Plans for 2010

Yes, it is that time again! Time to make your plans for summer 2010!!!

It is with both joy and sadness that we announce the resignation of Hillary Pennington as camp director. Sadness to lose Hillary but joy because Hillary and her family are pursuing the awesome opportunity of being involved in the Fusion church plant! We wish her all the best and pray that God blesses her work with Fusion as he did here at camp.

Michelle Conner, Assistant director from our first year and co-director from last summer, has been hired by the church as the new director for Grace Adventures Day Camp. She is super excited to fill the role and we are blessed to have a director on board that has been with camp from the beginning.

We are also pleased to inform you that many of the great staff from the 2009 team are joining us in 2010.

And now, what you've been waiting for, the dates for 2010!!!

• Brochures will be mailed on January 3rd. Look for them in your mailbox or pick one up at Grace Community Church.

• Registration will begin on January 17th

• Registration Kickoff will be January 19th at the Chick Fil A on John Hopkins Rd from 5 pm to 8pm. This will also be a camp fundraiser with Chick Fil A donating a portion of the proceeds from that night to our scholarship fund. The director and some camp staff will be on hand to answer any questions. Bring your family and friends because we miss you!
  

• Five weeks of Camp will begin the week of July 12th and end on August 13th

Save these dates and be watching for more information to follow!!!

Seriously...It's The Last Day?

I honestly can't believe it. This summer has flown by, and yet at the same time, it feels like it's been going forever. Regardless, here we are at the last day of camp...at least for this summer.

Of course no last day can go smoothly, at least not completely. But bumps in the road point us to the One who is ultimately in control, instead of trying to rely on our finite wisdom. So far we've had two counselors call in today. When you're already bare bones in staff, being two down could spell disaster, but at Grace Adventures, we know Who is in control. God knew long ago how this day would go, and it's his plan to glorify himself through it. He's already been working.

I told you before that He had paved the way for Raven's siblings to come to camp. We signed them up to come this week, paid in full, but we've run into some glitches trying to get them here. So after that second phone call this morning, I just dropped to my knees and turned this day over the God. On my way here, Aaron Smith called and said that his bump in the road was removed and he was now able to pick the boys up and bring them to camp. Score one for the Big Guy! It's was almost like He was just confirming to me that He's got us covered.

Here's to a great last day of camp.

Our Largest Week Yet

I barely blinked and the week was gone...our largest week yet, more than twice the size of our largest week last summer. Crazy, isn't it? We had over 85 campers and 20 staff, outgrowing our brand new pavilion. Seriously, who would have thought? It was also our second to last week. Summer is certainly winding down, but it's not over yet. The saddest part of this week was that we said goodbye to 5 of our beloved staff members, Sara Beth, Tim, Erin, J-Mo, and Roya. Each of them brought their talents, gifts and passion for the Lord and his people to our camp family this summer. Even though there is only one more week, I feel like we're going into it a bit incomplete. I have to say that our team is beyond amazing and I'm so thankful that God sent them to us, called them to camp. I'm not sure what God has in store for them over the next year, but I hope each of them considers returning next summer, to continue investing in the lives of Grace Adventure's campers.

We have some campers that stay with us all summer. Let me tell you, that takes some faith on behalf of the parents. We're always honored when someone would entrust their children to us, especially when they don't know us. Last summer, there were several families, 12 kids total, who took the leap and signed their kids up for all four weeks. All but 1 of them, and they moved out of state, came back with summer. This past Friday night, our team was invited to the Shamlin's house for an end of the summer picnic and movie night. I'm amazed by this family. They have so much going on, from building a new business, moving to a new home, and raising two boys...and yet they still find time to bless our camp family with great food, fellowship, and genuine hospitality. We look forward to having them back next summer as well. It's an investment.

Another all summer family, the Metzgers, caught the vision of camp and ran with it...literally. Before they had even filled out the registrations for their four kids, three of their friends had already hopped on board (for the entire summer as well). Mr. Metzger is juggling so much while his wife is deployed, and yet he's still looking out for his friends and neighbors.

