Camp 08

We are home from a wonderful week at camp. It was a really great week. Of course, there were the normal problems. For the first time in 3 years, I had to make the decision to send a child home. That was gut wrenching because I felt that he was an example of the reason we do camp. He is a very troubled little boy and I really wanted him to have a great week. But I couldn't continue to allow him to endanger himself and others.

Overall it was really great. We had the best counselors we have had yet. Even those that had been less that good last year were GREAT!

Next year, I'd like to go to camp on Wednesday. It seems every year on Tuesday there is a very emotional thing that happens. This year it was that we got horrible news about our friend Lori Peters' cancer returning with a horrible vengeance. Her son was one of our counselors and it was awful having to watch him hear that about his mom and our friend. Jeff was great and chose to stay at camp because he didn't want to leave the cabin of 4-5 grade boys he was ministering to. What an example!

On Wednesday night I was the speaker and was able to spend a few minutes talking to the campers about believing, understanding and trusting Jesus with their hearts. It went really well and I think they really listened. I am not sure of the number but I know that many kids gave their hearts to Jesus that night. While I was packing up Micah and sending him home, many of the others were praying with their counselors after we had prayed together. I was sad that I wasn't praying that with Micah, but it was great to see the others.

Gracie was such a different child this year at camp. She was there for the 3rd year. She had been upset that she was still in the "little girls" cabin while Emma was promoted to the big girls cabin. I was glad and so was she by the end of the week. The big girls were so boy crazy all week and thankfully Gracie isn't in to that! Usually, I spend at least 20 minutes a day calming Gracie down from the calamity of the moment while at camp. These get progressively worse as the week goes on and she gets more tired. This year she just plugged along without ANY major meltdowns! She was even stung by a wasp and didn't even cry! Yesterday she fell down when we were there cleaning up and really skinned herself up. She looks like she was drug behind a moving vehicle, but she was so tough! I cannot believe this is my child. After the wasp episode, I kept telling her how proud I was of her and I think she finally realized - then she started to tell me that it was sore and get some sympathy, but before that she was fine.

We have Kangaroo Court every afternoon where the kids 'accuse' and defend their pranks or themselves against allegations of rule breaking. The penalty for being found guilty is a bucket of ice water over the head. Of course, there are those that long to be in this spotlight (and the bucket of cold water feels pretty good!). But there are others that would rather be sentenced to hard time. On Wednesday, sweet Kellyn Ward told me that she had never been on the stand and she never wanted to be. That night I walked in the girls cabin to tell them goodnight and they were all crying and dramatic. Come to find out Gracie, Kellyn and Bianca were some of the upset ones. They were planning a prank as a cabin for that night. They had been waking the boys up each morning by riding in the back of their counselor's truck and honking and singing through camp. Well, on the last day they were going to throw water balloons at the boys when they came out to tell them to be quiet (they come out every morning and yell at the girls). Well, they knew they'd get sent to Kangaroo Court because the rule is that they cannon throw water balloons unless it is water play time. They didn't want to participate! I was so proud of them!! But it was a real confuising thing - for a grown up, not so much, but for an 8 year old, who doesn't see grey only black and white it was confusing. Because the prank had been approved and the boys would find anything to send them to court over anyway, but we couldn't get that across to them. But I realized that they had it right - rules are rules and you can't break them. We were really sending them mixed messages. I was proud of them for making the stand. Bianca was hilarious though. She had a real moment with herself. We told them that if they didn't want to participate in the prank they didn't have to and that they would not go to court. Gracie and Kellyn immediately said they weren't going to go. But Bianca was so upset because she really wanted to go and throw the balloons, but she didn't want to go to court. What a dilemma! They went in the morning without Kellyn, Gracie and some of the others that chose to stay and sleep. But Bianca was in the truck. I don't know what she decided, but she was there. The boys were wise to their plan (they do this prank every year) and never came out of the cabin. So they threw their balloons at the boys coming back from an early morning fishing trip with their counselor. We cancelled Kangaroo Court that afternoon because they had to pack to go home and I didn't want to deal with it anyway.

Looking forward to next year already!