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
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
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
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
Friday, July 10, 2009
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
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
Friday, July 3, 2009
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
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
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
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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
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
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