Camp 3: Friday- The last big day!

Well we are so surprised that today was our last full day at CGM! Where did the month go?

Our last day was perfect- from a breakfast of french toast all the way to closing the carnival with Country Roads, today couldn't have been written any better!

After a delicious breakfast of french toast and bacon, we cleaned our cabins- the final Golden Dustpan going to Cabin 5L today! Congrats girls!

Chapel was different than usual this morning as we went off campus to Abbo's Alley in Sewanee! We talked about Jesus walking on water- how Peter went with him and doubted so he fell, but Jesus was there to pick him up. Sometimes it's easy to come down from the mountain and plunge to a low, so we challenged our campers to continue to search for their living water. We loved being outside by the water with a little quiet time to pray and reflect- and then time to play and be crazy!

We got back in time to play everyone's favorite- magic tambourine! The campers had been begging to play, we just hadn't had time, so we made sure it fit today! 

When we got back we had the last lunch- grilled cheese and chili!- and our last mail call! Our campers love getting love from off the mountain!

In the afternoon we went to small groups and planted seeds in our buckets to be a reminder of CGM everyday. Everyday if you put just a little bit of water in your bucket you will make a sunflower grow and how beautiful will that be! 

We then went into afternoon activites- first cleaning and preparing for tonight, and then the slip and slide and pool! It was such a fun afternoon full of water- both living and spiritual!

Tonight was our closing banquet, Eucharist and carnival! We got to say good bye to one of our favorite kitchen lovelies, Ms. Rena, as this was her last meal with us. We love you and we are so grateful for the years and years of scrumptious meals! Then we had Eucharist- which I would love to share pictures of, but it was so energetic and full of the Holy Spirit that none of us stopped to take a picture. It was the most beautiful service we have ever seen and we are so grateful that each parent sent their child to create that Holy space!

Finally we had the carnival, the big party to close out the month! We had peg the counselor (with water balloons), best in the west, a candy walk, photobooth, face painting and 2 guest appearances from the balloon man and Park the park ranger- with his critters! We had an absolute blast hanging out with these campers, they are too cool for words!

Camp 3: Thursday!

Today was wonderful as it was all about building our community! 
This morning we had a great time in chapel as we sang, did a morning devotion and then got to see a hilarious skit from the counselors. The skit taught us about a concept where each person has an invisible bucket on their head that measures how they are feeling. We learned that when you are sad or lonely your bucket gets emptied, but when someone compliments or you help someone else, your bucket gets filled! We decorated our own buckets- to be used later. Parents you should be excited about this one! Finally after family groups, Andie talked to us about how she found her calling in life to be filling others buckets and how you can do something simple, but each simple thing makes a difference. 

At lunch we had chicken sandwiches which filled us up to go right to sleep during siesta. When we all woke up it was time to go to Fiery Gizzard to help remove privet-an invasive species that is killing the native plants and pull vines. Don't worry parents, we were careful about poison ivy and didn't let campers in areas with the terrible stuff! After we helped, Park the park ranger taught us a game where some people were native plants, some were invasive plants and some were humans! We learned that without the humans to eradicate the invasive plants they would take over so the work we did was so important!

Then tonight, was the ever so wonderful Coffee House! First were the skits- where each cabin makes a skit about whatever their little hearts desire, and then individual (or groups of) campers share their personal talents. We love seeing our campers talents, from hula hooping and singing, to violin and acting, our campers are simply the coolest group of kids we know!

Finally tonight we closed with a evening devotion and went to bed. Can y'all believe our last day of camp is tomorrow? We are getting some rest in anticipation of the excitement to come!