Term 1, 2016, Camp Barnabas

I've been home from camp since Friday night, and am still recovering from the lack of sleep. As you all know, I cherish my sleep time. I enjoy sleep in a precious sort of way, and out at camp it's not exactly a priority. So, in the midst of rest, church, and a Barnabas Reunion, I have pondered this past week. *grin* I was at Camp, and loved every moment of it. Truly. *grin*

It doesn't matter how many times a person has been to camp, you can't expect each week to be the same as the one before. God doesn't work like that. Every week is different, even with the same campers. I was blessed to have one returning camper, and the rest were new. *grin* How cool is that?

I'm going to give snippets. Long stories, well, just not in the mood to write them at the moment. *grin*

Ashley, my returning camper, is non-verbal and taught me so much without saying a word. *grin*

God used my voice to speak into a camper's life who lost her Dad. Her response: "You're the best Mommy ever!" Well, I grinned and said, "next to your Mom, maybe." *giggle*

Music continues to make me smile. Take a group of girls, add music, and there's a connection that equals tons of fun.

I worked in the Kitchen for breakfast for each of the full days of camp. Stop laughing! *grin* I did it! I'm not a gourmet chef, and still don't want to be, but I did it even though I was nervous about it. *grin* It was God for sure, but I did it. For some reason, that meant tons to me. Seriously.

Our missionaries did an extraordinary job with their campers. I'll be honest, I could have done one more week with them, and that's saying a lot because I've never said that about a cabin before. *grin*

Ashley fed me during several meals. The cool part is that at camp, that isn't weird. I loved it, just because it made Ashley happy. *grin*

I prayed with each camper before bed. I mean, that's what Moms do, right? *grin* I love serving as a Cabin Mom. Seriously. *grin*

Kitchen duty gave me time to get to know adults that I don't normally talk with, and I did enjoy that. I'm going back Term 7, and will get to do it again. *grin*

The last night of camp, we did an encouragement circle during family time. The Lord used me to speak into some lives, but then they spoke into mine. I learned that what I say resonates with people more than I previously thought. I also learned that being who God made me to be goes deeper than I ever thought. Some of the things I was told I won't ever forget. I was loved well in that circle, and hope the girls felt the same from me.

On Camper Arrival Day, I spent about ten minutes listening to a parent of a camper share her heart. Barnabas is definitely a blessing to the parents as much as the campers. I am praying for that parent daily, as God chose that parent for an unusual journey this side of Heaven. She's doing a great job, too. Again, you parents put SO MUCH on yourselves. Truly. You're doing better than you think. ;-)

I slept in Once Upon a Time (OUT) for the first time. It's a cabin just like the campers, but, doesn't have any campers. It has young adults, staffers, and cabin Mom's last week. There were two of us Cabin Parents, and it worked fine. I am usually under the dining hall, so being out in O.U.T. stretched me a little. I missed being in a room full of cabin parents, but, I was only there to sleep so it was okay.

Oh, and I learned that I can sleep with a smoke alarm beeping every forty seconds. I wish I was kidding there, but I am not. However, when I'm tired, I can sleep through anything. *grin* I learned I can even sleep through a beep every forty seconds. Just not so sure I should be proud of that. *giggle*

I was reminded a couple times that what is easy isn't always what is right. I had a few situations that weren't easy, but we did what was right instead of taking the easy way out. I was so proud of the girls for taking my words and walking out situations when I asked them to do what was right, not what was easy. I truly felt like a proud Mom, as well as a proud person because we didn't do the minimum required, we did what was right. Those moments will stick with me for years to come.

Jay and I had a great reunion when I got home. I miss him when I'm there, even though that's a home away from home. He stayed with some friends, but was thrilled to see me!

I go back Term 7. I don't know if I'll have more Term 1 posts, but I do know that it was a week I will never forget. Truly. *grin*

Tonight we kick off VBS! Can we possibly slow down Summer? This is going by fast!!!

LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME.