The NCEM mission truck was loaded with luggage and boxes of Swag (t-shirts, jackets and caps with our mission logo).  Winding through forest and some fields, our first stop was Big River Bible Camp.  Located along the Delaronde Lake, the Bible camp was established almost 70 years ago by folks who had a vision to reach children, especially those on nearby First Nations.  Some years later, the camp leadership approached NCEM to bring the camp under its umbrella.  Now Jason and Anita Boucher direct the camp.  As we pulled into the camp property, we saw the new dining hall and chapel - a two-storey structure with a beautiful deck where the tables and chairs were set for the kids to eat.  Beyond that, we saw the cabins lined up along the trees and then a beautiful view of the lake.
     We are usually greeted by a couple of resident dogs and the Bouchers.  But during camp, Anita is in the kitchen and Jason is somewhere involved in the activities.  Today, the first people we saw were Dave and Timothy, two men working on maintenance projects.
     "Where is everybody?" we asked.  Not a kid or staff person was in sight.
     "It is FOBIC time."  Dave replied, grinning.
     Our confused looks showed our ignorance.  "What is FOBIC?"
     "Flat On Back In Cabin!"  Timothy explained.  "You can't call it nap time but that's supposed to be what is happening now!"
     It was exciting once the bell rang and kids came pouring out of the cabins.  We had arrived in time for Tuck, treat time.  So we wandered over to the Tuck Shop and met cabin leaders, staff and some kids.  Walter and I loved making conversation and trying to connect with whoever had time for us.
     That evening we joined in the chapel time, sitting in the very back row.  The kids were amazingly quiet and attentive as Aileen, a diminutive white-haired woman, read from the Bible and put up figures on her flannelgraph.  Simply but clearly, Aileen presented stories about Paul from the book of Acts and involved volunteers from the audience.  We were impressed with the flow and sense of God's presence during the chapel session.
     Early next morning, Walter joined the staff for their meeting.  As a token of thanks, he let the staff, everyone who was serving at the camp, take some Swag.  At breakfast, when I came to the dining hall, I saw so many wearing the black t-shirt or jacket, and many had on an NCEM cap!  Usually they sport the camp t-shirts but we wanted them to be aware of NCEM and how the larger umbrella organization appreciated their service.  I hope we left Big River with the encouragement and affirmation the staff needed at their mid-way point of the summer.
     Our next stop was two hours north and west at Pine Ridge Bible Camp.  The camp is reached by a winding. sandy road.  Located on Cunnings Lake, the layout of the camp is all up and down!  Paths between cabins, dining hall, chapel and outhouses form a web of connection, with a lovely set of wooden steps all the way down to the beach.
     Very rustic but beautifully set in the jack pines, we took in the scent of the pines and the sounds coming from the main log structure.  We were a bit late for lunch, but we joined the line up.  The staff who knew us greeted us with smiles and kept serving the meal.  some others stood and shook our hands or hugged us.  Again, we knew there wouldn't be much opportunity for visiting, but we came to encourage and give out Swag.
     Right after lunch, I was invited by a young female cabin leader on break to go berry picking!  I took that offer, hoping it would be an opening to hear what she was doing with her future.  She had finished one year of Bible college and was very interested in children's ministry.  We talked about what her vision is and what she has pursued in terms of an umbrella.  She was definitely open to looking into NCEM but made no promises or commitment.  That's okay.  It's often better to think these decisions through and pray much before making a decision.
     That night, we made our way to the old chapel building, a log structure up the hill.  We sat on the old church pews, crowding in with all the campers and staff.  The speaker had power point and some science experiments to illustrate his Bible teaching.  The kids were a more active and noisy, but for the most part they were interested and involved in the chapel time.  Right after the lesson, we all piled out to the campfire time.  We sang lots of songs and in between, two cabin leaders shared their testimonies.  What a powerful time as we heard how Jesus changed these two leaders by His grace.
     We fell into bed by 11 pm, very aware of our age and fitness level.  The fresh air and the hilly terrain wore us out!  Next morning, the alarm woke us and we joined the Pine Ridge camp staff for their morning staff meeting.  Everyone was looking weary; one more full day and they wanted to finish strong.  We handed out more NCEM items, thanking each one for serving at the camp.
     After a typical camp breakfast of baked oatmeal, toast and fruit, Walter and I had a decision to make.  An email had come in the day before, notifying of the sudden passing of a former NCEM missionary.  The funeral was to be in Elk Point, Alberta, which would be about four hours from the camp.  Heading back to the office in Prince Albert would be 3 1/2 hours.  When we reached the intersection, Walter suggested we flip a coin.  'Heads' we turn right, 'tails' we go left.
    I flipped the coin and...the next blog will let you know where we went next!