We got to bed last night around 12:30 after sitting around in the hallway with some of the high school kids and leaders from other churches telling great stories of the adventures of the leaders over the past 10 years at camp. We were laughing so hard as we talked about some of the different screw ups and debacles. We told the kids that the real reason we come to this camp is to hang out with the leaders from other youth group. We come from all different denominations, but we have all have the common passion for kids and God and love to see what the two combined can do.
It's still hot and we're still sweaty, unless we're in the air conditioned dorms. The only real downside to air conditioned dorms is that nothing dries in the room. My towel is still wet from Monday. Our youth group game consisted of trying to do a large group jump rope. Last year we were amazing and did 30 in a row. This year we tried to get 3. The band was participating with us, and I'm pretty sure they were the anchors.
Jess coordinated a gig today in the cafeteria to clean-up afterward lunch. It was nothing the kids had to do, but they did it to serve the cafeteria workers. The workers really didn't know what to do with it, but were pretty surprised and pleased. Almost all of the kids from our group participated, including all the kids you would think wouldn't really want to serve others.
The guys and I played football today in the Kenyon stadium. It was 90+ and humid and we were roasting, but we had a blast. The coolest part was when the older guys picked teams. They started with the youngest, smallest guys. They just lit up when they were chosen first. The big guys went out of their way to make sure the middle school guys got the ball and got to make the big plays. We had no major injuries except for Michael (Kasey's fiancee) getting a bloody nose. The group of guys is so great. Watching the older guys talk to and hang with the middle schoolers tells me we're doing something right.
The kids are settling into the rhythm of camp and starting to open up more and more. As part of the middle school session, we break out into small groups and talk through what we just heard, going through three questions that spark great discussion. It's great to see some of our college students leading these group. Mike and Tiffany led the groups today and did a great job with it. Our small groups tonight were a little different. We were talking about how God is there in the midst of our sadness and tough times and the small group questions were on the same topics. The first question dealt with what the saddest movie they'd ever seen. One kid started off talking about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and how sad it was. Other kids joined in and shared more details. Let's just say that junior high boys don't watch too many sad movies. The next question was on a time where they'd been sad because of something in their life and how they responded. Most of them had some kind of experience, but when asked how they'd dealt with it, the common answer was, "I don't know. I was 6."
There is a ton of walking and Jason and I have been shuttling kids around the campus. Only 18 year old leaders are allowed in the trunk. (Parents. I'm kidding. Not really.)
Our guys got smoked in a Halo 3 tournament tonight and we continued to play our new racquetball court game - four wall. We've got this down to an art form and no one got hurt. It's so cool to see the way the kids in general and the guys specifically have bonded. The older guys have really taken the junior high guys under their wing. The Rays boys do a great job of modeling this for the other high school guys, and they've started doing the same.
We're starting to wear down a bit, but the group is bonding and the kids are opening up more and more. Keep praying for us.
You can see the rest of the pictures here.
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