Have you ever helped cook dinner for ninety people?
That’s what was on our agenda last night at a local summer camp.
It was sure nice having the recent Regent grad on hand to help.
You can tell she gets her dramatics . . .
from her dad.
I am more of the calm-ish variety.
Yesterday morning, we hosted some of the leaders and campers in our church service where they led music . . .
and did a drama.
We love to see the next generation getting prepared to take our place.
And on that subject, when the service was over, Steve sought out the bass player, took him to his office and gave him a mini bass lesson.
Last night after he finished in the kitchen, he found the guy again and spent some more time with him.
I was touched by how grateful this young man was for the time Steve took with him and, as always, appreciated Steve’s heart for mentoring.
it’s been a while since I shared a photo of the growing Smith clan.
Two faces I love!
And while I am talking about the Floridian Smiths, I want to brag on Nathan a bit.
He just got a long-awaited promotion at work where he is taking on a lot more responsibility and also managing three people. We are so proud of our son!
What about you?
Did you go to summer camp when you were young?
Did you love it or just endure it?
Any memories or stories to share from those days?
Becky, the song goes like this: ( I don’t remember the title) And I’m about 98% sure of the lyrics…lol…it’s been about 47 years!!
It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around will warm up in it’s glowing…
That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it…
It’s fresh like spring, you want to sing…you want to pass it on. 🙂
Oh! Maybe it’s “Pass it on”
LeeAnne,
Oh yes, I remember that one! I used to sing it and play it on my guitar waaaay back in the day.
You remembered the lyrics great. I had to look it up to refresh my own memory and found that your last line is from the second verse and the other lines are from the first verse. But 47 years after singing it? You did amazingly!
Here’s to old songs from camp . . . and the oldsters who sang them. 🙂
I think I went to a camp or 2 during elementary or middle school, but I don’t really remember it too much.
Our church has a camp about an hour away. It is so pretty, relaxing and serene. There is a building that is used for church, singing, games, etc. Then there’s a kitchen, dining area that is used for meals and other indoor activities. There are a couple of bathrooms and a few cabins that families with children or the elderly use. There is a volleyball net, basketball court, baseball area, horseshoes, playground and a sand box…lots of stuff to keep busy. Every year during the week of July 4th, there is Family Camp. Some families bring their 5th wheels or RV’s, too. Some even pitch tents. It’s a time of fun, food, fellowship and learning. Some members/friends/family from area Independent Baptist churches come, too. There are sermons on family, marriage, etc. Music is great. Just a great time. I’ve never been able to go for the whole week, but I’ve gone for a day trip and just love it!
Then later in July is Junior Camp. Basically, it’s a week-long VBS. There are counselors, volunteers (older teens) and they all camp in the cabins. They have activities, skits, games, learning, more food. The kids love it!!
In August, there is Singles Retreat. The singles in the church get together for a week of learning about courting, marriage, etc.
Also, way to go Nathan! You must be a proud Mama!!
Have a blessed week!
Krista,
I have a great admiration for the people who are volunteers/counselors at a kids camp. That is sooooo far out of my comfort zone . . . but bless all the ones who do it!
Nice that your church’s camp is only an hour away and you get to get away for a day here and there and take advantage of it. I’ve been to a good number of camps like that with RV’s, cabins, tents, music, etc. and it really is a special day feeling like you’re getting away from regular life for a while.
Thanks for the congrats for Nathan; we’re very proud of him and excited he’ll be making a little more money for that new little Smith!
I am from Maine. I did not go to camp as a kid. In college, I was camp counselor at a Girl Scout Camp. But there were black bears seen in/around the camp and that made me nervous. As a mother, I go to cub scout camp for each year with my two boys until they are old enough to go alone. Only one is still young enough to need me to go. My oldest son goes each year to first cub scout camp and now boy scout camp. He also goes to church camp each year. Camp is the absolute highlight of his year. But luckily the boy scout camp nearby is absolutely gorgeous and scouts from all over the Northeast and Eastern Canada go. Our church camp is pretty awesome too. My daughter is going to church camp (alone) for the first time this year. She is my baby (the youngest). I am sad about her going away, but proud she is independent enough to want to go! The last sentence pretty much sums up raising kids.
