This wonderful reminder that God always keeps His promises greeted me as I stepped out of the house this evening. This is looking from our house to the cabins. You can see a little of Peace cabin to the right of the picture.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
On my way out the door...
This wonderful reminder that God always keeps His promises greeted me as I stepped out of the house this evening. This is looking from our house to the cabins. You can see a little of Peace cabin to the right of the picture.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
This place has changed!
As we were finishing lunch this afternoon, a man walked into the dining room. From the look on his face (am I in the right place), I was pretty sure he had come to register a child. This was confirmed as I greeted him. I asked him how old his child was. He wasn't sure if he were 12 or 13. Handing him the summer brochure & registration form, I tried to answer all the questions I am usually asked about the camp program. I did explain that to come to teen week the child had to be 13. He left the dining room. "Oh no," I thought. "I've offended him."
In just a few seconds he returned with a lady. The child was 12. He wouldn't want to be here with the older kids she assured me. I reviewed all the information with her. After we had finished talking, I introduced him to some of the staff. We learned that he was 39 & had come to camp when he was younger. (I don't remember him so he must have not come to teen week). Mrs. B.W. - whom Uncle Martin had named upon her parents' request - had reminded him of the camp here. He had remembered how much fun he had had and thought his girlfriend's son would enjoy coming here also. I sent the form home with the mother so she could fill it out at home.
A little while later they returned wanting to register the teenage son. If she allows one to come, she has to give the other son the same opportunity. He will come to teen week. As they were leaving the man kept saying, "This place has changed! This place has really changed!"
Even though the physical aspect of Bancroft has changed through the years, we are thankful that the truths of God's Word have not nor ever will change. We pray that these children (some of them 2nd or 3rd generation campers) will take home those truths from their week(s) here at camp.
In just a few seconds he returned with a lady. The child was 12. He wouldn't want to be here with the older kids she assured me. I reviewed all the information with her. After we had finished talking, I introduced him to some of the staff. We learned that he was 39 & had come to camp when he was younger. (I don't remember him so he must have not come to teen week). Mrs. B.W. - whom Uncle Martin had named upon her parents' request - had reminded him of the camp here. He had remembered how much fun he had had and thought his girlfriend's son would enjoy coming here also. I sent the form home with the mother so she could fill it out at home.
A little while later they returned wanting to register the teenage son. If she allows one to come, she has to give the other son the same opportunity. He will come to teen week. As they were leaving the man kept saying, "This place has changed! This place has really changed!"
Even though the physical aspect of Bancroft has changed through the years, we are thankful that the truths of God's Word have not nor ever will change. We pray that these children (some of them 2nd or 3rd generation campers) will take home those truths from their week(s) here at camp.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
And so it begins
10 counselors arrived at camp this morning. They all had smiles on their faces and were excited about the opportunities the Lord was going to allow them to experience over the next 9 weeks. Most of the counselors will be here all summer. A few will not be able to spend the whole summer with us.
Usually the first day of counselor training week is awkward. The counselors are trying to get to know each other but seem hesitant to talk to one another. They want to volunteer to do things but are afraid of what others will think. I noticed none of that today. What I observed were young men & women who were intent on learning the "job", getting to know each other and developing their personal relationships with the Lord. I pray that attitude continues throughout the summer.
Usually the first day of counselor training week is awkward. The counselors are trying to get to know each other but seem hesitant to talk to one another. They want to volunteer to do things but are afraid of what others will think. I noticed none of that today. What I observed were young men & women who were intent on learning the "job", getting to know each other and developing their personal relationships with the Lord. I pray that attitude continues throughout the summer.
Monday, May 25, 2009
It's here
Summer has arrived! Some of the counselors started arriving today. The rest will come in tomorrow. We (John & I) set supper out for them this evening. Tomorrow we will fix breakfast - pancakes & sausage. After breakfast John will head out to a local Christian radio station. They spotlight different local ministries & are interviewing John. The Bancroft spotlight will be on the station next week, I believe. The "bug man" will come tomorrow. When I talk about the "bug man" in front of my nieces, their eyes get big and they beg me to invite them to visit the next time he comes. I couldn't understand their fascination with the bug man until I realized they think he's 1/2 man & 1/2 bug. It will not work for them to come tomorrow.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Getting Ready for Summer
Here it is the end of March. Retreats start this coming weekend. The summer camping season will be in full swing in 2 months. Shewwwww!!! The flurry of activity that will go on before then.