There are so many more stories just like that one where people are reaching out to the people around them and inviting them to camp. I know that as we grow, our vision will grow as well, encompassing the community around us. What a great way to open the doors of the Church, to invite people to play in its front yard.

Posted by Hillary

Not Quite The Lesson We Were Hoping To Teach

Amy here. I'm the administrator at GADC and this is my first post on the camp blog. This story made me laugh so hard when it happened I thought I'd share it here.

Every afternoon during our assembly time one of our staff takes three to five minutes to speak to the campers. Generally they share a testimony, a story of where God is working in their life or the gospel. This past Friday it was Dena's turn to speak.

Part way through her talk she asked the question, "What does God want us to do with our money?"

A little girl called out, "Give it to the poor!"

And then, in that moment of silence following her sweet answer, a four year old boy piped up, "And steal from the rich!"

I know he's four because he's my son. And we've been reading a lot of Robin Hood lately.

Dena told me later that it took all her power to hold it together for the rest of her talk. The rest of us were not so put-together and laughed loudly at my sweet little boy.

Posted by Amy

A Moo-Ha-Ha

We have some really fun neighbors. To our left, there are horses, and to our right, there are cows. Sometimes our friends to the right like to come visit us at camp, or at least get as close as they can without hopping the fence. Who would have thought that we'd have our very own "petting zoo," minus the actual petting? Yesterday, the cows, who resemble those fiesty guys over at Chick-fil-a decided to pay us a visit, and our Junior campers thought they'd be polite and say hello.

A few minutes into the visit, Henry, a camper, turns to Miss Erin and says, "Why is that cow standing on top of that other cow?" Erin and Amy turn to see our friends procreating right there in front of our campers. "Um, they're just dancing."

Henry turns and says "uh uh, there doing this," and then begins to mimic the cows. Oh goodness Henry, you're 5. How do we explain to a 5 year old what these animals are doing? They left it at dancing, though I'm pretty sure he didn't believe them. Now, of course, we had a little talk with our friends that they need to be a little more discreet from now on. They couldn't promise us anything, so we'll just have to keep a watchful eye. I don't know, maybe word will spread that we have dancing cows at camp and more people will be lining up to come. Who knows?

Posted by Hillary

God is Here

Each day at Grace Adventures Day Camp it becomes even more evident that God is here. He shows up everyday in both small and big ways.

We have all known from the beginning that this is God's ministry but each day, I see it more and more. Here are just a few small examples.

This year we began a middle school portion of camp called SIT camp. The majority of the kid's involved are members of Grace Community Church and Light Company the middle school ministry, therefore they all know each other pretty well. As fitting with our mission, God brought to us a few non- Grace goers which could have been a little uncomfortable for a middle school student coming into a group that already has established relationships. BUT NOT WHEN GOD'S INVOLOVED. He saw to it that the newcomers would have some other people around to build relationships with. In fact, two of the students have formed such a close relationship, that the newcomer was invited to attend Light Company on Sunday with her new friend. God, you are good.

Another example is our staff, each and every one of them were put here for a reason. I believe that God put each counselor into the exact positions they are in. Nikki, our Servant Team counselor came on at the very last minute but I know that God put her here for a reason. She has the heart of a Servant which is pretty cool being that she is teaching and leading high school students how to be servants of Christ.

Iman is yet another example, she is working with our middle school program and has a heart of gold and the patience most mother's should have. Her patience and heart have proven incredibly powerful and inspiring. God also orchestrated Jonathan's involvement at camp. We are truly blessed to have such a strong male leader among us. His pink hat and goofy spirit help to encourage, energize and motivate the camper's on a daily basis. These are just a few of the staff stories, because if I were to tell them all, I would be here all night long and I really need to get to bed so that I can be alert tomorrow. I don't want to miss any glimpse of God's blessings.

