This Is Camp

Today, we have two guest bloggers from our adult team. First, we have Karen McGee who will tell some fun anecdotes called "This Is Camp," in the style of her "This Is Camp - TIA" posts on her blog. Second, we have Troy Akers who joined us on Tuesday at camp, much to our joy.

From Karen:

Camp is a magical place and there are many things that happen at camp that only happen at camp. Today, enjoy a few "This Is Camp" - abbreviated "TIC" - moments from this week. Don't worry, parents: though there are many TICs, we have not seen any ticks so far.

- Yelling "shoutbacks" during every session, meal, and activity. For example, when anyone talks about "announcements," you yell out, "tell me something good!" Beware: when your campers return, you should not say the words "soccer," "chapel," or "OK." TIC.

- Waking up with achy muscles and bruises from blobbing too high. TIC.

- Nyk and Cali getting called out for being too close when they were mistaken for campers. TIC.

- Eating and screaming about Chicken on a Stick and Grilled Pizza. TIC.

- Escaping during free time to get delicious, homemade milkshakes in town. TIC.

- Re-wearing wet bathing suits in the lake everyday because there are limited places to hang them in our camp bathrooms. TIC.

- Introducing Grace hymns in three-part harmony to the camp at Stage Night. TIC.

- Being phone and media free for a week...and feeling great about it! TIC.

- Learning about community by adopting various injuries and impairments in a plane crash scenarios. And subsequently pushing, pulling, and dragging each other around the chapel to save the group. TIC.

- Sleeping so deeply on squeaky beds at night because you're so exhausted from the full and fun schedule each day. TIC.

From Troy:

Camp with the d-group guys has been a super special time. I got to arrive at the camp on Tuesday evening to a lot of the guys running out to my car to say hello and tackle me. It seems like every time we have all gotten to be around each other, everyone is so loving on each other. It's been a blessing to me to get to have the majority of my d-group here, the one I lead with Josh. Yesterday I went with Nathan Curtis, Frankie Betanco, Caleb Bergthold and some others to the climbing wall. My takeaway from that time spent was watching Nathan, as much as he wanted to climb, be a servant to the other campers there, young and old as he would help and spot them as they climbed. We had a great time in the lake yesterday and had fun trying to push each other down to the bottom of the lake. (We did this in life jackets, mind you.) Nathan Curtis, Zach Mann, Frankie Betanco and Ryan Smeltzer rocked it out and made it to the bottom and proudly rocked holding handfuls of mud to prove. The guys got it in their head that I could make it too, but to mine and their surprise, even after stacking 5 or 6 dudes on top of my shoulders, it didn't work. We had a blast though.

It's a very easy thing to forget how busy one can be back home, me with my music and work. To be here with my guys, from Grace, has been an eye-opening experience to me and a reminder that God works in the smallest of ways. As much as I desire to pour into them, they really pour into me too. There is a sincere feeling of companionship between all of the guys, and it's a neat thing to be a part of it ... even if in my head, I feel so much older! (Maybe not by TOO much.) My prayer for these guys and for the rest of the youth is that they really cling to the relationships they are building. I know from my perspective, these sorts of things are what have literally saved me in the past. There is something sincerely invaluable from having deep relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ.