Tangible Rest, Triathlon True Self
The last two days at Camp have been both restful and re-energizing. Sunday we slept in and had a late breakfast at 9am. Soon after we were headed down the road to the Little Red Church, which is about 1.5 miles from Camp. This little brick building where we have church is special for many reasons. For many people, myself included, it’s one of those places where I feel especially close to God.
We started our time together with a moment of silence. Campers had a chance to just be still. After that I played two traditional songs, God is So Good and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, and then led camp in singing Father I Adore You in the round with no instruments. Then our counselors Erin Delony, Anna Craig, and Thomas Robinson led us through a few more worship songs. It was truly restful. Next our counselors acted out the skit You Are Special, a short story by Max Lucado. I love this story because it reiterates that God made us specially and uniquely and that our value ultimately comes from him, not other things or people. This continues to be a sobering truth for me and I think many of the adults in the room could say the same. Finally, Billy Martin shared a short message telling about the parable of the lost sheep. We finished our time with a moment of silence and then headed back to Camp for a traditional bbq sandwich at lunch time.
Sunday afternoon was Choice, which gives campers the option to do water activities or go on the Sunday Hike. We hiked to the Joe Shields barn and enjoyed some more ice-cold watermelon in the grove of pine trees that reside there. It was a simple and restful afternoon.
Sunday evening we turned up the dial a notch as Caddo and Tejas faced off in Round One of the Wiffleball World Series. With two of four games on the line, both Caddo and Tejas notched a victory. The night was highlighted by a come from behind 8-7 extra innings victory by Caddo. At one point they were down 6-0. Following WWS campers joined together in the Front Yard as Girls Camp faced off against Boys Camp in the famous, famous, most famous, Water Balloon Fight (WBF)! Shaving creme and chocolate syrup were also on the menu as campers enjoyed this all out zany event. WBF concluded with a big dance party and you could see the momentum of week two begin to pick up.
Triathlon Results
This afternoon 12 campers mustered up the courage to compete in the Huawni Kids Triathlon, which consists of an 80 yard swim, a 2 mile bike, and a 3/4 mile run through the OC and over the barrier. What makes this event special is not only the valiant efforts of campers competing, but also the unselfish cheering and encouragement given by cabin mates not competing. Here are the results!
| Camper | Time | | Jacob L. | 32:10 | | Jay S. | 51:35 | | Keshawn G. | 53.26 | | Gabriel M. | 30:43 | | Brendon C. | 25:13 | | Dedrian G. | 25:13 | | Miguel M. | 23:01 | Boys 1st Place | | Darian G. | 33:30 | | Madison H. | 36:22 | | Emily M. | 20:24 | | Brook F. | 17:12 | Girls 1st Place | | Maya H. | 36:42 |
What Makes Camp Special?
Part of this morning Bear and I walked around Camp to talk to some of our campers. I love hearing from our kids and today one of the things I asked was what makes camp special? In the ways only campers can communicate, here is what some of our kiddos said.
The counselors are always encouraging you.
Mostly this Critter and the food they make here.
My counselors. They are nice and cool and they respect us.
My counselors…they always have so much energy and make everything fun and okay.
The people. They are always really supportive and have energy and know how to have fun.
The people here are great. I have special connections with them like I’ve never felt with anyone else before.
The girls in my cabin are so close together and we can talk about anything and we don’t judge each other for it.
I like how I can just get away…and make new friends…and I’m away from my phone.
I like getting away from the world and how you can be yourself here. I can be my normal crazy self. We can get closer to friends here than at school. You get to be yourself here and they get to see the real you.
After listening to these answers all together, there seems to be one common denominator— the Huawni Counselors. I am so very proud of this counseling staff this summer. They truly are loving their Session 4 kids and it shows. I was also so encouraged to hear campers share how at Huawni, they can be their true selves. Our desire at Huawni is that all campers and staff would leave our gates knowing their true significance and purpose. It looks like a little of that is happening today, and we are so very grateful!
