My Ammo

Counselors are not allowed to have real weapons in their possession.

In fact, I’m not even allowed to have my epi-pen in my possession (which is alright, considering it is expired anyway)

However, most of us, if not all of us, carry sources to aid us (like weapons) in the various battles we have with campers. So today, I thought I would share some of them with you.

Session three was wonderful. I was so blessed to receive four girls who had been in my bunk last year plus another nine girls who were all very well behaved.

I was so proud of how good they were at listening.

However, we still had some regular camp issues arise, but luckily, I was prepared for most all of them.

1. Scripture Cards

Every morning before I wake my campers up, I try to get alone and just dwell on a scripture for a moment. This helps me focus my day and get it devoted on the right track.
I pick a verse to dwell on for the week.

This past week’s verse was from Ephesians 5:15
 “Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

With this verse fresh in my mind every morning, I was able to use it as a weapon to push every ounce of energy into my work. No sleeping during movie time. No going back to the bunk to grab a snack. All effort is with connecting to the kids.

This also helps when campers have specific prayer requests where they need a Bible verse to stand on. With my little scripture cards, I can find them a suitable verse fairly quick.
One girl in particular had trouble with getting angry at her friends this week, so she asked me for help.
I was able to direct her to James 1:19 “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry”

2.  I feel sick
I had a girl who threw up on the second to last day. She didn’t feel well enough to come participate in the outdoor events, so she would just stay in the Nurse’s station and watch Disney movies.
I was puzzled on how to reach out to her and make her feel loved.
I didn’t want my opportunity to impact her slip by.

So I thank the Lord for coloring books.

They were my weapon for this. I had to think quickly so I could continue getting the rest of my bunk to our activities, so I just ran to my bunk and brought the girl two coloring books with some markers and crayons. Her face just lit up the room.
It truly did the trick.

3. When the Ropes Course is Scary
Our ropes course is incredible. But even for me, it can get a little scary at times.
We encourage every camper to at least try it, but if they won’t budge, or get too scared to stay up, their only other option is to sit at the bottom and talk or play games with other campers.

But then I started to bring chalk.
So simple, once again, but it made a huge difference.
This week I went out and bought a 52 pack to last the rest of the summer-it’s going to be awesome!

4. Goodnight
You would not believe how much ice cream my girls consumed on the last night of camp.
Within a two hour period we had three servings.
Once at the dining hall with dinner.
Second at the ice cream party for winning the cleanest bunk award.
And third at the Saloon while they heard country music.
It was insane.

When we got back to the bunk they were off the wall. I had no idea how we would sleep.
So we had a dance party. Then we had a pillow fight. And then I promised to sing a lullaby if they all got in their beds and stayed quiet. It totally worked.
Their energy was out and the song practically knocked them out.

5. Sweet Talks
Isabella was one of my returners last session. She is eight, and she is adorable.
As soon as she walked in the door to the cabin last year my heart melted…
Who is our counselor, where is she?!”
Then she saw me.
“MISS MELODY! It is you! Yes! I missed you so bad!”
Oh. Sweetheart.

She said other adorable little things throughout the session like:
“I’m going to stay with you wherever you go.”
“I can’t believe I got you again! We were like best friends last year!”
Many people at camp actually commented that she was my “mini-me” because we’ve both got brown wavy hair.  She really enjoyed it when they said that.

The only downfall to all of this is that she became a bit of a clinger.
We line up. Isabella is at the back of the line. We start walking. All of a sudden she is at the front so she can hold my hand.
This type of thing did not go over well with the other girls.

Therefore, my ammo for this was just sweet little talks.
I would say something sweet to Isabella, but then I would tell her that I needed to spend some time with the other girls, and could she please come back in a few minutes.
I know this may not seem like ammo. But keeping it sweet was the key.
If I was stern with her, or said something in front of everyone, she would get offended.

Well. That’s all the ammo talk I have time for now. Session four is on their way!

