6-25-14

This is our first week with campers, although it’s merely a day camp. We have 6 boys from 9AM-5PM, Monday-Friday for what we call “fishing camp” (camp wanna-hock-a-loogie) where we teach our campers all about how to fish, types of fish, fishing regulations, boating safety, cast-netting skills, local FL biology and anything related to fishing. Personally, I could care less about most of these skills, but I do enjoy teaching this curriculum (Shark bait, OOH HA HA!), and this week is a great warm up for our three consecutive weeks of residential summer camp.

Martha's Dog, Shomer.

She is part Rhodesian Ridgeback,

hence the bright orange coat and huge paws.

This week, our camp director (Martha) is out of town on a mission trip to Key West (we’re jealous too), and has asked Lissa and I to house sit while she is out. This of course includes caring for her wide array of pets and chickens. We collected 19 eggs from the hens this afternoon, and I got the most honorable duty of scrubbing the poo off them, and packing them to be sold. I think I could handle the regular responsibility of raising birds, given that the reward is a constant source of fresh eggs. What better housewarming gift than a dozen delicious, organic eggs? I could handle that.

  

6-19-14

There are some days where nothing seems to be going as planned.

Sometimes we have to redo work, or reschedule exams for later dates, and some days we are just sick of seeing each other. Many times we disagree, as people tend to do, and sometimes the dishes are simply gross.

It is always best to try to see the light out of every situation, but today has been a little rough. Although we do have to redo some cleaning that should have been done right the first time, we should be able to knock out the unfinished buildings rather quickly. And even though we were not able to take our exams on time, we had an extra day to study for them. Despite having issues at first with the directions to our fingerprinting appointment location, no one was late and we all managed to get done early.

And although we will all dearly miss our beloved Lady Bug, we know she is running and playing in a better place, free from her handicapped hips and pain. Although the team sometimes becomes frustrated over one thing or the other, most issues are trifle and only serve as reminders for the bigger picture we are in, which is to be servants to the children who are our campers.

6-18-14

194.
That is the number of steps between the bunkhouse and the bathhouse, which we all utilize daily. 

At least we have a bathhouse. 

We have a bit of a walk to the kitchen facility as well, for meals and fellowship, but again, at least we have a kitchen to use. This experience has taught me to count my blessings.

After today, the interns move to the Willis Dorm, located across the campus, where the bulk of the fishing camp activities will be held. The showers and kitchen are cleaner and all within short proximity (as in down the hall) from where we sleep. All the interns rejoiced over this fact; hopefully we all have a better appreciation for our commonly abused luxuries.

This week has mainly been focused on training the interns in First Aid/CPR and refreshing the lifeguards in their certifications in preparation for the main weeks of summer camp. Tomorrow, all interns, CITs, and volunteers that will be spending nights in the same lodging as campers will have background checks and fingerprinting done, as per UMC requirements.

This weekend is promisingly eventful, with plans for dinner at my grandparents, thrift store shopping competitions, hair dyeing, care package creation, piercings, bonfires, and pit-bull puppies!

Lissa with her pink hair and industrial bar piercing, Danesha with her nose piercing.

                    

Missi's puppies  

My nose piercing and pink strip of hair

6-7-14

An old high school friend of mine got in touch with me via Facebook earlier this year, and actually became the person who sparked the idea for me to being writing this “newsletter” in the first place. She recently began what she called “a new chapter in her story” by deciding to leave her life in Florida and travel to live in California. Her descriptions of the events and emotions she experienced made me feel like I was still a part of her life, even though I wasn't necessarily seeing her or actually speaking to her directly. This is what I hope to achieve by the creation of this blog, and I would appreciate feedback describing what the reader in interested in hearing about, or if there are any questions that need clearing up.

I thank you for reading so far, and I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about my life! 

6-6-14

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 The entirety of this week has been focused on training the new interns (and refreshing the old ones) on the processes and activities of camp life. Sunday and Monday was a training event in Orlando with all 39 interns as an introduction to the program. We covered many basic aspects of working with children, and also played a multitude of “get to know each other” games.

The rest of the week days were composed of Fishing, Archery and Kayaking back home on our campus, while Friday was spent training the CITs (Councilors in Training) the same concepts we learned the previous weekend during the aforementioned intern retreat.             