Posted by Michelle

Wonderfully Random

Today was just one of those day you chalk up to complete and total randomness. Now I must preface this by saying that I don't actually believe that randomness exists, but that everything wraps itself up in God's providence. However, there are those times in life when the circumstances are so incredibly out there that it's just plain laughable. Welcome to today. First off, Michelle's son had strep throat so she was out today making me half Michelle, Amy D half me, and so on and so forth. It seemed like everyone was playing a new role today. Plus, it's a Monday, so we have a whole new round of campers who are experiencing camp for the first time. It's important that we look like we have it all together. I think we did a pretty good job, despite the fact that Owen, my oldest, had a fever, Lauren, the counselor, had a muscle spasm, and Ellen, the camper, had a bee sting on her toe. I literally felt like it was one thing after another. Nothing major, just a bunch of little things adding up to a day.

But let me tell you the best part...it all seemed completely seamless. And I have an amazing staff to thank for that. From the bottom up, our staff come to work each day ready to take on the world. And it's because of them that we have parents signing their kids up for an additional week. It's because of them that campers tell us that they'd rather be at Grace Adventures than any other camp in the area. It's because of them that a parent brought in donuts and coffee this morning. Without our staff, GADC wouldn't exist. So bring on the randomness, because I'm confident in our team and their ability to adapt to any situation.

Can I just tell you a story? I walked into the bathroom today and Sarah's group was changing for waterplay (in the stalls), and I hear them singing "hotter than hot," a camp favorite. Keep in mind that I can't see anyone, but I can hear them singing the song from behind stall doors. Only at camp can you walk out of the bathroom with a tune stuck in your head.

First Day at S@C!

What's S@C you ask? Good question! S@C or Sundays @ Camp is a new program at Grace designed to serve church leaders and volunteers. Michelle and I have had many opportunities to hang out with leaders around church on Sunday mornings, and it's hard for us to hear stories of people who serve at church not being able to attend worship service as a family. It's not that they don't want to, it's that they don't want their children to have to do the exact same thing during each service, either while they are serving or while their in worship. You see, KidZone puts on an amazing program during the 9:15 service and then repeats it during the 11:15. The vast majority of Grace peeps aren't affected by the repetition, but leaders and volunteers are and it's become a problem.

Seeing this need for an alternative, we said, "hey, why not just take a group of kids and play with them during second service?" Thus became S@C. Today was our first Sunday. We had 9 kids for two hours (since we started right as the 1st service was letting out. We set up some stuff for friendship bracelets (huge success) and played a few minutes of soccer before heading down to the Pavilion. Once there, we played in the sand, hula hooped, more friendship bracelets, and sang silly camp songs. For the most part, I'd say it was a huge success. We came up with several "notes to self" like "don't forget the sunscreen," and "let's do freeze pops next week."

All in all, I'd say it's a great program, and an even better opportunity to connect our vision to Sunday mornings.

Here at Grace Adventures, we're all about flexibility. If something isn't meeting the needs of our campers or producing an environment for fun & excellence, we adapt to make sure it does. For instance, this week, we only had 4 kids signed up for soccer and 8 in basketball. Monday, HJ, our soccer coach, was finding it difficult to actually play soccer with the small number of campers. So he teamed up with Tim, our basketball coach, and created a Bask-cer-ball or a Soc-ball specialty. I've been out there twice this week (even played a little soccer yesterday) and the kids are having a blast, learning a lot, and simply enjoying the sport of it. Isn't that what camp is all about? Having a good time in a safe and excellent way?

We have to be willing to adapt, to change. If you were given a front row seat to our director's meetings, you would see a whole bunch of change. We don't wait for the end of the summer to fix something for next year. We're on it right then, and we have an amazing staff that is patient, flexible, and extremely gracious. There are many stories I could tell but it's almost time for staff devos, and that is pretty stinkin' important.

In the Little Things...

We all know this; God is in the little things, the details of life. Then why do we fail to recognize it sometimes? At camp, we've been talking a lot about the little things in our staff devos. Through out the day, we've been recording stories of where God has shown up in the tiniest detail that may otherwise go unnoticed, or filed under "pat self on back."

