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!