In the past week, I spent almost 28 hours on Interstate 80. I wish that could be an exaggeration, but I fear that that's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. However, it was worth every minute of it! On Palm Sunday, Julie, Mary Lou and I began the great adventure east. We were on our way to Cannedensis (the place where Canadians Dance) Pennsylvania. This lovely little town in the Poconos Mountains is the home of Spruce Lake Retreat Center. This would be the backdrop for my first Mennonite Camping Association. Our featured speaker for the weekend was Bob Kobielush, the President of the Christian Camp and Conference Association. That's pretty much the top of the top of Christian Camping. The theme for the week was "Breaking Through Walls--Ephesians 2:14-17" The worship times were voth inspiration and educational. Way to go Bob!
In addition to worship times, there were 3 different workshop times. I loved these. I attended all programming workshops and loved brainstorming, sharing and laughing with all the other program directors. I can't help it that we are just a bunch of fun people! Through these workshops I learned the fine art of creating adventure and using it as a tool for ministry, I added to my list in progress of camp games and how to help campers and staffers process events that just happened. I took a lot of notes and I have a lot of new ideas. However, the best part of the workshops were the connections and relationships that developed out of our time together. Even though the workshop ended at 2:00 on Tuesday, the sharing, dialouging and learning didn't end until the last minutes of the the convention on Thursday.
It was also wonderful to be able to visit such a well established, fully developed and extensively staffed camp. They have 36 full time employees. 36! They are able to do so much programming because of this. I had to remind myself not to compare the programming schedules because the 6 of us are simply not able to do the work of 36. But it was inspiring to see what all they did and think about how we could bring that back to Crooked Creek.
As an added bonus, I met a lot of my extended family! I found a 2nd cousin, a cousin's aunt and a whole family of 4th cousins (some were once removed.) If I had thought that my days of making random Mennonite connections had ended when I finished college, I was proven wrong beyond reasonable doubt this week.
All in all, it 2 and a half days of convention were worth all 1,920(ish) minutes spent traveling.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Smells like Spring!
About a week ago, we had a great thaw and a taste test of spring, and it was wonderful! I didn't say anything because I didn't quite trust it. My hesitations turned out to be well-founded because it snowed the next day. But today, I have a little more faith in Spring's battle against Winter. We've had three nice days in a row and I think Spring is gaining a foothold! As I walked to my car this morning, I noticed something new in the air. At first I thought it was actually a lack of something in the air. True, it wasn't freezing cold and the air didn't bite your insides with every breath, but that wasn't quite it. As I took another delicious breath, I realized it was the smell of spring! The mud and new growth and everything that is Spring filled the air around me. Once I finally moved beyond the smell, I could hear the birds! Oh, it's a whole new world out here!
It's been a while since I've read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, but I remember towards the end when the White Witch is finally defeated, Winter is defeated along with her. It is a glorious day as the snow begins to melt and Spring slowly takes over. After what seems like a lifetime of Winter, the Narnians were in desperate need of Spring. To say they are overjoyed with the change of seasons would be an understatement. I'm not saying that Winter is our enemy, (see previous blogs for my defense of winter!) but it can definitely wear on one's soul. Perhaps it's in the bundling up in warm clothing or in the hiding inside for warmth and protection, but by the end of a monotonous and frigid season, my very soul and spark of life seems to wane with the fading sunlight. And just like the bulbs that wait in the frozen ground, my spark is eager and ready to spring forth with the warm weather. It feels great to get outside, get a little mud on my shoes and feel the sun's untarnished warmth directly on my skin. I can feel something inside me begin to grow and flourish with the crocus', hyacinths and tulips.
I think it is very appropriate that Easter is usually in the beginning of Spring. The last days of Jesus' life must have been one nasty snow storm. And for Jesus' followers, seeing Him on the Cross must have been the ice storm to end all storms. However, just as the Lord of Heaven and Earth is the only one who can control the winds and the rain, He is also the only one who has power over life and death. God has not left us to live in winter now, just as He did not let His only Son remain trapped in the tomb forever. And if the smell of spring now brings joy to our lives, then seeing Jesus alive again after watching Him die on a cross must have been infathomable ecstasy. Maybe that's part of what Spring smells like. The mud and new growth are brought together with the promise of new life. Even though the great victory over Winter's hold on our life happened 2,000+ years ago, the scent lingers, never to be forgotten, never to be ignored, never to be conqured. The weather may rival conditions from Antartica, but Spring and the promise of new life will always come.
It's been a while since I've read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, but I remember towards the end when the White Witch is finally defeated, Winter is defeated along with her. It is a glorious day as the snow begins to melt and Spring slowly takes over. After what seems like a lifetime of Winter, the Narnians were in desperate need of Spring. To say they are overjoyed with the change of seasons would be an understatement. I'm not saying that Winter is our enemy, (see previous blogs for my defense of winter!) but it can definitely wear on one's soul. Perhaps it's in the bundling up in warm clothing or in the hiding inside for warmth and protection, but by the end of a monotonous and frigid season, my very soul and spark of life seems to wane with the fading sunlight. And just like the bulbs that wait in the frozen ground, my spark is eager and ready to spring forth with the warm weather. It feels great to get outside, get a little mud on my shoes and feel the sun's untarnished warmth directly on my skin. I can feel something inside me begin to grow and flourish with the crocus', hyacinths and tulips.
I think it is very appropriate that Easter is usually in the beginning of Spring. The last days of Jesus' life must have been one nasty snow storm. And for Jesus' followers, seeing Him on the Cross must have been the ice storm to end all storms. However, just as the Lord of Heaven and Earth is the only one who can control the winds and the rain, He is also the only one who has power over life and death. God has not left us to live in winter now, just as He did not let His only Son remain trapped in the tomb forever. And if the smell of spring now brings joy to our lives, then seeing Jesus alive again after watching Him die on a cross must have been infathomable ecstasy. Maybe that's part of what Spring smells like. The mud and new growth are brought together with the promise of new life. Even though the great victory over Winter's hold on our life happened 2,000+ years ago, the scent lingers, never to be forgotten, never to be ignored, never to be conqured. The weather may rival conditions from Antartica, but Spring and the promise of new life will always come.
A few days ago we were treated to the sight of over a dozen bald eagles. Here's one picture, but it hardly tells the story of the afternoon! These birds are magnificent creatures who can fly over fields as though it were nothing but a tuft of grass. It was great to watch them!
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