Never say Never

While driving home the other day, I noticed a mini-van parked on the side of the highway, with a mom standing in the grass, trying hard to go unnoticed. After looking closer, I realized she was standing in front of her child and saw a stream of liquid coming from him. Clearly her son could not wait to stop at a rest stop. If I was not a parent of a toddler, I would most likely be judging her. However, I have some experience in traveling with this age and have actually done this with Abby before. Granted, I try to find a place a little more private (not right before an exit, as in the case of this family), but when a child has to go, they have to go. That is actually how I find out if Abby really has to go or if she is just looking for an excuse to get out of the car. If she thinks she has to go on the side of the road, suddenly she can hold it for a little while longer.

This got me to thinking of all the things I swore I would never do as a parent before actually having kids. I'll list a few now and to all the other parents reading this, feel free to add on!

I will never feed my children fast food.
I will not allow my kids to have a temper tantrum in a public place.
My kids will never have sugar before dinner.
I will always have patience and not lose my temper with my kids.
I will not allow my children to disrupt a church service.
My kids will always be well groomed in public.
I will not use food as a way to distract my kids while shopping.
I will not bargain with my children to get them to do something.

Any other humbling thoughts?

Random, Silly Sentences in our House

Abby: "Feel my body!"
(Seriously, no story with this-just a comment out of her mouth)

Abby: "It's silly to put your underwear on your head!"
(While she was putting her underwear on her head)

Abby: "Daddy, look at my butt!"
(While bending over and spreading her legs to show him it was a little red)

I think we need to have a little talk with our daughter about modesty.

Joy in the House

When I first went into youth ministry, I was a little hesitant. I thought I might not be going into the right field since I'm not typically one of those crazy youth pastor types. By that I mean, the ones who are always doing something zany and putting themselves out there in a loud way. It took a couple of years of volunteering with a staff of youth workers to realize not every youth director has to be that way.

While working with my first youth group during college, our volunteer staff had many of the crazy types I just described, which was great for most of the students. But, I also noticed a few of them preferred time spent with me because I listened more than talked. Both personalities are important and none better than the other-both are reaching different students on the level they desire.

I am always reminded of how we work together as the body of Christ while at camp. Our entire volunteer staff is full of different personalities that all come together for a greater purpose. Some are quiet and gentle, some are loud and crazy, and others fall somewhere in the middle. Some are gifted at planning activities, some at Bible studies, and others with one-on-one time with campers. We have leaders and followers. Athletic and observant. Yet, in all these ways, we are making up the body of Christ.

It makes me laugh to think of everyone on earth having the same personality-how obnoxious would that be? Or if everyone wanted to be in charge of the same type of job-who would take care of the rest of the tasks? If everyone is preaching, who is spending time in the "real world," witnessing to the non-churched?

What an amazing place Heaven will be-all of the different people that God has created with a purpose, all worshiping Him together. Each person bringing something to offer that no one else can. I cannot wait to hear the joy in His house for eternity.

It's a Good Thing

One of the songs from our musical at camp was titled "Good Thing." It spoke of how it is a good thing to sing praises to Jesus' name, that the earth is full of His glory, and that we tell of His love. That pretty much sums up what music camp is all about. No matter the staff, the campers, the weather, or choice of songs, it always comes down to praising God and sharing His love.

This year felt a little different for some of us veteran counselors. We were missing more than a few regular staff members, including our volunteer director. I was also disappointed to arrive at camp right as a huge downpour hit the area. Instead of casually unpacking the van, playing a little cornhole and relaxing on our porches, we were rushing to avoid getting our supplies wet and stayed inside for the rest of the afternoon. Losing our electricity right as it was nearing evening was a bonus as well. (I still laugh thinking of Cheryl attempting a shower in the dark, creepy bathhouse!)

In the midst of these unexpected changes, I saw God working. To cover the loss of those counselors, the staff (both old and new) stepped it up and filled in where we were lacking. I never heard one complaint from anyone who had to take on a new role or do the random jobs that never get noticed. Not being able to be active outside that first day let the counselors have more intimate conversations. And losing the power Saturday evening kept us up at the campfire longer, enjoying only the stars for light (and the ridiculous sized flashlights of some of the guys).

Just to note, the power came back on in the middle of the night, the rain paused during our campfire, and completely stopped about an hour before the campers began arriving. We never had another drop the rest of the week. The storm from Saturday brought us the perfect temperature for most of the week.

This all has me thinking about change and how it is a good thing. Ideally, I always thought I would like the same staff each year because we work well together and they are my friends. But, that would mean that most of the people we were blessed with this past week never would have been there, including my husband. And the campers would be stuck with a bunch of pushing 30 year-olds (and those of us who are already there and beyond), who might not have as much energy as the newbies. In my mind, I love arriving at camp on a beautiful day, walking down to Lake Erie and taking in God's creation. This year, I was reminded His creation is not only in the great lake, but in the thunderstorms and in the clouds.

