Back from camp

I was gone last week to east Texas, to church camp 2010, at Purley Gates. wow! the week flew by. I had no phone service, unless I wanted to climb up this huge hill, I could get it there. I've got pictures that I have to upload to Flickr, and videos to youtube. Some are here, and although the video for the teen choir isn't the best, it made me realize I really *should* invest in a handycam for when my camera can't cut it. The noodle game looked like lots of fun! My internet was misbehaving yesterday, so I couldn't upload more video. I have a pedometer, and found out I was walking about 2 miles a day at camp :O the food was ... food. Looked like school food for lunches. The chicken strips, mashed potatoes/gravy, and green beans was the best meal. We had goulash, my daughter asked me "what is it?" I told her "do you want me to tell you what I *think* it looks like? or what it actually is! To me it looked kinda like someone threw up. But it did taste good.

Pranks were played at camp - I read about the 'musical card' prank - you take the mechanism out of a musical card, set it under the sheet - when they lay down, it will start playing music - they get up - it will stop. It didn't quite go that way, but she was "where is that music coming from?"

The 2nd prank was played on ME. My *loving daughter* brought 2 rolls of plastic wrap, hidden away...I was on the bottom bunk sleeping, and she & 2 compadres waited almost 2 hours to make sure I was asleep - snuck over, and started running around the bunk, unrolling the wrap. They used up almost 2 rolls of it. Then when I woke up, heard something, yelled "WHAT!" they ran off giggling. Good thing I had brought scissors to camp for my crocheting, as I had to CUT my way out of that wrapping!

I did get her back however...Thursday I got a ziplock full of granola from the kitchen, and with help of a couple of the other girls, put it in the foot of her sleeping bag. She didn't find it at first, then snuggled down into it, and said "there's something crunchy in my sleeping bag...I think it's cereal...there's something crunchy... I have crunchified toes"... The girls back where she was were laughing and asking her if she needed some milk!

Another girl had a large rubber snake put in her suitcase - she opened it like 20 minutes later, and screamed.

11 kids went forward about salvation, around 14 for re-dedication, and the preaching was *excellent*. I am looking forward to next year, and one of the other ladies and I are going to see about bringing the younger ones to camp also - the 6/7 year olds and up. I think they would get something good out of camp. We'd have to rent a van to take them, as the 2 church vans are filled up with teenagers - we took 24 teens to camp this year.

OHHHHHHh on the way back, just after Jacksonville, and before Rusk, the right front tire blew on the van pulling the trailer. Not just blew, but it was a new tire, just put on the week before, and the whole center tread separated from the tire - the valve stem blew off - and when it did that, it broke the brake line - good thing Nettie was able to stop - A guy stopped - he asked what he could do, and he said he could give some a ride to Rusk, because we could not fit everyone in one van - he went and dropped off his neice and returned - his name was John, he has been home from Iraq 1 week, on leave - a very nice guy - So between his truck, the other van, and 2 adults riding with the wrecker, we were able to make it to Rusk to the DQ. I talked to him for a bit at DQ, turns out he was on the Gompers later when it was up in N. California. I knew it when it was down in San Diego. He was a recruiter for 3 years, and really enjoyed going into the schools dealing with the teenagers. He retires in 2 years, he wants to go into teaching. I think he'd enjoy it.

Anyway, we're up in Rusk with 1 van, 1 trailer, and 24 kids, 4 adults. (15 passenger van)...The wrecker driver knew someone who knew someone who knew the music director at First Baptist Church of Rusk... he drove over, and loaned us their church van! to get the kids home! We got home to the church a bit after 11 pm Friday night, and Royce & Nettie drove the loaned van back to Rusk on Saturday, and drove our van home again. This van! Almost back to town - the van starts shimmying again - turns out the spare needed a spare. Finally got it back.

These vans are on their last legs - the van that I had rode in all the way up to Purley, back, and drove with all those kids in to the DQ, the steering is loose,. Preacher brings it to the repair shop, they can't find anything wrong with it. The other van, the back side is like 3" to the left of the front end. We didn't pay much for the vans, they've done well so far, but I think it's time to replace them. Either that or find a repairman who CAN fix that steering on the light blue van. We've taken them out to Arizona, to the Navajo and Hopi reservations twice, to teach Vacation Bible School. We are hoping to be able to go back and teach again. My group is always the 5 and 6 year olds...and I love it. Ok I've rambled on long enough.

by the way, the Supreme Court struck down that Chicago gun ban - that warms the cockles of my heart!

I'm off for a bike ride down to where the road ends, out in the fields. Will take pictures of the rice fields out there :)