Friday

Good evening friends and family of Alpine.  I am co-director of camp with my husband Glenn.  It is a pleasure to get to write to you tonight from Lookout Mountain.

First, I want to say thank you for letting us have your boys with us this summer!  There is so much excitement that builds in our house the weeks leading up to Opening Day of camp.

As a parent of campers, I know the anticipation of the daily photos.  And tonight, I want to give you a few snapshots of my first few days of camp.  They are glimpses into some of the magic that has been happening around here.  Since I was a little girl, camp has always felt like Narnia to me.  It’s a place where things can happen that don’t always happen in exactly the same way they do back outside of the wardrobe.

Opening day, I was standing in the store waiting for the rain to let up so we could continue giving out camp t-shirts and other items.  There was a group of campers and counselors waiting on the craft shop porch.  What could have been a very boring wait-turned into an impromptu singing session.  The counselors were leading the boys in all sorts of fun songs and chants.  I didn’t even have to look out the window to know everyone was having a blast-I could hear it in their voices.  These college kids, who could be doing a number of other things this summer, were stuck in the rain with 7-9 year old boys and giving their all to make sure those boys were having a fun time during the first few hours of camp.

Last night, I was coming out of the office and a counselor came running up-he was so excited because one of his campers had just lost a tooth and wanted to know what to do!    The tooth fairy knows that a camper couldn’t use real money at camp so we keep a stock of prizes that can be used instead!  I am sure this counselor did not anticipate “tooth fairy” being added to his resume.  But he was thrilled to ensure that the camper would not be disappointed the next morning!

Walking through camp yesterday, you could see a group of boys and counselors, in the woods where a stream runs and there are always forts standing. The boys will add on to year to year.  They were searching for sticks to make their own fishing poles in Fishing Class.  It summed up camp to me-boys in the woods, creating something and doing it with a whole new group of friends.

And then at Glee Club tonight, the minute the words of the song “Say It’s French Toast” came up on the projector, the whole gym erupted.  From the youngest hunter to the oldest counselor in the room-they all belted the words “Say it’s french toast, Miss Gail don’t be a heart breaker”  followed by a boom boom, clap.  Where else would a group of college guys, who just a few weeks ago were taking final exams and packing up dorm rooms, head to a place where they spend so much time creating fun for children.  They come to a place where the whole culture is created for someone other than them.  Each day, they are called to serve someone who most likely will never serve them back.  Yet, each day they do with a smile on their face and joy in their heart.  God has called an amazing group of young men to be your boys’ counselors this summer.  Every day it is a privilege to watch the magic happen.  Although, there is no wardrobe to go through, there is no wand to wave, it is simply the counselors living out the gospel in a way that someone showed them first.

There are so many stories that I could tell.  So many stories your sons could tell.  Many of them you will never hear.  But know they are happening.  And part of the beauty is that they are happening apart from you.  That is what will help them grow.  As parents, we sometimes want to hold them tight and protect them.  But sometimes, when we gently hold them out to a new experience, they just might fly and maybe even soar.  Each of your boys is flying.  They were able to leave home and go somewhere where they didn’t know everyone. They may have been totally new to Alpine. They were able to make up their bed without their mom or dad asking them to. They made a new friend on their own, they may have a tried a new food. They went to an activity that they weren’t sure they would like and they ended up loving it,  and they may have been scared to jump of the v-swing and they are so proud they did.

It’s been a great Friday at camp.  Enjoy your weekend!  We have big plans around here.  We’ll probably give a weekend update on the blog again Sunday.

Thanks for reading and good night,

Carter