Everyone walked a little slower to line up this morning. With the flurry of activities over the last few days, everyone’s muscles were a little sore, but seeing the campers form solid friendships makes it all worth it.
The coolness of the morning wore off quickly, and kids were happy to set sail in boating, ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, and ropes course. During one of the rotations, a counselor had a candid conversation with a camper. On the first day of camp, this camper said two things: 1) he did not want to be at camp, and 2) he had no intention of participating. Those walls came down today, and he verbalized how he felt so connected and at home at Kesher. It is a joy to see the Lord use camp to create a beautiful community for these campers to grow!
During the afternoon camp-wide game of counselor hunt, we were able to see the ingenuity of our counselors. They had thirty minutes to find a hiding spot on the campgrounds. If a camper found them, campers would receive points for their respective color team. The stakes were high—and so was one of the counselors who had climbed thirty feet up into a tree! He was one of the first ones the kids found! The campers left no stone unturned and found all but three counselors in the end. This exhausting work merited a trip to the snack bar for ice cream and a dip in the pool.
Later that evening at Mishkan (chapel), we focused on the parable of the Good Samaritan, further revealing the heart of God to the campers. Yeshua is an example of the best neighbor. In seeing how He responded to broken people, we have a living example. When we experience the perfect love of God, we are then able to love and serve our neighbor as He has served us. It is a beautiful exchange.
To finish off our time at Mishkan, the tallies for the Color War were read, and team Cream Cheese pulled in another win for the most memorized verses of the day. So, they chose another counselor to pie!
The evening ended with a snack and a refreshing night swim in the pool. Deep conversations arose around the pool deck. The Lord is at work. He is using this time to build up and refresh his children. Thank you, Father!
