Camp 3 Thursday!

We're in the last bit of camp and if you ask me these last 70 hours are the most important. It's the last chance we have together to make a difference in the world through our youth so we intend to make it count! 

This morning we spent chapel talking about how God is illuminated when we serve other people. It feels really good to make a friend smile or give someone a high five. After some singing and a little prayer, we talked about how at the Last Supper Jesus fed his friends but he also washed their feet and said he was showing them the full extent of his love by serving them. So to be like Jesus we washed each others feet and prayed for each other. I wish all of you could hear these sweet little prayers!

Then we talked about different stories in the Bible where Jesus told us to serve one another. Each family group got to act out skits such as the Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, and more. 

After chapel time we played everyone's favorite game, Magic Tambourine. It may seem like we play this game a lot, but to our youth there is no such thing as enough Magic Tamb. 

Our afternoon began with time at St. Mary's Sewanee where we took our morning and applied it to real life by serving our community. We helped them by doing various tasks outside and taking care of their grounds. We talked about how it is always good to serve other people, even those who serve us a lot. The sisters at St. Mary's serve everyone they can so it is so good for us to be able to serve them!

After we got back we spent some time at the pool and at the art barn- where we made little votive holders (if you pay close attention to the pictures of Eucharist tomorrow you may see them again...) before giving everyone some creative time to prepare for Coffee House! 

Camp 3 Coffee House closed out our day and friends, this night is always one of my favorite nights at camp. Our youth have talents that are so varied and watching them all share that with the group is more fun than you can imagine. On top of that these hilarious youth put on cabin skits where they all play silly roles and make us laugh till we're rolling on the ground. Here are some of the acts from tonight's performances. 

So apparently tomorrow is the last full day at Camp Gailor-Maxon 2015. What happened to the month no one is really sure (thank goodness for the blog and photographic evidence!)  I'm trying not to be sad but we really are bummed to leave these youth! We are all going to go get some sleep so we can make this last one the best one! 

Is Camp 1 already over?

How are we already through Pre-Camp and Camp 1? The month is going by too fast!

The back half of camp 1 was full of fun and a whole lot of laughing. On Thursday we started with chapel- which included skits and washing each others feet to learn a little more about how to illuminate Christ in each other. It was so great to watch our youth be the light of Christ to each other!

Later that day we went to St. Mary's in Sewanee to be the light of Christ to others by serving our community. We helped them with their garden and a few other jobs around the convent such as separating the good and bad grapes to help them in the process of making their grape jelly- which we've heard is delicious!

Finally we finished with Coffee House & Skit Night. It is always so fun to see our youth show us their gifts and talents!

Friday is always bittersweet- it is so fun to spend that day together but it's always sad to know it's the last one. Chapel was spent learning how to take the light we found on the mountain with us past camp. We played a game called "Holy Man" where the campers are trying to keep their candles lit while the counselors try to blow them out. It's really fun but also a good reminder that shortly others will be trying to blow out that light so it's important to keep it illuminated! 

The afternoon brought everyone's favorite place- The Res! Thank you to St. Andrew's for letting us use your beautiful space! Everyone had fun swimming around and hanging out on the dock.

Of course we closed with our banquet, Closing Eucharist and the camp dance! I know most of you are hoping to see pictures of the youth but I just had to throw in this one of the staff- it was too good not to share!

Camp 1, we  loved having you here! You have all illuminated us and we are so glad that you spent a week with us! 

Camp 2 has arrived, will be posting about them soon!

Camp 2: Thursday!

First of all, we had a birthday yesterday! Happy birthday Wallace! We're so glad you spent your day here with us at CGM! (Yes, that is Wallace under all that hair!)

Thursday was all about our "buckets"- the invisible bucket on top of our heads that gauges how we are feeling. In chapel the staff put on a pretty awesome skit- including buckets and water- about how your bucket affects you. We learned that how others treat you can empty or fill your bucket, and then how you treat others can do the same. 

After a chicken sandwich lunch and a siesta full of naps, we were ready to fill other people's buckets on our day of service! We had 2 parts of our service rotation, one for helping DuBose and the other for helping the ladies of Thistle Farms! Around DuBose we spread mulch in needed places and cleaned up trash around campus. In the downstairs chapel we learned about Magdalene House and Thistle Farms, what they do and how we could help. Yesterday we helped by cutting t-shirts to be sent to the paper studio and had a blast doing so! Everyone kept cutting when it was time to finish- we just loved being together while doing something good for someone else!

 When we finished our service projects, we played in the pool and in the field (ultimate frisbee) a little bit before free time. And then last night.... we had Coffee House! An annual favorite that is our talent show! Our youth get to show off all the wonderful things they can do- from singing, to piano, to belly clapping (ask your child for a demonstration- it is quite the sight). Each cabin also performs a skit- most of them this year were some form of interpretive dance to some pretty hilarious songs.We love getting to watch so many come out of their shells and show us how talented they are! Below are just a few pictures of our acts from last night. They were pretty priceless!

We finally finished with Compline all together. It was a great day full of laughter and life!