A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Camp -- 31C – SHERWOOD CAMPER STORIES

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Camp --  31C –  SHERWOOD CAMPER STORIES

I had a white VW bug I used at Calvin Crest because Sherwood Forest was about a mile down the hill from main camp.   It was great for going up and down the hill from Sherwood to the main camp and then up to the outpost camp.  Ted used a motorcycle.  Luke Fritz, a Board Member who lead trail camps, suggested I should use a donkey in the forest to go up and down the hill.   I opted for the VW…..

Once in Sherwood Forest there was a young boy who would get very upset.  He would grasp onto a small tree and hug it.  He would not let go.  The counselors tried different things to get him to let go.  As long as we let him feel safe near the tree he eventually let go to eat his lunch..…

Another time we were having our counselors meeting in the Friar’s Hut, where the Pastor stayed for the week.   All of a sudden we heard a ruckus going on outside.  Campers shouting and yelling.  When we went out to look, one of the young boys had climbed way up in the redwood tree.  We had to use creative ways to get him down safely.  We depended on miracles daily…..

            There was a young boy who had quite a temper.   He would hit the kids in his cabin.  The Counselor and Pastor asked me if I could help.   I called the boy over and gave him a hammer and nails.   I put them in front of the Friar’s hut.   I said every time you want to hit someone come here and hammer nails into this board.   Let’s see how many nails you hammer in each day.   It worked and he soon hammered less and less each day….

            I had a reputation for being able to talk the campers who became homesick into staying at camp.  I would make short term contracts with them.   I would promise to meet them at the next activity and check up on how things were going.   Invariably this approach worked.   If they were really unhappy and wanted to talk with their mom or dad, I would agree…..

            Before they came to my office to make the call to their parent, I would call the parent and alert them to the call that was going to be made to them by their child.   I would suggest to the parent to  encourage the camper to stay.  I made an agreement with the parent that if they supported my short term contract approach, that I would keep tabs on the camper for them the rest of the week.  Most of the time parents were cooperative and appreciated the time I spent with their child.  Otherwise, they would come and take the camper home.  I can count on one hand how many times the camper went home in 30 years.  Good news!.....

            I’ll never forget one mom really hung in there with me.  Her son wanted to go home so badly and she didn’t budge and said she just could not come to get him that day.  I suggested he come to my office when he felt homesick.  He would come to my office or house every time he was unhappy and we’d talk and he’d go back.   By the end of the week he did not want to go home.  I loved those kinds of results…..

            Every week there was a man who had a pig farm who would come to pick up our food garbage to feed his pigs.  This was even before we were into recycling.   The campers would remark that the “pig man” was here.  They would get all excited to see him.  He would smile and wave.  Somehow they were drawn to the fact that we had a joint mission together with feeding the pigs…..

One year a junior age camper forgot her “security blanket.”  The mother was not quite sure what to do.  The camper didn’t want her mom to go home.  The mother had some fruit and vegetables in the car.  She gave her a large squash and told her to pretend this was her doll and hold it as her “blanket” for this week.  Who knew?.....

Choosing to Make Life Work – 30L - GOD DOES NOT MAKE JUNK

            We read in the Scriptures that we are made in God’s image.  That’s an amazing thought!  We need to appreciate ourselves.  God loved us so much, He gave his only Son to show us how to live and Jesus gave up his life so that we can live forever.  He would not have done that if we were not worth it. 

 Maybe a way to begin to learn how to appreciate ourselves is to make a “I Appreciate …(this).. about myself”  list.   Write down all the things you appreciate about yourself and thank God for them.   You can add to the list each day as you spend time in quiet and with God.   As you look at them each day you can say,  “You know Lord, you did a pretty good job.  Thank You!”  This is different than pride and conceit.  This is not thinking you are better than the next person.   This is affirming God’s action in and through us.   We acknowledge these gifts as we make ourselves available to be of service to God.  I call this “humbly proud”.  

            We are made of body, mind, spirit and heart.   There is a struggle when the mind is not functioning at its potential.  When we don’t check our negative attitudes about life and ourselves it affects our bodies and spirit.  We are cautioned that many of our illnesses are a result of how we feed our body, mind, spirit and heart.  When we do not acknowledge and appreciate our gifts and self it causes turmoil inside of us.  We leave ourselves open to being hurt or wounded easily.  We become bitter and resentful.  It hurts our heart.  It affects our spirit.  It affects our attitude that we are not worthy.  It affects our ability to withstand the struggles we will have in life. 

            Recently, I felt like I was not being appreciated for something I had volunteered to do.  It really bothered me.  The first 24 hours after this happened I had a pity party with myself.  Even in the midst of the pity party I knew that it really does not matter that I wasn’t acknowledged.   I kept saying to myself, “Do you like doing what you’re doing?  Yes!  Are you good at it?  Yes.   Is your purpose to serve God?  Yes!”  Then that’s all that matters.        But down deep I was hurting. 

