June 2, 2026

We had a good start yesterday. A Very Good Start.

In the Bible, when something is called “good,” it is considered to be the highest compliment. In the creation story, after each day God looked at what he did and declared It Is Good. In Mark, Jesus is approached by a wealthy young man who addresses him as “Good Teacher,” and Jesus replies Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. So when I say we had a good start, your jaw should drop! It was an amazing start, and it will provide a solid foundation for an amazing camp.

The head staff pays a lot of attention to how many little things are interacting with camp life… we know what to watch with a careful eye, how to determine what is going on in camp:

The Staff (Do they show interest and delight in their work? Are they “doing” things correctly? Are they focused on the campers?)
The campers (Are they talking to each other? Do they smile a lot? Do they participate or hang back? Are they singing in the dining hall? Are they dancing? Are they playing games on their own and with their cabin?)
The parents (Are they reading the Blog? Do they write encouraging emails? Do they “get” camp?)
The Dining Hall (Do the tables have lively conversation? Are the girls eating ravenously? Do they cheer for dessert? Do they sing the songs loudly and catch on to the hand movements quickly? Is the counselor the most enthusiastic person at the table?)
The program (Did they sign up for a wide range of classes? Are the classes engaging from the first minute to the last? Are real skills taught on the first day? Are the counselors prepared, professional, fun, safe, passionate, funny, and intensely focused on the campers?)
The facilities (Is every area clean, in good repair, stocked, safe, and efficient?)

There is more to it than that… but all those things are on our minds as we enjoy our first moments with a new group of campers. Our director team has a combined 300+ years of camp experience, and we pick up on a lot of little things. Each thing is sorted into “good” or “look into that” categories as we multitask our way through the day. We have a lot of time to observe the community (our day begins with an hour-long meeting before breakfast and ends when every camper is settled after taps), and we are in constant evaluation mode. There are always a lot of good, and there are a lot of “look into” situations… we embrace them all.

This session is surprisingly, consistently, across the board good. All of the areas are clicking. The high energy connection will naturally burn down to the warm glowing embers of a more nuanced camp community (my favorite part of camp). We think that the bright flames of this group will lead to the session we prayed for. A good camp.

We are so glad your girls are here. They are getting the very best camp experience we can provide and are part of something special. Pray that God will continue the good work that He has started here and that He would be glorified in every way.

A few details of the day:

Weather: High of 65 degrees, cloudy, 20% chance of rain. It rained at 10:00 for about fifteen minutes, then stopped. Rain seldom impacts the program; everything goes on as normal, and the girls love it.
Breakfast: Fried ham and apples, fresh biscuits, fruit, cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs. I saw a table with no spoons… for some reason, their caddy did not have spoons, but the girls chose to eat with just forks. Yes, they ate cereal with forks! One girl had a serving bowl of Rice Krispies and was slowly working her way through it with a fork. A first for me!
Breakfast Club: Start the day by jumping out of bed and clapping your hands, and shouting, “It’s a GREAT day, and I feel terrific!” Three girls in the entire camp did it at reveille this morning; that number will grow!
Joke A puppy eats a firefly and smiles with Delight! (d light). Silence, then a pretty big laugh. Another one… what kind of dog meditates? A werewolf… (A Ware Wolf)… silence and a medium laugh.
Lunch: BLT’s… fresh bread, warm from the oven, puts this meal over the top! Huge salad bar at every meal, BTW.
Dinner: Poppyseed Chicken
EP: Lip Synchs for the younger half of camp.