                                                                               

The interns practicing cast-netting for fishing camp! 

Thursday nights always consist of Bible study and fellowship at the Sloan’s house, which is huge, gorgeous, and clean on the inside. Although I normally find the actual event to be slightly boring, I actually do enjoy spending time with my friends and then having refreshments (cookies and brownies) afterwards. This week at the end of Bible study, during the time in which we would share any prayer requests or praises from this week, I asked for prayer for my boyfriend Jon, who had just the day before been attacked by two dogs with the clear intention of killing him. Had it not been for his dogs witnessing the attack from within his home and thus breaking down his front door and coming to his aid, he could easily have been mauled to death. I could have lost him in a split second, and the worst part of it is that there is absolutely nothing I could have done to stop it. In fact, I would not have known anything about it at all because I am so far away from him being here at camp.

But perhaps what is most incredible about the entire story is that the first of the three dogs that had come to his rescue that day was a dog named Blue, who had only been in Jon’s house for only a week before this all happened. Blue was a foster that found himself in and out of houses and finally ended up with Jon permanently just last week. Needless to say, Blue has proved his rank in the pack by protecting the man who was kind enough to rescue and house him. I’m just glad to see that Jon walked   away from the ordeal just slightly bruised and shaken up. He did incur a bite wound that is several inches    deep, but it turned out so much better than it could    have, and for that I am so thankful.

The heroes (from left to right): Blue, Gemma and Lucky)  

*EDIT 6-8-14*
I visited Jon for dinner last night and found his injuries to be healing well.
We thank you for your continued prayers. 

6-4-14

I love living on this campus and being constantly surrounded by God’s creation. Although Riverside Retreat is a “Nature Camp,” we are extremely blessed to have air conditioning, refrigeration, hot water and many other modern accommodations. Unfortunately, for the first few weeks of training, the other five interns and I are living in what we call the bunkhouses, which are essentially exactly that: buildings with bunk beds in them. Essentially what that means is that in order to access the aforementioned running water, the interns must trek down through the mud and grass to the RV park shower house. The door on the women’s restroom sticks so well that in order to access the room, most of the time it is necessary to yank with great force (which given that most circumstances involving the need for restroom use imply great hast, makes the adventurous journey to utilize the facilities even that much more frustrating).
But don't mistake my detail for complaints; although I certainly do dislike living the bunkhouses, I'm grateful to even have a bed, roof and A/C. I could be sleeping in a tent in the soggy heat of FL summer nights... 

Introduction

Being away from my family and friends for the entire summer is something that I have grown accustomed to, given that I have found myself involved in summer camp ministry every year since I was too old to attend as a camper. The purpose of this newsletter is to keep my family (and any curious friends) informed about my life while I’m away. It’s a good way for me to organize my summer (because you would be surprised how much can really take place in 10 weeks) and to keep in touch with those I normally wouldn't have much time to contact throughout the week. The vast majority of the content of this writing was created late at night, after the day’s events have ended, when I actually have some free time to sit and type. My intention was to release an email newsletter out each Sunday to anyone interested in knowing what I’m doing out here. Unfortunately, I am not always in an area with WiFi connection, and so it may be difficult to turn these out on time. I will do my best to make additions as I write them and WiFi is available.

Mission Immersion 2006

From 2006 until the present, I have never missed a year of summer camp at Riverside Retreat. My first year as a counselor was in 2010 when I was 16, and I worked with 3^rd-5^th graders, which is the youngest age group our camp caters to. I worked with that particular age until 2013 when I was moved to the middle school group. This year, rather than being responsible for any one particular age category, I have been given the title of worship and lifeguard coordinator. This makes me more of an extra set of hands for any (and all) of the groups, which are all on the campus simultaneously. I will be present at each praise/worship event for all age groups, running the audio/visuals and making sure the service goes smoothly by collaborating and coordinating with the worship leaders and speakers. I will also be responsible to attend each water activity with every age group, and to coordinate the lifeguards between the pool and kayaking. I like the idea of being more flexible between age groups rather than stuck in one spot for the whole summer, and I expect everything to run well.