The second half of the summer continued to go quite well. I had my ups and my downs, lots of compromises and apologizing with my co-director, but some really great devotions and moments with the campers.
High school week was intense with 150 people in camp because of project leaders as well as all of the reading camp staff. The only way I can describe following my schedule of trying to run two camps at once is this: violent. It was rough. But I got to connect with some of my favorite campers, share some good times in dance parties, regattas, or in deep conversation about how the follow God's calling to change our world. Two guys came up and wanted to specifically let me know that I had made a difference in their lives and had been a good influence... it was really encouraging to have them tell me that.
The next week was our largest number of campers since 1960something and we brought down lots of staff from Lake Luther who were an enormous help. We dealt with a good bit of messy prankage, theft and vandalism this week which was a huge downer, but it was still a good week over all.
Performing Arts week went swimmingly with Uncle Bob leading the musical and Luke leading the guitar camp. Brittany left early for a conference and I unexpectedly tried to rework schedules when I found out that we didn't have enough staff for our campers next week and I though I'd have to be counseling. Things shaped up over the weekend at Lake Luther Fest and we got another guy to cover for us, but then he got sick and we all pitched in to help cover for him. We had our first real lost camper when outpost was interrupted by a thunderstorm. Three boys had decided to wander off, didn't come back to camp and so I headed out with our maintenance man and general duty person into the woods during a thunderstorm at 1 AM to look for lost kids. We found them quickly and I lectured them the entire hike back to camp and got to discuss things with the parents for some time the next day. They shaped up really well for the rest of the week though and gave us no more trouble.
The last weekend was Family Weekend which I traditionally dread but it was somehow actually nice and almost fun (because the Graves, Kati, and other former staffers came to hang out with us). Our final week was with 16 of the most well behave 1st-3rd graders I have ever seen and it was a fantastic way to end out an eventful summer.
It's terribly sad to pick up and leave again... I feel like that phrase is blogged by my far too often but that's because it happens far too often. This is different though. It's not like I'm leaving school then I'll be back next year or that's the end of one summer at camp, can't wait to see how next year works out. This is the end. I'm not doing camp anymore after this. But it's been all I know as far as summers go since I graduated high school- literally since four days after I received my diploma I have worked at Lutheran Hills and loved it intensely. It was very hard to leave today, but strangely I didn't cry. This in fact was the first summer I've had working there that I never had an emotional breakdown. Something was very different about this summer: it went so much faster, I never felt beat, but it was just as or even harder than my previous years. The only thing that remains constant is the love and relationships: the joy you get from the pure friendship of the kids, the intense esprit de corps of the staff but most of all bathing in the everlasting love of our Lord and making it literally your job to revel in that and ask others to join you. There are countless kids that I may never see again but will think about often and really miss. My fellow staff from all the years are so wonderful and important to me and I really cherish my time spent at camp.
But for now, it's time to move on and switch gears to getting back to TU- something I haven't really done since January ;-)
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