What Makes Camp Good
Next week you will be packing your bags and making your plans to pick up your camper (Main Camp closes on Thursday… YIKES!). The camp rollercoaster is approaching the fastest, most exciting, most wonderful part and then it is done. We leave and wonder: Why do I like camp so much?
I think it’s simply because camp is good. It is that kind of good that arises naturally when “brothers live together in harmony”. It is the good that is experienced when watching the sunset over a glistening lake. It is the good that is felt when we care about another person’s life. It is the good that is a part of being human. We yearn for good in our lives, we find it at camp… your girls love camp yet they might have a hard time articulating this love to you next week. This, at least, is my take on a key to understanding.
Today presents dozens of reasons to appreciate camp, just stand on the pagent court lawn and look around. The sky is perfectly blue… that color of blue that is softened by a nice 70% humidity level (Carolina Blue… Gotta love it!). The breeze is blowing… a steady 5 mph breeze that we hear in the trees and feel on our faces as we walk to class. The sun is shining and in every corner there are groups of girls doing the things you do at camp (playing, running, talking, reading)… this is just an awesome place, but the reason it all works is that “sweet, sweet spirit/ the Spirit of the Lord” who is quite obviously with these girls.
The devotion today was wonderful (don’t look for it, we had technical difficulties and were not able to record it for the website). Matt pointed out that when we are given grace, our hearts grow sweeter and we are drawn to good life choices rather than bad. Like the Grinch whose heart was changed by little Cindy Loo Hoo, we find ourselves treating others with love because we have been loved. This theological truth is lived out in real life at camp every day… ESPECIALLY at Main Camp.
Main Campers are old enough, are here long enough, and work hard enough to “get it”. No other session gets close to this level of spiritual sophistication within the camper community. It is why Main Camp is so special.
Even as I write this I get a tinge of sadness, for Main Camp is not meant to last. Camp is a candle lit for a brief moment, held up high, then extinguished. The value lies both internally and externally. We feel the effects of a stronger more resiliant character and are inspired by the new friendships that will often last a lifetime. It would be nice if this bubble never burst… but that is not how it works (at least on earth).
So we are enjoying this last phase of camp with joy in the moment and anticipation of the end. It is happy and it is sad at the same time. The girls appreciate this mix of emotions and see the underlying truth behind them. Thank you for allowing this experience, for supporting our camp. We are deeply grateful.
Last nights EP was fantastic. I won’t go on and on about each group’s experience (have already gotten carried away and am getting too long) but know that your girls had a blast. As I said, it was the last of the “crazy” EP’s where we engage the entire camp for an EP that has about a dozen facets. From now on we do traditional “slam dunk” whole camp EP’s. Tonight is Counselor Talent (OK, not a slam dunk show but it certainly is a slam dunk favorite of the campers).
- Breakfast: Chiped Beef on toast
- Lunch: Pesto Chicken
- Dinner: Mexican Night
Have a Great Day!