For instance, our health inspector came the other day. Now this was a surprise visit, always is, and it just so happened that Amy M. was there. Um, Hillary, isn't Amy M always there? Well, yes, technically, but the night before she had been sick, so on this particular day, we weren't sure if she was coming in or not. Voila, she comes. Not only that, but she decided she'd stay all day. Now this is not a common occurrence since she is a part time employee. The inspection went off without a hitch, well just one minor one, and we were so thankful that Amy had taken the state licensing stuff on her shoulders. Last summer, the day the inspector showed up was the absolute low point of the summer for me. Considering they had lost our original application and stumbled upon us by accident, we weren't exactly prepared. In fact, we had 5 pages of citations that took months to work out. If you're a parent, let me put your mind at ease, by simply stating that none of our violations were ones that would in any way endanger a child. It's more a long the lines of having paperwork in order, or doing background checks through the right place.

There are so many more stories I'd like to tell, like the one where "E" prayed for good behavior, and his group mates prayed the same thing...for him. Or how a girl in Lauren's group prayed to find her "missing D2 game." Or how "S" used her hard earned money to buy a gift for Raven's family at the Disney Store. Oh there are so many more, but if I don't stop now, I won't be to camp in time.

Posted by Hillary

It's a Case of the "Monday's"

If you're a parent, you probably require very little explanation into my title choice. Maybe it's the break in routine over the weekend, or just having to get used to something all over again, but was one of those days that makes you think, "it must be a case of the Monday's."

It seemed that some of our all-summer campers were having a rough time getting into the swing of things today, including my own sons. By 5 pm, Owen, my oldest, was completely melting down, refusing the listen, wandering away. It was clear that it was simply time to go home. On the way home, as always, Owen dosed off. The difference came when we got there. He woke up, climbed out of the car, walked into the house, saw his Big Bear lying on the floor, and decided to join him for a quick cat nap. When dinner was ready, I picked him up and placed him in his chair, where he quickly fell back asleep. Honestly, I've never seen him do this before. The boy was determined to sleep. It must be a case of the Monday's...a result of a rather busy weekend and the beginning of his 5th week of being at the church all day, every day. But it wasn't just my son. It was almost as if there was a full moon in the middle of the day.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad day by any means, just a bit strange. We had our first counselor call in sick, which praise God he had already worked that out in his plan. We hope you feel better soon, Laura. My salad was wilted, which probably had less to do with Monday and more to do with the fact I had made it on Saturday, but still. The church facility guys, Blair and Aaron, were having the tile floors cleaned & waxed today which just meant we had to walk down to the main office whenever we printed something. (Not an inconvenience at all, Blair. We promise :)) Add all this to some off the wall behavior, again not bad, just different, and you get a good old case of the Monday's.

But let me tell you why it was a good day. Regardless of the circumstances, Grace Adventure's belongs to the Lord. This is evident in our staff from the leadership team to the counselors, in our vision team, our campers, and our program. I love that I have the most amazing opportunity to call my job, my ministry, my hobby and my passion as well; that I work in a place where change is considered good, and we have the freedom to fix things that are not working. For instance, late camp was becoming a bit chaotic. The kids desperately want to play rough and tumble games like Battleball, but the Junior Camp room is not so conducive to ball games, so we decided to move Late Camp to the Pavilion. This way the campers that want to run around and release their second round of energy (honestly, I don't know where they find it) can do so, while those that would rather play card games or work with crafty stuff can do that as well. I love that we're not satisfied with the status quot. Our goal is excellence, and though I may be a bit biased, I happen to think we're good at "striving" for excellence. We may not always attain it, but it's definitely our aim, our intent.

