First Four Weeks in Review

Oops, I realize now that my last post was a few days before summer camp even started.  I am way behind on keeping you all up to date on what's been going on at camp.  The summer has gone fast so far and in some strange way, I'd like it to slow down a bit.  Summer is draining, physically and emotionally, and takes everything out of you but I love the community and the energy and the love.  So, without any further ado, here is a quick review of my first 5 weeks of the summer.

Week 1 brought Annie back to us for a week to fill in for our blazer cabin.  It was so much fun to have her back in action as I've been trying to bring her back for years now so she could get her green jacket.  Sadly, I only had her for a week but trust me, I tried so hard to convince her to ditch her internship.  As is the case, week 1 brings lots of jitters and nervousness for both the counselors and myself.  I know my counselors were overwhelmed and wondering if they would remember everything.  Well, they didn't, but I didn't expect them to!  I honestly felt a little like I was going "through the motions" for the week and I wish I hadn't felt like that.  There was a lot of work and stress going into week 1 and Amie and I had been going hard core for about a month with no days off just to lead to this one moment.  We may have been working on activities up until the last minute but we always got them done before the campers got there, even if it was just minutes before.  ;-)  My first two trail rides of the season went well and the third got rained out due to the monsoon that hit us Wednesday evening.  It was still so wet Friday morning that I still didn't take Iowa out for their ride.  My class of five had a fun time and I found that I worked very well with Marrigje which was fun.  The magic school bus was an absolute hit with Abby and her bearded dragon and our horse costume for Friday night brought tons of laughs!  While I may not have been as into it as usual, week 1 was a success and we did it!

Week 2 took us to only two EQ cabins as we had 21 girls and 5 boys signed up.  Still a lot but not enough girls for 3 cabins.  Donica went to Iowa and Taylor swung to resident camp.  It's a tough transition but they did well and learned to go with the flow.  Taylor still got to come up for all three periods of horsemanship so she still got barn time which is good for the soul.  Marrigje and I only had three kids in our class and it was time for me to step out of the way and watch her work this week.  She did a great job with the jumping aspect of the class.  Taylor's birthday was also on Friday so Kylie and I conspired and she and Donica helped decorate her bunk and I made gluten free brownies.  We dressed her horse in a birthday hat and she got to ride him on the trail ride.  Success all the way around!  Closing campfire was in Kampen so no horse parade but still a horse costume made it's appearance.

Week 3 brought us back up to three EQ cabins and this time Jess and I were teaching the upper level english class.  This time Liz Demoss helped us out by filling in for our last counselor spot.  It was crazy and ridiculous and draining that week but I can't remember too much specifics.  I do remember that my class was very difficult.  We took on 7 kids but that wasn't the hard part.  The most difficult thing was having three different levels within that class with a kid who never should have been passed the earlier level.  We made do but it wasn't easy and the kids weren't always happy with the lesson.  We finished up pretty strong and made it.  It was country hoe down night and my barn assistants dressed up english style just to be funny.  The horse parade went out and was a little rough but we made it.  I was a bit stressed out by the end of the week and had to pick myself back off the ground Sunday and keep fighting through the funk until I was able to get passed it by Tuesday or Wednesday of the next week.  Glad that funk doesn't come often.










Week 4 is independence week!  My favorite horse parade of the summer where I carry my grandpa's flag in the horse parade and then up on stage for the playing of the anthem.  It's so cool because the anthem starts to play and then I'm coming up the side with the flag and I don't know what people are thinking when I ride behind the sign but all of a sudden I'm riding up on stage with the flag on a horse!  Then I take off at a canter when I leave the stage.  All very cool as they are chanting "USA USA USA!" Week 4 started off in a bit of a daze as I got myself sorted back out...."It's going to be okay"....that was my mantra.  I had a class all my own and they were pretty fun.  My barn assistants dressed up as the musketeers for the campfire and had a ton of fun.  Week 4 was pretty good.  Oh and Brooke came back and joined us for the week as a fill in counselor.  Yeah!

Four down, five to go.  

Quiet Before the Storm.....

