Summer 2010 - Weeks One and Two

Well, I haven't gotten around to writing about what's actually been happening this summer at camp yet. I had actually forgotten that I had planned to do so. I'm going to have to start with PreCamp and slowly work my way through to tomorrow to catch you up on three weeks' worth of stuff.

Precamp started on the second of July, a Friday, in the middle of the afternoon. We had no nurse for the first week and were still "short" on male cabin leaders but we had all our other staff here ready to begin their training. In fact, just a few days before, we had only one male cabin leader and one potential maintenance turned cabin leader. Then were blessed with not one, but two male cabin leaders, one who only found out he was coming 24 hours before precamp started.

During the week, we were praying daily for the nurses and male cabin leaders we needed and God provided. We still had no nurse for the first week, but Aunt Sid was able to step in with Siren helping her on Sunday afternoon at registration. Partway through the week, LarryBoy told us that we might be getting another male cabin leader, but he wouldn't tell us who it was, so that night we prayed that "Agent X" would be able to join our team. The next day, "Agent X" arrived in the form of one of our previous staff, Mustang. Though he has another job that takes up some of his time, he is able to join us for most of the week and we are very blessed to have him. Precamp was a really great week, though very hot and while not physically tiring, it did sap a whole lot of energy.

Week One was a week of learning for a lot of the staff. We have had quite a large turnover of staff from last year and so many of them had never actually experienced being a staff member during a week of camp. We had an especially difficult challenge with one camper who had to be sent home. Everyone was very disappointed that the camper wasn't able to make it through the week, but the situation got to the point that it was a detriment to all the other campers to keep the one at camp. We made it through the first week and we had great health and safety. Aunt Sid did a great job doing quite a number of jobs during week one. Not only was she the nurse, but she also has to be the Food Services Coordinator and the Registrar. She also taught two classes of scrapbooking. Please pray for Aunt Sid as the summer goes on. She injured herself in April of this year and her right knee is in very bad shape. She seems to be doing really well right now, but we need to continue to cover her in prayer and ask for healing.

Week Two has been a wonderful week. The challenge this week has been homesickness. Last week we had a one or two, but this week there were many. One of them got to the point where they left and though we made the family aware that they could continue as a day camper, they chose not to come back to camp. Another one of the campers DID become a day camper, but all the other campers, though they were homesick, managed to make it through the entire week.

Week Two was also the LTP(Leadership Training Program) week and we had six LTPs this year. They are all previous campers and they have done an excellent job in their program. Mushroom is really pleased and we are excited and hoping to see them again next summer as staff.

Please continue to pray for us here at Mill Stream. Next week is Safari week and we will be having fun in the grasslands of Africa!

Preparing for Summer 2010 Part 2

Well, we're in full swing with preparations for summer camp. We had the Little Britain Community Baptist Church here on the 13th for their annual church picnic and though the day started out looking a little grey, it turned into a beautiful sunny day and they even braved the pool. Speaking of the pool, it wasn't filling up properly and Larry noticed that when he turned the pump on, there was a specific place that started to get soggy and fill with water, so he got the volunteers digging and they spent all day Monday looking for the leak. We had hoped that it would be right at the edge of the deck and easily fixed so they began their digging right there. Unfortunately, the leak was elsewhere, though they were able to discern which direction to start looking. They had to cut some holes in the pool deck and dig down the six inches to the pipes and determine whether the soil was getting more wet. In the end, three holes were dug and they are pretty sure that they have managed to find the source of the leak and temporarily fix it. This is a project that Larry would like to get done and so he has set up a fund for the pool. It really needs to be completely redone and he estimates that it will cost around $35000 to redo it.

Next week we have a Christian school group coming in for the week. It is a grade eight class and we will be serving their meals and keeping the bathrooms clean for them. Alison and I are still putting the finishing touches on the program for the summer and could use a lot of prayer. We're really excited about the things that we have planned and can hardly wait to get started.

The volunteers are almost finished for the season. They've done so much this winter, redoing the lodge and updating the campfire and motel and many other smaller jobs. The camp looks better and better every year and I would strongly suggest, if you have a chance, you should come and take a look at some point.