Jess,
My husband was an Eagle Scout so he has been to a lot of those kinds of camps you are talking about. So glad your sons get to take advantage of such wonderful opportunities to have fun, make new friends, and learn new skills in such a beautiful environment. And how cool that you got to go camping with them when they were younger!
And yes, your last sentence truly does sum up child-rearing. Such a wonderful, precious challenge to balance the holding on and the letting go.
Congratulations to Nathan on his promotion. I went to Camp Oak Hills every year til I graduated and was also a Jr Counselor for 2 years. Loved it. I remember standing in line with our cabin mates waiting for our meals and singing, Here we sit like Birds in the wilderness, waiting to be fed 🙂 Also leaning to canoe, learning to swim, getting many medals and awards in Archery. Oh, the fun I had at camp. That is where I accepted Jesus as my personal savior when I was 11 years old. My kids all went to a different camp close to our house as they were growing up. Part of our Church is the camp. Now my grandkids go there. Camp is so good for kids. Ok, enough of my ramblings.
Wendy,
I enjoyed your ramblings! 🙂
So nice to hear the positive experiences you and your kids and now your grandkids have had at camp over the years. And I loved the “birds in the wilderness” lyrics. I’ve never heard the song but I can just imagine you and your friends had a great time singing it over and over!
Thanks for the camp reminiscings!
I forgot to mention that my husband’s family gets together for Thanksgiving every year. Guests come from all over the country. Typically there are 110-120 people there. We help cook for that. Crazy but fun time!
Michele,
The cooking would be challenging enough but what would get me is the organizing of it! Whew!
Although it’s a ton of work, I can only imagine how many memories you all have made over the years. You are blessed to have a family who makes it a priority to get together.
Great job Nathan! congratulations! Beautiful family picture. I forgot the youngest guy’s name, but he sure is cutie, they all are.
I went to Girl Scout camp. It was pretty fun. Campfire time was the best part. Then as a mom I went again.
Because I am a nurse I was always asked to come along on my daughter’ Girl Scout camping trips in case something happened. Well one night about 2:00 am I was called out of my tent. One of the other chaperone moms took her daughter to the bathroom, which was an outhouse, (latrine. ). Well unfortunately for them the floor of the latrine collapsed and they were ankle deep in you know what! Eww. These days I much prefer hotels!
Michele,
A collapsing floor in an outhouse? That would be pretty horrific, especially since it happened at night when it dark and everyone was tired to start with. You wonderful nurses NEVER know when you will be called upon to help, do you? 🙂 That is an incident NO ONE will ever forget. (As hard as you might try!)
I’m with you. I MUCH prefer a hotel over a tent!
Congrats to Nathan on his promotion!! I’m so very happy for him and his precious family! Thanks for the pictures of them – they look wonderful.
I did go to camp – in grade school it was 4-H camp and in high school it was church camp, both held at the Greenbrier County Youth Camp. It was a fun place, with the exception of all the water/plumbing being sulphur water. In my 4-H days, swimming was in the Greenbrier River, but by high school they had installed a pool !! (They now have a Facebook page and rent the camp out to many organizations. The best part of both camps was always campfire circle (located down a path past the boys’ cabin). Thinking about it now, I would have loved to have had a Fitbit back then – I’m sure I logged a LOT of steps.
I’m glad Sarah was there to help with feeding the masses. I’ve never had to cook for that many. Our Sunday School class used to always volunteer for the “snack station” during VBS and that was challenging enough for me.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful week!
Sue Ellen,
Sulphur water? Eek. NOT a good thing. But hey, you were at camp so I guess roughing it was part of the experience, right? 🙂
I love that you have such good memories of camp and that those memories have stayed with you through the years. That’s the best part about good memories. You can pull them out for review any ol’ time!