After weeks of trainings, we are ready.  Barns are clean and organized, arenas have supplies stocked, obstacles and courses are set up......it's calm here right now.  Tomorrow will be an explosion of activity but for now, it's quiet.  I wish I could capture that.  I love those moments of quiet here at camp.  I love the kids and I love doing what I do....but it's those quiet moments that I cherish.  Tomorrow is the beginning.  It's been a crazy hectic time of training but the counselors are ready.

Here we go......Summer 2013!!!  Let the games begin!

A good counselor.....

Well, tomorrow is the end of staff training.  All the staff trainings that started in early May and continued with specialized training and, this week, resident training have all come down to tomorrow.  After tomorrow evening, the counselors will head out for 24 hours of sleep, peace, and quiet before week 1 begins Sunday.  They will be nervous, scared, anxious, excited, and unsure but they will do just fine.  As I told my girls today, hundreds have gone before you and been great and they had the same concerns you do.  I'd be more concerned if they weren't nervous and anxious.  This means that they care, that they want to do a good job.  Our weeks have been filled with some challenges, both in staffing and in trying to get prepared.  And I've been getting to know my group of counselors and while they are a bit "squirrelly" and unfocused at times, they are so much fun and they are honest and truthful and desire to do a great job.  And I had a counselor who experienced a "God moment" yesterday that shook her to the core and, while she's not "religious", she felt like God was saying, quietly, I'm here.  Wow!  Amazing!  Love it!!!

So I've been thinking alot about what goes into a great Tecumseh staff person.  There is so much that goes into making this a great experience for the campers that they don't realize all the hard work that goes into the magical experience.  The training our counselors go through and the dedication and sacrifice that it takes to love on kids for 9 weeks and give of yourself is extremely hard.  Yes, you "play" a lot but they are building up the generation to come.  They are teaching level 2 skills and showing kids that they matter and that they are LOVED.  There is so much learning that can take place on the rock wall, in the pool, sitting at the dinner table, or even while walking from one place to another.  There are God moments and learning moments every day, every where.  I told my girls yesterday that it was my job (and others) to fill their cup to the brim so that they could them pour themselves into the kids and their cups would be full so that they could go on and fill the cups of those around them.  We help the staff be the best they can be so that they can go out and help those kids be the best they can be.  

So what goes into a good staff person?

1.  Love-love those kids, love your fellow counselors, and love GOD!
2.  Openness-be open to new experiences, new ways of doing things and looking at life, open up to their fellow counselors and campers and allow them to see you, the real you.
3.  Faith-You can't get through the summer by yourself.  Only through God's strength and the wisdom He'll provide when you have no idea what to do or say to your campers will you make it.
4.  Flexibility-Rarely does anything at camp go according to plan.  I mean, you're dealing with kids, the outdoors/weather, and a million things could go wrong (or right) at any given moment.  Go with the flow!
5.  Giving-Give of yourself this summer and God will change you in unexpected ways.  He will take your effort and multiply it.  Nothing goes unnoticed and without an effect somewhere on someone.  Give completely of yourself and you will experience amazing!
6.  BE THIRD!- You can't do this job and think only of yourself and expect to get a great experience.  You've got to be thinking of others, your campers, your fellow staff members.  God is first, the other man is second only to Him, and I am third.

Now, you could not do any of those things and then not realize the full potential of this place to change you and shape you.  But put a little hard work into it, do those things, and YOU will be changed by a summer here at camp.  It's a real job.  It's a hard job.  But it's the most rewarding job there is.  You will make an impact on kids this summer.  They will go away knowing God more because they knew YOU.  Go out there and give it all you have and you will be rewarded with, well, everything.  I changed my summer as a counselor.  I gave it 110%.  I am better because of it, different and better.  Tomorrow is the cardboard testimony chapel.  I'll tell you what my cardboard will say.

"Before camp, I felt like I had to fit into the life I was expected to take."

"Because of camp, I found the freedom to be the person I was meant to be!"

I wouldn't change that for a million bucks!

People Challenges

Dear Lord,

Lately, there's been a lot of testing down here in the form of people.  I'm not sure why it seems to be incessant but You keep providing this testing in all different ways.  There was that one person who was so angry at me and cursed my name and character because I enforced the rules and protected who and what I needed to protect.  I didn't yell back at them.  I didn't curse at them.  I still got glares, rude gestures, and a sense of unrest anytime I passed them.  I didn't pay them any attention and tried to move on the best I could.  It wasn't hard to put this person out of my mind, but with You, I tried.

