Niagara and News

"But whosever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14

When you stand at the brink of Niagara Falls and see millions of gallons crash to the bottom, it's hard to comprehend the force and power at display.  To think that all that water pales in comparison with the eternal life Jesus has to offer is incredible!  And one step further, to think that He has the power to spring water up in our lives and give us His power, far greater than the roaring waters of Niagara, is amazing.  What an awesome God we serve!

This past weekend our family visited the small church of Kitchener, Ontario and made a stop at Niagara Falls on the way.  We left early Friday morning, arriving that evening and staying in the area until Saturday afternoon.  My last trip to Niagara was in 2000 when I was five years old and afraid to tears of the falls.  This time I viewed things a little differently :)  Not only did I have a different perception of the falls, but we stayed on the Canadian side this time and it left a better impression than the American side did 15 years ago.

Here's the crew, with Dad as photographer, standing in front of the American and Bridalveil falls.

 

Pictures don't capture the depth or sound, but I took lots so I'll share some :)

A sister pic with Horseshoe Falls in the background.

 

At night they light the falls and on Friday nights they do fireworks!

 

Saturday morning we enjoyed our Embassy breakfast with a view of the falls and fueled up for a big day of walking!  We got to the IMAX in plenty of time so we headed down to the Horseshoe Falls, getting sprayed by mist in the process.  The way the falls are shaped forms a big pillar of mist in the middle and as we walked by on the sidewalk it was as though it was raining on us!  It was only a taste of what was to come on the Hornblower, but that can wait.  Being by the brink of Horseshoe offered such a close-up view of where the peaceful Niagara River drops about 150 feet. Just incredible!

 

Here's a panoramic view I shot while walking between the two falls.

 

And another view of Horseshoe.

 

We hiked back up to the IMAX to watch' Miracles, Myths, and Magic', a presentation I'd recommend if you visit Niagara in the near future.  I rarely cry during movies but I was on the verge of tears during a true story of a seven-year-old who went over the falls in just a lifejacket and survived.  His sister was rescued at the brink just in time but their friend was killed in the incident.  Then there are those stories of the daredevils who have risked it all and taken a trip down the falls in barrels, kayaks, and a variety of contraptions.  Some live, some die, and we got to learn more about those stories in the daredevil exhibit after the IMAX.

 

From there we headed back down to the boardwalk along the falls for a ride on the Hornblower.  As we passed a long line of people waiting to buy tickets we thanked Mom again for taking time to plan out our trip and buy tickets online.  Huge time and money saver!!!

 

My experience on the Hornblower was more pleasant than my experience on the Maid of the Mist 15 years ago.  I could understand why Edie was a bit frightened at first but she ended up enjoying the ride.  We got a great view from the top deck although when we got close to Horseshoe falls it was hard to see clearly with all the spray!

 

 

After getting the close-up of the falls on the boat, most of us felt like we had adequately experienced Niagara Falls.  There are lots of look-out points we didn't get to and even an excursion that takes you behind the falls, but between the IMAX, boat tour, and boardwalk views we'd seen quite a bit!  We loaded up into the big white van, hit a game of putt-putt, and journeyed into Kitchener for the evening.

 

Part of being in Canada is paying big bucks for cellular data or getting by without phones while traveling which is synonymous with getting lost.  Mom printed off directions to our hotel but long story short we ended up at a gas station where Dad bought a map and received some directions from the locals.  The next morning we had an easier time finding the church and showed up so early that we gave ourselves a little tour of the town.

 

Worshipping with the believers in Kitchener was a blessing.  I really enjoyed being part of a small church during my time in Altadena and although Kitchener is even smaller than that, it's amazing how much energy can be amongst so few people.  We felt so welcomed and the fellowship was refreshing and when we left we were already talking about going back again!

 

Last night when we got home I knocked a package off the porch into the flowers as I was carrying my suitcase into the house...oh, more books arrived!  Today my online classes start and the end of an era has come.  After being out of school for three years (with the exception of two weeks back in 2012 and a semester of Spanish), I'm jumping back into college life.  This time I'm taking classes online from Dickinson State University out of North Dakota and am studying Equine Science.  Three weeks ago I didn't know for sure what I was doing this fall so I sort of laugh when people ask me what I'm going to do with my degree because there's no way I'm going to predict my life three years from now.  But my idea is to get my associates and work at a place that uses horses to reach people, specifically kids and teens.  Whether I'll do that in the area or be planted somewhere else is completely out of my knowledge but I do know that God has a plan.  Getting back into school is a little intimidating but I'm excited to know that it's all for His glory, so His plan in my life can be carried through and ultimately His name can be honored.

