Last Week of Summer Camp

Some day in the future, I may wonder why I didn't write about the historic Donald Trump news that happened this week, the indictment; of course, future readers may have lost track of indictments or knowing what they know, may think I was wise.  But in truth, it's because I'm weary of Donald Trump, and I don't want to spend too much more energy on this man at this point in time (maybe later, who knows).  But I'm also weary this week for other reasons:  it's been the last week of summer camp, and my most intense volunteer week of the summer.

I am glad that my time as C3ARE leader (what Lutheridge calls Bible study, but it's more) happened later in the summer, when I wasn't taking a seminary class.  When I agreed to be the Bible study leader, I naively thought, how hard can that be?  It left me more tired than expected.

Some of the C3ARE leaders did a lot more with their campers.  I would have liked to go to the craft lodge with them, but they only had one or two craft sessions, at times when I couldn't go.  My campers were part of the Outdoor Adventures Program (OAP), so they were offsite zip lining and white water rafting.  While I might be interested in those activities, I didn't want to go with middle schoolers; I worried about being a drag on their fun.

I did go to the campfire festivities, which were more skits and songs, and much fewer s'mores than I would have liked.  And when I say songs and skits, there was more shouting than I expected.  I went to breakfast each morning and dinner before the campfire, but adults and campers eat at separate tables in the dining hall.  

My commitment was less than it would have been with other campers or other weeks.  Our camp week ended on Friday, not Saturday, which meant that we didn't have an evening of watching campers while the counselors had their own Vespers service. Our OAP campers were off site, so we only led Bible study 3 mornings, not 3.

In short, I don't know why my volunteer week left me so exhausted.  Part of it was my need also to be doing the work that comes with teaching:  grading for my online classes and getting ready for the in person classes that will start August 15.  I was also trying to schedule doctor appointments with my new health insurance, and we spent Wednesday afternoon at the dentist.

Even though I was more tired than I expected, much of the tiredness was a good kind of tired, the kind that comes from leading middle schoolers and keeping them on task and feeling like we succeeded to the best of our abilities.  So, depending on my summer circumstances, I would do it again.

It's the kind of work that we will never know how it may take root and sprout.  I'd love to be able to see these campers twenty years from now, to see how our ideas about God's love shaped them.  But it's also the kind of work that is worth doing, even if it doesn't take root and sprout in any noticeable way.  It's work that not only affected campers but also counselors and those of us doing the work.  

I'm grateful to have had the time and resources to do it.