Day 2 of Work Weekend started out with a hearty breakfast -- the cooks have been excellent and spoil us with delicious food at every meal! I spent the morning organizing the music materials and writing up song sheets to replace the battered ones. Out at camp, we like to hold up posterboards with the lyrics to the worship songs on them, and now we have 52 song sheets all ready to go for the camp season. It was raining for most of the morning, so a lot of indoor tasks were accomplished while we waited for the rain to pass.
After lunch (which included the cook's to-die-for sweet potato pie - yyyuuummm) some headed outside and a few others headed into the kitchen to finish wiping down everything that hadn't been touched for 6 months. The pathway, which was all set and hardened, was edged with dirt so that grass can grow back around where it was dug out. Some of the dirt also went to leveling out where water typically collects so that it stays away from the building. I helped with raking up pine needles around all the cabins so that the siding doesn't get moldy and so that the campers aren't infested with woodticks and mosquitos. While raking, I found a new camp mascot -- a baby toad burrowed next to one of the girls' cabins. To any directors reading this: I'd like to request to be in the cabin with the toad by it so I can watch over my new little pet -- maybe I can feed it any bugs squished in the cabin (: Any name recommendations for the toad would also be gladly taken into consideration, hehe.
Overall, there was a ton of great things accomplished this weekend. Here's a list of the main things we did this weekend (I might be missing a few, so sorry if I forgot anyone's projects):
- A beautiful concrete path from the main building to the gazebo
- A fence put up along the retaining wall and building corner
- Signs to direct cars to camp
- Mulch ordered for the playground
- New batteries put in the smoke detectors
- Fan put in the mop closet
- Dryer vent cleaned out
- Pine needles and dirt rake away from sidings of the cabins
- Cleaned the writing off the green girls' cabin
- Worship songs cataloged
- Game closet and craft room organized
- Kitchen pantry wiped down and organized, expired food thrown out
- Kitchen deep cleaned
- Nurse's office restocked and organized
I feel so blessed to have been a part of this weekend. Even after going to camp for so many years, I never realized how much work is done beforehand and behind the scenes to make camp run smoothly. The people who were out here with me worked so incredibly hard and got so much accomplished. They did it all with such a joyful attitude and offered up their time, skills, and knowledge to make this camp a better and safer place for all the campers. I definitely would like to come back to help out in the years to come; it made me feel so great to be giving back to camp this weekend through time and effort. Thank you so much for the hard work that all of you gave this weekend; it will be greatly appreciated throughout the summer!
I'd like to end with Romans 12:1 -- "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plea with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him." (NLT) To summarize the message the director gave us Sunday at church, each of us has our own particular "sacrifice" we can give to worship God. This means our time, the talents and skills we have acquired and developed, and our willingness to serve, just to name a few things. The actions we take and the story our lives tell are a witness to others of how we devote ourselves to God and the calling He has given us. After working this weekend, I feel more convicted to try and use the skill sets and gifts God has given me to serve others and act in a way obedient to His will for my life. This is something I'll be including in my prayers -- for clarity in the direction my life should take; for an understanding of how God wants to use me and my talents; and for the joyful, hardworking attitude of a servant I saw displayed in everyone I worked with this weekend.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Thursday, June 6 and Friday, June 7 -- Work Weekend
My next camp after California was Work Weekend from June 6 - 8. I had never been to one of these camps before, so I wasn't sure what kinds of jobs to expect or how they'd use me with my lack of knowledge about tools and such.
Thursday night was the first night of the camp. We all had dinner, and all the jobs we wanted to accomplish were layed out on a big dry erase board for us so that we knew what we needed to be done. There was also quite a few areas of the main camp building that needed organizing in addition to all of the projects. That night, my grandma and I worked on organizing the song sheets. They're so nice to have all the music written, but they're in such a jumbled mess right now. We sorted through them to see what was salvageable and what needed to be recopied. We also discussed other ideas for formatting camp music so that it's most useable for both campers and directors. The two of us also decided on what needed to all be done in the building and what would be practical to accomplish over the time we were out there.
On Friday, we started working right away after breakfast. Some of the main tasks focused on were the smoke detectors and ventilation in the broom closet, constructing a pathway to the gazebo, putting up a fence around the retaining walls, and other organzational jobs. I worked on organizing the game closet in the main building (quick note to any campers reading this: it looks so nice and orderly right now, so pretty please try and keep it that way! Hehe). In the afternoon, I was given a lesson on how to use a ratchet and crescent wrench (look at my use of terminology -- I learned something new today!) and helped to pass tools along and tighten the bolts holding the fence in place. I also helped the others shovel in place the product that was to make up the concrete pathway from the building to the gazebo. Mainly, I was just glad to fill in odds and ends where I was needed and learned a few things along the way as I worked. Everyone out here works so hard and has such a good knowledge base to work from. They have so many great ideas about how to make camp better, and I really am enjoying being with this group. I ended my first full day of work feeling very productive!
