Five Years
When you are a child, five years is a long time. It represents a large percentage of your life and to look back five years is to consider ancient history. Thus it is particularly significant for a camper to attend camp for five years. Such a camper LOVES camp and should be celebrated. So we have the Five Year Celebration!
Girls who have come to camp for at least 5 years (at least 3 at Main Camp) will be honored in a beautiful ceremony this evening. They wear pretty white dresses and are given a yellow rose and a certificate in front of the camp community. Then the oldest campers will each give a short memory of their time at camp. It is a beautiful and inspirational evening that will be fairly long (since we have 30 Seniors). We will broadcast it live at 8:00. Our priority in the livestreaming service is the camper experience, thus it is likely our lighting will not be very good (the venue by the lake is prone to backlighting… beautiful in person but making for dark images on video). It promises to be a great night. An inspiration for the younger campers and a touchstone moment for those girls who are speaking (all of them have been thinking about this day for many years).
We will honor about 250 campers at the presentation (not counting the seniors). This is an astounding number… making us ask why do so many campers choose to return for so many years? It is a good question that has many facets in the answer.
One facet is the friendships. Camp friends are unique for they relate in a way that is profoundly “real”. Main Camp allows time to build relationships that are tempered in the flames of 32 24-hour days… some days are easy and some are hard, some days we feel happy and some days we feel sad… it is real life lived in a way that encourages awesome friendships.
Another facet is “the bubble”. A place that requires us to unplug from the cares of the world. We celebrate the wonders and beauty of nature, we unwind. We take notice of little things: a light breeze off the lake, the warm sun on our face, the feel of wet grass and the smell of rich mulch. Millions of details that are often overlooked. We catch fireflies, read books, learn skills, and take naps. We don’t care what happened 3,000 miles away… we simply live our lives (complete with the minor drama’s that are a part of normal life) and unselfishly focus on each other. It is worth coming back for as long as you can manage it!
Another facet is God Himself. At camp we find the Holy Spirit alive and active, speaking to our hearts in a way that is keenly experienced. We read the Bible without embarrassment, pray without self consciousness, and are not afraid to talk about spiritual issues with our friends. It is very satisfying to acknowledge spiritual truth in daily living… to see peers and mentors who are genuinely excited about God… to take a big part of the human condition (our soul) and talk about what it means. Spiritual truth is never more strongly experienced than at camp.
The weather is perfect (75 degrees) and slightly overcast. The clouds are to move out by the later afternoon, thus providing that glittering diamond effect on the lake while we enjoy our program.
Last night’s Council Fire was excellent. First of all the setting was appreciated in a deeper way than usual because we announced that a this oldest part of camp will be rebuilt for the 100th anniversary summer. Next year the girls will be shocked at the change… for we will have transformed it into an area that will surprise and delight. Lots of stone, lots of trees… we have hired a top landscape architect to design it down to the inch and are confident that the girls will love it. At the same time, we know that they will miss the old place at first. Thus we are already becoming nostalgic.
The biggest news of camp is the new award that was given out last night… the highest award that camp gives to the campers before banquet… The Spirit of Greystone Award. Twenty Four girls were recognized for their Sincerity and Courage. The award was a complete surprise to the camp (we never have new awards at Council Fire… literally never… Margaret announced it at the end of the evening making it even more special). Each girls name was called out and we waited till she had come down to call the next (the honor of the entire camp watching is profound). With every name a murmur of approval went through the camp, campers and counselors alike just barely able to hold in exclamations of delight. The girls that were honored are remarkable and we are proud to call them Greystone Girls.
Bottom line… Council Fire is seldom an event of high drama and delight, but last night’s program was a highlight of the summer. We think all the girls were inspired and encouraged.
It is an honor to have your girls at Greystone and as we celebrate the five year campers we are particularly thankful for you parents who have sacrificed for so many years to provide this experience for your girls. It is hard to block off five weeks of the summer, hard to work camp into the family budget, hard to pack the bags, and hard to be apart from your girls for such a long time. Main Camp parents are uniquely wonderful and we are thankful for the Lord bringing you to Greystone. We sincerely appreciate the sacrifices you make and your appreciation of the camp experience.
- Breakfast: Fritata with Ham
- Lunch: Lettuce wraps with ground turkey and soba noodles
- Dinner: Apple Glazed Pork Roast and rice pilaf.
Have a Great Day!
