Great Week at Camp

Camp is over and I am back home. Last week is one I will always remember. I had the best time and God did so much in my life. I met some awesome people that I hope to always keep in touch with. God also taught me a lot as well. Oh, I miss that place! I hated saying goodbye...

I don't know where to start!! Boy did I fill my journals up...

I awoke each morning at 5:50 a.m. and started working in the kitchen at 7. I set the tables, helped prepare the food, served the food and helped clean up. Serving the food was my favorite part. Three times a day I served the campers and staff. So, three times a day I was able to see everyone's faces and get to know some of their name's because of their name tags. So, even though I wasn't a counsellor and was in the kitchen a majority of the time, I still got to know some of the campers. I love all the kids that came. They all were precious!!

I know I would have been really lonely stuck in the kitchen all day if Carolina and Jonathan weren't working in there as well. Carolina works for Mrs. Gail, and Jonathan mostly does jobs outside but helped serve and clean up. I got to know them both by working with them and they are both just grand!! I also met some great girls in my room, both counsellors and campers.

Between breakfast and lunch Mrs. Gail gave me about an hour and thirty minute break where I usually went back to my room and read my Bible and journaled a bit most of the time (I am addicted to journaling.)

After lunch I helped in the snack shack, which I really enjoyed. The snack shack is a little building full of snacks, candies and drinks where I helped Carolina work the "cash registers." (I put that in quotations because there were no cash registers but we worked with the money.) The little thing quickly filled up with campers ready to purchase something. I enjoyed it...

Between that and dinner and after dinner I was free to do whatever. I enjoyed doing different things: watched the kids fish, tried my hand at some archery, went canoeing with Carolina (that was fun), took a walk, danced with Austen (to praise music), talked to the kids, watched any special activities, slipped into chapel (I was only able to do that once, but the message really spoke to me), took a nap, journaled, took a little swim in the lake, and I even had the privilege to go to Carolina's house one day (I love that girl!).

Wednesday we had a shaving cream war. That was sooo much fun!!! Ahh, I loved it. Austen was helping Jonathan and I in the kitchen that afternoon and we were rushing furiously to get it clean so we could participate in time. Thankfully we did. Jonathan (great guy and great friend) got us there fast by driving us down to the field in the golf cart.

Basically, everyone was handed a can of shaving cream and in a marked off area everyone sprayed each other and whatnot until not one person was left unconvered. So, random people were spraying and slapping shaving cream on each other. After that, they had an slip n' slide. I didn't have the nerve to do that...

This picture is of Leslie and I. The fun wasn't even over when we took this pic ---------->

Rinsing off was torture as the water was freezing!! The camp has a tradition that if you don't scream you are part of the "polar bear club." Guess I am now a part of the club :-) It was so funny because as I was walking off Alex (my fishing buddy) called me and goes, "Brooke! Don't forget that the polar bear club rules," and gives me a high fist. LOL--I couldn't help to laugh.

We had a very worshipful time at the campfire Friday night and it really touched me. I don't think I could properly describe it...Slowly and quietly each person in the dark walked to the campfire on a path lit by candles. Once at the campfire kids one by one gave their testimony as they felt led. That was really special. After that we had an lovely time of talking to God Himself. Oh, it was amazing!! Each person took turns as they felt led to tell God one of His attrobutes by saying, "God you are ----." It was beautiful and I know it must have blessed God's heart. Everyone kept going around describing something God is.

God, you are love.

God, you are my Shepherd.

God, you are merciful.

God, you are my joy.

God, you are unchanging.

God, you are powerful.

God, you are forgiving.

God, you are faithful.

God, you are my rock.

God, you are the only thing worth living for.

It kept going on and on and on and on. He's undescribable! Oh, it touched me so much just to know what a great God we serve. I could strongly feel His presence and I was very humbled of how wonderful He is. I will never forget that night.

We then sang praises to the Lord. Anyone (again as they felt led) would start a song and everyone else would join in.

The last part of the campfire was real significant to me. It was a time of surrender. You picked up a pinecone (which represented something in your life) out of a bucket then you threw it onto the campfire as a symbol of letting it go. I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to surrender, something that I had been wreshling with through most the week at camp. But that's just between Him and myself :-) I threw the pinecone unto the fire and watched it burn until it turned to dark ashes. It is His now. It was hard but I know that He knows best.

I know the kids must have learned a lot last week. The main message was about the two greatest commandments: loving God and loving others. The missionary taught about having a full heart for God, not an empty or half-hearted one. It was so neat because I only had the privilege to sit in on one chapel messages but what the man spoke I knew God was teaching me as I had read the same verse he referred to that very morning. I could feel God basically tugging on my heart the whole week at camp.

I am very thankful that I was able to be a part of this camp last week in some way. This post was just a short summery of my week. Man I had a blast despite the hard work in the kitchen. I am so grateful I was able to go!!

Thank you to all who prayed for me. God is good!

Hopefully I will write more at a later time. Below is a slide show :-)

God bless.

~Miss Brooke~