesus.  Other people stepped in to help with games, which was another of my responsibilities this past week.

Josh did a fine job with the story.

Since being a game leader was my job this week, let me share a couple of the games we play here with you.  Many games are regular camp fare that have been played at camp for years and years and might make you a little nostalgic.  One of those games is Steal the Bacon.  It is always a favorite of the campers here as they dash to collect items from the center and take them to their team for points.  They may even wrestle to steal things from other players which makes for quite a show.

On hot afternoons we try to stay cool by playing some water games.  A favorite is Sink the Canoe, which is just what you think:  splash enough water into the canoe to get it to sink.  This year we added another element, which was having the team captains sit in the canoe.  The kids loved splashing their captains, and it added to the fun. (Good idea, Isaac, Chester and Amy!)

Organized Mass Chaos (OMC) is another favorite game on a hot afternoon.  Each team has a bucket full of task cards, and the game is to see which team can complete the most tasks before the time is up.  The tasks involve things like shaving cream, silly string water, balloons and sponges.  A task might be something like, "Squirt shaving cream under your arms and say, 'I'm feeling foamy today.'" Lots of silliness produces lots of smiles in this game.

Finally, we play a game called Canadian Beaver each week.  It involves the people who are "it" (beavers) chasing down players, lifting them off the ground long enough to say "Canadian Beaver" and then, hopefully, putting them gently back on the ground.  It is a rough game, but most campers really love it.  We used to play it when I was a kid, and we called it American Eagle.

Prayer requests:  Pray for all of the staff to have enthusiasm and energy for this last group of kids.  It may be our fifth week of camp, but for the campers coming, it is their first week.

Pray for me that I can tell my stories for the fifth time with enthusiasm.  Also, that I can make good choices about which ones to include, as I have added different elements each week.

We are very thankful that my mom was able to get her radiation treatments moved to Chattanooga.  She begins on Tuesday, July 30.  My nephew Andy will be going with them on Tuesday, then we will see what her schedule will look like.

Update: Junior Week 1

We had to change gears this week as we welcomed our first group of junior campers, ages 8-12.  They require a lot more care and supervision than the teen campers.  Everything we do takes considerably longer.  But they make up for it by being very entertaining.

This week I hiked along with this group of boys and the subject of dreams came up.  I told them about a dream I had just that night.  In the dream (a typical teacher type dream) I was teaching a group of kids but they weren't the current campers or any kids I could identify.  One of the boys in the dream was pushing all my buttons.  I finally blew my top, and told him to "sit right here and don't move until I tell you to."  Then I woke up.  One of the boys on the hike said, "Tell me what he looked like.  I think I know him."  We have laughed and laughed about this.  Phil said, "Tell him to look in the mirror."

One of the fun things I get to do each day is lead one of our specialized activities.  The kids get to choose from things like paintball, archery, canoeing, ping-pong, frisbee golf, rock climbing and others.  My activity is space art.  Using spray paints we have created our own planets and galaxies.  The kids have been very delighted with the art they have created, and that has made it a joy for me.

Prayer requests:  Camp is full again for the coming week.  Please pray for the summer staffers as they recover from a pretty demanding week.  

Pray for those who heard the Gospel for the first time, and for several who responded to the Gospel this week.

My mom went to Emery in Atlanta.  They cannot do surgery and are sending her for radiation.  She will have to go five days a week for six to eight weeks.  Right now she is scheduled to do this in Murfreesboro.  We are trying to get it moved to Chattanooga.  Pray that we can get this arranged in the coming week.  She is scheduled to start on July 29.

Update: Teen 2

The second teen week has been completed, and it was another good week.  The weather, however, was not as good to us this past week as it had been for Teen 1.  Teen 1 was sunny and warm but cool in the evenings, almost perfect.  For Teen 2 we had two very wet days and thunderstorms one night that bothered some of the campers and kept them awake.  By Wednesday we had some campers that didn't have any dry clothes to put on or a dry towel to use.  Cold and wet makes for some unhappy campers but the end of the week improved so we finished strong.

This week I didn't have to lead the games, so I was able to spend some time helping out in the kitchen.  The kitchen is a great place to work as a team and have some fun conversations while you work.  Phil and I also jumped in to prepare the Sunday lunch meal, which gives the regular cooks a small break from kitchen duty.

We had 65 campers last week which made for a very full camp.  The staff is fantastic at making it all run smoothly, and I'm so thankful for their hard work.  Phil continues to do the same job he's done for the past several years, helping out with canoes and paddle boards during swim time.  He often has some of the staff or some of the campers come sit with him and talk.

At the beginning of the week the campers divide up into teams which compete the rest of the week.  All the team names this year are constellations.  Their first team task is to create a mascot out of craft materials we have.  I have been amazed by their creativity.  Here's what they've come up with so far.

