It's finally warm enough to stay outside before Campaigners begins instead of going directly to the basement. Sitting on the driveway, just talking with these 7th and 8th grade girls was one of the highs of my day. I love that Wyld Life brings together kids from different grades, different friend groups and creates this beautifully unique community.
This is Samone Malone. She's a gem. She says, "Come hang out with me at Wyld Life. I'll be your friend and we can talk about Jesus and it'll be awesome." Tonight another leader said to me, "Have you noticed how quickly Samone can make connections with girls? She's just so natural at it."
I sat in a circle with two HS students and eight Junior High girls tonight. We talked about Jesus' first miracle at a wedding, answered questions by rolling a die, laughed a lot and caused a bit of a ruckus. It wouldn't be a Wednesday night if it wasn't a little bit wyld.
Junior High kids say the funniest things:
"I think that's just how it went back then. Pirates drank. Kings drank. Everybody drank. I wonder if Jesus was an alcoholic."
"When my grandpa had cancer his two goals were to live past Thanksgiving and to finish his taxes."
"If I don't have a drink while I'm eating I'm like, 'Oh no! I'm decapitating.' It's like you're living in a cactus."
I got a letter from Maddie, a rock star camper, this afternoon. Part of that letter was her own ABC's of Camp Tecumseh. Here's my alphabetical list for our favorite place on Earth...
Apples from the bowl in the dining hall
Blob time is coveted and getting to be the counselor on the blob during swim time is as great as winning the lottery
Counselors happily willing to give up their entire summer to play with their campers
Digging out clay from the bottom of the Richard G Marsh Lake
Everyone matters, everyone learns to love and be loved
Friendship bracelets that fill up your wrists and are valuable no matter how complicated they are
Green Cathedral trees and the way the light shines through them
Hiking to the Gish and getting your shoes and socks completely covered in mud
Ice-cream cookie sandwiches that you have to finish before they melt all over your fingers
Jesus > Others > Yourself
Kampen Lodge is the hub of Lake Village
Learning to know and love God in a way that's different than anywhere else you've ever been
Memorizing the Sagamore Creed, Order of the Oar and Welcome to the Family after coming enough summers
Needing to get that purple Roger Murphy band at least once in your Tecumseh career
Opening campfire themes that just keep getting better week after week
People saying they want to do Polar Bears in the morning but deciding not to when their counselor wakes them up in the morning
Quickly jumping up to give a standing ovation to every clinic performance at Closing Campfire
Rest Hour, Best Hour
Sleeping out under the stars that shine so bright
Thursday night cook out in the Riv is the best meal of the whole week
Upper Pioneer campfires for the DC sleepover on Thursday night
Valuable conversations that pop up anywhere from the Lake Road between villages to the benches during Trading Post
Winning Empire, Gold Rush or Plunder with your cabin
X-tra joy, x-tra fun, x-tra silliness, x-tra enthusiasm, x-tra purpose
You count down the days till next summer from the moment you say good-bye
Zero reasons to want to go home at the end of the week
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