Allow me to share a couple examples of excellence. One of our staff members, Sara Beth, our Outdoor Exploration specialty counselor, doesn't have a group this week. She still has a specialty group, just no regular group. This morning, Sara Beth comes up and asks if she could use her non-camper time to make sets of outdoor exploration curriculum for next summer. She calls it "making herself replaceable." Little does she know that she's actually making herself "irreplaceable." It's people like her, with a heart focused on the greater vision, that we want on our team. Oh but it doesn't end there. Ethan was a late hire, and all we could offer him was a back-up counselor position. He worked the Taste of Camp and Week 1. It didn't take long for us to figure out what an amazing asset he is to our team. When he came to me on Friday and asked if it would be okay for him to help out even if he's not getting paid, my heart just melted. Seriously? "Ethan, please pray about joining our Vision Team." That's it, not that he's willing to work for free, but that he gets why we exist and desires to be part of that.

I'm telling you, it's always a good day at Grace Adventures. Even if everyone had a case of the "Monday's," it would still be worth it. Spend 5 minutes at camp and you'll see what I mean. I work with "called" people and it shows.

Posted by Hillary

On Raven's Wings

Here at Grace Adventures, we're committed to many things, fun, excellence, safety & service. One of the ways we serve, building bridges to the world around us, is by supporting ministries outside of ourselves. Metro Kidz is an inner city ministry in Baltimore and a part of Charm City Church. Colleen Smith, who's God given vision gave birth to Metro Kidz, labors to no end simply to show love to kids who are struggling in a dark world.

For three weeks this summer, our penny war money will be going to help throw a party for the children at Metro Kidz, to celebrate the end of our their "summer camp." It might seem trivial to us. We have parties every other weekend, but pizza is a luxury much like a nice dinner out would be for us. Treats and rewards are hard to come by in their neighborhood.

About a week ago, tragedy struck to very heart of the community in which Metro Kidz resides. In fact, it occurred right in front of many of these kids very eyes. Of course, to us it seems shocking, beyond belief, but to them, it's just another day in the hood.

Five year old Raven and her cousin were walking down to a corner store, probably paying little attention to the scuffling across the street. Fights are quite common and sadly they probably thought nothing of it, until one of the kids involved went home, got a gun, and returned with intent to kill. I'm sure, though, that it wasn't his intent to shoot little Raven, but that's exactly what happened. According to our friends at Metro Kidz, the people of this community were catapulted in their own version of the Truman Show, a spotlight on their community, and not necessarily in a good way. The Mayor converged on the scene along with the media and other city officials ready to take back the neighborhood. And all little Raven could do was fight for her life. Immediately she was taken to Shock Trauma where she's remained since the incident. To tell you the truth, it's a miracle she is still alive. Honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen to Raven. The situation is dire, and the family is struggling to grasp on to reality. Amazingly though, they've been open to the support of Colleen and her crew at Metro Kidz. In every way possible, they've been there to do whatever is necessary.

So we asked Colleen what we could do from almost 20 miles away. We've been praying for Raven and her family daily and our kids have been crafting cards for her hospital room, even though she can't see them. But it just didn't seem like enough, so on Wednesday, I asked again, "What more can we do?" Colleen asked us to collect coloring books, crayons, teddy bears, & books for her siblings. "Done, We'll send a note home to parents today." I left the room to ask Amy to draft up a note when the thought occured to me, we're a day camp for children & her twin brother is of camp age. I skipped back in, leaned over to Colleen & Nicole (who was with her) and asked "Can her brother come to camp?" Suddenly the juices were flowing and we began to plan on how we could make this happen. In the last 48 hours, we're raised enough money to bring both her 5 year old twin brother & her 8 year old brother to camp next week. We're still continuing to ask for donations as we'd love for them to come for as long as it's necessary.

"Do you now know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Though this is a tragedy, the Lord is still Lord and he is "working all things together for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." He has proven his sovereignty over and over again. Join us in praying for this entire situation, for light to fill in the darkness, for lives to be changed, for more and more people to be added to the Kingdom of God. What Satan has intended to destroy, God will use for good.

