Summer Camp
There is something special about a week of summer camp.
It wasn't until after I moved to Kentucky
that I discovered church camp wasn't the only summer camp.
4-H camp, Camp Webb, sports camps, band camp,
there are a whole lot of summer camps out there!
I don't think my parents knew about it
and I doubt they had the money to send me if they had known.
A high school friend invited me to go with her to church camp.
Round Lake Christian Assembly was my introduction,
and what a wonderful introduction it was!
After we married Bill and I went as youth sponsors to weekend retreats,
and they were fun,
but there is nothing like spending a whole week at camp.
Bill's brother Greg has been a 5th & 6th grade dean at RLCA for years
and I have been privileged to be on staff as a teacher.
It is interesting to watch the campers and their families at registration Sunday.
By the time they get to Greg's week
some have been coming to RLCA for years and are very "at home"
some have never been there and the whole experience can be overwhelming.
One of my jobs is to try and reassure the skittish ones.
Some summers it was Bill braving being Mr. Mom and working.
We hired a babysitter to keep the kids during the day
and he willingly sent me off for a week to interact with 120+ kids.
Other summers Bill was home alone,
well not really alone, because camp coincided with KCU's yearly audit
so he had the auditors to keep him busy.
When the kids were old enough to stay by themselves
they were given the choice to go with me or stay home.
One summer when I got home Bill said the guy at Little Caesar's
asked if his wife was out of town again.
We joked and laughed about that for years.
"Life stuff" has kept me from going the last few years.
Even knowing there is always homesickness,
long days,
short nights,
a storm on carnival day,
mosquitoes, heat and humidity,
I have missed it greatly.
When I was praying about whether or not to go this year,
hesitating,
battling concern and fear,
second guessing the wisdom of even considering it,
Greg sent out an informational e-mail that included the theme.
"Be Brave"
Guess what I am making plans to do this summer.
your prayers,
if you are so inclined,
are very welcomed
for me, the campers and the rest of the staff
our week is July 10-15
is not the absence of fear,
it is doing what you need to do
even in the face of fear
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