Keepers

Let’s just talk irony for a moment.

Last year, during the second session of camp, I stayed in bunk 12. It was the hardest session of my counseling career.

This year, during the second session of camp, I was assigned to bunk 12, and it now has a place in my top five bunks of all time.

 I was nervous waiting for the girls to arrive. In particular, I was dreading over the news I heard through the grapevine; the church I had was known for being rambunctious.

Therefore, I was reciting scripture and shooting up prayers in preparation as I waited for my girls to arrive. I was dwelling especially over this verse;

 “All her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; all who lay hold of her will be blessed.” (Proverbs 3:17-18)

 That’s who I want to be for my girls. I want to be pleasant and peaceful with them. I want to speak life to them and bless them with any influence I may have over them.

But this is really hard when you are also a disciplinarian.

 However, the Bible says the wise woman is like this, so this means it is possible to be a disciplinarian and a pleasant blessing at the same time. There is no excuse!

My prayer was to be this kind of woman for my girls during session two, and boy did the Lord bless me with opportunity.

 These girls were golden.

 Moments after they walked in I discovered their so called reputation for being rambunctious was misplaced-these girls were from a different state but had the same name as the bad rep church.

 Without much hesitation, I can say the first day I spent with these girls is the best first day I’ve ever had with a single bunk.

 We bonded instantly.

I told them about the commonly used attention call for girl bunks where the counselor says “Hey Ladies” and the girls respond with “Hey What?”, and they decided they wanted their response to be “Hey Miss Melody” instead. I was ecstatic.

Then, as they were coloring their name plates, I told them I would be right back, because I had to go drop something off by the store. When I came back, everyone was missing. Then all at once, they opened the bathroom door and yelled out “Surprise Miss Melody, we love you!”

 Could they be any sweeter?

 Additionally, before we even left for dinner, I received several notes in my white paper bag mailbox (an idea developed from the wonderful Samantha Sikes).

 One read “Dear Miss Melody, I love you and I will miss you!”

 I was blown away. From just two hours that little one decided she would miss me when she left. Crazy.

 I could tell from here that these girls were keepers.

 That was just the first day, but the rest of the week followed suit.

 -We won the Golden Sombrero (the Cleanest Bunk Award) twice out of four chances, which gave us an ice cream party on the last night.
-We found time to do about every fun extra thing I had brought: face paint, wash out hair color, disco light dance party, and so on.
-At every transition stage (such as walking in line, or waiting in line at dinner) they were asking to make it fun. So we sang the camp song and chants, went over the memory verse, played follow the leader, and yelled at the boys, of course.

The only real issue that came up throughout the entire session was over self image issues. Some of my girls were trying to get approval and affirmation from young boys, instead of their loving creator, and it was getting out of hand.

Thankfully though, the Lord brought me to Psalm 139:14 “You are beautifully and wonderfully made.”

I was able to address the girls with this verse, telling them that the Lord who created them thinks they are beautiful, and he wants them to look to him, and not boys.

 I think my point came across clear to them. All praise and glory to the Lord for that.

 By the end of the week, most of the girls were begging to stay. All of them asked if I could be their counselor next year, too.

 I am thinking the answer to their question is no, but I am already praying that whoever gets them will be even more fantastic for them.

I really can’t keep them for but a week, but I know I’ll be keeping the memory of their session, and I hope they can keep those memories, too.

It’s not usually like this….

In four years of counseling, I have seen a lot. Dealing with the unexpected camper problems is part of my job description. From wet beds to stitches, puke to homesickness, there is a lot to manage. But never in all the sessions I’ve been through have I seen a session quite like the one I just experienced.

“Abnormally crazy” is probably the best description I can give to sum everything up. It seems like every camper issue under the sun plus a few came down on all the bunks in Dry Gulch-not just mine. At our end of the session meeting there were countless stories of simply hilarious incidents that don’t usually occur. And to add to it, this was just session one! All those poor new people...they must be ready for anything now.

