Camp

Well, I am back from a week of camp and I must say that it was a far better, sweeter week than I anticipated. Based on my previous two experiences at camp, I was expecting a lot of emotional struggles and inexplicable bouts of crying, to the point of feeling ineffective and even incapacitated in terms of ministry. I contemplated not going this year. What happened instead was a week of being sustained by the sufficiency of God's grace; the irrational, strong emotions I struggled with last summer and last January were simply not an issue. I am so grateful that God was gracious enough to actually remove the things that were troubling me; I was surprised by joy. :-) I am also really thankful for friends who prayed for me before I went.

Good, deep conversations with campers happened several times throughout the week, and God gave me some things to say when the time came, as His word promises. One of the conversations in particular was really Tough; I felt like the girl I talked to was bleeding to death and I had only a band-aid's worth of wisdom or help to offer her. But I prayed with her and I cried with her a bit and I let her know that I care about her pain, and much more importantly, God cares. When I talk to the kids and try to comfort them from the things that hurt them, I actually become greatful (I don't know how to spell that word. I alternate spellings) for some of the painful experiences I've had because I'm able to share how God has taken care of me and seen me through them. God's power is amazing and I love to see kids amazed by it.

One of the things I love about camp is that in some ways we can strive to make it a place that is special in that it is free from the hurtfulness and teasing and sarcasm and strife that fills most of our environments the other 51 weeks a year. I want camp to feel like a Safe place, a place where we are free to love one another as brothers and sisters in the best kind of way. Playful teasing and edgy humor have their place, but there is a kind of sweetness that can only be found in the honest, loving, and caring relationship of Christian community. C.S. Lewis summed it up well when he wrote, "This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously." I notice that kids are hungry for this kind of environment, that when I talk to the kids in my cabin or on my sports team in ways that support this vision, they respond to it really well. Occasionally I do hear crossing-the-line teasing or petty conflicts at camp, and when I do I want to speak up and say to those people, "Don't you realize the opportunity we have here? The chance to love each other the way Christ wants us to?" Maybe I should actually speak up and say that sometime. ;-) For the most part though, the kids have really good attitudes and it's awesome to hear at the end of the week the things they've learned and the ways they've grown.

Physically I had a pretty tough week, in that I had a lot of trouble sleeping the first few nights and came down with a sore throat/cough by the middle of the week. Wednesday I walked about like a zombie all day but still couldn't fall asleep when I attempted a nap. So I took Benadryl (sp?) and got awesome sleep Wed. and Thurs. nights which helped a lot. I slept a good 11 hours last night but I still feel kind of iffy today so I'm going to take it easy. On Wednesday I'm heading to Creation to enjoy some good concerts and quality time with my little brother and sister :-).

Shout out to all my camp friends: Kristen and Laura and Katilyn (sp? I'm a bad speller today) and my friends at camp: the Humberds and Hodges and Paul and my awesome sister-in-law Adrienne. Your encouragement throughout the week was priceless. I love you all! "Serve one another in love." -Galatians 5:13

I can't wait till next year (which I hope I will be able to attend...) Laura, I already have ideas for next year's Pi skit, which will feature TWO HUNDRED digits of that illustrious digit. ;-)

Peace and love to all. :-)