Beginnings and Endings

This is much delayed, and I apologize for that.

As soon as camp ends, it seems, real life begins. I slept, got the chance to visit some friends in the city, and am finally settling into life at Kingston for the final year of undergraduate degree.

I have also had time to reflect on the summer.

Let's see, what were my goals again?

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    Remove the kayak dock (it's a hazard!)

Yes! Completed, even before I got to camp. This definately resulted in less injuries via that hazardous lump of wood.

·      Give instructors feedback once a week

o   Friday lunch?

o   allows for growth in instructors and hopefully stimulates desire to continue to work on the Waterfront / less intimidated by Waterfront staff

I suppose. I was much more conscious this year about constantly checking in with the staff that worked with me. I did give verbal feedback for a while but as the summer continued was often too overwhelmed to actually make any notes over the week. Also not a lot of importance was given to this by my own supervisor, made it hard for me to make it a priority. But I do think I was more in tune with my instructors this year, making it less intimidating to work with me/at the Waterfront.
 

·      Create and completely integrate some faith-based component into curriculum

o   praying before each class!

o   verse for all boating students to memorize?

prize? candy? small boat (paper boat?)

·      New Beginner Boating ideas!

o   Design a new treasure hunt

I did my best to reinforce the praying-before-boating rule which most instructors did, to my joy. Everything else... not quite. I suppose the role is just so busy as it was it was unrealistic for me to think I would have been able to squeeze more in.

Double check all boating curriculum

Yes! All the current exisiting curriculum is to my satisfaction. Except for Sailing 2... because it doesn't exist. But that's a battle for another day.
  

·      Clearly label lifejacket hut so they can be put away properly by anyone

Eh. No. Another year of me constantly reorganizing lifejackets. Didn't bother me that much this year though.
 

·      Find a way to encourage staff members to learn how to sail

o    do Sailing101 Workshop during pre-camp?

Yes! This happened, although I'm not really sure I saw it's benefits. Mostly because staff had to choose between activity/inclusion training, which I've always thought is unfair. This still needs work.

·      Remove those  roots that I'm always tripping on in the boating area

Negative. But I tripped less this year! Maybe I was just used to it.
 

·      Be able to lift two kayaks at the same time by end of summer

Ha! What was I thinking?! I can lift one and I am happy with that.

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At the end of the summer, I was happy it was over. It was exhausting, as camp always is, but it was rewarding. And I thankful for being part of such a delightful and joyful community. I will miss it dearly this year, I imagine. I am grateful for everything I learned this summer.

And thank you! For reading, for your prayers, support. It meant the world to me, it honestly did.

Session 8: The Ending, Almost

My apologies for not writing for a couple weeks. As usually, time got away from me at camp. You blink and then a week has gone by, you breathe and then two have passed.

My room is a mess, currently being packed for the drive back home. Our little home for the past nine weeks is being pulled apart and reset for its next inhabitants. Hopefully they will love it just as much as we did.

- - -

There's only a few days left. It is being filled with packing, paperwork, and goodbyes.

I have been focusing this week on celebrating the little moments at Adventure Camp, as I am realizing more and more that this is probably going to be my last summer working here. I have one final year left of school, and then I graduate, so beyond that is unknown. It feels strange being at peace with this, where in past years I knew without a doubt that I was coming back.

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Weather report: it's been cold, and a bit rainy (last week was unspeakably cold- at one point I was wearing leggings, pants, a wool long sleeve shirt, a sweater, my toque, and gloves). This week it was supposed to thunder every day but thus far has not... Which is a nice way to end the summer, with surprisingly beautiful weather.

- - -

I'm too tired to think of much else, but I will I do a final post about how I feel I completed my goals and a final reflection from the summer.

I appreciate your prayers so, so much.

Session 5/6: Thoughts

This past week has flown by. It was crazy, but not insanely crazy, just normal crazy.

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We have a lot of emergency procedures at camp, and it's always both unsettling and reassuring when we have to use them for real. Last Monday, during our emergency drill practice, a staff member passed out. She's fine now, but suddenly realizing the we were calling an ambulance for real was difficult. But also, as I said, reassuring, because everything worked like clockwork.