Gratefully though, all of my fifteen girls were totally awesome. I didn’t have to bench a soul and most discipline issues resolved very quickly. All these girls were already saved walking into camp, so I had the chance to go a little deeper with them in devotionals than normal. It looked like the things we discussed in chapel really clicked for them, and I hope it continues to.

But now for your enjoyment, I thought I would just mention some highlights of the insane events that happened during camp. Brace yourself….this truly is abnormal!

1. How did the window break?
I was just cleaning the lunch table while the girls lined up by the wall, waiting for me to finish. Then all of a sudden there is a shatter. One of the window panels along the wall where my girls are standing is now cracked into many pieces.

And how did that happen, you ask? “Miss Melody, Abby broke the window!”

No joke. My tiniest camper, so tiny she could still be in pre-K camper, has broken the window, and with her head!

"Abby what happened?!”                                     
 “I don’t know. I was just standing there and I knocked my head against the window and it broke.”
“Why did you do that?!”
“I don’t know. I guess sometimes I just need to knock my head against something.”

Isn’t that cute. 

(The photo does not do the window justice because it had already been taped at that time.)

On top of this, Abby is now standing with one hand covering her eye, which apparently hurt from the impact. We get an ice-pack. She’s a-okay. And now the girls in my bunk have spread a rumor that Abby is getting her eye replaced with a glass eye. And that spreads around the whole camp.  My bunk is practically famous.

2. What is that in the lake?
The lake water is gross enough by itself, but we got an added bonus.

“Miss Melody, I found poop in the lake!”

And it wasn’t from an animal; it was from a little girl.
Absolutely disgusting. This little one from another bunk decided the lake was a better option than getting out and using the port-o-potty.

I think I’ll be staying in the canoes from now on.

3. Where is Amelia?
It’s after nap time. We’re headed to the movie. We get there. We count 29 girls, and we’re supposed to have 30.

So the counselor from my sister bunk and I run back to the bunks. The bathrooms are empty, the bunk is empty. We start to worry child #30 has ran off with some other bunk’s line on accident. And then we check the top bunks. She has gone back to sleep.

I distinctly remember waking this camper up from her rest- but that sneakster crawled back up and knocked out. And her mom happened to be a sponsor, too. So thereafter her mom asked one of the other girls in the bunk to ensure her daughter woke up the next day at rest time….oops.

4. Christina gives me a heart attack

There was the sweetest mentally challenged girl in the bunk right beside mine this session. Her name is Christina, and I’ve actually had her in one of my bunks previously. She was fairly easy to work with when I had her, but this year her counselors faced one problem with her way beyond the norm.

Multiple times she would refuse to get up out of bed. One day after rest time her counselors could not get her to come down, so they called me in for back-up. I was able to just talk to her for a bit and get her down. But then she needed to get her swimsuit on.

After a few minutes  we called her name in the bathroom and received no reply. We don’t go into the restroom with campers for privacy, so we recruited another girl from my bunk to check on her. She wasn’t in any of the stalls. So we asked her to check the showers. (In this bunk, there is a door leading to the showers because they use the building for other purposes during the year.)  My girl goes to the door and pulls…and it doesn’t open. She tries again and looks over at us… “I think it’s locked.”

Well that can’t be good.

Christina has locked herself in the shower room, on purpose, no doubt!
Honestly people, I didn’t even know the shower room could lock, at least not without a special key of some kind. And even greater, why do they lock from the inside?!
The only other option is going outside to see if the back door into the shower room is unlocked. I am running the possibility through my mind that she may have escaped out this back door and could now be anywhere in Dry Gulch.  But praise the Lord, the door was somehow unlocked.
And there we find her, sitting in a shower stall.  We are just so relieved we forget to punish her. So we just get her to put her swimsuit on after a lot more coaxing. Goodness gracious. 