Please keep praying for cabin leaders, nurses, and Bible teachers for the summer! Also, check out the spring newsletter:

To view the newsletter online in pdf format click http://www.millstream.ws/newsletters/spring2010letter.pdf

To view the newsletter in an online web page click

http://www.millstream.ws/newsletters/spring2010pg1.html

Preparing for Summer 2010 Part 1

Well, I finished my second year of university in April of 2010 and had a wonderful week where I had no duties to perform or places to be. At the end of that week I had a three week practicum in my old high school, working as a helpful observer in a few classes. After that practicum was over, I then moved out to camp, Mill Stream Bible Camp, where I am going to be working for the summer. During the month of July and all but two weeks of August, I will be working as the Program Co-ordinator for the Mill Stream camps. I will also be here during the other two weeks of August, working as support staff for Handi*Camp, a camp also run by BCM(Bible Centered Ministries, the mission Mill Stream is with), and also for a rental camp at the end of the month of August.

Last year I worked at Mill Stream as the Activities Co-ordinator, basically the assistant to the person in the position I am now in. I am looking forward to the summer, but as I'm sure many of you can imagine, I am also a little fearful of what is going to be happening this summer. As the co-ordinator of program activities, I have to make sure that program runs smoothly and the campers have lots of fun and help the staff to maintain a positive, God-honouring environment. I'm so excited to be working with Larry and Cindy to build into children's lives and build up young people in the Lord. I have benefited from working at the camp for so long and being built up under strong Christian role models.

Please pray for the campers and staff as they prepare to come this summer. We still need male and female counsellors, an ORCKA instructor, Bible teachers and nurses. Just today we received the application for our head lifeguard for the summer! God answers prayer.

First day

Well, I thought Thursday was going to be my first day of classes, but as both of the classes I have scheduled for Thursday are lab/tutorial components, I had no classes on Thursday and so I officially started today at 0910h.

Most of my lectures weren't actual lectures today, but rather, going over the syllabus for the course and explaining three time over what labs/tutorials were all about and four times over about academic integrity and yada yada yada not that the stuff isn't important, but I could have gone over all those things on my own, outside of class time.

Anyway, I finished lectures about a half hour earlier than scheduled due to it being the first day of lectures and so instead of finishing at 2030h, I finished at 2000h and my dad picked me up earlier, so we got home earlier.

Tomorrow morning at 0800h we have prayer meeting at church, then I have to sort things out at the bank and then, I have to go clean at 1000h.

Jehovah Jireh

Well, I'm getting settled back into Canadian life.  I've got allergies in full force and sometimes wish I could just pull my sinuses out and never have to worry about them again.  Unfortunately, that wouldn't be too beneficial or easy to do.

On Tuesday, September 2, the public school started the year here in Canada and I went down to Oshawa with my dad to pick up the laptop you have to rent from the university I am attending.  I got the laptop with no problems and then went off to my friend's house so I wasn't wandering aimlessly around the campus all day.

Last week sometime I got informed that there was an elderly lady in my church who was looking for somebody to clean her condo for her, but it turned out that she got someone else before I got my name in.  I thought nothing more of it, but when I got home last night, there was a message for me on the answering machine.  I didn't know who it was, other than the name I had been given.  I called her after consulting another friend who cleans houses on a regular basis to see what rates she would suggest.  I set up a meeting with her for this morning and went to see what the house looked like and what they would expect me to do.  I now have a job cleaning their house on Saturday mornings.  The weirdest thing about it is that the person who recommended me didn't even know I was thinking about cleaning houses to earn money.

God provides in the most mysterious ways.

The Long Trek Home

Well, it's hard to believe that I'm finally home.  On Sunday, the tenth of August, I got a ride to Bielefeld with my employer(Thanks again, George) to catch my coach to London Victoria Coach Station.  It was scheduled to leave at 2355h but we sat and sat and sat and by the time 0200h Monday morning rolled around, George was ready to pack it in and go home.  I don't blame him.  He said he would give it until 0230h and then I would have to decide whether I wanted to stay and wait or whether I would go home with him again and try again that night.  Fortunately, a few moments later the coach pulled in and I was on my way!

We drove through Holland, Belgium, and France to get to Calais where we went on the Channel Train.  We drove to London and it took at least an hour to get from the edge of London into Victoria Coach Station, an hour and a half later than scheduled.  I booked the next coach to Gloucester and let my grandparents know what time I was leaving.  It was really nice to see them again and in their own place.  I met Snowy, their little dog.  She was very sweet.

On Saturday, the 16th of August, I left with my grandparents from their place at 0700h to get to Gloucester for my coach to Heathrow at 0800h.  I was on that coach and on my way quite easily and arrived at Heathrow about 1115h.  Then I had to find the Air Transat desk, which wasn't too complicated.  I put my checked luggage through and then went up and through security and then had to wait to find out what gate to go to.  

