Week Four!

Even though this week was Family Camp and I didn't have my own cabin, there was definitely plenty to keep me busy. However, amid the busyness, I was still able to have quite a bit of time to myself to pray and be refreshed by rest. It was great!

I guess I should start out by telling you what exactly Family Camp is. Basically, families come and stay in one of our cabins and it's their vacation time. The families are fed three times a day--just like campers--and they have the opportunity to do any activity that a regular camper would get to do (e.g. horseback riding, archery, etc.). In the mornings, the adults had chapel while the kids were entertained by a puppet team.

That was just the younger kids, though. Renee and I were in charge of the junior/senior highers, so we had to keep them occupied in the mornings. Some of the things we did were horseback riding, adventure course, high ropes, and various games like dodgeball and soccer. At noon, all the kids were taken to the dining hall where they met up with their parents.

In the afternoon, us counselors had several different things to keep us busy. Throughout the week, the parents had the opportunity to fill out child care forms, which give us details of who they'd like us to babysit and what they'd like us to do with the child. Many of us counselors would have the responsibility of watching these kids during the afternoon, but if there were still extra counselors, we would have other random oddjobs about the camp.

Each of us also got a day off during the week, which was amazing. Lindsay and I both got ours from Monday night through Tuesday, and we got a chance to stay at the campground with Mom and Gar. It was a great time of rest and relaxation. On Tuesday afternoon, Mom, Gar, and I came back to camp to watch the Rodeo so that they could see some of what we do at the Ranch. It was really fun, and I even got to tackle a calf. It was pretty sweet!

I also got a lot of exercise this week. On Wednesday morning, about 20 of us played a game of soccer up on the football field. All summer I've been playing Big Ball Soccer with the kids, but this was the first time I'd played an organized game of real soccer in a long time (think 5th grade), so suffice to say it was an adventure. Since I have no idea what any strategies are for soccer, I basically ran like crazy all around the field, just trying to reach the ball and kick it toward the other goal. It was still fun, though, in spite of lack of talent in that area.

The real fun came on Friday night when we played our annual softball game. We had enough people to play staff versus families, and it was a blast. First we played two innings against the young kids so that they could have a chance to get in the action. Then we played five innings of competitive slow pitch softball. It was amazing! I got to play 1st (which is where I played in high school), and we did really well. We ended up winning 9-6, and I think everyone had a really good time.

Then yesterday, after we got all of our chores and things done, 19 of went to see "Transformers" in Wooster. Last year we weren't allowed to go see movies while we were under contract, so this was a big deal. Before the movie, though, we all went to Lindsey's house, because her mom had fixed us all a meal. It was incredible! So we went from there to the movie, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was a really fun time.

The entire week was characterized by increased time of fellowship with the staff, and I really liked that. We don't really get a lot of staff interaction throughout the camp week, so it was nice to be able to sit down with people this week and just get to talk to them and get to know them better.

Next week is Senior High! I absolutely cannot wait, because last year senior high week was my favorite of the summer. It's nice to be able to have mature conversations and really see God working in the hearts of the high schoolers. It'll take a little time to get back in the swing of things, but hopefully everything goes very smoothly.

Things to pray about:

Energy: We counselors get very little sleep during Senior High week, as we play a lot of night games and we have a very flexible bed time. Senior Highers are easily bored, so I need to make sure I get them excited and energized.

Transformed Lives: Many senior highers will come in with a lot of baggage due to bad decisions or problems at home, so just be praying that God will transform their hearts and lives.

Wisdom: As I said, many of these high schoolers will be struggling with a lot of different issues, and I need to be wise in what I tell them when we talk.