Banquet

Today is banquet day. A day of great joy. A day that is memorable in many ways. Campers and Counselors alike experience this day with the same sense of satisfaction and gratitude for the time we have shared and the friends we have made. It is a day of hugs and tears. Many girls know that this will be their last year of camp (Margaret never came to Main Camp… five weeks is an impossible concept for many families) and for those campers there is a sensy of nostalgia for a time of life passing. So we savor the the day and put an exclamation point on the summer with a huge Banquet.

Banquet… what a wonderful word! It is an evocative and exotic word to a camper (most of whom have never attended an real “banquet” before). It is the single most anticipated EP of the summer. There is a wonderful build up to the big reveal of the theme, then a counselor play production, followed by a joyous run to the decorated dining hall! Of course the reason for the success of the evening has less to do with the skit than the fact that this is our last night at camp. It is a mountaintop moment for every camper and every counselor. Such moments in life deserve a banquet!

We have already enjoyed our last Breakfast Club (The Frog and the Scorpion), our last Morning Assembly (the Ten Lepers), and our last classes (1st to 4th period). Moments slip by in a blur during such a day! The weather is slightly overcast, providing us with perfect camp temperatures, and it looks like we will have a perfect ending to a perfect session.

This afternoon we will get scrubbed and shampooed during rest hour (everyone is a little “grey”) then enjoy a really fun assembly where we watch some of the video’s Leland has made during this session, sing some songs, dance a little, go through lost and found; wrapping up a few details while the counselors get changed into their costumes for banquet.

After the counselors present the theme play, we gather in cabin groups, have our pictures taken, then run down the road to take our places in the giant hall. Each camper and counselor will have a place prepared (just like heaven!) and we will feast with camp friends one last time. Afterwards we give out Banquet awards (a huge honor) and finish the night with our last cabin devotions.

In years past we considered not making such a big deal of banquet (the preparations take an entire session and add a lot of pressure to the counselors) but always decide it is worth the effort. Campers and counselors alike LOVE the process. So we embrace the challenges of this day with delight!

Council Fire and Closing Vespers were wonderful last night. The girls were absolutely silent as we gathered around the flag pole in the dark. The light slowly spread around the circle as the counselors lit their candles, then quickly as the campers lit theirs. The brilliance of so many candles was amazing to see… and image that we hope the girls will remember. We link the light of the candle with the light of God’s love… it is beautiful and resonates in a powerful way.

Your girls continue to delight and amaze us with their great attitudes! Don’t be surprised if they don’t appear really grown up to you tomorrow. We hope that you will note how genuinely thankful they are for all the little things you do for them. We hope they will be genuinely helpful in all the little tasks that make a house a home. They are wonderful girls and have made this a wonderful camp.

Most parents arrive before 9:30 (we suggest you get here no earlier than 8:00 in order to give us time to bring the bags to the track and have everything organized). Most parents choose to go straight to the cabin after arriving, It is always fun to get a tour from your daughter, hearing the stories of camp as you walk… but often the girls most want to get in the car and go to Chic-Fil-A! That is great too!

We encourage you to turn off the cell phone, turn off the radio, and give all your attention to the conversations that will naturally occur on the drive home. It is a wonderful transition out of the “bubble” of camp and you will be amazed at how many silly moments have become important in ways that might be hard to understand. Don’t underestimate the growth that has occurred in the past three weeks. Your girls have really grown up!

We are honored to have had your girls at Greystone and hope that this summer will bear fruit for years to come. Thank you for supporting our camp and reading the blog. It has been a pleasure.