28 days till name tags and blue staff shirts

This time of year is always strange because I'm anticipating going back to camp so soon but I feel like there is still so much to do in Indy before that shift. I have three weeks left with this group of students and I'm going to miss them once they're no longer in my class- I don't want to wish that away. 8th graders will be moving on to the High School and it'll be so strange to not see my first group of students and FBC girls everyday anymore. Jenna has moved out and this summer Sar will leave for Chicago, next year will be so different without them. Young Life girls are changing and moving and that community will look different when I get back. It seems like we're always in constant transition. While I want to be present everyday I also have to be getting ready for the future.

For the past two days, the people who will be leading Tecumseh this summer met to plan, set goals, go over details, and figure out our roles. Village directors, office assistants, coordinators from every unit, the CAC queen, and camp directors joined in the conversations. People are fired up about this summer.

In just three weeks we'll be moving into our cabins for staff training. Returning counselors, staff moving up from Day Camp, friends that were once campers years ago, and people that are brand new to camp will be coming together to form the staff of 2011. Together we will love kids and love God this summer.

I've been doing this for years but it never gets old. I'm so excited for check-in Sunday of week one when new CILTs will fill the Longhouse and Yurt. I can't wait to build relationships and friendships with these campers I don't even know the names of yet. I want to see my old campers be resident staff and day camp counselors for the first time. I want to sing new cheers, hike the lake hill, swim the Roger Murphy, talk during devotions, play the pop stop challenge, write love tanks, sleep out on the tennis courts, dance to Taylor Swift, dress up for themes, pray in chapel and jump off the diving boards. We can plan the schedules, review protocols and design activities but it is the people, the counselors and campers, that are going to make this summer unique.