Staff Christmas Outing

 

 

This year, we broke tradition, for the first time in recent history!  Tradition at Camp Joy means a white elephant gift exchange, with um...less than desirable items exchanged!  Tonight, we had our staff Christmas get-together at Rock River Lanes in Fort Atkinson.

 

 

The colorful bowling balls

 

Natalie, the photographer (I'm sure she'll be posting some of her top of the line pics!)

Julia, showing off her bowling style. (sorry so blurry!)

 



Ruth, showing us how the professionals do it. :)  Aunt Carol told her, "It's just like housekeeping-they set all those dirty pins out there, and you just gotta wipe them all out."

 

 

A strike for Daniel. Way to go!



 

 

 

We went to Culvers afterwards. YUM!  Yay for Wisconsin!

A new blog on the block

If anyone is interested, about 2 days ago, I started another blog.  It's called  Cookergirl.  It's a little more of a personal blog, about finding joy in everyday things.  I truly do enjoy life, and want to share it with other people.  Feel free to stop in if you're a blog reader.  The address is cookerrachel.blogspot.com.  I will still continue to post any camp group activities on this blog.

House Full of Strangers

I was getting ready for the morning when I was startled to see someone else enter the room...someone I didn't think I knew but who looked strangely familiar. She said her name was Rachel and that, yes, I did in fact know her. She was my house mate. She said there are two more living in here--Ruth and Angie. I wonder where they are because I never see any housemates. :)

Hurry here and there, work late in the office at camp, plug into the computer to do lesson plans...oh, is there someone else living in this house? That's when I remember how much I like doing ANYTHING if I can interact with people while I do it--cooking, dishes, cleaning, SHOPPING!! I should post a sign on the door. "Strangers welcome. Bring your own windex."

Thanksgiving Break

Hebrews 13:15 "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

 

Thanksgiving is often overlooked with all the busyness and hustle and bustle of everyone getting ready for Christmas, but it is so important to stop and actually take the time to thank God for all that he has done, and all that he will do. 

We are truly blessed.

 

We got to go home Tuesday evening. Dad and I left early (4am) Wednesday morning to go pick up a car I was buying from a lady in Pennsylvania.  We met in Arlington, Ohio, about a 7 hour drive. It was nice to spend some road time with my Dad. He took me to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Yum! :)

 

 

The navigator

 

 

Happy to finally be getting a car! (That's green apple pull 'n peel licorice :) )

 

 

My Car! It's a 2003 Buick LeSabre. So thankful for God's provision through savings and a very generous anonomous donor!

 (Photo courtesy of Logan's used car lot (c) 2013 :) )

Thanksgiving Day

 

We had my Grandpa Logan, my aunt, Sue, and Sasha and DJ from camp over for this special day.

 

 

Rebekah peeling potatoes

 

Ruth, wondering if her homemade chocolate pudding is "too gloppy." It turned out just fine! Both of the girls worked so hard on the dinner.  It was delicious, too, I might add! :)

 

The table-set and ready to go

 



 

Ruth made these cute little turkey place card holders

 

In keeping with traditions of the very first Thanksgiving and Native American culture, the guys chilled while the squaws worked! No, actually these are some talented fellows, especially the cute one on the right! :)



 Aunt Sue was such a blessing- she did load after load of dishes

 

 

 

This was our first Thanksgiving without Mom. Her little touches are everywhere, like these decorations on a windowsill. She was one of the most special people I have ever known, and though I will always miss her until I get to Heaven, I thank God for the priceless years we had with her, and for how he showed His love through her.

Friday

 



 

Dad, Robbie and I went to the championship football games of some local teams, held at Huskie Stadium on the NIU campus in DeKalb

 

 

 

The Stillman Valley Cardinals.  They played a good game-score was tied 14-14 at halftime. They went into overtime 41-41, and the Cardinals got the 2-point conversion while the other team missed it, so they won 43-41. Yay!

Some of our friends were there also, John Uhlar, Brian and Emily Moritz, and Pastor Clark





The ever-loyal Cardinal fans- at least 1,000 of them!

 

Robbie and Me. It was COLD!!!

 

 

Oh, yeah, about that...

