Peace

One of the decisions that we wrestle with as a Head Staff every year is what the theme verse of the upcoming summer will be. Our team presents several verses that speak to the challenges we see in the world today and we talk about it. This decision usually takes about a month… The discussions are always sweet and fruitful, The Holy Spirit making His will clear in time. When the decision is made, we get very excited because we know that we have gotten a glimpse into an exciting facet of the summer to come. It is a decision that is intended to benefit our entire community in a meaningful way.

Our theme this year is PEACE, John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Perhaps the war in Ukraine brought this to mind, but it certainly wasn’t the primary moving force in this choice. We think that our community (campers and counselors alike) needs peace in their hearts. They need the peace that comes from a strong foundation in things that do not shift and change with circumstances. We have significant anxiety over many little things, and this is true for campers and counselors of all ages.

One of the reasons summer camps are so popular these days is the peace that naturally arises when children unplug their devices and connect with each other. Camp (any camp) will offer this kind of experience and hugely benefit those who experience time away from the world. We think that when God is included in our daily routines, the simple benefits of camp are significantly enhanced. The Holy Spirit speaks in a still, small voice, like the wind rustling the forest leaves. He uses nature, face-to-face conversations, prayers with friends, and the Bible to build faith and thereby give peace. We see the impact every year with every group, none more powerfully than our Main campers.

Reid, our Main Camp Minister, led our first Morning Assembly today with the first of his devotions on Peace. Many of the cabin devotions this summer will be on the subject of peace. It is very likely that a lot of girls will have meaty conversations with their friends on the subject. It is a worthy theme that will be fleshed out in various ways this summer. We think that God intends this lesson for all of us this year and are grateful for any progress that can be made in that direction!

Our Breakfast Club theme of Social Growth continued with an encouragement to smile. Greystone is a community marked by smiling faces. Smiles mark a Greystone girl long after she leaves camp, for they learn the power of a smile in this place. A smile opens the door to new friendships, for a smile invites others into our world. A smiling person is a winsome person, we want to share in their happy outlook. We sense an openness to a conversation in their smile and are not self-conscious about making that first greeting. Smiles work and smiles make us feel better too! When we smile, we shift our emotional disposition in a positive way. Smiling facilitates a Great Day Attitude and it is super easy to smile in a community where everyone is smiling. Nuff said.

Changing gears… let’s talk about the Honor Council. A couple of years ago we updated The Honor Council. Rather than secretly selecting girls to serve, we allow any interested Senior-Senior campers the opportunity to develop their leadership skills while at camp. Many of these campers decided yesterday to take the Honor Council class, committing to three classes (Sandi, The Millers, Outside Mentors) and two service hours every week. This is a significant commitment of time and energy over the course of the summer and we are proud of the girls for choosing to serve. Their first class will be this morning during 5th period.

We decided to have EP in the Pavilion last night (it has a lot more energy, suitable for the intensity of the music and dancing). The impact of that decision exceeded our expectations… so delightfully perfect! It looks like we will do that again tonight with the older half of camp and the anticipation for these performances will build all day long.

• Breakfast Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browns, Corned Beef Hash
• Joke “Praise the Lord” horse story
• Weather sunny, hot 83 degrees (misters going out today), no rain.
• Lunch Pesto Pasta (Nut free pesto!), chocolate chip cookies
• Dinner Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli
• Moonphase Half moon… I love seeing the moon work through the phases during the summer. Beautiful on these clear nights.

That’s all for now. Thank you for checking in!