Coincidentally (more likely providentially) I was leading a Bible Study the next morning.  As I was preparing, part of the study included Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself, will be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”  I felt like I had been hit with a 2 x 4.   My attitude had affected my spirit.   God put the icing on the cake when in the next two days several people went out of their way to thank me for being me.  I laughed at myself.   There are so many ways I am affirmed for who I am.  Yet, in this matter, I let my guard down.  I confessed my need for attention and was reminded to look at the “appreciation list” and be thankful.   I am grateful that God has created a good thing in me and I am a blessed woman in so, so many ways.  I need to keep appreciating my body, mind, spirit and heart and keep them healthy and in balance.  

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Camp: SHERWOOD FOREST BEGINS

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Camp:  SHERWOOD FOREST BEGINS 

 In 1966 we began Sherwood Forest.  We designed the family groups into hamlets and the sleeping units in the shape of huts.  The boys and girls would eat in their own hamlets and cooked some of their own meals.  We developed a town meeting, played games on the village green (which turned into the village brown by the end of the summer) and ended each week with a renaissance-like faire with a bar-b-que, and display of all the crafts the campers had made during the week.

The first week at Sherwood Forest was very exciting.  We had the banners up and the trumpets in place.  We all took on Sherwood Forest names.  The campers would make up new names for themselves.  The Pastor is the Friar, the lead counselors are the Squires, the counselors are the Sirs and Ladies.  My Sherwood Forest name was Lady of the Forest (It later became my “camp name”). 

            We had hired a young man from Sacramento to be a Lead Counselor of one of the Hamlets for the boys, named Redingham.  The other boys Hamlet was Greenwell and the Girls Hamlets were Blueshire and Goldwood.  The lead counselor had a casual style about himself.  He very seldom got ruffled about anything. 

The first night of the summer camps I walked around to each of the Hamlets to see how things were shaping up.  When I went to Redingham, the food truck had just arrived.  The “Squire” was in the center of his hamlet and the campers were all over the place.   I asked him when he planned to gather the campers.  He looked like he was not sure how to get that accomplished and was a little nervous with me there.  I said  to him, “I’m going to visit the other hamlets and I’ll be back.  Why don’t you get your campers to sit down at the tables?”  He looked relieved.   I left him and came back in about fifteen minutes.   Everything was going well.  

            It was a reminder to me the responsibility we were putting on these young college age people.  We did not take things for granted after that.  Our Orientation weeks would cover such possibilities and ways to get the support of the campers and counselors. 

During the summers a very special place I would go to have quiet as often as I could was at the Sherwood Forest Vesper area.   There was a stream running between the trees.  The shades of green on the trees and bushes were so beautiful.  I would sit for five or twenty minutes and I would pray and meditate.   It was a place where the Holy Spirit would fill my half empty cup of energy and quiet any concerns I would have for that day.   Sometimes I would cry and pray and dream of new possibilities of providing a program that would be an encouragement for campers to come to know Christ and want to serve him in anyway they could.

Choosing to Make Life Work – 29L - WELLNESS

            Most of what I’ve been blogging about is how to develop relationships and team work and what it means to be committed to each other’s success.  I had a perfect example of this recently.  I have been leading a Grief/Transition group for these past 12 + years at a local church.  We meet weekly and people have come in an out.  There has been a core group that have been together for most of these years.   We discovered and are still discovering that grieving is not over in a 6 week course.   Life continues to happen.  That is why we added the word Transition to the group.  We are always in transition.

Some in the group who started to come because they lost a spouse or parent, have since lost a child, a grandchild and/or a friend.  Some in their families have lost jobs, are dealing with losing health, or people they know and even themselves are moving into care facilities transitioning from their homes to a couple of rooms.

As I am aging I have discovered for me the transitions are the most difficult.  Accepting the fact that I cannot do what I use to do is frustrating.   Dealing with health issues is a reality.    I kid about my new profession is going to doctors.  These last several months have been especially difficult for me.   I started with going to the hospital with severe pains in my head.  I felt like my head was going to blow up.  They treated me with so much morphine that I lost 4 days.  They tell me I visited with people and was acting normal but I don’t remember any of it.  Then, I was in the Skilled Nursing Facility here at The Grove for two and a half weeks. 

Since then my fibro myalsia pains have been flaring up and I am dealing with chronic neck and head pains that have definitely limited my abilities to be up and about for more than 30 to 45 minutes at a time.  I became aware that I was giving into depression.  That just is not me and it scared me a lot. 

So back to the team and relationships.  A couple of weeks ago I “unloaded” with my Grief/Transition group. Talk about the healer being healed.  These folks surrounded me with love and acceptance.  Reassuring me that  God is present and active in my life.  I risked exposing my weaknesses with these friends and they shared that with me.  I cannot tell you the healing that took place.  The cloud over my head was lifted.  Nothing has changed physically but the ability to move forward and be freed from the weight of it all is amazing even miraculous.  These wonderful folks practiced team ministry.  I encourage you to take the risk and find a team/group even a person to share your grievings and your joys.   God has given us the gift of friendships.  Practice and trust God’s love.