We Haven't Struck Gold... Yet

Washington DC 2013, Day 2

            We made it through our first full day of working/day camp and I am please to say that no one lost any limbs or digits. Some lost their sanity, but that was part of agreeing to go on this trip in the first place.

            For the folks working with the day camp it was a day of getting to know names, remembering kids who were at the camp the year before, and remembering how to say, “no,” in a grown-up voice that isn’t demeaning or cruel. Some of us are still working on that one. We had rotations of activities that we led – crafts, teambuilding (group games), story telling, and cooking. Yours truly had cooking. I never knew kids could get so excited about pouring baking soda, mixing flour, or measuring out vanilla extract. To say it was an adventure would be putting it mildly. I also never knew kids would love tearing up lettuce so much. There was a lot of pent up, bottled up anger amongst those children.

            While we were trying to teach something to the kids about Jesus and the importance of having enough flour, we had two people in the kitchen cooking and preparing for meals. One started cleaning the stove and has discovered a treasure map engraved on the range. It had been covered by what seems like centuries of grime and grease but now we have found it. Adventure calls!

            Others in our group spent the day helping out with some of the facilitates. That means scraping windows, cleaning them, and fixing them up to look great. One, in a moment of desperation, decided he had enough and was going to jump out the window. We didn’t have the heart to tell him that we were on ground floor.

            The day ended with me taking the youth and one other adult to the monuments. Youth: “I’m tired. I just want to stay here.”

            Me: “Fine stay here, by yourself.”

            Youth: “No, I want to go with my friend, but I’m still tired.”

20 minutes later they were running, chasing fireflies, and the like.

A pilgrimage to a frozen yogurt place made for a great ending for the day.

We talked about seeing God among the kids, but as we shared I think I saw God among our group. People were supporting each other, helping other, and good things happened. And to top it all off, we found a treasure map!