Homeowner Meetings

Today's schedule started with the teams' visits to the homeowners. For Ms. Black, this was her first opportunity to meet the team which is going to destroy her house in the morning. She let us know this morning that she will be traveling to Greensboro to stay with her daughter over the course of the week. Although it's sad that we will miss out on the opportunity to bond with the homeowner, it makes our work a lot easier, as we can leave gaping holes in the floor and a commode in the front yard without negatively impacting her life.

Worship

Upon returning from our visit and team planning session, we attended the 11:00 worship service at HUMC. As usual, we all sat in a block at the front of the church. After camp is over, I'll try to post my reflections on worship in an environment so different from my church home, Cokesbury.

Team Photos

Photo by Jerry Kita of SalkehatchieNC.org

There's not much that I can say about our team photos, other than to point out that lining up 70 people, including junior high youth, is an exercise in futility akin to herding hyperactive cats. Hopefully one of the pictures turned out and will be able to record this camp for posterity, but my expectations are quite low.

Zany Games

Photos were followed up by more team-building games. The activities included stuffing balloons in oversized clothes also occupied by students, human centipede races, and alligator swamp crossings. No description could possibly portray the level of competitiveness, cheating, chaos, and sudden group identity.

Bowling

Photo by Jerry Kita of SalkehatchieNC.org

After just a brief break, the camp moved to the local bowling alley for, well, bowling. I had a rotten first game and came in second place on my lane in the second game. I should have won, but I threw a gutter ball in the 10th frame coming off a spare in the 9th. Grumble grumble grumble.

Commissioning Service

Photo by Jerry Kita of SalkehatchieNC.org

Finally, our travels brought us to the highlight of the day: Dinner. I mean, the commissioning service after dinner. Riiiiiight…

At the service on the patio at the Victorian era Ranson House, we sang songs to the accompaniment of Perry Britain and his guitar. After this time of praise, Pastor Billy presented us with his 4th sermon of the day. He introduced the theme of this week's camp: A Mark.

Billy explained that as missionaries, we make a mark on everyone we meet with everything we do. The homeowners' lives are transformed. The communities in which they live are transformed. We, ourselves, are marked and changed by our experience.

To wrap up the service, the camp symbols were distributed. Each necklace contained a small rectangular sliver of wood. The wood represents the mark which each of us will make. Each team had a slightly different treatment applied to this rectangle. My team had a hole drilled in the middle. Other teams had corners rounded off or a side sanded at an angle. Symbolically, each team starts with the same gifts (the basic rectangle) and leaves a slightly different mark on the people they serve.

Adult Meeting

Photo by Jerry Kita of SalkehatchieNC.org

Finally, at the end of this exhausting day, the adult meeting came. This was the dreaded "budget meeting." The camp is truly in good hands; Jerry Kita is one of the most organized people I have ever met.

As the newbie adult on our site, I was assigned "The Binder." This packet of maps, medical information, receipts, and who-knows-what-else is commonly referred to as the Salkehatchie Bible. It is my job to know where it is at all times. Oh, how I long for the carefree years (read: last year) when I could completely ignore these behind the scenes policies. At the same time, though, the trust given by the other other adults is amazing to me; for instance, at the age of 19 and a first-time adult, I was given the account numbers for camp purchases, the same as the more experienced leaders.

Now, off to sleep before a 6:00 am breakfast.