When I talk about camp with people, it is almost always with a huge, dimple showing smile on my face. But one time, when I mentioned how unbelievable a camp experience can be, I was completely shut down. This person, who I love and think is amazing, will never consider working at a camp, because a sister of hers is a counselor. The girl says that her sister is just so consumed by thoughts of this camp and never wanting to leave, that that's the last thing she wants. She wants to have a life, essentially. I think she's dearly missing out.
There is nothing like returning to Village Creek. It's an instant feeling of knowing you're home, and where you belong. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love my family so very much, and I do like my school, but there's something here at camp that those places can't give me. Being gone the last two days from camp, I didn't think anything of being gone. I was coming right back, no big deal. Plus I got a night in my own bed at home, which was WONDERFUL! I could do that at school and get nothing but a question as to why I wasn't in class. But I leave for only two days at camp, and when I return I have many many people come up to me with wide smiles and hugs. They then carry on to tell me how much they missed me and several others asked me how my appointment went. These people that are chosen here as staff are truely a bunch of remarkable people. I've been at other camps. Ones with much better facilities, several times the size of Village Creek, and more donors than they know what to do with, but here at Village Creek you feel like you matter. I may have never had bugs get into my room at Hidden Acres Christian Camp. I may have never seen mice where they didn't belong (I've also had mice in my high school locker, so it happens). But I have also never been at a place that cares so deeply what is happening in your heart and in your head. I've never made so many friends that I honestly knew were going to always be in my life. The speakers here are always so well spoken, and they are never afraid to challenge you, or bring you to new understanding. Even the most timid person here as a story to tell.
That brings me to tonight's talk. If you've been here before, you have probably been blessed to know Debbi. Debbi is the woman in charge of the kitchen, and I believe I've had the pleasure of getting to hear her speak twice. At least with non-kitchen related topics. And despite her claims of being a very reserved person, when she speaks she always has a profound impact with me. I was greatly encouraged by her talk, and her way of explaining things in simple, personal terms makes everything stick. Most of the information she said was taken from a conference she got to attend, but it wasn't really the information that meant a lot to me. It was just the reminder of something I already know. I am inadequate, but God is not. Backtracking a little; when I arrived at camp, Camie let me know that I'm going to be counseling this next week. I'm always completely willing to do anything they ask of me. I'm here to serve, but that was (and is) not something I was (am) looking forward to. Debbi reminded me that it's not me, but God that is going to make a difference in these children's lives. I'm even doubly bummed that they are the Junior Campers, which for those of you that don't know, are 3rd grade through going into 6th grade. This is a challenge I'm willing to take on full throttle. Although I don't feel ready to counsel, I'm planning on taking the weekend to prepare myself for devotionals, and would appreciate the prayer from back home. In the off-camp season, I often seem to slack off on what I swore I would keep up on, even attending church. I have yet to find one in Sioux Falls that I truely enjoy attending, though I do listen to Steamboat Rock messages online. It's really entertaining to hear stories from home online, and even more so when Pastor Harrison gets a laugh out of the congregation and you hear your dad's laugh quite clearly. I love my dad!
The fun stuff about Junior Campers, is that they almost always love you. You are an older person that is there specifically for them and it's amazing to them. They're also young too, and things like vocabulary and other simple things can be challenging. Even when they are naughty or they are just grating on your last nerve, they will suddenly do something mirroring God so perfectly that you want to just cry from the beauty of it. That happened with my very first cabin of Junior campers, and I always hold it close to my heart. They are usually very sweet, and I love holding them in my lap. They are a great deal of fun, though I really don't know how the whole swimming deal is going to go with my ear. That's something I'll have to talk over with leadership when I get the chance. I pester them with questions all the time! Ha, at least I don't ask them if Firefly is coming back! (Inside joke, sorry) It'll be a good time, and it's good to know that where I am weak, God is strong.
On a craft room note, seeing that I'm the facilitator and all that, it is going very well!! I'm going to MOP in there tomorrow! Or at least have somebody mop in there. It has not been done in any of the starting into three summers I've been here, and I am so very excited about it. We also made up some very fun crafts that I think they'll all enjoy. I melted crayons into modge podge molds and it made fun crayons in fun shapes :D. It'll teach patience, cause it took a lot longer than I thought it would for my hair dryer to melt the crayons. We also made fun page holders, pendants, tested all the puffy paint, scrubbed the counters and one drawer, swept the floor, cleaned the sinks, made a list of things we need, made play swords, cut out a hole in an encyclopedia (sliced open my finger too, yay Band-Aids!), and much much more! I'm sure you didn't want to know absolutely everything we did this afternoon!
I am still anxiously awaiting Katie Strupp's return to camp. She is my best friend, after Philippine Barnerias of course, and I love sharing things with her. She's coming back from finishing up her UNI class on Saturday, and it can't come soon enough in my book. I got to show her all my craft room improvements!!!
One thing I want to leave with you is a statistic that Debbi read to us I believe from the conference she attended. 1 out of 5 teens say that they do not have conversations with their parents lasting longer than 10 minutes in an entire month. That's incredibly sad. For a note of encouragement, please, ask your kids how their day was. You may be surprised at everything you hear when the cell phone, laptop, iPad... all technology, is taken away and you're left to wonder at the depth of this human being that came from you from God.
God is Good? ALL THE TIME!!
Lindsay
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