I'm sure you can see Scorpion and Gemini is there
(a turtle with two heads, the twins).

There's a phoenix here and Orion on the right, the hunter.

Prayer requests:  The coming week we have around 70 junior campers coming.  The whole feel of camp changes when the younger kids come.  It's requires a lot more work for the staff so pray for them.

My mom goes to Emery in Atlanta for consultation about surgery on her nose.  Pray for good understanding of what needs to be done on her part and on the part of the medical team.  Also pray for their travel (Will is taking them) because the weather down there is looking bad because of the hurricane.

Update: Teen Week 1

Teen Week 1 is in the books and it was a great success.  The group of 40 we had this week was all returning campers except for four new ones.  Many of the campers this week have been coming every summer since they were eight years old.  It is good to see so many familiar faces and work with kids who just love camp.

I took the kids on hikes each day and told the Bible stories.  I focused on Peter.  I talked about what it was like for Peter to follow Jesus and how that looks for us today.  I was happy with how it all came out.  Now to look into what things I might add or change since we have several campers returning for a second week with us.

I was also the game leader this week and worked with Mallory and Kelly during each game time.  They were great help and made my job much easier.  Mallory took this lead on several games, and Kelly is one of those people who just quietly go about getting the job done behind the scenes. 

Keeping score with Mallory (sorry I didn't get Kelly in the pic)

My favorite game this week was one created by Isaac, one of the interns here this summer.  It was called Telescope.  After racing to retrieve pool noodles without being tagged, teams used them to build telescopes.  I was so impressed with their creations.

Lots of good relationships were strengthened with the returning campers.  Some of them are going through some tough stuff.  The teen age years are often hard, and the cabin leaders did a great job listening and empathizing with the campers.

One of my most enjoyable tasks of the week was performing skits in the chapel with Bekah, another intern.  We got a lot of laughs.

This is not the skit but it gives you a little glimpse of some of the chapel decorations.
They are really wonderful.

Prayer requests:  Please pray for the returning campers, that God can continue to work in their lives. Pray for me as I try to develop some different lessons to add to their learning.  We have several individuals and groups traveling in and out this weekend so we pray for their safety.

Also, pray for my mom.  The cancer in her nose is too extensive to treat in Chattanooga.  She will have to travel to Emery in Atlanta.  I don't know when yet, or what that might mean that I need to do.  Pray for her healing and for wisdom for all of us in the decisions we have to make in this situation.

COTW 2019 Week 1

I have decided to take a lesson from my good friend Bea and write an update every week of the summer for those of you back home.  To begin with, it was great to be back with Phil after such a long time apart.  It was also so good to spend the week with our son Will.  Will had spent a summer here back in 2011and has several friends here so it was good to keep up those connections.  Even though Will only lives about five minutes from us in Dunlap, we don't always get to spend the extended time together that leads to lots of good conversations.  When he left for home I felt tears come to my eyes and that surprised me.

Part of my week has been spent unpacking, deep cleaning the Loon's Nest (our cabin), and just generally getting settled back into the routine of camp.  I have helped out in the kitchen some, and been involved in some of the staff training that has been taking place this week for the young people who have come to be our summer staff.  It is a large group of nearly thirty young adults and teens, and I am excited to be able to work with them this summer.

Special dinner with staff topped off our week of training.

This special dinner was a true gift from the kitchen staff and leadership team.
I appreciated their thoughtfulness so much.

The thing that has struck me the most this week has been the relationships that have been begun or are being reestablished.  Let me just give you a snapshot of my Wednesday evening.

After chapel Will and I went to the Kanes' house (our friends who are here full time).  We spent about half an hour just talking about life.  I had noticed how content Billie seems to be here now, and she got to talk about how God was building patience into her life.  After that Will went and spent some time with their 19-year-old son, Alex, who is autistic.  I went to the lodge where I had a conversation about my mom's surgery with Seth, and then got to hear from a young man who is here as an intern about the difficulties of leaving his very tight-knit family.  Will ended up in a game of Aggravation so I went back to the cabin.  I ran into Shelby, who spent a couple of summers as our head life guard, and was just back for the evening to visit friends.  She brought Haley with her and these to girls visited with us for about thirty minutes, talking about what they are doing and what they hope to do in the future.

All these connections, all this time for talking and investing in each other is what makes my time at Camp of the Woods so special.  The connections here run deep and span a lot of time.  My life is so much richer because of all the relationships I have built during the past ten years of ministry at COTW.

Staff returning from outdoor chapel at Beartrack Lake.  Canoeing at
sunset is spectacular.

