A Typical Day at Camp

Amy wakes to a song from The Lion King. This week her counselor has been playing Disney music each morning. She and her cabin mates stretch and welcome in the new day. They have to get ready for breakfast. It's bacon and French toast sticks this morning. After getting their fill and washing the syrup off their hands, the girls of cabin 3 move to the Sun Room for the morning theme time.

The girls hope to sing The Fruits of the Spirit song that has been popular this week. The music director is setting up the music, and they beg him to sing it. The girls get their wish. In the morning theme time, campers read the Parable of the Sower. Their counselors put on a skit about the parable. Amy's counselor plays the part of one of the birds, and the girls think it is hilarious. After discussing the parable, the campers go outside and get to sow seeds around camp.

After a snack break, called "canteen" at camp, it is time for the first activity. Cabin 3 is scheduled to go to crafts with their living group boys, cabin 13. Amy makes a bracelet that she plans to give to her little brother when she gets back. It is rainbow colors. Lunch is next, and Amy's counselors bring down the mail. Amy has an email from her mother that has a picture of her dog, Muffins. Cabin 3 will have some rest time in the cabin before their next activity.

The first afternoon activity is Nature Time. Living group 3 walks out to the woods to meet the Staff Nature Director at Lakeshore's Nature Center. Today, they play a game that illustrates food chains. Amy starts out as a coyote, and she tries to catch as many mice as she can. Then, the Nature Director gets out the camp snake, Monte. Amy is a little nervous about touching the snake, but she finally does, and even holds it with one hand. Everyone is squealing and the Nature Director and counselors try to keep everyone calm.

It is time for another canteen break, and a cold ice cream sandwich really hits the spot. Cabin 3 is very excited, because the next activity is swimming. The girls in cabin 3 make a chain with their tubes in the lazy river for the first 20 minutes of the swim period. Some boys splash them, so they decide to go down the water slide. The girls then come up with a plan to dunk their counselor when she's not looking. They manage to take her down after 5 campers latch onto her.

After supper, it is time for the evening theme time. In this session, they are talking about how God seeks them. They are given a scavenger hunt over the whole camp. Cabin 3 finds most of the items on their sheet. When they return, they hear the verse about the woman who finds the lost penny and rejoices. Cabin 3 is dismissed to change for the night activity.

Tonight's activity is Staff Hide-and-Seek. The Activity Staff is hiding all over camp, and the campers and their counselor have been left with clues to find them. Amy is so excited when she finds the Waterfront Director hiding in the laundry room under a pile of sheets. The camp is called back together to see which cabin found the most Staffers. Cabin 3 gets second place and the girls are very excited. This means they get to be second in line at the night canteen.

After finishing their snacks for the night, the camp is called together for worship. The Camp Dean asks each cabin if everyone is accounted for. They bow for prayer, and in the silence, campers can hear the crickets and frogs all around them. The camp walks down to the waterfront and sits on the benches. Amy looks up at the stars. She can see so many of them. The Music Director teaches the camp a few new songs, accompanying on guitar. There is a skit that brings back the parables from the day in modern day settings. Cabin 13's counselor talks about how God tried to find him when he didn't even know it, and how God seeks them too.

After worship, the girls return to Cabin 3 for the night. They begin their nightly routine of showers, toothbrushes, and pajamas. Their counselors let them play flashlight tag for 20 minutes, then they ask them where they saw God the most today. Amy says that she felt God the most when she touched the snake and it didn't bite her. When everyone has shared, they pray and the counselors tell the girls they need to sleep because there's another big day tomorrow. Amy, tries to be still, but thinking about tomorrow is just too exciting. It wouldn't hurt to stay up just a little while longer and whisper with her cabin mates, right?