Then there were people who didn't show up when they said they were going to show up.  Doesn't seem like a big deal but when you make plans based on what someone's told you and when they told you, it starts to mess the plan up.  You learn that our plans are not your plans.  So you soldier on.  Keep working.  Doing what you can with the people you may or may not have show up.  Guess what, we're still ahead of schedule so Your plan must be working.  Still trying to trust.....

Then, when some people did show up, they created more work, more headache, than what would have happened if they hadn't ever shown up in the first place.  I wish you had never shown up in the first place.

As if it hasn't been rough enough lately, then someone quits on us two weeks before staff training.  Someone who we have planned on having for months, are in need of their skills and qualifications, and there is no one else that we had recruited who had those sets of skills.  Disappointed?  Greatly.  Mad?  Yeah at first.  I thought I'd talked enough into them that sticking to what you say you're going to do, to being loyal, to keeping a promise.  I didn't try to guilt them back as easy as that could have been, that would have brought them back for the wrong reasons.  I wanted them to want to come back, to realize what God could have in store for them, and to trust You.  It didn't work out like I wanted and while our plans haven't crumbled to the ground, it has certainly thrown a wrench into them.  It'll mean more work for me this summer but I just gotta deal I guess.

And even tonight I find out that someone is not going to show up at the start of their contract, but a full 36 hours afterwards.  Not a big deal you might think but when their first day is a huge day of trail rides and you've been expecting them, then it becomes a big deal.

So, God, I'm done.  It can stop.  I don't want to lose faith in people and I want to trust that they will do what they say they'll do, even though I know they are not perfect and never can be.  It's You I trust and have faith in but I'm tired.  I'm still working hard and expecting a fantastic summer.  It will be a good summer.  I know it will be.  Just help me get through this period of testing.  Thanks.  Amen.

Lord I Need You Video

Courage is.....

What is courage?  I read on sign just a few weeks ago at the Hoosier Horse Fair that courage is being scared to death....but saddling up anyways.  A great quote, one that will hang in the barn from now on.  Courage isn't being all tough and acting like nothing phases you.  What I learned this week was that courage is being scared to death.....but doing the right thing anyways, even at risk of personal harm or knowing that it's not going to end up well.  While I can't go into all that happened and let the internet world know about it, there was a situation this week where I had to confront someone to leave the premises, someone I knew would not take it well, but it had to be done for the good of all, for the good of camp.  The easy thing to do would have been to not confront, to look the other way, to avoid what I knew was going to be painful.  But I knew I couldn't and I knew I had to do what I didn't want to do.  And that's courage.  Once the appropriate people showed up and I was done talking to who I needed to talk to about it, then emotion took over.  I'll admit that a lot of emotion took over.  I realized how scared I'd been.  How scared I still was.  How much verbal abuse I'd taken and how threatening the person was and realized that this person knew exactly where I lived.  It took a long time to settle back down and I certainly did not feel like a courageous person at that point.  But everyone told me that I had done exactly what need to be done and I took solace in that fact.  I'm not boasting of what I did.  I don't think there's anything to be proud of.  I did what needed to be done and while it's not an experience I ever want to go through again, I'm glad to know that I have people in my life who will come and standby me.  As one told me afterwards, "You mess with one, you mess with all."  :-)  That's my family, my camp family.

When it Rains, it Pours

And I mean that quite literally.  Last week folks, that was a LOT of rain we received.  No where near the record 2008 flooding but it was a soggy week.  So here's a look at the rainfall around camp.  Most of these pictures were taken Thursday, mostly while it was still pouring down.

 I wish I had sound for these pictures!  Just the sound of the rain coming down and the creek rushing....it was noisy!

 Really?  It's never been across the road here.  This led towards the top of the lake and reached the road which poured into Ghost Creek.

 Wire walk at the pioneer settlement had a river rushing through it.