My flight was scheduled to be boarded at 1300h and leave at 1400h.  At 1300h, the flight schedule was saying delayed and then, finally at 1430h, people on flight TS545 were called to go to Gate 1 immediately.  The queue was massive.  While in the queue I met two ladies who were also headed for Toronto.  One of them was headed for Caledonia and the other, for Lindsay, the same as myself.

We finally got to the front of the queue and by that time we had guessed that there was some sort of problem because people were walking back the other way.  As it turned out, there was a technical problem with the plane and they were fixing it.  The next information would be given at 1600h and we each received a 20 pound refreshment voucher.  The three of us found a restaurant and sat down for a cup of tea and a chat.  

Just before 1600h the flight information changed to 'Next Info 1800'  and then 'Next Info 1700' and then back to 'Next Info 1800'.  By 1630h we decided we better eat our dinner and so we went back up to the restaurant and spent the other two vouchers.  We were getting along fine with no more information from the airline when suddenly we get told 'Everybody needs to evacuate NOW.'  The restaurant cleared out quickly and we all started moving down to one end of the terminal.  The line kept going for a while but then it stopped and so we stopped.  By that time we had new information on the flight schedule.  'Delayed to 2000' it said.  

We were standing outside of an electronics shop and one of the guys working there started humming a tune which made me laugh.  We kept standing there for a while and then some seats across the walkway became free so we got to sit down.  We still had no more information by 1930h and were beginning to despair yet again when suddenly there was a little cheer.  Everyone looked up at the schedule.  'Go to gate 18' it said.  There was a great cheer, and a mass of movement towards Gate 18.  We were finally getting somewhere.

We all got through the gate and then had to board a coach to get to the plane.  I was on the last coach load to get on the plane and we were settled quickly and began our journey to the runway within 5 minutes.  We were now going to be making a stop in Montreal because the crew were not going to be able to fly all the way to Toronto.

I was just so glad to be on my way.  It seemed to be that this was the longest trip I had ever taken.  The flight was rather uneventful except for the stop in Montreal.  When we arrived in Toronto I went through customs, grabbed my luggage and went to find out who was picking me up.  My brother was there with his flatmate Fraser to take me to their flat for the night.  My parents would come down in the morning to pick me up.

It was 0300h by the time I climbed onto the couch at my brother's flat to go to sleep, and I was awake again before 0700h.  Life as a world traveller is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Gosport and Portsmouth(January 20, 2008)

On Sunday, the MacKays and I went to Gosport and Portsmouth.  They wanted to take me to go on the ferry that takes you from Gosport to Portsmouth, across the Portsmouth harbour which is famous for being the Royal Navy's harbour.  On the Portsmouth side of the harbour, the Spinnaker Tower rises into the air 170 meters -- not even in the competition to be the tallest tower in the world -- easily surpassed by the second tallest, the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 553.33 meters.  However, the tower is the tallest accessible structure -- outside of London -- in the United Kingdom.

The tower was originally named the Portsmouth Millennium Tower, unfortunately, delays made it five years too late and so it was renamed Spinnaker.

The tower has three viewing decks.  The first deck has a section of that is glass.  It allows you to walk across so you can look down 100 meters straight down to the bottom of the tower.  All three decks look out across the harbour, allowing views of many landmarks on clear days.  The second viewing deck is 105 meters and the Crow's Nest is 110 meters.

This picture is from the first viewing deck of the tower.  The HMS Warrior sits in the harbour permanently as a museum ship.  It is famous as the first iron-hulled, armour-plated warship.  Completed in October 1861, it had a short life as a warship with only 21 years and 6 months of service before being withdrawn in May 1883 because of the fast-moving upgrades in technology. 

Taken from the Crow's nest of the Spinnaker Tower, this picture of the famous warship, HMS Victory, isn't as clear as I would have liked.  This ship is also a permanently docked, museum ship in the Portsmouth harbour.  Sailed by many, the most famous would probably be Lord Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805.

After being up the tower, we went back down to the outdoor shopping center at the base of the tower.  There were some entertainers in the walkways of the shopping center, one with a glass ball that he rolled up and down his arms and on his hands where his hands were moving but the ball seemed to stay in one place.  A little further along, we came to a man doing balloon animals and flowers.  We stopped and he made the flower and butterfly that Jess is holding in the picture.