A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Camp - 27 C - PRACTICAL JOKE--NOT SO FUNNY

One of the most frightening experiences we had was one summer when a couple of staff men decided to play a joke on the rest of the staff.   I was in my apartment about a quarter of a block away from the apple orchard where the staff were sleeping.   There was a road that went through the orchard and branched on to a road one way to Sherwood and the other crossing the lake across a dam towards the entrance of the camp at Calvin Crest.  

            It was late at night when most of us had fallen asleep.   All of a sudden we heard this ruckus.   It sounded like gun shots.   The staff jumped out of their beds and saw this truck going very fast through the orchard igniting fire crackers that sounded like bullets.   Thank goodness the orchard was mostly green grass.  As the vehicle left the road to go on to the dam road, someone in the back of the truck dropped a sawhorse.  This slowed down any staff who was trying to catch up to the truck.  They would have to stop to set the sawhorse aside in order to drive through.  Those in the truck got away!

            It took some time to quiet everyone down.  Fortunately no campers were affected.  I was not a happy “camper”!   Needless to say, it was the subject of the following day.  It took some detective work to narrow down those who perpetrated this frightening and dangerous “prank.”   A confession and apology to the entire staff was required as ONE of the consequences of this action.   We always referred to this event as “The War.”

            I had a paragraph in my counselor training book, “Keys to Quality Camping,” on a comparison and result of raids to war.   The staff would laugh and roll their eyes about this paragraph.  Some campers and counselors thought that going to camp meant having raids.   Fun?   I wanted the counselors to work through with the campers the effects that raids have on others.   If we hurt people’s feelings, or destroy someone’s camera or belongings, intentionally or unintentionally, in its extreme it was what war does to people.   The strong outwits the weak.  Over the top—maybe!   Actions result in consequences that invariably affect others sometimes negatively.  Good lessons learned hopefully. 

Choosing to Make Life Work - 26L - LISTEN AND LOVE

We have chosen to commit ourselves as youth and adults to doing something for others, rather than playing the self centered introspective game.   The reality is our commitment to serve others is fueled, developed and nurtured according to our resolve to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.    The closer we are in our relationship to Christ the more aware we become of who we are and what we are and what our lives are all about. 

This is important.

Even in marriage, romantic love is an expression of our commitment to one another, as it is in family and friend relationships.  A common commitment to Christ holds us together.   Love is a decision.   The Scriptures tell us to “Love your husbands/wives;  Love thy neighbor;  Honor your father and mother – declarative sentences.  It works.  You make a commitment and you build a relationship.

Listen to each other -  If you want to develop any kind of relationship/friendship  listen intently to each other. Why do we pay psychologists—so that someone will listen to us.   Listen to each other.   Listen to what they mean.   This is an active action of love and commitment.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Camp -- 26C -- DIFFERENT THEOLOLGIES

 We were very intentional about creating a  “safe” place for persons to get to know others who had different ideas or beliefs about their faith and politics.   It was a good week to get to know those we do not ordinarily agree with in the larger context of “the Church.”   We discover that those we disagree with are not weird or evil.   Those who disagree with us are not stupid or non-Christian.   I have always said the extremes on the conservative right and the liberal left theologically were strange bedfellows. 

I will never forget one of the weeks of a high school conference that became very uncomfortable.  The two speakers, one in the morning and one in the evening, began to challenge the theology of the other speaker.   By the third day I had to move in and ask each of them to speak to the topic we agreed upon before they came up to camp.    I challenged them to model for the high schoolers the ability to listen to another point of view without putting that person down.   The staff had special prayer meetings about this.   We shared each night how things were going.   The campers were definitely aware of the differences.  

            One of my friends, who was a youth director and who had come up with her youth for the week, was sleeping in another room in my apartment.   She said that I would be breathing deeply and groaning throughout the night.   She was convinced it was because of the tension between the two speakers and my concern about what the campers were experiencing.   Fortunately, by the end of the week the campers sharing time reflected thoughtful testimonies of their experiences with the different speakers.   Thank goodness this seldom happened.

Choosing to Make Life Work - 24L -- SACRIFICE

As we are committed to each other’s success, we are called to give of ourselves to each other, the family, the church, the community and as well as in the world.  A good reminder from the Scriptures is, “let each esteem the other better and more important than self.”   “WHOA!  What does that do to my self image, Noreen?”   It didn’t take me too long on my walk to 83 years old to realize the world does not revolve around me.  I have choices to make daily about what is important or not.  Every morning I wake up choosing to stay in bed or get up and go do my exercises on a stationary bike plus.  I DON’T WANT TO GET UP!  I do get up and join others who are more disciplined than me.  They are models and an encouragement to me. 

We can choose to be givers or takers.  Our society raises kids to be very individualistic.  When they hit the real world they are blown away.  They are not being asked, “when do you want dinner?  They are told, “dinner is at 6” and they revolt.  There is too much need in the world beginning with our families on through the world to indulge our selfish desires.   Jesus calls us to “follow him”—to the cross?   Jesus says take care of the hungry, the widow, the sick, those in need. 

A hard word for this is self sacrifice.  The more we sacrifice for others the more we will discover who we are.  No need to remove the layers.  We know who we belong to and out of our love for God, we experience the joy we’re looking for in the way we live out our lives.  Other decision opportunities

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Camp -- 25C - LIFE ON STAFF

Staff romances were almost a “given.”    Periodically, I would have to call the couple in and remind them to use discretion in their demonstrating their affection for each other.   One year some of the summer staff men were housed in the apartment above me.   One afternoon someone observed a male and female staff person standing in front of the upstairs window naked.  Hello! 

 At Calvin Crest our candy store was in an old cabin on the hillside.   There was a partition that separated a storeroom from the store items.   We discovered that some on staff would climb over the partition and help themselves to the goodies.   They thought that was fun!

One night after campers went to bed, there was noise coming from the pool house at The Woods.  For some reason, I was close at hand and went over to see what was happening.  Several of the male staffers were having a water fight with hoses.  Loved seeing their faces when they realized they had just hosed me with water as I came around the corner. 

It is never easy to take disciplinary actions with employees.   My style of leadership was first a warning and alerting the staff person of the indiscretion or whatever behavior that was not lending itself to positive modeling and effective work habits.   If it happened again, it was “goodbye, try again next year.”   I was very open to hiring ex-staffers who blew it the previous year.   I would ask pastors or teachers for recommendations indicating ways the applicant was modifying behavior and moving in positive directions.  

       It really is remarkable that in the 30 years of my involvement in camping there were very few times that I had to release staffers of their duties