"Whirlpool" at the culvert at the lake

It was like there were three different water sources emptying into Ghost creek.  The road (above) was pouring water down from atop the lake hill, the lake itself, and then the Pathfinder trail for OE (earlier pic) was pouring in at the bottom.  That made Ghost Creek a raging creek.

 I liked seeing the progress of the log in the above picture to the following ones.  The day before, Amie and I had tried to move the log out of the lake (it was to the left of the fishing "dock"/concrete slap).  By 4ish, it was at the road, by 5ish it was on the road.

 Canoeing anyone?  Yep, the water got up to the boat house.  No worries, no canoes were not harmed.  They were locked in.

 I think that the log going parallel to the road was the only thing making it possible to drive across.  It acted like a dam in and of itself.

 That there is an uprooted tree chugging along down the river.

 This astounds me.  I have rarely seen it wet on the way to chapel.  There were about 3 different streams coming down from various points that led into one stream going into opening campfire.  It sounded like a rushing "river".

 Ghost Creek, a bit wider than normal.









I see you Gavin!  haha  Gavin is wondering if he can make the jump to the bridge.  He mostly made it.  ;-)

 Ghost creek up close and personal.  It was quite the sight to see.  It nearly dried up after last summer.  Not so much anymore!

 Kids cross here for their early morning trail ride.  The foot path across is gone.  And it's never been higher than a horses's mid cannon bone before ?  I wouldn't take a horse across now.  Too scary and if they slipped, we were headed to the river!

On our way back up, the rain stopped.  :-)













And then, just to remind us that rainy days aren't every day......

Weary Warrior, Down but not Out

I do apologize for the lack of posts.  I've had lots in my head, but the words haven't been flowing as of late so writing is difficult and my best posts are when the words flow, kind of like how Ghost Creek/River has been flowing lately.  ;-)  This post wasn't flowing.....Bear with me.

Ever have any of those times where you want to be left in a mood?  Not necessarily a bad mood, just a grrrr..... mood.  I know I'm in that mood when, I confess, I don't want to listen to my normal music.  I turn off the Christian radio station and find something that might fit my feelings a little more.  Not saying that the other music is bad (it's not at all) or that what I'm doing is wrong but I know that when I start to do that, my head may not be where it should.  I wanna be left alone to do whatever I want to do, frustrated because things aren't working out like they should, but still realizing that things are okay and not all that dramatic.  Things are not falling apart over here, although I think some people around me are falling apart.  Between the weather derailing plans at every turn and our mini-farm helper out indefinitely, things are starting to pile up a bit, but not too much yet.  Add to that, my best friend's been sick and in pain and when someone I care about hurts, I hurt too.  My "curse" is that I either care 100% or not at all.  I can't always find that middle ground very well.  And when someone I care about hurts, I tend to pour that onto myself and then when there's nothing I can do to help relieve the suffering and pain that they may be experiencing, physically or emotionally, then I have feelings of helplessness.  I know it's not helpless, but I want to take on their burden, to help them as much as possible.  That's the time to turn it over to God.  Although, one should always turn  it over right away to God but there's something to be said to those who wait around doing nothing while waiting for God to do it.  Anyways, in all these circumstances, there's nothing to be done because all of it is out of my control.  Therefore, there is no panic, no frustration, but that doesn't mean there can't be a "mood"!  :-)  And I like to be the "hero/warrior", taking on everything and everyone and being strong for all those around me.  It's something I put on myself and I don't necessarily have to but I want to.  

The "funny" thing is that there are so many things that have happened that are trying to pull me out of my mood and while I haven't been pulled out completely, things are fine.  They really are.  I think I'm just ready for sunshine and warm temperatures!

God's Moments:

A random guy at the south side Rural King (and he's from Delphi) asks me if he could donate 600 bales of hay to camp.  Um, yeah!  Do you know how much we have left?  (Next to nothing)  

Some things we've been trying to sell for camp look like they are going to sell quickly.

Lining up staff and workers....check.


So even though there are rainy days and days where things flood over the road instead of through the culvert and days that you just don't want the sun to come out because you want any excuse to go home and curl up on the couch with a cold drink and good movie, just remember that there will be a sunset, possibly a full moon out while you're out running at 9 pm, and then a good sleep which will remedy all.  Good night all.  ;-)