Joy is Palpable
Today is the day we have been looking forward to for months—the day we get to meet the campers! To start us off, by God’s grace, Noelle, Phoebe, and I had our first full night of sleep (the other nights have been disrupted and less than what one might consider a “regular” night of sleep). We had a full team meeting along with the Hands of Hope leaders. The group of young adult leaders we get to work with is delightful and super energetic. During our meeting, I shared my testimony. This is always a little uncomfortable, but I understand the significance of hearing people’s stories and I knew I had my team’s support. At this meeting, we also learned one of our teammates is not feeling well. We would appreciate your prayers for Nate – a quick recovery so he can be back on his feet soon.
In morning worship we sang “I’m following Jesus, Hey, Hey Hey!”
Doug and I are leading games. Today, we chose to play clothespin tag and a water game. The weather is a little cooler and the sun is hiding so it was suggested that we skip getting the kids wet. So we had a chance to practice our flexibility and ended up pivoting twice before deciding on a second game to play in our 30-minute timeframe. The campers were willing to play anything and had great sportsmanship, even when they were knocked out of the competition. Hopefully the weather will warm up later in the week - because we have a lot of water games planned!
It's Day One of camp and already I know that my favorite part of camp is the energy level and the noise level. I love that the kids sing with abandon and find any reason to dance, clap, and shout their team chant! The level of joy is palpable and contagious. And even more sweet when I know that their joy comes from the heart rather than from getting the newest toy, best bike, or latest technology.
I feel like I have to mention that we have been well fed including with the freshest vegetables – beautiful tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and something that is near and dear to my heart—seemingly endless MONSTROUS avocados! Avocados grow in abundance here! Who knew?!