Monday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 28 -- California Camp
Monday morning was breakfast and cleaning up the camp. From there, my family and I drove with one of the families from the area to visit more of their family and go to the beach. They were so incredibly hospitable , and we were so thankful to be welcomed into their home and for their thoughtfulness in making sure all of us had an enjoyable day. We went to the beach, which was so beautiful! I had never been to the ocean before. The water was freezing, but it was still so much fun to swim around with the other teens that were with us. From there, we went to a pool -- it was really windy out, so we didn't stay in the ocean for more than 20 minutes. Again, I am so thankful for the people who made our day so awesome -- we all had so much fun swimming and fellowshipping with everyone who was with!
On Tuesday, we packed up our stuff and finished whatever odds and ends we had left to do around camp. In the afternoon, we went bowling with a lot of the teens -- I'm pretty terrible, but it was tons of fun. From there, we had dinner at one of their homes and said goodbye to everyone before we left. We were driven to the airport for our flight, which left at midnight. Goodbye to California, and back to the Midwest for us.
I'd just like to add a huge thank-you for everyone who provided for us and helped us over the five days we were there. I learned so much about what it means to be a servant from all of them; they were so filled with joy to help both us and each other, and I definitely aspire to be more like that as my summer progresses.
PS -- to anyone from CA reading this: yes, my sunburn did finally turn into a tan! (:
Sunday, May 26 -- California Camp
We started out this morning with worship -- the song "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman is a favorite out here. I love the words to this song, and it's pretty simple so hopefully we can introduce it to one or two of the Wisconsin camps. I think this group of people sings louder than any other camp I've been at, which is absolutely wonderful for me and my fellow worship leader. During work crews, I worked with 4 of the kids/teens to come up with a skit about the day's theme -- "Keeping in touch with God." We ended up putting together our own version of Family Feud for a fun way to present our ideas for how and how not to communicate with God.
Survey says: prayer, reading your Bible, fellowship, worship, going to Church
A few answers that weren't accepted: Facebook, Skype, SnapChat or Instagram, texting, and putting
God on your phone's speed dial
During today's study, I sat in with the teen group. We discussed prayer, and the study leader gave them an acronym to remember what to pray for, as well as verses to go along with it. Here's the acronym, along with a very brief description of what we talked about.
P= praise; we should praise and thank God for all the blessings during our day
R= repent; acknowledge your sins and ask for God's forgiveness
A= ask; ask sincerely for what you think you need, and ask for others in your life as well.
Y= yield; submit to God's will for your life, and ask Him to use you to yield good fruit in your life
I really like this acronym; I think it's a great reminder because all too often I focus too much on the "asking" while it should only be a portion of my daily prayers. There is so much to thank God for each day, and by following this model or similar ones in the past, I have noticed that with the "praise" first I spend so much time on the positives that happen each day and become much more conscious of all that is good in my life.
In the second half of the study time, we worked on Cardboard Testimonies. For those of you who haven't seen these done, here's the basic concept. Each person gets a small piece of cardboard, which is chosen as a material because it represents humility. On the front side, a short message about a struggle we've faced is written. On the back, we write how God has helped us through it. There is no talking; we simply present the written words to speak for themselves. I've done this activity before, and it always amazes me how you can never judge a person by how they appear on the surface. Everyone has some amount of hurt inside -- some more than others -- and faith is what gets each of us through our trials. Without faith, our struggles would seem so hopeless, but when we trust in God, it is clear that he never gives us more than we can handle at a given time. We presented these at night along to the song, "How He Loves" by David Crowder Band.
One of the things I have enjoyed the most about being out here is the fellowship with such great people. Each of them has such unique experiences, and there is such room for growth and new perspectives in interacting with all of them. All of us just enjoy our time together when with each other, regardless of what we're doing. I was glad to be able to get to know many of the teens better, as well as some girl bonding time in the tent later that night (:
Survey says: prayer, reading your Bible, fellowship, worship, going to Church
A few answers that weren't accepted: Facebook, Skype, SnapChat or Instagram, texting, and putting
God on your phone's speed dial
During today's study, I sat in with the teen group. We discussed prayer, and the study leader gave them an acronym to remember what to pray for, as well as verses to go along with it. Here's the acronym, along with a very brief description of what we talked about.
P= praise; we should praise and thank God for all the blessings during our day
R= repent; acknowledge your sins and ask for God's forgiveness
A= ask; ask sincerely for what you think you need, and ask for others in your life as well.
Y= yield; submit to God's will for your life, and ask Him to use you to yield good fruit in your life
I really like this acronym; I think it's a great reminder because all too often I focus too much on the "asking" while it should only be a portion of my daily prayers. There is so much to thank God for each day, and by following this model or similar ones in the past, I have noticed that with the "praise" first I spend so much time on the positives that happen each day and become much more conscious of all that is good in my life.