The middle of this month Second Baptist Church from Clinton, TN, held their first family mission trip here at Bancroft. They were able to get much accomplished. The last 2 rooms of Grace basement are now tiled. We plan to move the camp store to the middle of that basement - that is where the craft room was located during the days of Aunt Velma's plaster of paris, macaroni, & decoupage from old church bulletins crafts. Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply plans to move their pastor resource library to the other area. Second Baptist was also able to create an amphitheater behind Joy Cabin. We plan to hold the campfires in that location now - weather permitting. The cabins were cleaned. Even the children got involved - moving sticks & twigs & also washing down the walls in the dining room. We praise the Lord for all that He allowed to happen & also a big thank you goes to Second Baptist Church.
We look forward to the New Milford group coming & also a group from MI. We know much more will be accomplished through these groups. Our Sunday School class is scheduled to come one Saturday in May & have a work/family conference day. They have been able to get much done before. We are already looking forward to all the cookies the ladies will be able to make & freeze for the summer. The campers love that dessert.
Teen retreat is scheduled for April 3-4, junior girls is April 17-18 & junior boys is April 27-28. Prayers are already being offered on behalf of the campers who will attend these retreats & also the summer camp weeks. We are also praying for the counselors the Lord will send our way. We pray they will have a heart for the Lord & the campers will be able to tell. We also pray that they will have a love for each camper - even the ones that are hard to love.
Our summer season starts Memorial Day week with counselor training. The first full week of June will be Teen overnight week. The next 8 weeks will be day camp weeks. Three of those weeks will also have an overnight camp alongside the day camp. The day camp director from last year was unable to return this summer. The Lord has provided another director for day camp. We pray he will have an enthusiasm that will last all summer & be an encouragement to the counselors & campers. The counselors' & campers' attitudes are so dependent on the director.
Bible club continues. It thrills us to see the girls so excited about Bible club. We pray they will grow to be ladies who bring honor & glory to His name. We also teach a kindergarten Sunday School class. It is exciting to see the boys' & girls' enthusiasm on hearing the Bible stories. It's also a little humbling to think that they sometimes get more excited to hear the Bible stories than I do.
On another note, discouragement has set in. Some days it takes everything in me to just continue on. The mornings that I wake up with a deeper sense of discouragement seem to be the days that everyone expects me to commit to just one more thing. I've cried myself to sleep several nights. Somedays I've awakened crying & have cried almost the whole day. Some days I have had such deep resentment & bitterness toward almost anyone who has talked to me. I'm praying this is kicked before the summer begins. Because we work so closely with such a small group of people it is hard to hide how we're feeling. And while I don't think we should always hide how we feel, I think "we are bigger than our emotions and should try to control them". But there is a fine line between letting our emotions be known & letting them control us.
Will you please pray with us? Pray for the Lord's provision for the summer camping season - for the campers, counselors, safety during activities, adequate sleep for all campers, counselors & staff? Also thank the Lord for what He is going to allow us to experience this summer - the good, the bad & the ugly. We look forward to becoming more like Him through all these experiences.
The middle of this month Second Baptist Church from Clinton, TN, held their first family mission trip here at Bancroft. They were able to get much accomplished. The last 2 rooms of Grace basement are now tiled. We plan to move the camp store to the middle of that basement - that is where the craft room was located during the days of Aunt Velma's plaster of paris, macaroni, & decoupage from old church bulletins crafts. Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply plans to move their pastor resource library to the other area. Second Baptist was also able to create an amphitheater behind Joy Cabin. We plan to hold the campfires in that location now - weather permitting. The cabins were cleaned. Even the children got involved - moving sticks & twigs & also washing down the walls in the dining room. We praise the Lord for all that He allowed to happen & also a big thank you goes to Second Baptist Church.
We look forward to the New Milford group coming & also a group from MI. We know much more will be accomplished through these groups. Our Sunday School class is scheduled to come one Saturday in May & have a work/family conference day. They have been able to get much done before. We are already looking forward to all the cookies the ladies will be able to make & freeze for the summer. The campers love that dessert.