5. Aubree
She was the youngest of my bunch, and it was also her very first time away from home.
As cute as a button, but also full of surprises.

*Sleepwalker. Once she was just sitting up on her bed in the middle of the night panting. I said "Hey Aubree, can you lay down for me?" and she fell down right where she was, in a ball at the end of her bed....at least she wasn't walking out of the bunk?
*"Can I call my mom?"  happened within thirty minutes of being at camp. This was a battle, but I was so proud of how well she did. We called mom once, but otherwise, she was able to have a lot of fun.
*"Miss Melody, I found some glass". She kept finding it and picking it up to show me. Then I asked her not to pick and up and just to come get me when she found some, but we had to stop that too because she would come and get me like every five minutes.
*My eye hurts. The sunscreen would go on, she'd wipe her eyes, and sunscreen would be in them. I would help her wash it out and then try to distract her with something, such as a canoe ride. That worked like a gem.
*And lastly: "this note is for you." She wrote me possible the sweetest note of the session. It read: "Dear Miss Melody, I like you. Remember you can do good things through Christ. Love, Aubree"
Precious.

It makes me a little tired just thinking of all that again. But at the same time, it makes me laugh. Camp would not be camp without these sweet memories.

Except this coming session, I am going to pray for less of them.

Talk to you all next week!

Love,

Miss Melody

Edit. Edit. Edit.

Editing is my weakness.

When writing papers for English or Newspaper class in High School, I would always try to skip the editing step. You see, writing the actual paper is no big deal, but then I want to be done with it. Case closed, it is good enough.

But "good enough" is neither. It is not good, and it's definitely lacking in effort.

I think the reason I dislike editing is because it forces me to acknowledge a failure or a lack within myself. It is more fun to rest and assume everything is fine.

Isn't it funny though, how editing the performance of others is so easy? We see the flaws in others naturally, but it takes more effort to see the flaws within oneself.

And now this brings me to Dry Gulch; this place has an insane culture or re-evaluation.

I would not even call this place the same camp I worked at in 2009 because of all the changes that have taken place. This year in particular there have been a lot more of them. I am still adjusting to some, but I am in awe of how much has been altered to make the camp experience just that much better.

The full time staff of Dry Gulch, along with Church on the Move, continue to edit because editing brings improvement.

I think it is fair to say that sometimes editing brings some pain. It can be hard to adjust, and sometimes we might miss the way things were. But in the long run, many changes prove to be worth the pain.

For example: The snack choices for the kiddos this year have moved to healthy selections such has goldfish, raisins, apple slices, and so on. There has been some pain in this change, because many of the kids miss getting their candy bar and coke each day. However, it saves them from crashing from their sugar high, and it also saves a lot of time because there are fewer options for the campers to choose from each day.

As well, some changes made here have added immediate benefits with a relatively short amount of pain.

One: The life jacket shack at the cove has moved to the bottom of the hill so the campers no longer have to haul the life jackets up to put them away. All the staff has to do was endure the pain of physically moving the shack. Why did I never think to do that?

Two: Instead of throwing wet clothes over the porch wood to dry, we now have individual hooks for each camper. Installation is the only pain. And DG now looks more like a resort and less like an actual campground. Awesome.

These are just a few of the so many changes. Not to mention the massive changes in scheduling and the added day of camp.

As I noted all of this change during orientation last week, I realized I should do some editing with how I do my job. Nothing major, but just some tweaks.
I think I've been doing a good job, just as I think Dry Gulch was just fine the way it was last year. But there is still room for improvement. There always is.

I just need to look for it, instead of avoiding it.

And beyond counseling, it probably wouldn't hurt to edit my day to day living when I go back home. There are improvements to be made there, too. (Especially when it comes to being on time for that rotten 8 a.m. class)

So this session I am going to try some new changes, and if they don't work, I'll just change it again.

Wish me luck!

(P.S My reflection over session one will come soon...maybe tomorrow even.)