Term 5, 2018, Brand New, Camp Barnabas

Camp Barnabas is my home-away-from-home. For real. *grin* This past week was TONS of fun, and I loved every minute of it. I hope to record the highlights here so I don't forget them. The only bummer to have been going to Barnabas for so long is that all the weeks kinda run together. I think that's okay though, as I can scroll back in my posts and remember the highlights. So, that's what this post is meant to do. Honestly this is for me more than you, but, if you want to read on that blesses me. Either way, it was an AMAZING week. *grin*

I arrived to camp Saturday shortly after 4pm. I did my usual thing and skipped registration and went straight down to move my stuff in and put my food in the dining hall. So, I didn't check in to registration until almost 5. The FUNNY part was that I was a week early. I was supposed to go this coming week, not last week. *giggle* I seriously thought I had registered for 5, not 6. Anyway, they needed help so they said I could stay and sleep in the room I put my stuff in. *grin* I laughed. Ah well, at least I was early and not late. While I was initially embarrassed, it was short-lived. It was clear very quickly that I was meant to be there Term 5. Totally.

I should back up a step and mention that on Friday afternoon (Day before I went to camp) I got a call from a gal who works for the company I REALLY wanted to work for. I mean, REALLY, wanted to be hired by this company. So when she said she had a job that she thought I'd be good at and Monday at 9am was my interview time, I said yes. *grin* Yes, it meant three hour drive to camp, and three hours back Sunday night to interview Monday morning, and drive back to camp on Monday afternoon, but it was worth it to me. I had prayed specifically for God to open up a job for me at the company. God answered my prayer in a BIG way!

So, once we worked out what cabin I would be serving with and where I was sleeping, I was happy. I was also super happy that this week had a low camper count and we would only have four campers in our cabin. (We usually have 9) That meant that leaving camp would be a minor inconvenience instead of a big one. *grin*

It still amazes me how God takes a group of girls who don't know each other at all, and by the end of the week truly care for each other. Truly.

The first meal and evening are awkward, but we always work through it. I was blessed to have SO MANY people glad to have me back for another week. Everyone needs a place where they're wanted around that much. *grin* About every two years the staff changes, because it's made of college kids that go on to lead amazing lives outside of camp. *grin* At the same time, I love how new kids come in and love on campers, staff, and volunteers unconditionally. It's pretty special and kinda hard to describe unless you've been there. *grin*

I didn't recognize any of the campers from Camper Card night but they had changed around the terms, so this was all new to me. *grin*

All four of our campers were jewels. We had Riley, who was non-verbal and didn't think sleep was her idea of fun. (Funny, not funny) We had Zoe who is a card-shark and loves to play games. We had another Zoey that was visually impaired, but enjoyed card games too. She wasn't blind, but her sight was limited, so we often had to tell her what card was last played. From there, she could play a mean hand of Uno. I loved every minute with that girl. Truly. Finally, we had Shaylee. She was hard to understand (verbally) but as the week went on I could understand her more and more. She had a small doll, Haylee, that she carried everywhere. It was precious. Truly.

I served during camper arrival and met A LOT of the campers at that time. I enjoyed that. Next, I went to the cabin. I met the girls and enjoyed the initial meeting with the girls. On the way to dinner, I got in my car and left for KC.

I woke up Monday, went to the interview, and came home. I prayed quickly after the interview, regarding the interview and hit the road. On the way back, I got a phone call. The gal from the company wanted me to call her back (she couldn't hear me while I was driving) when I got to my destination. I was about 1.5 hours away from camp, and I couldn't wait that long. *giggle*

I exited at Lamar and sat in the DQ parking lot and called her back. I was offered the job and tried to play it cool. She offered me the job and I said, "Yessssss!" then I was calm on the phone. Afterward, I texted those people who had been checking in on me and praying for me in the search. I proceeded to get a DQ treat and headed to camp in a VERY good mood. *grin*

It was HOT out when I got back, but that's Missouri in July. After taking my stuff to my room, I met my cabin mates at Shirt Making. I learned that Riley had been up all night and the girls were trading off who would be walking with her in the stroller. The other three girls were low-key and did great. Riley is not a fan of sleep, so all week the girls took turns staying up with her. She did sleep two nights, which was great.