Teen retreat is scheduled for April 3-4, junior girls is April 17-18 & junior boys is April 27-28. Prayers are already being offered on behalf of the campers who will attend these retreats & also the summer camp weeks. We are also praying for the counselors the Lord will send our way. We pray they will have a heart for the Lord & the campers will be able to tell. We also pray that they will have a love for each camper - even the ones that are hard to love.
Our summer season starts Memorial Day week with counselor training. The first full week of June will be Teen overnight week. The next 8 weeks will be day camp weeks. Three of those weeks will also have an overnight camp alongside the day camp. The day camp director from last year was unable to return this summer. The Lord has provided another director for day camp. We pray he will have an enthusiasm that will last all summer & be an encouragement to the counselors & campers. The counselors' & campers' attitudes are so dependent on the director.
Bible club continues. It thrills us to see the girls so excited about Bible club. We pray they will grow to be ladies who bring honor & glory to His name. We also teach a kindergarten Sunday School class. It is exciting to see the boys' & girls' enthusiasm on hearing the Bible stories. It's also a little humbling to think that they sometimes get more excited to hear the Bible stories than I do.
On another note, discouragement has set in. Some days it takes everything in me to just continue on. The mornings that I wake up with a deeper sense of discouragement seem to be the days that everyone expects me to commit to just one more thing. I've cried myself to sleep several nights. Somedays I've awakened crying & have cried almost the whole day. Some days I have had such deep resentment & bitterness toward almost anyone who has talked to me. I'm praying this is kicked before the summer begins. Because we work so closely with such a small group of people it is hard to hide how we're feeling. And while I don't think we should always hide how we feel, I think "we are bigger than our emotions and should try to control them". But there is a fine line between letting our emotions be known & letting them control us.
Will you please pray with us? Pray for the Lord's provision for the summer camping season - for the campers, counselors, safety during activities, adequate sleep for all campers, counselors & staff? Also thank the Lord for what He is going to allow us to experience this summer - the good, the bad & the ugly. We look forward to becoming more like Him through all these experiences.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Little Lamb
Bible Club started a little earlier today. We had 5 girls in total. Sewing was one of the other options offered and I think quite a few girls went there.
Every week, I will ask the girls to tell me their names. I do this because I do not remember all of their names. It does not take long to go through 5 girls names. After the names, I told the Bible story. Today's lesson was in 2 parts - the baptism of Jesus and the temptation of Jesus. The girls had a hard time with the temptation of Jesus. After finishing the Bible story & invitation, I realized I was running 5-10 minutes ahead of time. I decided that before praying, I would ask the girls if they had any prayer requests. The first little girl said she would like to pray that prayer. The 2nd little girl would also like to pray that prayer. The 3rd little girl said she too would like to pray that prayer. After getting different requests from the 4 & 5 girls, I decided to have prayer with all the girls and then take the others out in the hall one at a time and go over the plan of salvation with them. As I was getting ready to pray, the front desk volunteer called over the PA system that it was time for the first little girl to go home. I couldn't let her leave without talking to her. So John prayed with the rest of the girls & sang songs with them while I talked with each girl individually.
The first little girl accepted the Lord as her Savior. The 2nd little girl didn't understand that she is a sinner. I told her that when she realized that fact, she could pray this prayer. The 3rd little girl remembered praying that prayer before.
I'm thanking the Lord that we only had 5 girls.
Every week, I will ask the girls to tell me their names. I do this because I do not remember all of their names. It does not take long to go through 5 girls names. After the names, I told the Bible story. Today's lesson was in 2 parts - the baptism of Jesus and the temptation of Jesus. The girls had a hard time with the temptation of Jesus. After finishing the Bible story & invitation, I realized I was running 5-10 minutes ahead of time. I decided that before praying, I would ask the girls if they had any prayer requests. The first little girl said she would like to pray that prayer. The 2nd little girl would also like to pray that prayer. The 3rd little girl said she too would like to pray that prayer. After getting different requests from the 4 & 5 girls, I decided to have prayer with all the girls and then take the others out in the hall one at a time and go over the plan of salvation with them. As I was getting ready to pray, the front desk volunteer called over the PA system that it was time for the first little girl to go home. I couldn't let her leave without talking to her. So John prayed with the rest of the girls & sang songs with them while I talked with each girl individually.
