Kid's Camp 2007 recap

Yes, I know I look awful here (think sweat and loud noise and hunger).

Here we are on the way to Kids Camp. Notice the smiles and the seemingly gleeful expressions on our faces????? Well, let me tell you something.... those expressions pretty much stayed that way all week. Yep, I am here to tell you that Kids Camp was awesome. It was soooooo much fun. And, to be honest with you, I was absolutely grateful and glad that I was able to go.

The following pics are all fun things that we got to do. Really, though the whole week was truly about meeting Jesus. I have lots of pics to show that but there are several different kids in all of them. I do not want to post pics of other people's kids. So, trust me that although all you see here is fun, really we were with God the whole week.

I saw kids running to the altars to pray, I saw hands shoot up in the air when Robin asked if anyone wanted to ask Jesus into their hearts, I saw kids praying and lifting their voices to Heaven asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Kids were worshipping, praising God, and drawing nearer and nearer to him. It was something else. It was like Heaven. I would not have wanted to be anywhere else.

Last week changed me. I don't want to give many details - mostly because of pride and shame - but God spoke to me in a way that stunned me. You see, all week I had been praying for my own children. I had prayed that they would hear from God, that they would learn more about him and grow closer to him. But I would see Jacob each time in chapel. And while he was listening when he should have been, and he was praising and singing and clapping and doing whatever he should have been doing, he seemed to be mildly indifferent. Not rebellious or disruptive, but just kind of there.

I can't explain it properly without making him sound bad and that is not what I am trying to convey.

So on Thursday morning, Robin told the kids about the power of the holy spirit. How he is our helper, our power source, our boldness. She laid it all out there. She captivated the kids, she had their attention, and all the while, I was watching Jacob. I was praying that he would want it. That his heart would be aching for more of Jesus.

Imagine my disappointment when he just sat there. When most of the kids ran toward the altar, he just stayed where he was and watched. He was polite and quiet, but unmoving. Oooohhhhh how that hurt.

I was up there BEGGING God to move him. To stir something inside of him. And then it happened. No, not with Jacob but in me. I could have been smacked with a plank of wood that is how it felt. Right then and there I heard (ok not in words but in thought and revelation) "You want him to hunger for something that you don't hunger for. You want him to run to me but you yourself usually choose to sit and watch. You are being quite hypocritical."

WWWWWhhhhhaaaaaaatttt?

I could have been knocked over and not even felt the pain. I realized that I am trying to pass on to him something that I don't even have. Even now as I type this, the ache in my heart is coming back.

I looked over at him, he I caught his eye and I asked him to come with me. I told him I wanted to pray with him for me. And would he please hold my hand while I prayed? He agreed and then we prayed. I was falling apart asking for God's forgiveness of me having a lazy heart for him. For being lukewarm instead of hot. I asked for him to complete me as a parent. And I asked Jacob to forgive me for all of the mistakes I make and will make.

It was really powerful.

I went to kids camp thinkin' "Yeah, I am gonna be a great example to these kids. I am gonna sing with them and lead the bible study." I am such a good person. Well,

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Ok, onto pics. Sarah got to ride a horse for the first time. She loved it and did very well. I thought it was kind of funny that we are at a Christian camp and the horse company (I don't know what else they are called) are Christian but the horse's name is Whiskey. Hmmmmm??

Let me tell you....Archery is NOT EASY. No sirrreeee it is hard and painful. My arms were aching by the time I had shot two arrows. And, by the way, my arrows did major nose dives into the dirt. I was seriously begging Lorraine to please let me finish but she said "No way. If you don't do it, your kids can't do it."Jacob, on the other hand, did quite well. It seems that all those times aiming his fake weapon at his friends all summer long paid off. His aim was taken, he took the stance, pulled back the arrow and string....

And let it go. On this one, he was one line away from a bull's eye. Quite impressive, I might say. Way to go lil man.

Sarah, on the other hand, was not soooo impressed with the bows and arrows. Too big and too much for her. She did manage to hit hay stack 2 times. Not bad!

While the bows and arrows were fun, Jacob spent most of his time at the skate park. That is more is style. He is pretty good too.

On Wednesday, our group went on this hike. Now it wasn't too bad. It was something that our family would have done in Big Sur. But it was hard for a lot of the littler kids. One of my girls was not happy about it and would not budge any more than she had to. We held up the entire group. She was aching, tired, hot and just miserable. Everyone was getting quite irritated with her. Me too I might add. So her and I were dead last in the line marching down the trail.

About halfway down, Jacob comes running up to me to show me an acorn that he had found. He is about 10 feet from me when we heard this rustling sound in the bushes next to us. We both look over just in time to see a BUCK leap over a tree stump, then take this huuuuuggge leap over the trail RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES. No joking - we could hear his hooves hit the ground, we saw a few leaves move because of the wind his jump generated. It was stunning...absolutely amazing. If Jacob had been even a second or two quicker in getting to me, or if my miserable little camper had budged slightly more than she was willing to, we would have been pummelled (how do you spell that?)

Guess what, little unhappy camper suddenly got a spring in her step and was quite willing to put a move on it. When we got back to camp, she smiled and said that she was glad her feet and legs were hurting because she would have missed that sight.

This is Jacob and Sarah and I at the top of the hike.

Sarah loved the pull string shower. I kind of did too. I wonder how we could get one of these at our house?

Last morning. All of our things ready to go home.

Bye Bye kids' camp. It was fun. See ya next year.