If you want to be part of helping us love these kids in the most difficult time yet, please feel free to donate food for the family, money for the scholarship, or toys & activities for the kids. As well, they are not the only family in need that are at camp. We've scholarshiped many, and still need to fill in the gaps in our budget. We turn no one away simply based on a little thing like money & we trust that God will provide for those he wants to be at camp. Thank you for being our partners in building bridges to our community.

Posted by Hillary

First Day

The staff are trained. The kids are registered, and the clock is ticking. Yep, it's 5:44 am and I'm lounging on my porch, sipping on my coffee, and trying to cool down from a quick run. Camp officially starts in T minus 3 hours and 15 minutes. Crazy, isn't it? Crazy how you can plan for and work hard towards something for so long, that when it finally gets here, it's almost surreal. Sure, it hasn't been easy. Even at the last minute, Satan thrown in his curve balls.

Our shirts aren't ready, and won't be til later this week. But that's okay, we've pulled together enough of last year's shirts for our staff to wear. It will just make it all the more exciting when they get here.

The Scout project sand box is not ready, but that's okay too. We'll just throw out a swimming pool full of sand and some toys. They'll never know the difference.

Turns out the church is closed this Friday because it's a federal holiday, but it's still okay. We're still having camp and our cookout.

Seriously, I'm thinking not much could stop us now. But I'm pretty sure that's not going to stop the enemy from trying.

If you have a chance today (and you happen to be reading this), please lift us up in prayer. This summer, we have over 300 campers coming to camp and just about 20 staff. Believe me, we could use the prayer. Today, pray specifically for our counselors. It's easier for me. I know what to expect...mostly. They have no idea. Pray that they come filled to the brim with the love of Christ, ready to pour out into thirsty campers.

Posted by Hillary

"Друг"

"Я имею друга, который говорит на русском языке." One of our campers went home and uttered this phrase to his mom. "I have a friend who speaks Russian." See, Ethan was recently adopted from Kazakhstan, along with his brother Alex, by a friend of mine, who just happened to be part of our orginial curriculum team for camp. A few weeks ago, I saw her name pop up on our registration software, and I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to see it. Immediately I gave her a call. Were they really thinking of sending their children to camp. I mean, they've only been back in the States for a few weeks?

They decided to try out the Taste of Camp week to see how they do. Alex is 4 and the most adorable little thing you've ever seen. His smile literally lights up the room. He and his brother know very little English, but I'm thinking being immersed into an environment with 35 other kids spitting out 500 words a minute is a pretty good way to learn. We placed Ethan in HJ's group. Poor HJ, I kind of forgot to clue him in on the language barrier (and a few other things), but this guy rose to the occassion. Tuesday afternoon I noticed he was reading a Russian/English dictionary. Now this was after Ethan had already gone home for the night. Can I just say that it's this type of behavior that makes me so proud of the staff we have at camp? The next day Jaclyn (the mom) told me that Ethan had come home and said, "friend, I have a friend who speaks Russian." As a mom myself, I know how that would make me feel, confident, safe, and proud. I'm not saying that's how Jaclyn felt, but I'll bet it made her glad she had decided to send them to camp.

They're thinking of coming back another week in the summer so Ethan and Alex can go to camp with another family, who are also adopted and speak Russian as well. Alena came to camp last summer and loved it. This year, she is bringing her brother along with her. What a picture of our vision. We're buiding bridges. We're creating a "safe place" for people to come and be loved. It's for this reason that I know I'm just where I'm supposed to be. And I'm so thankful that God has made that known to me.

Today we're having a cookout and inviting all of our camp families to join us. From what I've heard, most will be, even those with working parents (most people are off today...most). I'm excited to hear more stories and be able to share them here. Hopefully I'll get up some pics too.

Posted by Hillary

Day Four

The scene was just how I had pictured it in the shower. Campers, parents, staff, and friends hanging out, eating, playing, and chatting it up at Chick-Fil-A. I'm not sure exactly how many came or for that matter how much money we made, but I'm pretty sure we accomplished what we set out to do...facilitate building community. I had the opportunity to meet the rest of the families of some campers and talk more in depth with their moms about how they were liking camp. Everyone I talked to was super stoked about camp in general, and all said they were interested in coming back for a full day camp either later this summer or next. Sweet! That's why we did Taste of Camp week, to entice campers to want to come more.

