I LOVE THIS WEEK!

Our Council Fire was moved inside at the very last minute last night. We enjoyed a great afternoon of free time: the swimming pool was full, a hundred plus campers watched the mini-talent show, we set up the photo booth (a new gadget this year), canoed, played on the water slide, had a ping pong tournament, and lots of other things all afternoon long. The rain never fell on camp (we could see the storm clouds passing nearby), but nothing here! But after dinner we could tell that our chances of an outside council fire were dwindling by the minute. We blew the bugle early and tried to “thread the needle” of opportunity, but it was not to be. A cell of steady rain hit camp in time for us to move everyone to the pavilion.

Such moments are exciting in this simple world. The sense of adapting to changing circumstances quickly and without a lot of drama is exhilarating. The girls loved the challenge (watching us set up the pavilion in front of their eyes as they took their seats in the pit is pretty cool). They were thrilled to hear that an inside Council Fire is very rare… that they were a part of something unique… and they were a perfect audience.

My mother told the story of “Georgia polishing her knives”… a very sweet story from a bygone era about a young girl who inspires all by doing her best “in her little corner”. It is a wonderful lesson for camp. The smallest acts of unselfishness, of hard work, of friendship, of effort; they ALL are noticed and used for spreading light and love in the world.

We have now been at camp 8 days (counting today) and have 11 days left… it takes the girls a week to settle into camp and now the fun begins. This week is why I LOVE June Camp. This week gives the girls a “meaty” camp experience. The first week is non-stop action (we are working hard to keep them moving), the last week is jam packed with big final moments… this is the ONLY normal week of camp for these girls. This week makes camp deeply rooted and rich in ways that are to be treasured for a lifetime. I LOVE this week!!!

This is not to say that this is going to be an easy week in the cabins. This is the time when the girls become comfortable with each other and reveal their “true colors”. We help the girls make up when they hurt feelings. We help the girls realize that nobody is perfect and that our imperfections actually provide glorious opportunities to rely on the perfections of Christ.

As the girls find themselves being accepted by their cabin mates and counselors— warts and all—- they find themselves relaxing and filled with a sense of contentment and joy. This is our goal for this week. It is a work of the Holy Spirit, so pray that God will work this joy into your daughter’s heart (not only now, but for her life). It happens. It happens a lot… and is beautiful.

Rain… it continued all night, making camp a soggy mess. The mulch squishes water with every step and we wear our rain boots to most classes. It is a blessing. I know that some parts of the country have been struggling with drought conditions for several years… it makes me happy to see that rain is falling in such abundance this year. My brother-in-law is a farmer in Kentucky, I know that he is happy to see the summer start off with plenty of rain. Today will be overcast with occasional moments of rain, but the rest of the week should be normal (sunny, scattered afternoon showers).

We ate Frittata’s for breakfast, Shepherd’s Pie and Greek Salad for Lunch, and Flank Steak for dinner (cooked over an apple wood fire and served with polenta… it is one of my favorite meals).

Life is good in the Middle (don’t you love that series… we watch it as a family every week)…

Jimboy

PS THE JOKE: Ike, Pike, and Mustard are working at constructing a sky scraper. during their lunch break they’re sitting on top of the building, and they open their lunches. Ike says, “A Turkey Sandwich again for lunch?! i hate Turkey! if i have Turkey again tomorrow, I’ll jump off this building and kill myself!!” Pike says, “A Salami Sandwich for lunch?! i hate Salami! if i have another Salami Sandwich for lunch tomorrow, I’ll jump off this building and kill myself!!” the Mustard says, “a pb&j sandwich for lunch again!? if i have another pb&j tomorrow, i’ll jump off this building and kill myself!!” the next day the Ike has Turkey, so he jumps off, and dies. Pike has a Salami Sandwich so he jumps off, and dies. Mustard has a pb&j, so he jumps off, and dies. At the funeral, the wives of Ike and Pike are crying. “if only i had known he hated Turkey, i would have given him something else, and he would have still been alive!!” says Ike’s wife. Pike’s wife responds, “i know, if only i had known that he hated Salami, i would have given him something else, and he would have still been alive!!” they both look at Mustard’s wife, who’s not crying. “what are you looking at me for?? he packs his own lunch!!”