Camp Week 2 was a smaller week than camp 1, as we had 60 campers. I enjoyed having a smaller number, and after a couple of tweakings to our in camp scheduling as well as getting our projects ready, we were once again ready for campers.
From the very beginning I knew that there was going to be something special about this week. We had a loot of first time campers, and it is always exciting to see them grow and learn about Carolina Cross Connection throughout the week. Even the returning campers grow and learn, but there is something special about the first year people.
God was at work all week through my staff and our campers. He was in every minute of every day as one camper put it on Friday. Whether it was the people that we worked for, such as Sandra Reigler and Geneva Miller who we built a wheelchair ramps for and were so kind, loving, and accepting, or if it was through William Childress and his wife who just loved on the kids and were very special. Whether it was the group of kids that I never once heard complain about the heat or the rain, graciously accepting the challenge of being the hands and feet of Christ. Or whether it was in any other small shape or form, God was present at all times.
Two really cool (at least to me) things happened second camp week. The first one was when I was in an auto shop getting a donation and a man having his car worked on started talking to me. Turns out we had worked for him our first camp week and we talked for half an hour about the group and about life in general. This man was so grateful for the work and was excited about the possibility of having them come out in the future.
The other cool story happened when I was in a lumber shop getting paint donated and the guy at the cash register starting asking me what camp I was working at. He went on to tell me that he had been a camper 7 or 8 times but that he had small children now and hadnt been in a few years. He told me he had been to McCall, Loy White, and Pfieffer before they moved to JYC. After talking with him in more detail I learned that he had been a camper in 2002 at Pfieffer when my brother Tripp was on staff there. I thought that was really cool.
God has been at work this summer at West Wilkes Middle School, and I am sure that he will continue his work for the rest of the summer. I am heading back to West Wilkes tomorrow for camp week 3. Please pray for our week and all of the people that will be affected.