It's safe to say that I'm starting out the morning on the right foot. Camp is going great, and I don't just use that word lightly. Of course, it hasn't been without it's surprises, kinks, and splinters, but for the most part, I have no complaints.

My deleted message still hasn't called back, so if you guys could continue praying for that. I'd greatly appreciate it. And there are a couple ladies either on our staff or in our "camp family" who are pregnant and in their third trimester. Please join us in praying for them to be able to carry a healthy baby to full term. Of course we're excited about expanding said family, but we'd like them to hold out until they're fully cooked.

So funny story, and I'll have to post the picture in the next couple of days, but my oldest is so stinking shy. I've just never seen it before. He's always so comfortable around me and most everyone else in his life, but I'm telling you, that boy is like a turtle. Yesterday was the first day he started to come out of his shell at camp, and yesterday was not picture day. So on Tuesday's we take group pictures. In his picture, he's sitting on his counselor's lap (probably unwillingly) turning his body as much as he can away from the camera. All the other camper's in the pic are smiling, having a great time, and here's Owen fleeing from the spotlight. What a wake up call. Hillary, your seemingly outgoing, fun loving son is an introvert (just like his dad). It's not a bad thing by any means, I just didn't see that coming. Maybe Blake will get my personality. I need at least one more extrovert in this house.

Also, I'm pretty sure we're going to start a camp blog. That way we can send everybody to it, and our other director's can add to it as well. Most likely, I'll continue to write about camp here and then transfer it there. Seriously, what else am I going to write about. I pretty much eat, sleep & breathe camp.

Also, on a side note from camp, could you all pray for my BFF Jo and her family? Just pray that their Jehovah Jireh will provide for their every need, abundantly according to His glorious riches. Thanks!

Today, I hope to out more amongst the campers and not stuck inside either in meetings or doing much needed paperwork. But I'd love to be able to tell more specific stories about camp in general. And don't stop praying for our scholarship fund. We still need about $2000!

Even In The Stupidity

You know when you do something, and the second you do it, you realize you shouldn't have? Yep, I had a moment like that yesterday. I was listening to a voicemail from a mom who wanted to sign 3 (count them 3) middle schoolers up for our SIT camp. While I'm listening to this message, I'm also conveying to Michelle what I'm hearing. When I got to the "3 friends" part, I put up my three fingers to Michelle and we both started freaking out, because 3 more SIT campers will bring us to a total of 20 for week 1 (which fill us up). In all the excitement, and in one wish I could replay moment, I took the phone away from my ear, pushed the number 7, and hung up.

It wasn't even a second later that I'd realized what I had done...deleted the message. In desperation, I got back into my voicemail hoping there was some sort of holding box for deleted messages...yeah, not so much. Caller ID isn't an option because the call was forwarded to my phone from the church. So it's gone. All we can do is hope the mom calls back. Please pray with us that she calls back. This is definitely not an example of good customer service. But somehow I know that even in my stupidity, God will be glorified. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, I was in the shower the other day thinking about Chick-Fil-A, and I had an idea. Of course all shower ideas are good ideas, right? Anyways, I ran said idea by the leadership team, got a go ahead, and made the call. The end result? We're inviting everyone to join us as Chick-Fil-A on John Hopkins road every Wednesday night from now until August 5th. The folks there have been so gracious as to allow us to do a fundraiser along side their kid's night. So here's the deal (and there is a deal). For every combo meal you buy, you'll get a FREE kid's meal (assuming you have a kid) and 20% of the proceeds will go to our scholarship fund. All of us that have kids were planning on being there anyways, but this way, we can continue to build relationships with camp families and the community. So come on out tonight or any Wednesday through August 5th. We'll also have camp bumper magnets (though magnets don't normally stick to bumpers) & water bottles available to purchase (and hopefully hats soon). The proceeds of all of our merchandise goes directly to our scholarship fund.