 

In addition to online classes I'm also working part time at Freedom Foods which is a produce company that family friends recently started.  Also, last week I took Edie to piano lessons and asked if there was room for one more student.  Yes, Dr. Egan took me back so I'm excited to be back in lessons and have a motivator to practice and push myself more!

 

Looking back on the adventures of the past three years, I can see that God has had a purpose in every task He called me to.  Thanks to all of you who have supported me in various and beautiful ways through this journey of life.  One of my biggest struggles with blogging is that it's a one way conversation and I know all of you have your own amazing stories of how God is working in your lives.  I hope that He continues to guide each of you and fill you with His everlasting peace!!!

 

Have a blessed day!









Tecumseh

Tecumseh...where the stars shine bright,

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And the leaves are green,

And I am third,

Tecumseh...it's a special place where I understand the meaning of the word...LOVE.

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God is all around, and I know that He cares,

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He is most important to me...

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And all of the other people are second only to Him,

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It's great to be third and feel so free.

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With a smile on your face,

And not a worry in the world,

 
And a rainbow of colors in the sky.

 
You can be who you want to be,

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This is where you can live your dream,

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It doesn't matter if you laugh or cry.

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But the greatest treasure of all is the glow that we feel,

 
When a child reflects our love in his face.

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A family we are, in the hands of the Lord,

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We all feel His presence in this place.

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Tecumseh...where the stars shine bright and the leaves are green,

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And I am third.

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Tecumseh...it's a special place where I understand the meaning of the word...LOVE

***

Oh, Tecumseh.  Land of unit cheers, zip-lines, friendship bracelets, candlelight devotions, Crow cabin, level two skills, lunch loudness, being THIRD, wobbling across the suspension bridge, Songfest, chapel, extra blob time, REST HOUR!!!, sleeping in hammocks, gaga and carpet-ball, trading post, opening and closing campfire, costumes, hobo dinners, bareback clinic, relationships...I can't sum it up.  Not with pictures, not with descriptions.  But the 'Tecumseh Song' which just captioned the pictures above does a good job of capturing what Camp Tecumseh means to a lot of people.  For me, growing up in a community of loving Christians, I've always had support and been surrounded by love.  But I'm one of the few who is given such a nurturing environment year round.  Camp Tecumseh is where many people feel closest to God because He's the center there and that's not the case with very many places in the real world.  While this summer made me realize I'm a lot more selfish than I'd like to admit, my hope and prayer is that God can use my weaknesses to His glory and continue to work in the lives of children I came in contact with so that they too can take the Camp Tecumseh's 'I'm Third' motto of God, others, then myself, into the world with them.

'Being third' and sharing God's love with those around me wasn't always easy and many times my motives were so off.  By the time we reached the end of the summer I felt like a complete failure and thought of how I could've been a better counselor and friend.  Sometimes I still look back with regret that I let selfishness take over so often and that I got in the way of myself.  Yet in all my mistakes, God is able to do beautiful things.  No, it's not an excuse to mess up and do things my way, but there is consolation in trusting that God is the one who will continue to work in the hearts of the people I interacted with.  So trust Him I must and trust Him I will.

At the beginning of the summer during staff training we slept under the stars in hammocks and did some star gazing as well as my first bead devotion.  The bead devotion took place every Friday night of summer camp in the individual cabins and consisted of reading the Sagamore Creed which describes several traits of a respectable person: initiative, friendship, trust, responsibility, faith, and joy.  Each person would have the opportunity to pick an attribute he/she'd like to work on in the coming year and then receive a bead as a reminder to be intentional about growing in that area.  During staff training I chose the trust bead and pinned it to my backpack.  This summer I had many opportunities to trust God and others as there was a lot of NEW happening.  And since that pretty much sums up our whole life--ever changing and full of questions--I'm sure it's an area that I'll be working on until the day I die. 

