Our weekend adventure with out-of-town visitors Michelle, Mags and Annie was only half over when we awoke this morning. We got ourselves out of bed and with a little bit of caffeinated help from Starbucks we got to church at Common Ground by 9. This morning I loved the songs we sang; the words just hit us and were so applicable, "Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me." The sermon was about calling and purpose and living so that our gifts further God's Kingdom.
We went on a Monon walk, took some opportunities, tried to be bridge kids and just really liked being together before the next road trip began.
When we got to camp all of the counselors met in the CAC to get their red shirts for the day, make name tags, and get direction from Joel. I kinda felt like a proud mom watching so many CILT graduates excited to get started on their next chapter of camp.
I'm incredibly proud of the ones that worked last summer and know that they will lead well. These new kids are fantastic and I can't wait to watch them with their new campers in a few short months. And there are even a couple counselors that I got to meet for the first time today and I hope that they'll quickly feel included and fall in love with this place too.
Local families were invited to come out today to get a tour of camp, meet counselors and do some fun activities. I got to start a fire (thanks Seth Barry for teaching me a couple summers ago that dryer lint is clutch) and watch the DC counselors back in their prime screaming the Burrito song and making friends with five-year-olds.
This is the first time a lot of these counselors had met each other and Joel encouraged them to get to know people beyond who they already know really well. The five girls at the Black Hole didn't all know each other before they came today but Karisa told me when I walked up, "We're all best friends now." Yep, camp works that fast.
I love being back with all of these old campers. We're a storehouse of memories and hope and love and acceptance and grace and fun for each other. The buildings and grounds of camp are great, but it's the people that make this place
Not only did I get to drive a golf cart around to deliver pop stop with Whitney but I also got to summit Mt. Wood.
We did some gymnastics and picture taking in main field... because those are two of our strengths at camp... and Whitney tried to teach the boys what to do and Mags was a natural.
Then Jordan needed some muscle strength so he brought Annie, Hannah, Whitney, Mags and I to the Longhouse. We dismantled all of the Abnaki bunks and moved them into Hopi so the building will be ready for next weeks school. Muscles... I think that's another strength.
I think one of my favorite parts was when the day was winding down and there was a large group of girl counselors just hanging out. Someone suggested we play a game and it snowballed into the dum, dum, da-da, da-da game, one we invented on the spot, a large group trust sit and walk, boy v. girl Amazon game and started a pretty successful dance party to "I can show you the world." They may be counselors, but these kids still have the heart of a camper and I know that's such a large part of why they're so great at what they do. They are all about playing games and being silly and having fun and supporting each other's ideas and finding joy in as many moments as they can.
We were only there for the afternoon but it was such a friendship-blooming, face-painting, dance-partying, soaps-entertaining, marshmallow-roasting, sun-shining, camp-loving, tour-giving, story-telling kind of day.
I think we're ready to break out the backpacks and plastic drawers, to wear our wooden name tags and blue staff polos, to stay up late talking in devotions and writing Parent Letters with flashlights, to befriend co-counselors and help our crew of campers have the best week of their entire year.
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