Just like all mornings at camp woke up at 6:45 am to unique music . The 6:45 am wake up call while early for most is refreshing for me because when I was on staff in 2019 the typically wake-up call could be as early as 5 am. Breakfast was the same as usual. Not five-star worthy, but it definitely did the job and was made with care.
After a breakfast we learned about the focus for our day, which was gratitude. In a short video clip from a “on the street” interview the word gratitude was defined for us by a seven-year-old to be “a dog”. I don’t know if that is exactly the definition that I would use; however, it was interesting to start the morning hearing about how other people would define gratitude. With that in mind we were asked to think of something(s) that we have not yet thanked God for, but that we should. Think about that for a second. It is a tough question because there are so many things that we take for granted that God does for us. So, I encourage you to think about that and consider what God has done for you that may have gone without thanks.
After a reflective morning at program, we loaded up and got ready for the second to last day of camp. I get to go to my work site on to what is considered, by my crew, to be a mini party bus. It qualifies as a party bus because of the blue mood lighting and a broken TV. The goal for the day today was to finish up painting a two-story house and trim. We had a majority of the house painted, but needed to do a lot of touch up on the trim. That was a fun game of touching up the black paint and then touching up the white paint then the black then the white. Oh yes I forgot to mention there was an excessive amount of black trim on this house. It was a never-ending game …. not the most fun for a perfectionist. We left our site with a good amount of work done, but still more to do tomorrow, so we will get to return for one more day of work.
When we got back to the school it was time for a quick rest before adult shower time. You never really appreciate your ability to shower on demand until their defined shower times. Many of the youth group members spent the time before dinner writing care cards. AKA notes with words of positive affirmation for individuals in your crew and youth. Dinner tonight was chicken strips and mac’n cheese, not a personal favorite; however, it doesn’t take much to make a hungry camper happy. After dinner it will be time for program and tonight typically tends to be the reflective day of the week. Veteran campers have unofficially, officially called this night “cry night” that being said it is a time that is dedicated to personal reflection.
The guide for the reflection initiated today is a reading from Colossians 2:6-7. As the week comes to a close it is fun to look back and see how God has worked through us this week and how we can continue to show him/her the gratitude he/she deserves.
Sending smiles and blessings from Sheboygan, WI.
Ella Coyle
PS. Wasp Proof Shed Photo from CindyMae
