Joy

After breakfast this morning as I was walking down to the office I was surprised to see a cute family starting a tour of camp. Surprised, because we have not had many tours so far at Main Camp and that fact was on my heart yesterday. I REALLY want people to see first hand how wonderful camp is!

There is no substitute for being here. There is a special feeling that camp takes on, a feeling that arises from a tight knit community of love in Christ. This feeling makes me feel warm and fuzzy, it makes me get teary from time to time, it makes me smile, it makes me satisfied, makes me joyful. I assume everyone is feeling the same thing and I want to “share the light” with the world! I MIGHT be off base (how does one really know what anyone else is feeling?) but I don’t think so. From the happy sounds and the great stories I hear every day, there is a basis to declare that this is a joyful place.

What better way to share the joy than an up close tour of camp with someone who has never been here? It is a wonderful opportunity and one that makes us very happy to share. If you were to tour camp today what would you see? Let me paint a picture for you:

• Weather… you would notice the perfect 75 degree temperature, it feels delightful.
• Sound… you would hear girls singing in the pavilion, hundreds of voices singing with abandon is not a sound one hears very often. You would notice it!
• Dining Hall… you would marvel at how clean the dining hall is just 10 minutes after breakfast. The floors shine, chairs stacked on tables, nice light fixtures, and the salad bar still has fruit and berries available (you grab a bowl of strawberries to eat on the tour). The program staff are sweeping the porch, showing how the “magic” happens as they sweep and dance at the same time (how is that even possible?!!!).
• Tennis Courts… each of the courts are blown off and ready for class. There are huge baskets of balls at each net, aiming cones carefully placed, teaching aids at the ready. Looks like major fun and real instruction is going to happen soon.
• There are charred logs on the fire pit by the lake, white chairs gathered around like there was a late night fire last night.
• The hammocks are in the trees by the Castle and by the lake. They look like they would be SO RELAXING to visit.

The list goes on. It is hard to describe the elements of camp, for there are so many of them. I haven’t even touched on the smells of the kitchen, the mulch, the lake, the grass… the feel of the breeze… the light that is defused by a very light cloud cover… the sound of the bell (a huge 20 inch bronze bell that came from Boston, installed when we renovated the dining hall) and the bugles (bugles are really awesome, very few camps use them). The sight of two campers talking intently as they sit on the rock wall outside the pavilion. Another glimpse of an entire cabin of girls running as fast as they can… while holding hands (late for the morning assembly and not wanting to miss a minute). All these elements add up to the joy that fills our hearts at camp. It is nice to share it.

The blog makes me happy because it allows me to share the joy of camp with the world. Someone once remarked that real joy must be shared to be enjoyed. A beautiful work of art, a fantastic vacation destination, a wonderful sunset, a beautiful moon… none are fully enjoyed without sharing that experience with someone else. We joyfully share this place with the campers each summer and with you. Thank you for wanting to know what camp is like! Hopefully, when your camper returns home in a few weeks you will better appreciate her camp stories for you will have already experienced many of the details that she thinks make this little “bubble” so very special.

Full Moon last night… WOW. So beautiful.

Team Meetings tonight, followed by a “midnight movie” under the stars. Should be a fantastic memory for the moon will still be full. Always pray that rain doesn’t change our carefully laid plans.

Thanks for reading. Such a joy to serve you!