The 2015 Summer Camp has officially ended at Camp Tecumseh, but the memories will live on.  There were times I felt insecure or frustrated at camp but I have no doubt that it's where God placed me for the summer.  He taught me so many lessons...about trust like I mentioned above, about how He has made so many unique individuals that are all precious in His sight, about the complex world He created.  I'm thankful for the wonderful young ladies that stayed in Crow cabin and the talented kiddos who improved their riding skills at the Equestrian Center.  I was blessed to work with an incredible team of counselors, directors, and barn friends who were a great example to me during my first year ever at camp.  People have asked if I'll go back and while I don't think I'll return for a full 9 weeks next year, I hope to go at least for a few.  After all, it's Tecumseh.

A special place where I understand the meaning of the word...LOVE.

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***-pictures that I downloaded from Facebook or the Camp Tecumseh photo gallery on their website.

A Note from Oscar

Salutations!  My name is Oscar the Otter, the beloved pet of Crow cabin.  I get an interesting view of what the Crows do throughout a week from my perch on the table in the cabin, a backpack, an armpit (when they so affectionately decide to include me in everything they do, oh joy!), or the center of the dining hall table.  That crazy counselor may think she knows what happens in a week at camp, but let me tell you the real story.

So, turns out that the Crows are somewhat responsible people.  They keep the cabin clean and that's actually why I abide with them.  I used to ride around on Pauly's cart...oh, Pauly!  Ha, guess you probably don't know who that is.  He's this pretty amazing guy who drives around a golf cart all day and wipes down every doorknob on site in every building on site.  In addition to that BIG job he finds time to sanitize the surfaces of the bathrooms of 49 cabins on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Folks, I've seen what he does and he works hard!  The reason he decided to leave me with the Crows is because we've both noticed that they are the cleanest cabin on camp and have been for weeks!  When I showed up the Crows could hardly contain their excitement; they love Pauly and he loves me.  It's just part of that camp love, I guess.

Now that I've gushed over that, let me inform you there are some, well, maybe strange would be a good descriptor of things that happen in Crow.  Just the other day that crazy counselor went into a toilet stall and lo and behold! There was a pair of folded socks in the bottom of the toilet!  When she asked around just who they might belong to not a single soul owned up to that soggy pair of socks (don't blame 'em!).  Not a week later a stray sock showed up on the porch with no owner once again.  It has been decided that one of Crow Cabin's talents is sock growing. 

And duct-tape stealing.  It's week 8 and that crazy counselor uses that excuse for all those dumb things she does, but it's beyond her (and me) what happened to her roll of duct-tape.  It was there one moment and gone the next!

I'm not sure how I feel about living in a cabin that grows socks and swallows duct-tape but other than those vices it's clean, it's happy, it's where friendship bracelets are made by the dozens.  I suppose it's a good home.

When I'm not at home I'm usually in those other places I mentioned. Let's start with the dining hall table.  It's where the Crows eat their meals and it's also a happy place but not so clean.  Sometimes I'm afraid I might get spaghetti in my fur or drown in a puddle of spilled water but they watch out for me pretty well.  At breakfast on Monday morning I get to listen in as the girls hear what horses they'll be assigned to for the week.  I also watch them down cinnamon roll after cinnamon roll and wish they'd share maybe just a crumb?

They do include me in a lot so I shouldn't complain.  Oh, for example, last Friday night they used me! a lowly otter as a special guest in their song at flagpole before the theme dinner.  The theme last week was 'Christmas In July' and that crazy counselor picked up some big red noses on a trip to Hobby Lobby (surprise, surprise!) and they stuck one on me!  Then they sang a song about Oscar the red-nosed otter to the tune of a familiar Christmas song known as 'Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer'.  I must say that it felt pretty great to be the star of the show for that one minute.  And about being stuck in their armpits...well, that might sounds strange but really it's just one of the ways they carry me from place to place.  Those equestrians do a lot of walking every day and sometimes I get to ride in a backpack, other times they embrace me with TLC, and other times like those mentioned aforehand I'm sort of just hanging there.

Hopefully that crazy counselor will inform you of her favorite memories of camp after it's all history in less than two fast weeks!  For now, you can rest assured that the Crows are surviving and having a grand old time. 

