(I wrote this last night but there was no internet connection to use at the time.)
Well, we made it over to camp today without many problems. Some other staff and a few leaders from the area all met at Tim Pinson’s house and we took a few vehicles over to Rosebud.
The group of leaders this year looks to be pretty strong. There is a nice mix of returning leaders and new ones. We got through some training and got to know one another. The main theme of camp has been presented, and I’m very excited about it. The focus is very different from other camps, and really presents so much freedom to act in the Lord without the confines of a secular or otherwise rigid theme. (Not that the other themes were bad, but I feel like the theme this year has a much more simple and yet powerful meaning and application.) Pray that the Lord will use the hard work of those who have put it together to glorify his name.
Already we have been presented with several obstacles. The first of which is a new cabin that the staff here has built to replace one of the older cabins. This new cabin is very nice. It is fully enclosed with large bunks and air conditioning. It also has built in bathrooms with showers. While this seems like an exciting new addition, it might in fact prove to be rather troublesome for the girl leaders and campers. Normally they use all 4 cabins that have been here for several years. These older cabins have no AC, concrete floors, and no attached bathroom. They also have very old bunks and mattresses. Due to our numbers and the fact that there are 3 old cabins and only ONE new cabin, the girls will experience that which is commonly referred to as something that is “not fair.” Simply put, many girls will be quite jealous of the few that get to use the new cabin, but there is little we can do about it. If we could, we wouldn’t allow anyone to use the new cabin, but our numbers won’t allow that. So please pray for the leaders and campers because the situation could get ugly if it is allowed to spiral down a certain path.
Also, we have a few guy leaders who were asked to do something tonight referring to sleeping arrangements within the guy tents. It was an inconvenient request for them, but their response was far more extreme than I would have thought. The attitudes presented tonight were, frankly, those of campers, not leaders. So pray that there will be reconciliation and a change in attitude and heart.
Pray that I will be able to connect with some of the guys on a personal and spiritual level. It will be easy for me to simply spend more time and effort on the leaders that I know or those in which I find it easy to be around. I think the Lord would have greater purposes than simply that.