Posted by Hillary

Day Two

You know what is so amazing about God? He's not at all surprised by what surprises us. Yesterday, he reminded me of this truth. So, it's the first day, right? Everything is supposed to run smoothly, right? Really, why is it that people say that? Rarely does the first day or moments of anything run without hiccups. In fact, it's actually a blessing to be able to get out the kinks in the beginnning before they become tangles that are difficult to remove.

For the most part, camp ran smoothly, and hopefully to the parents and campers, we looked organized and prepared. And in reality we probably were...for the most part. And the surprises we had turned into awesome opportunities to live out our vision.

7:36 AM: Michelle and I had just arrived at the church. Owen is changing into his clothes right there in the foyer (seriously, no one else was there). Blake is swinging his blanket around like he's lassoing a cow. And Madison is desperately crying out "feed me, mommy." I look up and see a little girl bouncing towards the door, followed by her mom loaded down with a backpack and lunchbox. Perplexed, I go for the door. Clearly there has been a mix up. The mom thought we started full days this week, but that's cool, we just rolled with it. We'd already made arrangements for a couple of our all summer kids to stay, so we'll just add her to that list. I took her in and got her aquainted with our nursery staff and she hung out with them until it was time to "go to camp." That was surprise #1, which really turned out to be more of a blessing.

8:34 AM: Suddenly, I realize we have no banners up. These are what let people know we're a camp. So I get a couple guys working on it, but we run out of time. Scrap that for later. By 4 pm, they were hung and ready for tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they all knew they were at camp yesterday, but just to make sure....

9:36 AM: A mom approaches me and asks if this is where her daughter will be dropped off after lunch. After lunch? Camp is over after lunch. We do have a girl starting next week who is coming from summer school, but...yep, you guessed it...there's been a minor mix-up. Well, since I'm used to rolling with it by now, we just rolled with it. I assured the mom that we would take good care of her daughter, made sure she knew that since this was a half day, that she would be simply hanging with our staff all week, and sent her merrily on her way. Again, a blessing.

10:01 AM: Radio sounds off ;"Hillary, are there any cups at the pavilion?" Oops, cups would make it easier for the kids to drink from the water coolers. Off I go down to the pavilion with the first stack of cups I saw (which I stole from the coffee bar). When I get down there, a counselor stops me and says her campers needs a band-aid. Oh no, we're not even an hour or so into camp and we already need band-aids. Nah, it was just a girl who picked a scab. Yuk (though I totally used to do that as a kid).

11:21 AM: Radio sounds of: "Hillary, are you going to be ready to teach during assembly?" I glance down at Madison chomping away, pick up my radio, and say "yep, I'll be right there." Shoot, I'd forgotten that I told Michelle that morning that I'd teach about Mary & Martha. I finished up with Madison, who was done anyways, handed her off and started down the hallway. I prayed the whole way that God would take away my words and replace them with his. When it was time to go on, I talked a bit about Mary & Martha engaging the crowd along the way, however I still felt like a deer in headlights. My bad. I realized later that they had really studied about the Bible this morning and that Mary & Martha didn't really get introduced until tomorrow.

Most of these were minor surprises, but let me just focus on our added blessings for a moment. How many other camps would have just sent these moms away? How many other people would have stuck to their agendas instead of thinking about the familys' needs? Sure, there was a mix up, but the best customer service is the kind that accomodates the person, not the program. Unlike Office Depot who told me yesterday that they couldn't honor my state issued tax exempt card because there computer said that Grace Community Church was not tax-exempt. Um, sorry O.D., but I think my state-issued card trumps your computer, and I had just bought some stfuf the day before at a different O.D. with the same card. Anyways, the guys working there (one who was truly apologetic and the other who was a little too stuck to the policies) simply gave me a card with the number to call. Totally didn't mean to go down this path, but it's just an example of what not to do. Allright now I need to go take a shower or I will definitely be late.

Posted by Hillary