Monday, Finally!

To be honest, it is hard to know where to start when trying to write a blog post such as this, but I hope this little passage informs you readers to a satisfying extent.  I also hope to have time to write up more happenings.  We shall see.

The day started with campers (who counselors thought were tired) waking at early hours. Mr. Dau, Nate Steller, and Sarah Langeland showing campers how to do real aerobics. If you want to know the definition of real aerobics, ask one of them. Who knows? They may even give you a demonstration.

After a filling breakfast and quiet devotional time, campers participated in team/cabin building activities including alphabetizing one another by first and last initial, spinning, and the human knot.

The two separate morning sessions were next. While Ben Collins leads the boys, Karen McDermott leads the girls sessions. This morning, her lesson was practical as well as applicable. The verses for the week are found in Jeremiah 17:5-10, and Mrs. McDermott focused on verses 7 & 8. Her three main points were interwoven into every part of the lesson.

• Life only becomes harder as you get older
• We (are free and do) make choices to be shrubs (sin nature) or trees (abiding in him).
• We trust him because he's trustworthy, but also that he's trustworthy

If parents were sitting in chapel, heads probably would have been nodding in agreement with the first point: I know the Counselors and assistants were!

Mrs. McDermott showed her audience illustrations of shrubs and trees “Shrub” is a humorous-sounding word, but these shrubs are not good companions. They are prickly, irritant, and essentially, dry. No stream of refreshment for them! Tree, on the other hand, is not a funny word. Trees are planted by streams, and “when the heat comes...its leaves remain green” (vs. 8) There is no way that a tree planted firmly by the stream is going to turn into an ugly shrub.

And lastly, we trust him because he's trustworthy, is so endearingly practical. We trust him that he's trustworthy just because he IS. That is why his name is I AM. He is because he is.

Everyone was eager for lunch, and very satisfied afterward. “Noon Time News”, anticipated by all, was quite entertaining. This years, the masses witnessed Belinda Yackalot (Laurie Keswick), Wooster Walten Shimulpedic III, (Andrew Horning), and a Soviet Russian mailman (Justin Smith).

Pastor Crabtree's Monday evening session followed a blessed time of worship, and really engaged each camper in His word. Pastor Sam has a beautiful gift from our Heavenly Father, so what he says relates to any audience. He spoke on what issues make us vulnerable to lies, issues such as pride, fear, lack of faith, and ignorance. He then drew a line between the (aforementioned) issues, ones that are able to be defeated, and ones that we are “stuck with” but must fight against. The “unavoidable” list included unhealthy sinful appetites, deadlines and how they influence us, limitations we have, and the pressure of peers.

God is so good. Campers are healthy, digging in the word, and being cheerful even though close to exhaustion.

“...I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” Isaiah 46:4

~Elleanna