Well, it wasn’t a maybe- it was for sure. I packed up and went with my family to Waco to drop my sister off for summer classes and we drove me to camp. Boy, that wasinteresting…
Overall, it’s been an ENJOYABLE few days. Here’s my synapse synospsis.
Monday- Drove to Waco. Slept. Moved Amanda in. Drove to camp. Finally found it. Arrived at camp. Didn’t see anybody there. Almost left. Found everyone at the mess hall. Moved in. Parents left. Met people. Was sad to find out people such as Mike, Barry, and others weren’t back. Played Capture the Flag in a long sleeve white t-shirt in the dark in a field. Two guys running around conked heads and had to go to the hospital for stitches. Went to bed. Slept.
Tuesday- Woke up. Found mess hall. Ate breakfast. Devo. Piled sideways into a car. Drove to a parking lot. Got in a bus. Drove to Star of Hope. Ate lunch at break-neck speeds with wind flying through my sandwich. Got to Star of Hope. Had a meeting. Took a tour. Saw one of my kids from last year who will be coming again! Find out about one of my other kids from last year who is now a lead trombonist at his school! Drove back, in bus and car. Got to camp. Had dinner. Had a fireside. Heard about coming storm. Went to bed. Woke up. At 3:00. Rain pouring through the screen walls (well, really sprinkling, but pouring sounds better). Hear that we are supposed to run on over to a safe building. Don’t know what to grab. Decide which things I don’t want crushed by a tornado or rained upon, so I grab my backpacks full of stuff and my guitar and run through the pouring (yes, this time it really was pouring rain). Arrive at house safe. Then everybody goes to sleep- with the pillows and sleeping bags they brought. So I,lacking those items, slept in a chair with a borrowed pillow, then on the floor, first with a pillow, then I lost a pillow and gained a blanket and used a towel as a pillow… yeah… anyway… that was fun.
Wednesday- All the same morning stuff from Tuesday. Learned First Aid. Have a session while other group learns CPR. Blazed some trails. Helped build a bonfire. Had lunch. Had freetime. Played dominoes. Had dinner. Played Gestapo! It was so much fun! There were three buckets around the guys cabin- Our team, the other team, and the gestapos bucket. We were supposed to sneak through the dark carrying one popsicle stick at a time, and get it in our team’s bucket without either Kora or Patrick shining a spotlight on us and calling us out. I did pretty badly. But our team won! It was so exhilerating and tiring. So I. Slept.
Thursday- Busy day. Morning stuff. Got to play a mandolin!!! Learned CPR and other stuff. Finished that up. Had lunch. Free time. Played Kickball. Made an awesome kick in which I kicked the dirt under the ball, raising dust everywhere, and yet actually making an ok kick, and then running and flying into the dirt trying to dodge the undodgable ball. (wow, that was really bad grammar!). Then we played Flag Football. I made another great play. I caught the ball and held it over my head, and brought my hands down,balancing the ball on top of Old Smokey (my head) and then letting it roll down my back, and unfortunately, not catching it. Whew! Ate dinner. Played Ultimate Frisbee. It was great! Then, the best thing ever- We chose Counselor Nicknames. Here are just a few of the great ones. Interdigitation. Nanny Fran. Camp Mom. Feliz Navidad. Manana. McAwesome. Buddy Holly. Wambi. Insomniac. Littlefoot. G.I. Popsicle.
Friday- Packed up. Morning stuff. Got to Breakfast late. Devo. Session on Abuse…
man, it’s just so sad we live in this sad world, where kids are abused emotionally, verbally, physically, and sexually. It messes kids up! How could somebody do something like that! It’s revolting and terrible!!! We also live in a world where kids will make up abuse stories to get attention. Where we, as guy counselors, can’t show kindness and friendliness to girls that don’t have dads and just want someone as a friend. Where we can’t have one on one talks with kids because we could be accused of terrible things and wouldn’t have anyone to back us up. Where people actually come to camp and abuse little kids. God’s children. How could someone do that?
(stepping off soap box)
(ending my ranting and raving)
(taking deep slow breaths)
Sorry, but I really take that seriously. I love working with kids and might even be a children’s pastor someday. Whatever God has up His sleeves. (but do His shirts even have sleeves??? ohh….. now I got you thinking, huh?)
anyway, then I joined with other Junior Counselors that just arrived (I could have come later in the week, but I’m supposed to take the SAT on Saturday, so I just came earlier and left earlier). We played Ice breaker games. Saw people I knew. Started a tour. Then my mom arrived. Then we heard about the storm with 80 mile winds. Ended up leaving anyway. Was going to go to KSBJ concert, but was so tired, just went home. Slept. And Slept. Watched “In Good Company“. Gave it 4 out of 5 thumbs up. Wrote on my xanga. Clicked submit. Read other people’s xangas. Slept. (I’m just guessing about those last three, because they have yet to happen) (Alright, Now I’m done)
talk to y’all later
Evan (or as my Counselor Nickname, which I have had since I was a CIT even though I wasn’t really supposed to have nickname then but I am now so here it is) –
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