The first little girl accepted the Lord as her Savior. The 2nd little girl didn't understand that she is a sinner. I told her that when she realized that fact, she could pray this prayer. The 3rd little girl remembered praying that prayer before.
I'm thanking the Lord that we only had 5 girls.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Bible Club
Thursday is a day I view with mixed emotions. During the afternoon, we have a Bible club at a local after school childcare facility. I look forward to spending time with the girls. I love seeing how excited they get when they realize it is Bible Club day. I enjoy getting to know them a little more each week. I feel honored & privileged that the Lord is allowing me this opportunity to share His love with these girls - some of whom may not hear of Him every day.
Just as much as I love Thursdays, I also dread Thursdays. If anything can go wrong on Thursday it will. Today we stopped in the local salvage store to get some individually wrapped snack cakes to take to the girls for their treat. We were running late and wouldn't you know this would be the Thursday that all of Kingsport was shopping. We had trouble finding a parking spot. The line was all the way to the back of the store. We left and went to a local grocery store to purchase a treat for the girls. Finding our treat we headed for the front of the store to the one free cashier. Just as we were within reach, a family with a very full buggy stepped in front of us. We quickly found the do it yourself register and purchased our treats.
We got to the childcare facility just in time. They whisked us to our room. We scurried around to get the room set up. And then waited & waited & waited. It took them awhile to get the girls lined up. Then there were some "housekeeping" issues to get taken care of while the girls were on the line. Finally the girls arrived (25 minutes late). The room in which we have Bible club is located right next to the gymnasium. The door to the room has been removed so there is no way to close out the distractions coming from that area. Today I just felt like crying as soon as the girls arrived.
But then this most wonderful PEACE - which I know could only come from the Lord - came over me. This year I am going through the Life of Christ. Today's Bible story was on the birth of Jesus and the shepherds' visit. As I was telling the story, the girls were all listening. They loved hearing the Christmas story. At the end of the story, I usually hear how "my" story differs from how they hear it in Sunday School - i.e. it's not as long, my teacher said there were 3 shepherds, etc. Today as they were telling me how they heard the story in Sunday School, one little girl said that she used to go to Sunday School but the church had closed their doors. She could no longer go to Sunday School. That has haunted me all evening. As an adult, I would find another church to attend. But this little girl who has to rely on someone to take her to church does not have that same choice.
Oh Father, please guard the words of my mouth. Let them be pleasing to You. Please let this little girl see You in me. Grow her to be a lady who brings honor & glory to You.
Just as much as I love Thursdays, I also dread Thursdays. If anything can go wrong on Thursday it will. Today we stopped in the local salvage store to get some individually wrapped snack cakes to take to the girls for their treat. We were running late and wouldn't you know this would be the Thursday that all of Kingsport was shopping. We had trouble finding a parking spot. The line was all the way to the back of the store. We left and went to a local grocery store to purchase a treat for the girls. Finding our treat we headed for the front of the store to the one free cashier. Just as we were within reach, a family with a very full buggy stepped in front of us. We quickly found the do it yourself register and purchased our treats.
We got to the childcare facility just in time. They whisked us to our room. We scurried around to get the room set up. And then waited & waited & waited. It took them awhile to get the girls lined up. Then there were some "housekeeping" issues to get taken care of while the girls were on the line. Finally the girls arrived (25 minutes late). The room in which we have Bible club is located right next to the gymnasium. The door to the room has been removed so there is no way to close out the distractions coming from that area. Today I just felt like crying as soon as the girls arrived.
But then this most wonderful PEACE - which I know could only come from the Lord - came over me. This year I am going through the Life of Christ. Today's Bible story was on the birth of Jesus and the shepherds' visit. As I was telling the story, the girls were all listening. They loved hearing the Christmas story. At the end of the story, I usually hear how "my" story differs from how they hear it in Sunday School - i.e. it's not as long, my teacher said there were 3 shepherds, etc. Today as they were telling me how they heard the story in Sunday School, one little girl said that she used to go to Sunday School but the church had closed their doors. She could no longer go to Sunday School. That has haunted me all evening. As an adult, I would find another church to attend. But this little girl who has to rely on someone to take her to church does not have that same choice.
Oh Father, please guard the words of my mouth. Let them be pleasing to You. Please let this little girl see You in me. Grow her to be a lady who brings honor & glory to You.
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