All of our missionaries did their best, and I was blessed by them. Upon arriving back at camp, I was with them as much as possible, but I had to work dinner duty that night because I had traded since I wasn't there Monday morning for my breakfast shift. I felt like it was Tuesday before I truly jumped into the Cabin Mom role. *grin*

I enjoyed all of the activities, and the time in the dome just hanging out. The activities don't mean as much to me now as the relationships do. I believe that each conversation was what mattered most to me.

I remember early in the week, watching a staffer's kid being mean to his RA (kid-sitter), and I stopped to encourage both the kid and the RA. I realize that my nose went where some would say it shouldn't have, but, I encouraged that RA afterward and got to pray with her. It was precious.

Our barnstormers were memorable on all sorts of levels (all good) and I got to encourage them too. Barnstormers are 14 and 15 year olds that serve meals, clean bathrooms, and join their cabins for activities. Some weeks they're less active than others. However, ours were precious and I loved each of them.

Our missionaries (volunteers) were precious too. They worked hard, but also played hard too. We did a lot of Uno in the down times, and I wondered why I didn't take Uno out there before. *giggle* Each missionary was matched perfectly with their camper, and it was fun to watch the relationships come together.

Zoey called me "Mom" all week. I always smiled when she did that. On the last night another person turned to her and said, "You know she isn't your real Mom right?" She said she knew that, but it was fun to have a camp Mom. I smiled.

Another memory maker was the fact our toilets weren't working right in the cabin. Early in the week they stopped working and we saw people attempting to fix it from the very beginning. I didn't say anything to anyone high up because it was being fixed. Cross Carry Night one of the leaders came over to me and said he was talking to some of the cabin Moms, and asked them who the Cabin Mom was of G2 because that Cabin Mom hadn't complained to him yet. When he found out it was me, he said he should have known that. I laughed. He said, "You're appreciated more than you know." That will stick with me for years to come. God is still teaching me a lot through that one sentence and has made me ponder some things. I may or may not blog when I'm done unpacking what He has for me in this pondering. I will say that was one of the highlights of the week for me. I was blessed in that moment. *grin* Oh, and they did fix the toilets and the girls were great sports!

Adults sleep separately from the cabins, and sometimes campers and missionaries sleep in the conference rooms across from where the adults sleep. One morning at 5:45 a camper came into our room and turned on the main lights. Two of the cabin Moms got up to help, and then I got up when the mystery grew. In the end, the right people were found, but I said a prayer of thanks that the camper came in our room and not out the building. He was safe, and after that they took more measures to make sure the staffers and missionaries would know when he got up. I'm just glad everyone was safe. Truly.

Kitchen duty is always something I dread, but I try to do it with a smile. I am pretty upfront with whomever I serve with about my limited ditching experience and they give me easy jobs. While tired, it went the best time I've had in there. It's good to be stretched, and I was blessed in it.

Closing Day is always bittersweet. I am always exhausted at the end of the week and am ready to go home, but then again I know that I won't be with those precious people in that cabin again which makes me a tad sad. What I do treasure is how Closing Day is when people tell you how they feel. If only the real world could be as transparent as we are out at camp. I had one staffer tell me what an impact I've made on her life and how she will purposely route her path to me if she's walking nearby just because she knew I would encourage her. I smiled and was blessed by her. Totally.

I was able to say goodbye to someone who isn't returning to Barnabas, as God is leading her on. We had a chat I won't forget, and will miss her greatly. However, I know that God is leading her to somewhere special. I pray for her and her family daily.

I had two people walk up and say they were glad I was staying this next week. I said, "No I'm not" and both people were bummed. Really bummed. I smiled and said something like, "I'll be back next Summer, I promise!" *grin* I am loved REALLY well out there. *grin*

So, I've been home a while and Jay is wanting my attention so I will log out for now.

Thanks for reading my blog. You bless me more than you know.

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME!