Camp Ray Bird

applications, applications!

After reporting to Ashley McFalls, office manager extraordinaire, that we had nearly 100 applications in the house- whe replied “just about 10% there ”
It is amazing now that daily the applications- both campers & staff!- roll in, summer is indeed coming, it will warm up, will will swim & play

a spades primer

I think I played spades once or twice in college. This past weekend I got recruited to play with some of my brothas from Grace Community Baptist Church. It was nearly a cross cultural experience. After a short while I learned that books are tricks, “kneel” is nil, and cutting is trumping. Since it had been such a long time, I incorrectly bid a couple of times. It sure was a good time. From now on, there are no more tricks. Only books.

Saint Patrick’s Day

You don’t have to look very far to see that Saint Patrick’s day has gone terribly wrong. A quick glance at www.wikipedia.com explains that Saint Patrick was an Englishman who was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave. Eventually he escaped back to England. Later in life he boldly returned to Ireland as missionary to teach the druids about Jesus. And yet somehow Saint Patrick’s Day has evolved into a day when many people get drunk on green beer. Go figure.

it may not actually be spring yet officially but…

It sure feels like it. I went for a jog after work yesterday and it was sunny and felt like…well…SPRING. Can I tell you how nice I think it is to still see daylight at 8:00 pm? I think all SAD types like me will definitely be voting for Governor Mitch Daniels again because daylight savings is such an incredible thing. And this morning, I heard (and saw) red-winged black birds. Yes, spring is here from my perspective.

It’s that time of the year for hiring again

I wonder who the staff of 2008 will be. It is that time of year again when we are praying and searching for staff to hire.

A foggy reminder

Yesterday, the day following the Winter Mini Camp, the fog rolled into South Bend- and not the relational “fog” we joke about. Literal blankets of fog covered us in an incredible drear. I was so thankful for the beautiful weekend weather we had for the mini camp. God is so gracious and good. We played and played with campers we are growing to love so much. I don’t think I will ever recover from being a part of the ministry here…
What a blessing to serve.

missing camp, again

Well, Fall Mini Camp came and went this weekend. It was awesome. I am sitting here flipping thru photos and can’t believe it all happened so fast. It was good to see so many kids (over 130) finish their lessons. And it was great to see so many of the summer staff back. Our staff and volunteer friends are really quite incredible to return to CRB for all these mini camps. I know they do it to serve the Lord. And yet I feel so personally blessed by all of them. I came out of retirement as a counselor this weekend. It was really enjoyable. Thanks to all who picked up my slack on the admin end. Our theme was “Christmas in October.” For the first time we were able to camp out on the birth of Christ for an entire weekend. After a great weekend I am missing camp, again. But I suppose winter camp is not so far away.

Summer Camp 2007, Been Delivered

Reflections from Kashi:
Random. It was a word I couldn’t seem to shake off. Evident on every page of my
journal that first week: Staff Training. Random. I…Kashi Michelle Desjardins…how
did I end up here, at Camp Ray Bird, Summer ’07. Everyone around me seemed so
passionate about this place, it clearly held so much for them in memory and hope and
future. But here I was, fresh in from Wheaton, never been here before, only here by
recommendation from my college RA. I wanted that…that passion for this place, that
hope in its work. Yet it seemed at that point impossible, far away, and unattainable. I
was loved here, I was quickly accepted here…but the possibilities, the ideas, the heart
still felt so foreign. Me, Kashi, a new counselor, getting to know things, finding my
place. I wrote on Day 2: “What do I expect here? Honestly, I less than a little idea.
What I dream however is beautiful, radical, made perfect through Christ and His grace.
But God only knows how today, this week and this summer will truly be.”
God only knows. I smile a little now, reading that…Oh, but did God know! There
was no point this summer where I felt that beautiful, radical perfection, certainly no
clear moment of power and awesomeness…at least that’s how I felt in the midst of it.
My daily routine was just that: my daily routine. I loved it, I found much joy in my kids
and the staff and the work I was doing. Quickly, the Camp Ray Bird became no more
foreign to me than Wheaton or Wisconsin. Yet, the randomness persisted, and it
frustrated me. Randomness that allowed me to feel and home, but always kept my
heart a step back…because I still couldn’t justify my being here.
There was one night, I believe sometime during Week 6. It was CTFFSW: Capture
The Flag Fruit snack Wars. The night was cooler than most, comfortable. I remember
I was dressed ridiculously (not that that is unusual…), Skirt, pants underneath, Orange
Whistle glaring over my black sweater. For some reason that night Sarah Groves was
playing over the chaos, instead of the usual Evening Activity CD. I had just lost my
fruit snacks to a 7 year old…dang that no tagging rule…and I was walking back to the
bucket Kayla was holding when I took a moment and turned around. There were so
many kids, so many red/blue/yellow sweat-covered pinnys, so much sugar, some tears, a
lot of laughter, a blue sky and an overflowing pitcher of hope. Random, yes I know.
Blessed, I finally understood.
At Camp Ray Bird, we do a lot for our kids. Easy things like drawing chalk with
them, holding their hands, singing obnoxiously loud during “King Jesus”. Harder
things like talking Jesus and trying to walk Jesus in front of them. We do a lot. But
the truth is, they do so much more. For what would CRB be without the beautiful
faces of Temarra, Tiana, Destiny and all three Uniques? And sitting here writing
this…who would I be without them? Certainly NOT who I am today. I challenged my
kids, but they challenged me so much more. I tried to be the hands and feet of Jesus to
the 10 year olds for 5 weeks straight, but whose hand was really that of faith and
hope…interlocked with mine, skipping to Archery? I know that I touched lives this
summer, but that pales in comparison to how I was touched. This summer was not
about me…but that is precisely what changed me.
The randomness of my ending up at Camp Ray Bird frustrated me, because I
couldn’t figure it out. It didn’t make sense to me, but I know now, with utmost
assurance, that it makes a lot of sense to God. He meant it, to teach me to love
regardless, to teach me to trust despite. As I leave camp and now only have pictures
and memories to fill me, I see now that the closeness, beauty, perfection and hope I
thought I was apart from was waiting for me all along. Yet it wasn’t evident because
from the first moment I drove in past Mike’s…it was only a seed. Yet seed’s grow…just
like GROW men, and this summer I grew a small day-lily, with each dose of sun and
water given freely by God and the kids, the roots of the plant and the roots of my heart
were ground deeper into Camp Ray Bird, until it became my heart and I saw the beauty,
hope and peace that flows so freely in that place.
At the last meal of the summer, a simple breakfast on closing day, I noted to
Audrey that I was sad it was all ending so soon. With her characteristic smile and
wisdom, Audrey replied, “Oh, but you can’t see it that way. See this is either the
beginning of the end or it is only the end of the beginning. And really, whichever
place you are at, it doesn’t even matter, because your heart will be here for a very, very
long time. “ And sending a little girl to carry the dish bucket back she turned and
winked, “Trust me”.
And I do.

Snail Mail Blow Out

Thus far: 46 completed #5, 90 finished #4, 161 finished #3, 230 done with #2. The scary thing is that even those just finishing #2 have a chance to finish! As exciting as it is to have so many campers working on the lessons….scary to think about a second weekend!
Perhaps we’ll be heating the yurt and the wagons to jam us all in!

Office as Normal

Shawn and Mike have indeed returned from points west and north. They have a slew of pictures- you’ll have to stop by and see. It is fun to be back to a bit of normal in the office and around camp. Also neat to be able to begin praying today for the Summer Staff of 2008 and volunteer groups!