Welcome to Your New World

"Archers to the line!"

Ten grass-stained sneakers march five aspiring young Robinhoods towards the shooting range.

"Ready on the line."

Ten sets of toes step into position, pointing in the correct direction, beside five wooden bows.

"Pick up your bows..."

Five elfen hands wrap themselves eagerly around the sleek bows. You jog down the line, ensuring every hand has found its correct place on the instrument. Arrow rests up, bowstrings under the left forearm...good.

"Knock your arrows..."

 As five dull "click's" sound though the hot summer air, the last command is on your tongue.

"Aim and fire at will."

A single thwack resounds as one of the arrows embeds itself into the target. Boings, thuds, and clatters accompany the sound, depending on the direction of the other arrows. By the time those ten sneakers patter away from the range however, many more thwacks have brought satisfaction to the shooters. You're grinning too, content in your assigned role as this weeks' morning archery instructor. Still thinking about the expression of bewildered elation on the face of the little girl who hit the bullseye this morning, you put away the targets and rehang the last bow.

On to the next task.

Chapels are almost always held in serene outdoor settings,
such as this meadow. Open fires, acoustic guitars, campfire songs...
It doesn't get much better than this.

A remarkable make-over one of my delightful
young ladies gave me

Joining your campers, co-leading Bible study on top of the climbing tower, attempting to form a line for Canteen, moving through afternoon activities and finally heading to an outdoor chapel service all follow. These sound like they should be easy tasks. But to refer to the act of "keeping eight energetic ten-year-olds in the same general vicinity and running in the same general direction for 23 hours a day" as "daunting" would be an understatement met with raised, weary eyebrows.

 Why this particular work is especially challenging--and especially rewarding--is that, as its poster explains, this camp runs for foster home, group home and single-parent families. Because of the challenges campers sometimes face, you as a staffer encounter things here that may be different from "regular" camps. But that's what sets this summer apart as especially for ministry. In a place where you realize you could never accomplish a thing by your own ability, God more often is given His proper place as Power Source. And living through Him wherever you are, whether volunteering abroad or writing papers at home or teaching archery at camp, is the best place you could be.