Middler I and II Wrap-Up 2010

It is funny how the last two days of camp move at warp speed! That means this will be the reader’s digest of what took place on Thursday and Friday. And I apologize in advance for missing important details.

Thursday was the first typical day at camp in regards to the weather. The sun came out to dry everything out and to warm the camper up. As they gathered for morning watch it became evident that the campers have become a social unit that works well with one another. They play nicely and seemed to really enjoy one another company. After breakfast the campers tackled their details which mean they cleaned the bath house along with sweeping and mopping the dining hall. Upon completion of those daily activities the campers were divided into two groups with one heading to the ropes course for some low challenges and the other group headed for their session of stewardship of the camp and the surrounding forest.

The group that I tagged along with went to the ropes course. The first challenged was to get off a sinking ship. The exit was a tire that is fully secured about two or three feet off the ground. What the group had to do was to plan who will go through in what order. They were successful when everybody was safe on the life boat. This activity promotes team work and communication. They have to talk to one another. This group quickly worked out the leadership roles and off they went. The second challenge was a series of tire swings. They had to work together to move from one tire swing to another. Again the group quickly got organized and accomplished the goal.

The second half of the morning was spent working on stewardship of the camp. It is important to learn early on that giving back is equally important as receiving. This year’s project was to clean off the branches of a tree that was cut down to make room for the new water and sewer system. The campers marched into camp, picked up gloves and then marched out to the site. There Steve arrived with a truck and trailer and the campers promptly went to work and loaded the trailer and the back of the truck with branches that were taken to the slash pile that will be burned at the first snow of 2010/2011 winter in Esterbrook.
All this working together on the ropes course and picking up branches made this group hungry and ready for lunch.

After lunch everybody had some cabin time and got prepared to go swimming at the famous swimming hole. The campers were waiting all week for this event. It was a good time to have by all and they stayed at the swimming hole all afternoon. Some of the campers along with a couple of counselors were bold enough to jump into the water. Later I discovered that one of the campers is a junior life guard which would explain why she was so good at treading water. Campers this age are a resilient group. As they got out of the water they were shivering but that did not damped their spirits of having a good time.

That evening we all marched up to the outdoor chapel. Pat gave people references and names of mountains that we all could see the closing chapel service was to write a psalm as they sat quietly to listen and view nature. This was such a relaxing time. To my amazement this group sat quietly for over an hour and didn’t complain. One could really feel and experience the calming presence of God. As it turns out that was one of the common requests during prayer time, patience and serenity.

The evening closed with a dance. As the dance got organized ipods were offered, but the speakers needed an upgrade. Well God provides and a set of speakers that could be plugged into a headphone jack appeared and then a computer showed up. This gave all the campers the freedom to select more music. Most of the selections were line dances and everybody had a good time. As the night drew to an end the camp was peacefully quiet as everybody drifted off to sound sleep.

Friday was the closing Eucharist. The campers eat breakfast quickly and returned to their cabins to pack-up to head home. After the packing was done we all gathered to give thanks to God for all that we had experienced for the past week. The staff wrote the Prayers of the People and the collect for the day and it was read. We renewed our Baptismal Covenant and broke bread for the final time for the week. The Gospel reading was from the end of John. The campers were challenged to continue writing the Gospel with their lives for they are the next chapter in God’s story.

It was a good time. Everybody worked together and put forth great effort to make this year’s camp a memorable one. Slowly some of the campers were picked up and some remained for family camp that is now taking place over the weekend. Enjoy the pictures and I hope to see more campers return again in 2011 for another exciting Middler 1 and 2 Camp at Wyoming Wilderness Camp.

- Doug Wasinger (Spiritual Director of Middler 1 and 2)