Camp is in Session and the Container is Here

The container arrived. My cousin's son and his wife came to pick up quite a bit of it. They've just gotten married and were able to buy a house, but don't have any furnishings for it. They were also a big help in picking through the boxes. But even with their help, it's as big a mess as I thought it would be. WAY to much stuff for our house that is already pretty full of stuff. I think that was just beginning to really sink in with my husband when I made my exit to return to camp. I will totally think about all that on Friday...or maybe even Saturday or Sunday.


All the kids are having a great time at camp. I went to college with the parents of at least 6 of the kids here this week. Something about that makes me feel very old. That, and the fact that two of the counselors have called me Ms. Russ since I've been here. Ugggg.

It's taken me until the second night to get my groove on. I've been used to having at least one staff person to help with AV equipment and to help work out the music and to give feedback on the kids and where they are. But this week, everyone is stretched to the max, so one of the counselors has been great about setting up all the AV and the ones who help with the music are also great--but there's no time to really prepare. The lack of help and prep time and info on where I am supposed to be when was really irking me at the start, but then I realized that I just don't want to be that person. You know, the person who gets bent out of shape because things aren't going the way she had planned and/or hoped. So, I've moved to a much more roll-with-it kind of place.

The theme of camp is "Live the Word. Change the World". Trying to instill in the kids a sense of call and build their knowledge of the Bible. It is a challenge to come up with something to say at 9 o'clock at night to 70 kids who have been running hard all day long. You hope just a little bit is sinking in with at least some of them! I showed a clip from Spiderwick Chronicles tonight and while I was making my point afterward on of the kids interrupted with "That goblin looked just like Yoda". So maybe he's not the one I reached tonight.

Great bunch of counselors. Really impressive.

Almost Three Weeks Back

So we've been back for three weeks and are about to get settled in. Sort of.

Just a quick list of adjustments:

Driving on the right side of the road and not walking to the passenger side when I get in to drive
The amount food prices have risen since we've been gone
The number of obese people I see every day
Not hearing people speaking anything but English.
Having to drive everywhere

It's been great to see friends, and I still haven't caught up with everyone. I don't have a job yet and don't know when I will.

I'm trying not to have a panic when I think about the container (that contains all of our stuff from England) arriving and so far have been staving off any attacks. The container arrives on Monday and Maddie and I will be out at Camp Ferncliff that whole week where Maddie will be a camper and I will be the camp chaplain.

I have been such a pain since we have been back trying to convince Skip and Maddie to go through things and get rid of stuff before this container comes. I've just given up. They don't believe me or they just want to live in denial--I'm not sure which. So now we'll see what happens. Skip and I have identical closets here in the US. His is almost full and mine is over half empty. He also has more clothes coming in on that container than I do. But he is not concerned.

On Monday, I'll do the morning opening time with the kids and then come home to help (Skip is taking off work) and then have to be back out a camp for supper and vespers. Everything else can just wait until we get home.

We watched Akeelah and the Bee with Maddie today. What a great movie. And lots of good lessons for Maddie.

*sometimes people have had so many bad things happen to them that they can't see it when something good is happening
*some kids have parents who don't care and some have parents who push too much
*super supportive people are much more fun to be around than super competitive people
*community is a key and perseverance pays

There was a great quote in the movie that I think I need to print out and tape to my mirror.

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

~Nelson Mandela