Congratulations to Nathan! Great picture of the five(6) of them. Everyone looks so happy except the little serious man in the middle 🙂 So sweet. I love how Steve is so willing to mentor and share his knowledge with the upcoming group, even though I am sure he is very busy. Wonderful.
I went to a summer camp for only one summer for a couple of weeks. I was about 10 years old. It was a day camp, no sleepover. I did not like it AT ALL. I was an introverted homebody, who preferred to stay home and read or just play with friend that lived next door. The worst part of it was the gymnasium time, we were supposed to jump up and over the ‘horse’. I could not do it, as I was so small for my age. It was embarrassing and stressful. I tried to move to the back of the line so as to not have to take a turn. Surprisingly, I was very good at archery, of all things. I enjoyed the art class. I made a small green turtle out of felt. Mostly, I just wanted to go home. Thankfully, my mom never sent me again. I did learn a new song there, they sang it at the end of every day. I’m trying to remember it, but I can’t. It’s on the tip of my brain though. I remember that it was a strange song for a camp haha.
Lesley,
That’s so funny. I also have memories of gym class in junior high where we were all supposed to jump over the horse. I thought it looked pretty simple but ended up splatting myself right into the side of it when I tried.
I think they need camps set aside just for introverts. Loud and crazy camps can be quite stressful for quiet people. Thankfully your mom didn’t send you back. But how fun to find out you were good at archery and loved art! Hooray for you.
It will be interesting to see if that song makes its way back into your brain. 🙂
First of all, congratulations to Nathan on his promotion!
I went to Baptist Hill many years ago. I can’t remember exactly where it was, somewhere in Missouri. The main thing I remember is they killed a tarantula outside the girls dorm. Several years later, I went to Camp Windemere on Lake of the Ozarks. I think the accommodations were much better there – seems like I shared part of a cabin with one of my friends.
And, the summers after my freshman, sophomore and senior years of college, I worked in the kitchen of the local Methodist Church Camp, Camp Galilee. The first two years I helped with breakfast and lunch. We made cinnamon rolls for breakfast a couple times a week as I recall. They were delicious and I took leftovers home many times. By the end of the summer, I was kind of tired of them though. The last year, I helped with lunch and dinner. So yes, I have helped cook for 90+ people many times. My younger brother went on to work there in the maintenance are for several summers during high school and college both.
Phyllis,
Well, apart from the tarantula, it sounds like your camp experiences were good ones. Especially the taking home leftover cinnamon rolls part. 🙂
It’s great that both you and your brother worked at the same camp. What a great opportunity for college students to get work experience and to invest in the lives of kids and teens.
I’m sure you have so many great memories from those years!
Congratulations to Nathan!
I went to a summer church camp when I was in the 7th and 8th grades, It was near Colorado Springs and it was so awesome. I think it was a week long and I especially loved the chapel services at night and singing worship songs around the huge campfire. I still remember one of them too!
LeeAnne,
I was not a huge fan of summer camp but singing around a campfire made the whole experience worthwhile. And to get to go to camp in Colorado? What a gorgeous place!
What song do you remember?
Congratulations to Nathan! I went to Girls Auxiliary camp at Chowan University when I was 13. It was only about 45 minutes from home and I loved it. Of course we had crushes on the young men counselors. Prayers for Sarah’s job search. How about your finger?
Ann,
Having summer crushes on camp counselors is definitely a rite of passage and half the fun of being at camp! 🙂 Glad to hear you had a good experience with the camping experience.
Sarah has an unpaid internship very possibly lined up at a church in Ahoskie. (They would provide housing and she would work a side job) If that works out, she would leave mid August.
My finger is not great. I appreciate you asking!
Let me know. Ahoskie is about an hour from us. In fact, I was born in a little area outside called Union. Maybe we could manage to visit her sometime.
Ann,
Will do. I know she would love to see you.