Dear Prayer Partners,
It's Thursday morning and we just completed “Everyone’s Birthday Party” last night. It was a great night filled with balloons, cupcakes, sno-cones, rock-climbing wall, face painting, jump houses and our own dance party. It has always been one of the highlights of camp each session.
As the week goes one, we hear great stories about our wonderful counselors. Here’s another to give you a little grin.
It was bedtime for the campers in the boys’ dorm. It had been a full and fun day. Every shower running. Flip flops and towels litter the floor. Counselor Parker emerges from the chaotic bathroom into the long hallway.
As he passes each bunkroom down the hallway, he glances inside to observe more confusion and chaos of campers and counselors as they attempt to get ready for bed. In one room, coloring books and crayons are all over the floor. In the next room, there is a pillow/sleeping bag fight going on. He’s afraid to even look in the third room and keeps his eyes looking straight ahead. What will his own room at the end of the hallway greet him with?
But when he turns into the doorway of his room, his eyes behold a surreal sight. The six campers and his buddy counselor Will seated on the clean floor, sitting “criss cross applesauce” style and in a circle. It’s quiet, weirdly quiet. “What’s going on here?” he wonders.
Will sits silently in the circle but moves with jerking motions from side-to-side. The boys’ eyes are glued to him. They are playing “roller coaster” and Will is the leader. The boys watch and follow his every move, their eyes as wide as saucers.
Parker has known Will since junior high, vbut he never knew Will had such hidden talents with kids. His campers even run to him with open arms and throw them around his waist!
Being a counselor requires careful creativity. Chaos to calm.
Darren
p.s. Our great nurses have been very busy! We've had several kids become sick the last couple of days. We are praying it is only a case of possible overeating and the heat and not any kind of virus. Pray for the health of everyone at camp!
