Mission Messenger #1

I was thinking that we really needed to update this blog for you, but I didn't know what to say or how to find time to write it up.  And then I remembered that we have these articles that we wrote for the Mission Messenger, and all I have to do is copy & paste.  : D
Wish you could all be here!

During my first week of camp this summer I had a “bad” cabin.  It wasn’t that any one boy was particularly obnoxious, just that the four of the boys were best buds and were quick to build off each others’ disruptiveness whenever possible.  I had a long week of hard work keeping the boys in line and saw very little spiritual fruit. 

The second week rolled around and I received a cabin of boys unarmingly similar to the cabin I had the week before!  So when Jeremy (the leader from the next cabin over) thanked God for his quiet, calm and respectful cabin at Monday morning’s staff meeting – I felt jipped!

One of my campers that week was particularly trying – not because of behaviour; indeed he was one of the best behaved campers I’ve had!  But could he ever talk!  It was a challenge that week to be grateful when my break times were taken up talking with - or rather, listening to - Keenan.  I mean, one-on-one conversations are the heartbeat of camp, but this was just too much! 

I tried to be grateful that I had so much opportunity to share about God with a kid who came to camp knowing virtually nothing about God or the Bible – but it was hard.  Usually it is so easy to be thankful when a camper is clearly interested in the things of God – but did it have to be Keenan?  To top it all off, interest was as far as it seemed to go with him.  On Friday, as we discussed the plan of salvation, he told me that he “just had to think about it.”  A whole week of listening to this kid ramble on and on and on, and he was going to “think about it”!  He left that night having heard the gospel, but having done nothing about it.

I wrote him off in my mind as one of those kids we’ll never know about who will probably go home and forget everything we told him.

During that week, I had received an encouragement note from a fellow staff member which included 1Cor. 15:58 “…Your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”  How true that verse showed itself the next day when we received an e-mail from Keenan telling us that he had watched the Jesus film we had sent home with him and “let Jesus into my heart” that night!

Praise God, His word will not return to him void!!

(Article by Ian)

Vandalism!

This is an old post which was supposed to be published several weeks ago, but we forgot about it. Enjoy!
We woke up this morning to the realization that our dining hall had been vandalized. The vandals have cut water lines, tore trim off the windows, put a steel plate in front of our window, and stole our range hood. They even stole the snackwatchers bench!
                                                                   Neil

New Update

New updates: staff training, kids one, and kids two.
         Staff training went fairly well. We started it off with a good game of orange fantastoball. Even though we had a good staff training, it was slightly terrifying. our oldest cabin leader so far is Nathanael at 21.
         Kids one was a good camp. We had NO lice and NO sickness, for an all time record in all of recorded history. We did see some spiritual fruit, but not a whole lot. We had Jeremiah back this year, and we nicknamed him roo, and tomato staked him with another staff member who we nicknamed kanga. we also had a eyore, rabbit, and piglet. Basically, it worked wonderfully.
         And lastly, drumroll, please, KIDS TWO. Kids two is currently happening. More info later.

                                                           Neil

CCC:5 - Paint, Canons, Radios....

The barge improvements continue! If all goes well, sea trials should commence tomorrow. :D The water systems are practically done, including the addition of a water canon.

We painted handrails into the night yesterday, as the almost last step. :)



On Friday we got 10 people certified for VHF. This is good.

And of course, the program planning, staff recruitment, rental groups, etc. go on. Our first two dedicated counselors arrive on Tuesday. Neither rain, nor poplar fluff, nor hail, other summer weather shall....oh whatever :P

With joy,

Ian

Fantail

Was going to write about some pontoon boat work from the last couple of days. Instead, we'll just show you guys in person in a few hours. =D
Pleasant journeys to y'all!

CCC:19

This week has been a raft of activity! Tuesday was the registration deadline for French Camp. We received enough registrations to run it, and spent Wednesday finding staff. Wednesday evening a work crew came out from the church which is renting the camp today to help put the dock in. Tried something new this year - we put the boat lifts on the rolling dock with the tractor, rolled them out, and then lifted them off. It was probably a good idea, but let me tell you: lifting boat lifts down from a height is more difficult (or at least, exciting :P)than picking them up off the ground! :) Most of Thursday went to dewinterizing the speedboat and installing the VHF antenna (which looks totally righteous, by the way ;). I mowed with Old Blue for the first time this year on Friday (she misses you too), and we did a bunch of other preparations for this week's rental group. Pictures to follow. Eventually. In His grace, Ian =)

Float prep!!!

Where are you Willow?
Never mind, I know where you are.  But why can't you be here helping us get ready for the parade?  O wait, I remember, because you have a life beyond camp.  Rats!... Or squirrells! ;P
We have our first rental group coming later this afternoon and we're not ready yet.  Mr. Nissly and Mr. Behm are here helping out, but we're still going a little bit crazy!

But, Willow dear, what we really want you for is to help us out with the float!  We're pulling the ski boat which is pulling two water skiers who are wearing roller blades.  Then there is also a go-kart and runners.  So we're trying to blow up all these blue and white balloons to make balloon streamers out of to look like water along the boat.  Plus blue and white tissue streamers for the van and balloon florets along the van and on the go-kart too.
We need creative juices to help us along the way.  Plus you, my dear, are a morning person and we, in general, are not.  We are going to be up very early tomorrow morning to get everything ready for the parade at 11, or is it 10?
Oh, and to boot we don't have enough people really to fill out the float properly.

Miss you,
Laurella

P.S. I'm not complaining, just keeping you up to date on what's going on at the camp! ;P  Ha!  Likely story - I know!
P.P.S.  But aren't I an entertaining liar?