In the second half of the study time, we worked on Cardboard Testimonies. For those of you who haven't seen these done, here's the basic concept. Each person gets a small piece of cardboard, which is chosen as a material because it represents humility. On the front side, a short message about a struggle we've faced is written. On the back, we write how God has helped us through it. There is no talking; we simply present the written words to speak for themselves. I've done this activity before, and it always amazes me how you can never judge a person by how they appear on the surface. Everyone has some amount of hurt inside -- some more than others -- and faith is what gets each of us through our trials. Without faith, our struggles would seem so hopeless, but when we trust in God, it is clear that he never gives us more than we can handle at a given time. We presented these at night along to the song, "How He Loves" by David Crowder Band.
One of the things I have enjoyed the most about being out here is the fellowship with such great people. Each of them has such unique experiences, and there is such room for growth and new perspectives in interacting with all of them. All of us just enjoy our time together when with each other, regardless of what we're doing. I was glad to be able to get to know many of the teens better, as well as some girl bonding time in the tent later that night (:
Monday, June 3, 2013
Saturday, May 25 -- California Camp
Today was a regular camp day. We started out with a bit of worship and devotionals in the morning, ate breakfast, and then went on our work crews. It's really fun to hear what songs the campers already know out here and teach a few new ones from the Midwest camp -- they always sing so enthusiastically and pick up new songs very quickly. We've also been using YouTube videos a bit for the more contemporary songs that we don't have piano music for. Technology is great sometimes -- we can quickly pull up the lyrics and the music to whatever song is requested, which makes the worship more personal to the group based on what they like to sing.
During the work crews, I became better acquainted with the wildlife out there... we were cleaning out a playhouse and found 3 pretty scary looking spiders. Thankfully there were some boys around to squish them because I certainly didn't want to get too close (:
For today's Bible study, I worked with the children's group. There were 5 of them, and they were so great! They thought a lot about what we were working on and remembered a lot later when I quizzed them. We talked about Luke 2:41-52 -- when Jesus disappears for a few days as a child and his parents find him in the temple. It was cool to look back as a young adult at a story I read when I was a child; the major things that stuck out to me is how important it is to look to Jesus for the perfect example of how we should live our lives and that as we grow older, it's so important to be an example ourselves to the youth around us. They are such wonderful kids and look up to everyone who interacts with them.
The afternoon included crafts (tie-dying), recreation (swimming), and some free time before dinner. After dinner, we had a brief worship service where we reviewed the songs we taught, as well as talked about a few verses and watched the Bethany Hamilton documentary. For those of you who don't know who she is, Bethany is a teen from Hawaii whose arm was bitten off in a shark attack. She continues to do what she loves - surfing - despite her accident, and she is very strong in her faith in God. It was a very powerful documentary; I'd definitely recommend it if you haven't seen it. It talked a lot about how God uses us in ways we might not expect or necessarily want at first. Bethany received a lot of press after she began to be successful in her surfing, which allowed her to talk about God and how He brought her through such a hard experience on a very public scale. She mentioned how this wouldn't be something she'd normally be comfortable doing, but because God wanted to use her in this way, she did whatever she could to bring him glory in her life. For me, it was very thought-provoking idea -- how does God want to use me, and how can I use the gifts He has given me to glorify Him each day? It really drove in the idea that we shouldn't let anything in this world stop us from being joyful in our circumstances and fulfilling God's purpose.
During the work crews, I became better acquainted with the wildlife out there... we were cleaning out a playhouse and found 3 pretty scary looking spiders. Thankfully there were some boys around to squish them because I certainly didn't want to get too close (:
For today's Bible study, I worked with the children's group. There were 5 of them, and they were so great! They thought a lot about what we were working on and remembered a lot later when I quizzed them. We talked about Luke 2:41-52 -- when Jesus disappears for a few days as a child and his parents find him in the temple. It was cool to look back as a young adult at a story I read when I was a child; the major things that stuck out to me is how important it is to look to Jesus for the perfect example of how we should live our lives and that as we grow older, it's so important to be an example ourselves to the youth around us. They are such wonderful kids and look up to everyone who interacts with them.
The afternoon included crafts (tie-dying), recreation (swimming), and some free time before dinner. After dinner, we had a brief worship service where we reviewed the songs we taught, as well as talked about a few verses and watched the Bethany Hamilton documentary. For those of you who don't know who she is, Bethany is a teen from Hawaii whose arm was bitten off in a shark attack. She continues to do what she loves - surfing - despite her accident, and she is very strong in her faith in God. It was a very powerful documentary; I'd definitely recommend it if you haven't seen it. It talked a lot about how God uses us in ways we might not expect or necessarily want at first. Bethany received a lot of press after she began to be successful in her surfing, which allowed her to talk about God and how He brought her through such a hard experience on a very public scale. She mentioned how this wouldn't be something she'd normally be comfortable doing, but because God wanted to use her in this way, she did whatever she could to bring him glory in her life. For me, it was very thought-provoking idea -- how does God want to use me, and how can I use the gifts He has given me to glorify Him each day? It really drove in the idea that we shouldn't let anything in this world stop us from being joyful in our circumstances and fulfilling God's purpose.
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