How to make a Golden Summer

Every morning 9 wonderfully committed and most impressive women gather around my kitchen table to drink coffee, have a devotion, and let each other know what is going on in camp. Head Staff meetings… something every camp does, in one form or another. It is an important part of the administration of any organization: the leaders need to be of one mind when facing the day. Our goal: a perfect day. What are the components of the perfect day: preparation (know what is ahead, assign duties), counseling (helping counselors, campers, departments, rise above known challenges), unity (our example has an impact on the camp), and encouragement (laughter).

There is a lot to cover with each meeting. A day at camp feels like a week, so much happening in so little time. The memories are fresh, so fresh that you can still taste the food and feel the emotion, but also mellow. The memory has softened around the edges because so many other memories have piled on since, memories that are worthy in different ways.

The days pile on top of days, making a very soft and deep cushion upon which to experience each day… this cushion makes us comfortable. It builds trust (go ahead and risk it, if you fall it won’t hurt). Campers trust their counselors in a deep way, deep enough to be completely honest about their hopes and fears. This trust is rewarded with quality mentoring opportunities, this mentoring is the tap root of the entire camp. Campers trust counselors, counselors trust head staff, head staff trust campers… it is what makes the this time of camp so worthwhile.

We give lots of tours every summer, not as many as you would expect (most new campers sign up sight unseen… something I don’t recommend). If I am asked by a perceptive parent what is unique about Greystone, I will first say “Community”. What I mean by this is that we spend most of our time as an unbroken community… not taking trips away from camp but living closely together for as long as possible. In such a setting, the Holy Spirit works: a thousand little cascading effects coming from a single great moment shared by all. These thousands of effects are happening every hour of every day. We at the top are given a front row seat to the Hand of God working in lives. Campers and counselors alike are touched by the experience. It gives me chills sometimes.

Wait Lists for all sessions are common at Greystone. It is a real encouragement to us to see that this is already happening for 2011 (June and August Camp already have Wait Lists, Main has about 20 spots left)! All enrolled Main and August families will not affected by the Wait List (all campers and their siblings are accepted into any session they like). However, if you have friends considering Greystone they should enroll really soon or understand that they will have to deal with the wait list this fall and winter.

It is the highest compliment when campers want to return to camp for another summer. That 17 year old girls choose to return to Greystone after being here for so many summers; it astounds and humbles me. That new campers will come to camp for 5 weeks, sight unseen: same response. So many new campers have signed up for next year, we are having to close the open enrollment status to save places for our current campers: this is unique in the camping world, I know of no other camp so blessed in these hard economic times. Thank you for supporting this experience so completely.

Today is Sleep Late Friday, there will be only one more sleep late day left this year (next Friday: sadness). We will be enjoying another warm summer day: it is warm enough to easily work up a good sweat but not so warm that we automatically turn on the fans in the dining room. I hope to get out to take pictures today (my pictures yesterday had a bunch from the Riding Cross Country course… taken by Kim the assistant riding director). The office has a strong gravitational pull- I prefer to get out and see what is happening in camp first hand, but there are many reasons that is not always possible. Tonight we will have another one of those surprise EP’s (breaking the groups up to do fun things that are fun… from bowling to Putt Cove Parties).

Speaking of Putt Cove, the siding is now done on all the buildings of our incredible Marina complex. It is spectacular, my favorite place in camp.

We are now up to date on our Devotion page with the Morning Assembly devotions and sermons of our camp ministers (David Speakman and Rob Hamby). Listen to them if you get a chance… these are very current, very good, and worth your time. A good devotion is never off the cuff, it is carefully crafted with deep layers of content which are then carved down to the bare essence in order to fit into a 5 to 10 minute talk. You might not have heard a good devotion before: these are very entertaining and meaty. Click the “Devotions” link in the “News” section: easy as that!

Thank you for sharing your girls.

Jimboy