Highlights From Camp

What a great week we had in Virginia at Eastern Camp! The boys were thrilled to be there, as were Fred and I. I could write stories and stories about our week, but I just want to share a few highlights here from all of us.

For Stephen, the trip down to Breezewood and the night at the hotel will be memorable. He couldn't wait to get into the pool after supper and again in the morning before we left. He even encouraged Timothy to get in and play with him! Stephen also really enjoyed being in his Sunday School classes, choir and Story Hour. The teachers in Story Hour must have been fantastic because he has been telling us the lessons they learned all week! He has told us so much about Moses that I believe Moses has become his new hero (sorry, Noah). Each afternoon we tried out a different activity for recreation. The jump and slide was definitely a favorite, as was the sprinkler and the indoor track (wow, can that kid run!) and the "bing bong" tables. On Friday night when we were discussing that this was the last night of Camp, he asked if we could come again next year. When I told him that we probably could, he got all excited, but then quickly sobered and said, "But then I'll be five. It's going to take a long, long time for me to get to be five!" He's already looking forward to next year's ice cream cones for dessert.

Timothy loved pushing all the buttons he could find at Camp, not only on the elevator or the codes for the dorms, but also his parents'. He had to take in everything that his little mind could take in this year, so he was running on limited sleep. He lived up to his name quite well: Whine Heart. I guess that's to be expected when everything is on a different schedule and out of routine for a little boy. I had to laugh at him early in the week, though. He was in his babysitting Sunday School class playing happily and when I walked in (I was the babysitting coordinator so I was in to check on things), he said, "Mommy, I want to go back to Camp now." I tried to explain that we WERE at Camp, but he insisted that Camp was in the main auditorium and we weren't there! Overall, he was a good boy and talked about coming back next year as well.

Christopher loved the attention that he got last week ... as long as Mommy was still within arm's reach! By the end of the week he was very, very clingy. He was also a little scared of Edson who was thrilled to have a playmate around! Poor Christopher. He'd be playing so contentedly by himself and Edson would see that as the perfect opportunity to join him with all his might. Maybe someday they'll be able to play together, but for all of our sakes, we tried to keep them separated this week at Camp.

Fred's highlights were the times he got to spend one-on-one counselling and praying with others. This will always be a highlight for him, and it was no different this week. Unfortunately, with small children, those opportunities aren't as easy or as frequent as in the past, but he still managed to squeeze them in. His responsibilities were much lighter this year as well, so he had the opportunity to sit back and appreciate more of the classes and forums.

For me, the biggest highlight was getting the news that Karen, Oscar and Edson were going to make it after all! On Sunday night, Karen and I had a nice long cry when we thought that only a miracle would get them to Camp because of Edson's chicken pox. When I gave my borrowed phone back to Jeannie and told her what Karen said, she told me not to worry because Karen would be there. She was going to pray for that miracle! That miracle did come because the Caballeros showed up on Tuesday (Brandon and Gaby) and Wednesday! God provided people to pick them up and bring them and we had a wonderful SHORT day and a half to be together!

Of course, my other highlights also involved people and the time I got to spend with them. I enjoyed visiting with Miriam and Scott, Evelyn and Rod in their suite and then some time with Miriam alone. I appreciated visiting with my friend who lives near Harrisonburg one night for our annual visit. We see each other only once a year when I come to Camp, but we just pick up right where we left off each time! I caught up with my North Phoenix friends, Deb and Linda. I also had a wonderful time visiting with Renee, although we vowed not to eat meals together any more. Whenever we talk, we get to the nitty gritty right away and we both end up too emotional. Eating while that emotional is not good, so next year we'll visit outside the dining room. :) What a blessing it was to sit with Dolores and Laura and Jeannie at supper! Those ladies loved helping with the boys and they were my lifesavers on a night when I had had my fill of the whining and crying and misbehaviour! I couldn't thank Jeannie enough for all her help with Timothy! As a mom of demanding-aged children I didn't get to spend LOTS of time visiting with others, but I made it a point to make the moments worthwhile when I did. Yes, I enjoyed Camp very much this year!

A highlight for all of us was the weather! God really blessed us with cool and low-humidity weather this year! This was unheard of in past years, so we soaked it all up!

On our way home, we stopped in Syracuse for the night so that we didn't have to drive all that way home in one day. We stayed with Scott and Miriam and the boys really enjoyed playing with their kids at the park in the evening while we visited some more. Sunday morning in Syracuse was a blessing as well. They really made us feel welcome and we enjoyed one last church service with our Camp friends!

Now we're home and still trying to put a few things away and get back to our schedules and routines. Tonight after supper we were looking at pictures from Camp and Stephen asked Daddy if we could go back to Camp again. Daddy said that we could go again next year and when I came back downstairs from putting Christopher to bed, Stephen ran right over to me to tell me the good news! Unfortunately, he misunderstood Fred because when I was tucking him in tonight he asked if tomorrow was the day that we get to go back to Camp. Oh dear. Did I ever have a time trying to explain that we had to wait another whole year to go back! He's not satisfied with any of my explanations, but at least he eventually went to sleep! I guess we'll start counting down the days now and pray that God will really let us be able to go next year!