Prayer requests:

Please remember my mother who is having surgery on her nose on Monday to remove some skin cancer.  She has already had substantial work on her nose in the past and it has not been easy.

Pray for me as my biggest job this week will be to tell Bible stories on the morning hike.  Pray that I will have a clear message of how Jesus makes all difference in our lives and that following Him is the best path for your life.

Our key verse for the summer

Good in the World

Kids, grandkids and great-grandkids

Earlier this week our family gathered to celebrate Father's Day with my dad.  We had a good time together, and I enjoyed seeing all the faces at the table.  After the meal I said to Dad, "You have good kids, good grandkids, good great-grandkids. What a great thing!"

After coming home I thought some more about this comment.  Yes, my dad (and of course, my mom) has a lot of good people in his family-- four kids, eleven grandkids, and nine great-grandkids.  Dad's descendants are living or at work in far-flung places like Canada, Ukraine and Bulgaria, Georgia and Colorado, Florida and Indiana.  We also inhabit not so far-flung places like Dayton, Dunlap and Chattanooga. But all these good people are not just good people.  They are good people adding good to the world.

In some places they are preaching the Gospel and calling people to salvation.  In other places they are bettering the lives of people through education and health care. Others are ending the oppression of poverty and racial injustice in the lives of those they touch.  Many work in and through their churches to better their communities and share a portion of their income to support important work that they care about.

All this good has as its foundation the home my dad built with my mom.  They came together to make a home that honored Jesus Christ and nurtured us all to become the good people we are.  I'm so glad to be his daughter, and so pleased to be counted in the number of his descendants who are working every day to make this world a better place.

Life and Death Collide

Photo via Chattanooga Times Free Press

 My weekend took me to two very different events in the course of one day.  On Saturday afternoon I went to the funeral of Rachel Held Evans, and later on Saturday evening I attended the wedding of Autumn Cofield.

There’s no denying the fact that life and death walk alongside each other on the paths of our lives, but this weekend they collided and overlapped…

--In a father carrying his one-year-old daughter and holding the hand of his three-year-old son as they walked behind the casket of his wife and their mother; and in a father walking the bride down the aisle strewn with petals by the young flower girls.

--In a mother-of-the-bride who buried her mother on Monday and walked down her daughters’ wedding aisle on the arm of her widowed father on Saturday.

--In hearing a young woman give the eulogy at the funeral of her older sister; then hours later, hearing another young woman, who was the maid of honor, toast her just-wed sister at the reception.

Photo via Chattanooga Times Free Press

--In listening to my daughter sob for all the reasons she was sad at losing her friend; and later listening to the laughter of friends recounting good times with the bride and groom.

            --In grieving all that was lost in the death of Rachel, all that could have been, all that should have been; and in celebrating all the joy at the wedding of Autumn and Richard, and dreaming with them of all that has begun and is to come.

When we see this collision of life and death in the same space it is jarring.  Beautiful and terrible all at the same time.  I know that for Dan Evans, the reality jars him daily. Only days after Rachel’s passing, he hosted a birthday party for his sweet little girl, and that is but a single example of how death slaps you in the face, kicks you in the gut, over and over…and life goes on.  The words of poet Judah Halevi ring true in this space:

Tis a fearful thing

To love what death can touch.

A fearful thing

To love, to hope, to dream, 

To be, and O, to lose.

A thing for fools, this,

And a holy thing.

A holy thing… to love.

For your life has lived in me.

Your laugh once lifted me.

To remember this brings painful joy.

Tis a human thing, love,

A holy thing…

To love what death has touched.

Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and graduations will mark the time and witness to the truth that life indeed does go on.  Autumn’s wedding attested to that fact.  My gift to her was a poem I wrote.  It is a snapshot in words of a time held dear, and a wish for a bright future with Richard.

A beautiful sunset,

Yellow, orange, red,

Still waters on the lake,

A loon calling mournfully to its mate,

Good friends gathered in a cozy cabin,

Fresh blueberry pie on my plate.

These were the elements

Of a perfect evening.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,”

I remember saying.

And then you entered the scene,

Sitting behind us

In the darkness that was slowly enfolding the cabin.

You played your cello.

For the next half hour

You transported us from the beautiful

To the sublime,

The transcendent.

It is one of my favorite memories.

I wish for you and Richard

Moments like this,

Memories like this,

Love like this.

Days like this remind me of a verse in Psalm 90 that says, “Teach us to number our days,” and a better translation might be “Teach us that our days are numbered.”  Rachel’s sister Amanda brought this home to us at the funeral by playing a beautiful song she wrote for her sister and never played it for her. She had no reason why except that she thought she had time. 

Yes, there is no doubt that life and death walk side by side in our lives, one taking the lead at times while the other lags behind, later to change positions.  This is the ebb and flow of life.