CEF Camp Week 1 & 2

Simply amazing!

Crazy!
Hot!
Busy!
Exciting!
Exhausting!
Wonderful!

How can I describe those two weeks?? With many, many words! It was great as always! The same usual routine. A few new additions and friendships made. And most thrilling to see God bring in enough kids to fill both weeks!


This year we taught a new CEF lesson--Beginnings! And I loved it! It was exciting teaching on Creation, Adam & Eve, Cain & Able, Enoch and Noah! Needless to say that Noah, one of my favorite Bible stories to teach, could have lasted two hours instead of the 40 minutes I had. The first week, I had to skip so much of what I had planned, so the second week I ummm...skipped some details so I could get the whole story, memory verse and review game in that time frame! Oh, but I loved it!

And even though most of the youngest group of campers already know the story of Noah, it's still exciting to see their faces just waiting for the next "event" to happen as I'm telling the story. And then to see their interest in the size of the ark, just how many animals were inside and how long they floated on the water was so neat! Ahhhhh--I love teaching! :)

The first week I taught in the gym! Great--that's my favorite place to teach! The second week Sharon told me I was teaching in the chapel--ok, that's fine! (I have to admit; I was just a tad disappointed to not be teaching again in my favorite spot!) What was I thinking?!?!?!?

Oh--am I now ever so spoiled!!! I told Brian that I'd come back and teach year after year if he could guarantee my classroom remained in the air conditioned chapel! He agreed!! Remember that next year! ;) lol!!! But in all my years of teaching, I've never taught there and still taught the youngest group of campers--it was a treat!

This was a new Bible lesson review game I did this year -- dress up someone on your team!!! The kids LOVED it!!! After all, wouldn't you want a red nose, black rimmed glasses, feathers around your neck or blue hair???? ;)

Our memory verse rainbow was soooo fun! The kids loved seeing the rainbow being built every single day in the dinning room the first week and in the chapel the second week. They did an excellent job memorizing verses! And thankfully I had lots of help taping up all those rainbow sections every day! Whew!! That's a job--but worth it!!



Let's see--what else?! Hmmmm, so much happened during those two weeks. It's impossible to sum it up in one blog post! There were some friends I missed seeing this year (yes, Jenna--that's you!! :)) and then some others were there that hadn't been in a few years! Ruth and Josh--I'm sooooo glad we could all be teachers that first week--what a thrilling week it was! It was great to catch up on old camp memories!! Ahhhh--fun!! So many years spent at camp together and so many good times!!! :)

This year I enjoyed every minute of those two weeks I was there. As that second week drew to a close, I kept thinking, "This could be the last time I'm...

....handing out memory verse prizes,

....standing on the porch watching flag raising,

....keeping score, listening to kids competing in quiz time and laughing during counselor quizzing,

....melting in the dinning room grading manners,

....watching kids file into the chapel for singtime,

....shooting pics during talent night,

....sharing secrets about Miss Ruth, Luke & Nehemiah with Clara all week long,

....listening to the laughter and delight during final assembly when such photos such as Luke & his funny faces appear,

....pouncing on photo opportunities just like this one,

....watching Lauren grow up year after year and now attending as a camper,

....climbing that stack of stairs up and down & up and down again and again,

....seeing campers, counselors, teachers and staff come back year after year!

Perhaps this year won't be the last time, but this year especially I enjoyed every minute! Ahhh--the memories! The good times! The wonderful friendships! The kids year after year! The ministry God has allowed me to become apart of for 16 years! Wow! Amazing! How thankful I am to be apart of those two weeks out of the year every summer!


As Josh, Ruth and I were thinking back on the years we've attending camp together and all the things that happened year after year; it was so fun to look back! I began thinking...what was my favorite year? Hmmm....I'm not sure I can put one year in that category.

I remember that first year of counseling and winning best manners! And one hard year where God taught me just as much as I was there to teach the kids! And the first time I taught both weeks--the lesson of Esther! And then seven years after that--teaching Esther again! Then leading singtime with Ruth as my ever-so-helpful partner! And Bible teacher talks, outings and late night swims. Looking forward to seeing Brian and Sharon and their family year after year!

The years and memories--perfect! Never to be forgotten! I can't help but look back on those times and smile!

More photos from the first week of camp...

More photos from the second week of camp...