Home... tired... funned out! We had a great time; got back around 8:15 tonight. The boys were sooooo tired, but had sooooo much fun! They took to camp like fish to water. It was awesome.
They slept really well; Dustin even napped there. We all slept in a little tiny cabin - a single bed on each side with a 2' aisle between them.... and room on the ends of the beds for Dustin's playpen (he didn't mind the playpen at all, despite being freed into a big-boy bed for months now!). And that was it.
Dustin even asked for his nap yesterday during lunchtime, and was trying to climb into the playpen for it when we got back to the cabin! Beyond that, today he fell asleep in chapel - conked out on a total stranger during the message, and stayed asleep through the super-loud worship afterwards. On the first night, the boys went to bed at 8:30 (I didn't have a watch and the time got away from me), and slept till 7:00; and last night, they went to bed at 7:00 and slept till 6:40 this morning. They both fell asleep on the way home tonight - Dustin at 7:00, and Joshua about 7:30 or so. When I got home, they wouldn't even wake up - we just put them in bed and covered them up, fully clothed. Their clothes were clean anyway - I'd *just* changed them before dinner, so I wasn't too worried about it. It was the absolute easiest bedtime routine ever! :)
They played, they swam, they ran, they canoed, they did some archery, ate a LOT, and tuckered themselves out. The campers took to them sooooo well, and Joshua spent a good portion of his meals with his new friend Stephan (an 11-year-old camper) at his team's table. Even Dustin started getting in on the action, and ate today with some little girlfriends. :) Joshua started sitting with campers in the chapel services, and was even answering some of the questions that were tossed out during the messages. What a smart li'l cookie - and so well-behaved!! The kids loved chapel - moreso as the sessions went by (we were there for a total of 5 chapel services). I have to admit, it was really nice having 40 little babysitters and a bunch of big ones, too!
Because the boys took so well to camp life, and spent so much time with campers, I had a lot of time to pray, worship & sing, spend time with campers and counsellors alike, and actually be a tiny bit useful (I wasn't expecting to be able to actually do anything). I got to be a "judge" for skit night. Then, Peter asked me to give my testimony last night at campfire - totally impromptu. He literally was closing the service and then told the campers that he always thinks of "Melissa's story" and how God changed my life and brought me out of a situation that many of the kids are in right now... and then he asked if I would share a bit. Gladly!!! It was the last campfire of the week, where the campers get to share what God did in their lives over the past week. They got a stick, and when they were done talking, they got to throw their stick into the fire. It was a really awesome night. And because I wasn't in a cabin with campers, I also got to stay up late and chat around the campfire with "old" friends and new ones, too - it was such a refreshing time!! As I laid in bed the first night of camp, my boys sleeping less than 5 feet away from me, I thought, "I am the luckiest girl on the face of the planet right now." The only thing that would've made it perfect would've been to have Graeme there, too.
So... yes, I'm tired... didn't sleep great the first night, even though the boys did fine - pretty normal for me in a new place, especially since it was cold and I was worried about the boys being too cold (and then too hot when I turned the heater on - how thankful I was to find that the little cabin even had a heater, as it dipped to 5 degrees that night!)... but I slept solidly last night. I am so moved by what God is doing at camp that it's going to keep me fueled for a while. And I'm still so awed by how God just adjusted the boys so well... while I'm glad to be home, I'm really sad that camp is over for the year - it'll be another 11 months before I can go out again.
My intention with going out was to have a little mini-holiday for myself, to give the boys something diff't to do, and also to start conditioning the boys to be out there so that when the time comes for Graeme and I to spend a week working out there (hopefully next year!), then the boys won't be so thrown off by it.
I am so blessed...
Here are some pictures:
Learning archery:
Dustin, conked out about 5 minutes after he'd asked for his nap on Day 2 of camp:
Chapel time - singin' with the big kids:
Dustin, snoozing on Sarah during chapel (notice the big speakers and the girl singing at the piano... and Dustin slept through all of it!):
This was cool. The maintenance guys were clearing some trees to make a few RV pads at the camp, for staff who want to bring their own RV's. This guy had special gear with which he could climb a tree. When he got about 2/3 of the way up this 60-80' tree, he tied a rope around it, climbed down, and then proceeded to cut down the tree while 3 other guys guided it down with the rope. I have a video of it; quite impressive. The campers got to watch, and they all thought it was pretty cool. Something that most city kids will never get to see!
Sharing love and playing on Friday morning:
In the dining hall with their new friends:
Hanging out during games and free time:
Mr. Nose (a.k.a. Vivian):
Fun at the waterfront:
Hanging out while waiting to eat:
Joshua working on his craft - first time with a needle & thread, and he loved it!
Dustin being his usual hammy self:
The boys, when we got home. Joshua had put a blanket over his head because the sun was too bright while I was driving. This is taken in the garage (door closed), which is why it looks like night-time.... but the sun really hadn't even set by this time...
What a fun trip!!
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