How does one describe the experience of Bible Camp?  Is it a job, a volunteer opportunity, an adventure or a series of calamities and miracles that God somehow directs by His sovereignty?

YES!  It is all of the above. 

Our first week at Big River Bible Camp was Teen Week.  Years ago the camp would start with the youngest age group and end the season with the teens.  But the former leaders/directors found the staff would be worn out by the time Teen Week happened and they were either sick, tired or both!  So they hold Teen Week first; the staff are fresh for the late nights and high energy needed.  The last two weeks are the youngest age group (ages 8-12) and the schedule has an earlier bedtime and an activity known as FOBIC.  This stands for Flat On Back In Cabin - nap time!  Another reason they have Teen Week first is that many of those teenage campers come back to serve as Leaders in Training (LIT's) and help with dishes, cleaning and games with the campers.  This training is also a practical program for discipleship/mentorship of the teens that make decisions to follow Jesus.  

Being head cook for Teen Week proved to be a challenge.  Even with notebooks and helpful hints to prepare meals, there are always questions about how much to cook, how many leftovers to freeze or re-invent for the week.  I made a few boo-boos, like forgetting a roaster full of spaghetti in the oven overnight (it got recycled into The Amazing Race game!)  Some of our toast turned out too dry so it got repurposed into croutons for Caesar salad!  I overestimated the amount of rice for one meal; it showed up as rice pudding the next supper. You get the picture!

My team in the kitchen was wonderful.  Two of the women were friends of ours from Regina/Saskatoon areas.  I appreciated their energy and support and advice.  One fellow was a volunteer from Edmonton who had cooked at a homeless shelter and as a baker so his height, strength and expertise was much-appreciated.  Another woman - whose husband was the speaker for Teen Camp - volunteered in the kitchen and quietly and cheerfully helped wherever needed.

Each morning, one of our kitchen crew went to the 8 am staff meeting with the other camp directors and cabin leaders.  The rest of us would get breakfast started.  Later in the day, we would take a break and the person who was at the meeting would share the gist of the morning devotional and any announcements and prayer requests.  This really proved to keep us in the know of the schedule and how to pray. 

The teens did their own dishes and cleaned bathrooms for Teen Week and so we got to interact with some of these campers.  As we helped coach them in the dish pit and showed them where the clean dishes, pots and pans belonged in the kitchen, we got to know them a bit.  Some had lots of energy and were teachable; some had little experience with work and needed lots of encouragement and reminders. Investing in their practical skills is part of the overall discipling and teaching at Bible Camp.

No one camper stands out from that week...but several of the staff and interns were on my heart.  I got to see them in their behind-the-scenes roles; I looked for opportunities to affirm them.  Telling them "good job" and writing a couple of encouragement cards was one of my other ministries besides cooking.

A third role I had was fill-in worship leader.  Caylea got a nasty cold and I filled in leading the morning chapel worship songs.  I threw off my apron and strapped on my guitar.  "My Redeemer Lives" and "Glorious Day" became very familiar to me and seemed to be favourites among the teenagers.  Then I'd run back up to the kitchen to carry on preparations for lunch. I felt stretched but it was amazing how God gives new strength.  Every. single. day.

Friday lunch of hot dogs, chips and watermelon was simple to cook and easy to clean up.  After the campers left, we all had extra cleaning duties.  I organized the leftovers for either the freezer or for meals on the weekend.  Rearranging the cupboards was another chore was to get the kitchen ready for the next week's cooking crew.  And then the clock struck 2 pm...the grocery delivery arrived!

For the next 15 minutes, all hands were on deck to unload and put away the food order.  The shelves in the cooler, freezer and pantry were overflowing and I was so grateful for the provision of God for another week of camp.

The last thing I did was mop the floor before calling it a wrap.  Walter and I went for supper with Caylea and Eric.  It was nice to relax a bit, take a walk by the dock along Cowan Lake and debrief.  We called it an early night.  

Saturday I volunteered to warm up leftovers for the staff who stayed for the weekend.  I made a homemade soup with some leftovers and some Pilsbury biscuits.  Supper was leftover smokies and pasta and salad.  

Sunday morning we drove a couple of the junior staff to church and it was good to just sit back and receive.  We knew a challenging week lay ahead of us and we needed all our energy and clear mindedness.  The next installment will be about that exciting adventure of Junior Teen week...