Much love,
Oscar

***So, the story of how Oscar came to Crow is true and we light up every time we see Pauly because he is so kind!  Oscar has cheered up our days and we're glad to have him and Mocha the snail as cabin pets.  Can't forget Steve the dead lunar moth that is now resting peacefully in our bird's nest on the porch.  As a side note I can't believe how fast the summer has gone and am enjoying these last few weeks.  Likely there will be no posts until I do a recap at the end, but I hope to somehow put together a summary of my experiences at camp!  That's it for tonight...

Brief Update of Camp

Perhaps my silence is the best indicator of what I've been doing the past few weeks.  Anything and everything that keeps me too busy to blog.

Sleeping out in hammocks, picking hooves, dressing up like a security guard, rolling sleeping bags, singing or rather screaming at the top of my lungs every day all day on top of rocks and barrels and tables in some instances, planning devious tricks in the barn that may or may not involve a harmless clear liquid, winning Golden Toilet Seat award for clean cabin several days (oh yah!), crossing the suspension bridge multiple times a day, forms forms and more forms, splashing at the lake and pool, telling campers for the umpteenth time that they need to just 'wait and see' what the schedule holds, planning lessons for my riding class, jumping in mud puddles just because we can, shooting arrows at the archery range, gathering around the ambiance of candlelight for cabin devotions, throwing ice cream bars in the trading post...the list is endless.

Camp is busy.  I'm exhausted.

We're almost to the half way mark and it's really hard to believe because as one of my campers put it well: the days are long but the week flies!  A new day begins and we hit the ground running, filling it with activity and adventure.  When the weekend rolls around I wonder where the week went.  It's already time to write parent letters, do laundry, catch up with the family, run errands, go to church, and maybe get a bit more sleep so I can start all over in...24 hours.

Why am I doing this? you may wonder.  At times I do.  But then there are those moments--and you know what I'm talking about--that remind me of why I'm at camp.

How about all the amazing, comforting songs I've learned in chapel, the times I see a child go out of his or her comfort zone and accomplish something great, the moments that I hug tearful campers farewell who are much more than teenagers staying in a cabin but rather friends that have cheered me up and made me laugh, the faith that is grown there, the love that is expressed there, the memories made there, the astronomical number of high-fives and I-love-you's shared there.

Yes, camp is exhausting.  Yes, there have been children that have pressed my buttons and times in my weariness I've wanted to just leave it all behind.  But then there's God and He always provides in such incredible ways, giving me the strength to take it one step at a time.  This is no sprint, it's a marathon.

Week five has been particularly interesting so far as my co-counselor Lizzie and I have moved not only to a different cabin but to a different village.  The equestrian campers are heavy on the young end this week so instead of being in Lake Village with the older kids like we usually are, we switched cabins with two lovely ladies from River Village and are working in a different unit with younger kids.  I love our campers and it's great to experience a new unit and village but good to know I'll be returning to my 'home' in Lake Village next week.

Since we have a wonderful media team at Camp Tecumseh that captures a lot of the activities for us, I'm going to use some pictures off the website to give you a glimpse into camp life.

Starting the day with crazy songs at flagpole.

After breakfast we gather for chapel.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are separate between the villages and this one is in Lake Village.

All-camp chapel on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Hundreds and hundreds of us!

The zipline across the lake!

One of the Crows ready to zipline in the woods.

 

 

Fun times during classroom session at the Equestrian Center!

 

 

Hopefully one of these days I'll maybe get around to posting more pictures and give a low down of what a day at camp might look like. For now, I'm going to somehow muster up the energy to get off the couch and head back to camp for the night cause we are having a sleepout!!!

 

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-HHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! 

 

Good night ya'll.  Stay safe. Enjoy summer :)



Banana Split

I'm eating a banana split right now.  Just thought you'd like to know how I celebrate my evenings off.  Whew, baby.  Do I appreciate an evening off.

Camp is so fun and so wonderful but soooo exhausting and that explains my silence.  Since my spare moments are few I'm going to keep this post short but I thought I'd give a little description of my past week.

The first campers came last Sunday around 2:30 and from that moment on my energy level declined drastically.  I'm wondering if it will ever be refueled...