That 20 minute wait for the ambulance felt like forever.

And then, the next evening, basically the exact same thing happened at Boy's Camp.

There's a plethora of head-related injuries happening this summer, which is strange. We were discussing this at the Waterfront meeting and have decided to be praying against it. If you could join us in this that would be fantastic.

- - -

I'm tired. I feel it my bones now.

Regardless of the hours I sleep or cups of tea I consume, I just have reached that weariness that comes with seven weeks at camp. I struggle to rise in the morning and my muscles just stop working occasionally. It's impossible to shake, but as this is my fifth summer at camp, it is almost a welcoming weight on my shoulders, a marking of the passage of serving.

It also brings the realization that there is only three weeks left. I have no idea how we've reached this point already.

- - -

I think this is my last summer at camp. I've been praying for a sign that I'm meant to come back next summer, something that I think I will pray for as school begins and I begin applying for things after I finish my undergrad. If you could join me in prayer that if this meant to be my last summer, I just finish with a sense of closure and well-being.

I love it here so much, it hurts to think about not coming back.

- - -

Next week is going to be exhausting. We have a full camp and are stretched thin on staff. It's going to be our craziest week yet I think. I'm hoping I just find the energy and joy that comes not of myself but of God.

- - -

It's sunny and beautiful. This is a gorgeous place, and I have just recently felt called in my heart to celebrate how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful country.

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That was a lot of random thoughts, but that is how my brain is right now.

Session 4: Sunsets and Sunfish

I can hardly believe that it is Thursday of Session 4 already. We are on our fullest session yet, with approximately 150 campers, basically a full camp. We are blessed with enough staff, including 19 wonderful Leaders-In-Training, but that doesn't mean we aren't insanely busy, all the time.

- - -

It, thankfully, hasn't rained too much since Sunday, when it poured buckets during dinner. The only other substantial rain was on Tuesday night, when it had been very humid during the day and then the temperature dropped significantly during the evening. I was in my room, as it was my day off and my only goals for the day were to stand as little as possible and get some reading done. My friend Jon ran by and told me to get down to the Waterfront.

This is what I saw.










The sky was glowing an impossible orange over the still water, and to the left, lightening was forking over thick blue clouds. There was a radio call made that whoever was around should get to the Waterfront to appreciate it. I stood there in awe, and then as the first drops of rain started falling, I ran back to my cabin.

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In other weather related news (I realize I talk about the weather a lot, but it is one of my primary concerns when working on the Waterfront I've realized), yesterday was very, very windy. Windy days are tricky because classes can still run, but it is often difficult for small children to swim in large waves and boating classes get shoved into the shores. This often just makes for me feeling generally on edge.

I have a sailing instructor who is a very confident sailor, and he was the only one pumped for the wind. Now, at Adventure Camp we have these two little sailboats called Sunfish (pictured above), beautifully simple little things, basically built for one person, but they work well for our campers. Sometimes Boy's and Girl's Camp teases us because they aren't 'real' sailboats, but yesterday made me incredibly proud.

We towed our first sailing class out into the middle of the lake, and I could soon hear our sailing instructor whooping with joy. They were flying across the lake like I've never seen before. They were in amongst the Boy's Camp sailboats, many of whom were being towed back in because they couldn't handle the wind.

So the sailing instructor wouldn't have to come back and then go back out for the second class, we brought the campers back in on the motor boat. One of the them said to me, "That was the best experience of my life!!! But I never want to do it again." Followed by, "God was definitely with us, because we nearly tipped like 10 times but we didn't!" I had to smile at that.

- - -

Praise God for the fact that we haven't had to use our emergency procedures this summer, that we have mostly avoided sickness among our staff and campers, that it is sunny and gorgeous outside my window, that I find myself in a wonderfully supportive community.

Pray for energy for myself and whole staff team, as we reach the mid-way point, focus for myself on my purpose for being at camp, and for me to find time to spend time with God.

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And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39