We have a camper!

Sadie has been going to Mountaintop Youth Camp since she was a baby. When she was 6 weeks old I started working as the nurse at Jr. Boy's Week, with Steven either speaking or counseling. But this year she turned 8 and was old enough to go stay in a cabin - a big deal!

I decided to ask the director of the week if they had the nurse spot filled.....and needless to say I got the job! My best friend from home, Julie, was also coming up to counsel (she had Sadie in her cabin) so it was a fun week to be there together with her girls and my crew. We have a lot of memories of camp together - she brought me to Jr. Teen Week when I was 13, the first of many fun weeks for me at Mountaintop. 

Sadie was thrilled to have a different agenda than Jr. Boys, which included crafts every day! Right up her alley.

The boys did little to no crafts - but thanks to a fabulous Kid's Club worker (one of the staff girls who's job is to do fun stuff with the worker's kids who aren't campers) they got to do exploration hikes, bible stories, cookie making, and swimming. Especially the day Julie's boys came up they had a blast. 

Eli absolutely loves Mountaintop - and I love it for him. He goes an entire week without looking at a screen and he is sooooo happy. He is outside 90% of his waking hours and pretty filthy the whole time. The last night I was reading to the boy's before bed and trying to talk myself out of it but I finally gave in and made them shower - they smelled awful.

David had his moments, as always, but he loves camp, too. And the "titty-tat", as Mary Jo loved to say. He pretty much followed Eli around all day and as long as they were together I was ok with that. He loved that freedom!

Mary Jo did what Mary Jo does everywhere - took care of her babies. Here she is in the hall of the staff cabin, where we stayed, and the campers came if they needed me. It was bedtime, I guess, for her babies.

She even shared her babies with napping staffers during their naps, in case they needed one. :)

She enjoyed the pool, although her motto at camp was "I only walk downhill," so coming up the mountain from the pool, carrying her and our towels, was a workout in and of itself (it's completely uphill, on the side of the mountain). 

She also loved the "driver," (golf cart) as she called it, even when it wasn't moving. 

She has some little plastic keys and tried her best to get those keys into the keyhole!

I was able to have some sweet time in the Word every day and once I looked down and realized she had tucked a baby in my arm. Sweet girl. 

Camp work is hard work.

It was very fun to watch Sadie as a camper. Thankfully I saw different clothes on her every day (a change from Jr. Boys!) and most of the time she was very happy. 

 

The last couple of days she had some tears, mostly just exhaustion, which she proved on the 1 hour drive home by falling asleep almost immediately. Camp is a wonderful place. Such a sweet time to spend with other believers, sharing the gospel with over 100 little girls, and watching them have fun. As the nurse I have had to learn some tricks. Working in the NICU the job is very different - my patients are usually very sick and they don't really need verbal compassion (their parents do, mind you). Every year the first few campers that come in with complaints like "My arm hurts" or "my toe feels funny" I just kind of look at them like "Ok....what do you want me to do about that?"  But after a while I've learned to show compassion and just treat them like I would my kids if they came in from outside with a complaint (probably treat them nicer than I'd treat mine). After careful observation I have found these things to be true. 

1. "My tummy hurts" = "I'm homesick"

2. Bandaids make kids feel better almost 100% of the time. 

3. Give them a bandaid, a vitamin, an ice pack, SOMETHING, so they feel their trip to the nurse's station was worthwhile. 

4. Having a toddler at your feet is a great distraction, for little girls especially.

Praise the Lord for Mountaintop, and the work He is doing up there. I'm so grateful for the weeks that I get to be involved in this ministry.   

The Possum

A few weeks ago we were first introduced to our possum, the kids and I call her "Shirley". The first couple of times she came around we found her in the trash can in the little bathroom right outside our bedroom- both times in the middle of the night. The first time I didn't see it and Steven didn't get a good look so we thought (hoped) it was just a mouse. The second time as it ran scared to death around Steven's legs, out of the bathroom, and towards a screaming me, we got a good look and it was definitely a baby possum. A couple of days later I went to Charlotte for a sweet week with my folks- taking the big three to VBS at my parent's church every morning and getting to spend some time with my BFF from growing up. While gone Steven hired a "possum guy" who came, set out traps (all we caught were squirrels), but assured us a couple weeks ago that nothing else could get in. All is well, so we thought.
Tonight, after the kids were asleep, we were watching tv in the den and while fast forwarding (gotta love DVR) we both heard a noise. I fully expected to maybe just see a little mouse so I bravely walked in the pantry and flipped the light on. This is where my bravery ends. I looked at a spice jar knocked over and then eye to eye with a possum. Steven has been trying to get me to stop the reactionary noises (gasping, etc) over minute things, such as realizing I forgot the sugar or anything minor in the car. Tonight was an exception- he holds no hard feelings toward my screaming. He very bravely took that possum on, what a man. I assisted by grabbing an empty trash can, throwing it at him, then jumping on top of the washing machine while yelling that he should call our neighbor Patrick. He actually shut the pantry door behind him, and it was a scuffle I tell you. Amazingly, he captured the thing in between a bucket and trash can and threw all three things out the back door. As the little creature was running away I actually yelled "and don't come back!" I'm sure she'll take that to heart. Previously, I didn't really think Steven's bravery was much greater than mine but my opinion has changed tonight. I think he can do anything, now! Hopefully our possum days are behind us, though.
It's funny, we just spent an amazing week at Skyland Bible Conference. We go every year, but this year the speakers just really challenged me to live unconditionally for Christ. I was struggling a bit with the fears that come along in this life- maybe the Lord is trying to start small with me to show me that by His grace I can face scary things. On a serious note, He truly does equip us with what we need, when we need it, be it facing a possum or a true trial in life, suffering or persecution. I know I serve a mighty God and He is faithful, praise His name!