 

We hadn't eaten anything-it was probably about 3 p.m., so Robbie and I went to get some soft cheesy pretzels. When we got back, Robbie held the pretzels while I tucked in my multiple blankets. Well, I lifted my hand up suddenly and knocked the pretzel and nacho cheese all down Robbie's pant leg and shoe, and all over the man sitting in front of us! Can you spell MORTIFIED! He was oblivious of the fact that he had cheese splattered all over his back. I tapped him on the shoulder, "Um, sir...I just spilled cheese sauce all over you...um, I'm gonna clean it off now..." How embarrassing. He was very gracious, thankfully. It was just one of those days! I broke a large mirror that morning all over the floor of Rebekah's room. It was what I term an "Amelia Bedelia" day. (If you've never read Amelia Bedelia books, may I suggest they are good for a laugh :) She is always blundering something! )

A few weeks ago, on a gorgeous, sunny Sunday afternoon, we took some Logan sibling pics.  Daniel Hatchett snapped them for us.  He is a young, budding photographer, and I was impressed by how well he did-Enjoy!

 

 

 Sisters <3 My two favorite people in the whole wide world!

 

 

Another sister pic!

 



 Wow! What a strong guy to hold three girls in one hand! He doesn't even look like he's straining! :)

 

 The fabulous four

 

 

My favorite family picture. I love the fall colors!

 

 

My second fave (ditto on the fall colors!)

 

 

Brother dear decided for some odd, unexplainable reason that it

would be fun to pick me up and put me in the birdbath!

(He didn't make it that far!...I think I deafened him with the blood-curdling scream-

usually anything that sounds like that is fairly dangerous, and not a

force to be reckoned with. :) )

Ninety Years of God's Own Time

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. God hath made everything beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3:1,11

Ninety-one years ago, God brought a baby boy into the world. Through the first years of his life, little Reuben lived in ordinary circumstances. Eventually he became a man and joined the Marines where he served throughout World War II. After the war, he returned home, fell in loved, chased his sweetheart (until she caught him), and was married. Sixty years of marriage later…

The Young-at-Heart crowd is gathered at Camp Joy for the seasonal retreat. A fire burns in the fireplace. Puzzles adorn the walls, testimony of past retreats. Groups sit comfortably around the fireside room or shuffle over to the beanbag boards. They are a friendly, pleasant crowd.

Among this crowd are Reuben and his sweet wife, Doris. Wherever Rube is, there is a story to make you smile, a tale as TALL as Paul Bunyan. But for Rube, the most exciting part of the story is always true. Love, war, friends, ministry—all figure largely in Rube’s history of his era.

If anyone says that Rube talks too much, they have to remember that he has over 90 years of life to tell about. The honor of publishing his stories is well-earned. He has served his country. He has cherished his wife. He has been generous toward others. He has loved his God.

Each of us have “many dangers, toils and snares” to go through in our lives. As Ecclesiastes says, there is a season for everything. Many of these young-at-heart folks could teach us a lesson of human tenacity and the grace of God. From them, we learn that God truly makes everything beautiful in His time.

Celebrating in Style

The hardworking girls at Camp were able to enjoy a weekend off (when there weren't any retreats), spent at their very favorite “Brodhead Castle.” Mr. Scott, we confess to be praying against you that we might be able to enjoy the Brodhead Castle for a looooooong time to come.

The Danger of Blogging Camp Life

There is a danger in blogging our life here at camp.  Those who read this will either realize that these sweet "normal" girls aren't so normal after all OR they will realize how much fun we have, and all want to come work at camp joy, and we just won't have room for all them to stay here!

I’m Still Tired, but Now I’m giddY!

Today at lunch the girls in the kitchen were strangely quiet. It’s been this way across the campground wherever staff is found. Tired machines creak quietly through repetitive tasks. Lights flicker on in the morning and off at night, and all goes on as before. But the energy is missing.  

Miss Charity types and answers phones in the office. Aunt Carol wipes lunch tables between “cool downs.” Mr. Ramsby  tinkers with the dryer. One of the kitchen girls takes a siesta at the lunch table before clean-up, while another mumbles, “I'm so tired” on her way back to the kitchen. In the Snack Shack, Ruth prepares for hungry high school campers, and somewhere on the grounds a lawnmower is heard. 

It’s Thursday of the first school camp. Summer camp is over. Our summer staff has gone home to school and to college while we stay behind to keep on keeping on. You might wonder how we do it. So do we.

Then…a light breaks. Actually, it’s just the sun setting behind a line of trees. But there's something else. Even before the sun goes down, strange things begin to happen. Noises. The sound of laughter and chasing. Too much sugary caffeinated beverage is being consumed. Aunt Carol can’t hold her drink, even if it is only iced sweet tea.