But, it's quite amazing because the a.m. sermon in Wolcott that first Sunday was on trust and this past week I have thought so many times at how much I just need to let go and trust God.  Trust God that I can get my horse lessons planned appropriately and trust God that the campers I just sent to the bathroom will return safely and trust God that I'm where I'm supposed to be--Crow cabin, Camp Tecumseh.

A few phrases I've said many times this past week: 'step it up, Crows!' and 'you'll see'.  The girls finally caught on by the end of the week that what we're doing in a few hours isn't relevant to the current activity and if they want to know the plans for the week they need to hurry their hinds and walk up by Lizzie, my wonderful co-counselor, and I while we discuss our activities as we walk from place to place.  Ha.  We're so sneaky.  *Smirk*

The past week some things our campers got to do was jump around on the floating trampolines at the lakes a.k.a. blobs, go on a mud hike, zipline, set up hammocks and get rained out (glad we made it back to the cabin first!), jump off the high dives, and just be together and laugh.  It's tiring, yes, but they have so much fun.  And some of them have even become not just my campers but my friends which means I need to get better at making friendship bracelets.

I'm terrible at making friendship bracelets and the fact that the first app I've bought is a friendship bracelet app might explain how much camp has taken over my life.  If you want to talk to me in the next few months, don't expect me to know much about the outside world except for what I see on Instagram or hear from the girls in the cabin.  Oh, did you hear that Zayn from One Direction dyed his hair green?  I know, life changing.

And talking about life changing...most of you probably heard that there's been a life change in our family.  Saturday morning David surrendered his life to Christ and we are so thankful and blessed.  Beyond blessed.

And on that note, I'll sign off so I can go decorate a birthday cookie for our birthday camper!
Have a wonderful summer everybody!  And don't take air conditioning for granted.

Staff Training

I thought horsemanship was a lot but the past few days have been intense. Camp Tecumseh has a very high reputation nationally and I'm beginning to see why. They have adopted the 'swing the lamp' or 'go the extra mile' philosophy and it makes camp both an incredible but also very exhausting experience. The past few days have been fun and exciting as nothing around here is done in the typical manner but I have also been overwhelmed. All those things that set Camp T apart from other camps are the things that take effort and training. We've had clinics on creative counseling, how to write personal parent letters about each child that passes through, whole child development, check-in scenarios, health, nature connection, and I think you get the point. Sometimes they'd bring something up that I never would've thought about but sure enough, it can happen at camp and we need to be prepared. What I love is that they take the time to set aside a week just to prepare us for the best experience this summer. And mixed in with all that is the fact that their motto is 'I am third' and the mornings include chapel, the evenings involve cabin devotions.

So while there's a lot to learn and much to remember, it's been such a fun learning process. Today instead of simply telling us places we can go for weekly camp-outs, we tromped all over the camp and practiced setting up hammocks by the river and a tent in the meadow. We built fires in a wet forest (oh yah it rained ALOT) and learned how to use the telescope. I can't describe how amazing it was to have a day romping around in God's glorious creation but I do have a few pictures. Enjoy :)

Oh and quick apology for the fact that I'm doing this on my phone so autocorrect may do some silly things and formatting might be odd. 

Each group was given a bird name and we were team Robin. Our leader (in the blue) gave us all mud marks at our first stop so of course he was marked too.

One of my favorite co-counsellors. She's from Brazil and that automatically gains her five points :)  We got to visit the mini farm and play with chickens. 

The fire Eduardo and I built.  Will it burn?

Maybe...

Yes!!!

Moving on from the forest we trekked through the woods to the river. I hope to camp here sometime. Quite relaxing. 

After setting up hammocks we moved on to the south pasture which is on the edge of the woods. There we enjoyed a hobo dinner which is something we will do with campers. It marks the first time I tried a veggie patty and it was delicious! Mix it with some carrots, apple, onion, potatoes, garlic, some spices and a little ketchup and you've got a class one hobo meal. 

We've had photographers tracking us all during training so with the setting sun we played around jumping and spelling out TECUMSEH with silhouettes. 

Right now I'm chilling in a library with just a few other people while most of the other folks mingle in the fellowship room. After a day of being immersed with people it's nice to have some quiet time :)

Oh, and if you ever need to know how toake a towel chicken give me a holler. I've got you covered. 

Have a great week everybody!