Each year that I go back, something is always slightly different. However, the one constant always remains-we are there to praise our Lord and spread His love.

Back Home

We returned from music camp last night and my mind is still racing with all the memories of the week. It is hard to adjust to being back in the real world and out of the "Lambec Bubble." In the next few posts, I will most likely be sharing thoughts of the week and the ways that I saw God working in the lives of other people's children.

For now, I will keep it simple and just share a few thoughts on Abby and Caleb and their big adventure being away for the week. They stayed at my parent's house while Nick and I were volunteer camp counselors. I do not know if they will ever realize how much we appreciated them taking both kids at the same time-not an easy task. And as my mom pointed out, much more difficult for grandparents than for young parents. Thankfully both kids were fairly good and healthy (with the exception of Abby having a fever by the end of the week). They loved their time with Papa, Grammy, Uncle Bill (who was teaching Abby how to juggle-that's all she can tell me about the week), and the cows.

Now that we are home, here are a few lines from their mouths that remind me I'm officially home and back into my role as a mom...

Abby: "Mommy, we need to stop soon so I can poop and Daddy can drive the rest of the way."
(Said while driving home and Nick was still in the car ahead of us with our friend, Mark, who lives in Columbus)
Caleb: "Ba Ba-I'm up!"
(Over and over again this morning while I stayed in bed, ignoring him for awhile)
Abby: "I really missed you guys this week, but I was okay without you guys."
Caleb: "Ba Ba-I pooped!"
And many Uh-ohs, whining, hugs and kisses from both.

How good it is to sing praises to our Lord. And how good it is to be home with these little blessings.

A Quote by Lisa in 2001

Do you remember...

How about the sounds of the refrigerator doors slamming shut after stealing a piece of cake or the cooler shutting after sneaking apples?

The sounds of pebbles crunching under your feet as you walk on the path near the dining hall? The door of McLaren shutting and the thud of someone stepping in the living room?

The cabin doors slamming shut?

The hobart running and the ice spilling over into the salad bar?

How about the grass hopper cutting the grass or the sound of the tractor hauling branches?

The benches in the dining hall being knocked around and the squeek of the mop bucket?

The sounds of the thunder and the rain hitting the hot dirt road?

The fire crackling?

How about the sounds of the frogs croaking at the pond or the birds chirping?

The waves lapping on the shore?

The noise of the water from the shower hitting the concrete walls?

The sound of the camp truck speeding past on the dirt road as it squeaked at every bump?

The pianos playing?

The echo of kids playing in the field till it was just about dark out?

The noise of the fans coming from the kitchen?

Guitars playing?

Singing across the field?

Tennis balls bouncing off of the cement walls in the evening?

The sound of God's voice whispering through the breeze?

The squeaking of the chains from the swings in the playground?

How about the crunching of leaves under our feet walking between the cabins or the wind blowing through the trees?

I miss our home!

Do you have a happy thought?

I sure do.

My Favorite Place

When I was ten years old, my parents sent me to Music Camp at Camp Lambec. It is a Christian camp that our church helped to sponsor. We picked the music week because, at that point, I had an entire year of clarinet experience.

That summer, even though the camp was only for one week, was a huge part of shaping who I am today. I continued attending each summer and that week became a refuge where I could be myself and speak of Christ openly. Many of those friends I made my first few years are still close friends today. It is hard to explain how that works-we saw each other once a year in our pre-driving days and not even too often after that. We all attended different colleges and settled in various areas. Yet, when we are together at the annual New Years parties, weddings, and random get-togethers, we fall into our respective roles like family.

This explains why many of us are still volunteer counselors for the same music week. I always thought someday we would move on, yet we still keep coming. Some of us are now married, some have kids, some have moved states away for jobs-yet, we still keep making that trip to Lambec.

It is not just a nostalgic thing, because Nick understands it, too. My city-boy husband went as a counselor one year and after the first day, he looked at me and said, "So, this is why you all keep coming back."

We leave tomorrow morning for this wonderful place and I know I will have lots of stories to tell when I get back. There will be funny incidents, never-ending inside jokes, but most importantly, there will be stories of God's provision over the entire week. He is the One who makes the week come together the way it does. I will try and journal on paper the specific ways I see this happen and will be sharing this with you all when we return.

I also want to post something my best friend, Lisa, wrote to me in 2001. We worked on staff together for two summers and I will post her memories for all of you who know Lambec. You will know exactly what she is writing about, so enjoy!