Back in the Spring Lutherhill came to Salem soliciting participation for their summer camp program. Lutherhill had come to Salem for VBS the prior summer and was scheduled to return this summer. After asking a few times Dalton decided he wanted to go to summer camp with Lawson Swor a friend of his. Hesitantly I filled out the application and sent in the money. Dalton had never stayed anywhere without us and for more than a night except for the g-parents so this was a BIG deal. It was one of those FIRST moments in his life.
As the days approached his mood changed and he no longer wanted to go...uh oh! Thankfully we were able to talk to him, show him pictures of other camps and calmed his nerves. On Sunday, July 27 we loaded up and headed to Camp Lutherhill. Unknown to us when we registered was that several boys from Washington County were also attending camp the same week and they just happened to be bunk mates in Cabin 9 (Heaven Is For Real). It certainly helped having friends and making new friends. When I picked him up early on Thursday afternoon he was not ready to leave which made my heart smile. I knew he had had fun. I tried to capture the day's lessons and activities below so he could look back on them when he's older.
Monday - Hello my name is...Never Alone
On Monday they learned about how God, Immanuel, chose to live among us. The Bible study focused on Matthew 1:18-25. In that passage, the angel of the Lord reassured Joseph to take the pregnant Mary as his wife and to name their child, Immanuel. The name Immanuel means God with us and inspired Monday's theme, Hello my name is...Never Alone. For breakfast they ate pancakes, bacon, hashbrowns and fruit. For lunch they enjoyed soup frito pie, veggie fries and a salad and for supper they pasta w/meat sauce, green beans and more fruit. Cabin 9's activities for the afternoon included canteen/games, arts and crafts and the pond (one of Dalton's favorites).
Tuesday - Hello my name is...Beloved
On Tuesday they learned that the theme for the day could be seen in the movie Toy Story. Woody is Andy's favorite toy. He has been marked with Andy's name on the bottom of his boot and Andy knows Woody inside and out. In the story for Tuesday, God marks his son Jesus through the act of baptism. They learned that when Jesus emerges from the water on the Jordon River a dove descended on Him. God then claimed Jesus when He said "This is my son whom I love; with him I am well pleased." And so just like Andy claims Woody and God claims Jesus, the children learned that they are also marked and claimed as beloved children of God. For breakfast the enjoyed eggs, biscuits and gravy, hashbrown casserole and pears. For lunch they enjoyed mac and cheese, fish, and corn and for supper they had ham, scalloped potatoes, roasted carrots and a salad. Cabin 9's activities for the afternoon included archery, pool and baking w/Geoff.
Wednesday
On Wednesday they explored John 6:3-14, the feeding of 5000. This story in the gospel of John is about a boy with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish. He offers up his gifts for Jesus to bless and multiple for others to enjoy. In the story they learned that God entrusts each of us with unique gifts so we can share them for the common good. Campers also learned about water conservation and pollution through Lutherhill's Daily Bread Project. This was the 5th summer for Lutherhill to do the Daily Bread Project. The children learned that they are blessed with clean, refreshing water every day that can be accessed from the tap, but many around the world don't have access to this blessing. Campers assembled personal care kits for Lutheran World Relief to be sent around the world. The kits will go to people after man-made and natural disasters as a sign of God's love. For breakfast they had breakfast burritos and fruit. For lunch they enjoyed pizza, hot wings, chees sticks, celery sticks, salad and ice cream. For supper they had chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. Cabin 9's activities for the afternoon included baking, pond and yoga.
Thursday - Hello my name is...Community
Thursday was the last full day at camp and they talked about community. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians (chapter 11 verses 17-26) he looked back at Christ bringing us into community through Holy Communion. The campers learned that Christ blessed the bread and wine during the Last Supper for all of us and that we are all gathered into one community through this blessing. For breakfast they had french toast, sausage links and potato pancakes. For lunch they had tomato soup, grilled cheese, fruit and salad. For supper they had burgers, baked beans, corn and ice cream. Cabin 9's afternoon activities were daily bread, pool and games/canteen.
Friday - Hello my name is...Love
Dalton was not at camp on Friday but they wrapped up the camp for the week the campers were sent out into the world proclaiming Christ's love. In John 13:1-5, 12-17, Jesus puts his love into an action, not just an emotion. After the Last Supper, Jesus washes his disciples' feet. As feet were even more gross back then, before the day of closed-toe shoes. This was no clean or easy job. It was an act of love. Lutherhill staff sent the campers out into their own communities with the love they experienced at camp to share back home. They enjoyed pigs in a blanket, muffins and peaches for breakfast and had soup, chicken puck sandwiches and applesauce for lunch.