Peanut butter is found in the strangest faces…er…places. Wet towels crack and wounded staff howl. Soap suds become a threat and chip bags a defense. Everyone is smiling. If you were to ask what happened to the formerly fatigued staff, someone would answer with a laugh (and a wet dish towel), “We're still tired, but now we're Giddy!” 

They're Back!!

The Triplex Triumvirate is complete once again. Rachel and Ruth were away for several weeks and now they’re back. The house wasn’t the same without them.

I missed Rachel’s smile and sense of humor, so balanced and generous. (Her generosity is one thing that isn't balanced. She gives much more than she receives.) I missed Ruth’s practical nature, regularly cleaning out the refrigerator when we let food go too long. I missed the mountain of bobby pins that Rachel would take from her hair at night and Ruth’s sweet, “Excuse me” as we shared the mirror in the morning while getting ready. I missed the towel on the floor outside their bedroom door and Rachel’s guitar standing by the piano.

Angie and I have been two lost souls drifting around the house like ghosts. We haven’t been home and awake at the same time in the last few weeks—me working late and she working early. Last Thursday we managed to slip away and have dinner in town which was a rare treat.

Now the girls are back and things will return to a form of normal. “Normal” seems to change pretty frequently and usually permanently. But we’re together, and for now that’s just what I wish. 

Unprofitable Servants

Serving at Camp Joy is our chosen responsibility, and anyone who thinks we do it grudgingly needs to keep reading this blog. God, working through us, led us here where we clean, cook, organize, welcome, and serve in any way we can. Like your job, it often tires us, and when we go home, like you, we have work to do there too.

This was an especially tiring week since we’ve been out of the groove of week-long retreats. We had the Young-at-Heart group here Monday through Thursday, which means our nights didn’t end until 10:00 or so at camp, but our mornings still started bright and early. After the camp was over, we went home to a house that needed some attention.

We’ve shared the house cleaning responsibilities, but one night Ruth did a number of other little jobs that brightened up the dusty corners. Rachel came home and noticed the extra care given around the house and said, “Oh Ruth, thank you for doing that!” to which Ruth dryly replied, “I’m just an unprofitable servant…doing what I’m supposed to do.”

Luke 17:7-10

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

How funny! But how true! Sometimes I feel I deserve a medal for making my bed in the morning. Of course, rooms and houses are for living in, not showing off, so they don’t always maintain a pristine appearance. Our responsibilities are just something we do because we are alive. They make possible the privileges we enjoy.

The only one who deserves any praise is God the Father who created the world and its order. He maintains all things and keeps them running in their place. He fixes what we break. And He does all things well!

  Girls night out!

                                          Back Row: Natalie, Miss Charity (Camps secretary), Aunt Carol.
                                          Middle Row: Angie, Rachel, Hannah.
                                          Front Row: Rebekah ( Rachel and Ruth's sister), Ruth.

Introducing...US!

I'm going to introduce the girls and give you a snapshot of life at the Triplex. We live there and work together year-round at the best camp on God's green earth. We've all come at different times for different reasons, but our purpose is the same. We want to serve God and our Lord Jesus Christ in this unique ministry...and we love it!

My name is Natalie. I work in the office. I have also worked in the kitchen and in promotion several summers in the past. I LOVE to read and write! And if you ask me to play ping-pong I won't object, (but I also won't win.)

Angie, Rachel, and Ruth live downstairs with me. If you’ve been to Camp Joy and enjoyed our food, Rachel has had a hand in it (literally), especially recently since she became the head cook. Angie is the baker and works with Rachel in the kitchen making delicious desserts.

Ruth is one of the heads of housekeeping and she oversees the hospitality side of your visit at camp. She, together with Hannah and Aunt Carol, launders all the bedding and towels and keeps the rooms fresh and enjoyable.

Hannah lives upstairs in the Triplex with Aunt Carol. They are a pair! Hannah is our cowgirl! She loves horses, and takes care of our horses in the summer time. She and Ruth also run the snack shops. Aunt Carol has been affectionately named because she has become so much like family to everyone, and we love her. She often takes a lot of convincing to slow down and rest because she wants to charge right ahead and get everything done at once. We learn to look out for one another.

We're all musicians, but some are better than others. Angie plays the harp like an angel. Rachel and Ruth play the piano. Rachel also plays the guitar.  I play the piano and French horn, and we all like to sing. Every once in a while, we get together for a shin-dig and sing along with the guitar. Hannah also plays the guitar and usually joins us for our jam sessions. (We especially love strawberry jam!)

Well, we’ll be keeping you updated and amused with news from the Triplex and beyond. Thanks for reading!