Magic Water

Yesterday was one of those lazy, rainy Sunday’s. Our morning began at The Little Red Church, where we heard from Travis and Juanse, then once arriving back at camp it began to rain. It was the perfect time to rain: right after church and lunch. This allowed for a restful rest period. After the rain stopped, we moved forward with choice activities in the afternoon. Our choices included a movie in the dining hall, pool time, the critter, or a hike out behind the Obstacle Course, along a creek! Here are a few pictures of our activities on Sunday:

We ended the night with the Famous, Famous, MOST FAMOUS Wiffleball World Series tournament, with Caddo winning on both fields! The scores were 6-1 and 8-0. Caddo dominated last night! Tejas still has a chance, when we continue the WWS on Tuesday evening. Following the games, we had a water balloon fight! This fight included flour, shaving cream, and water balloons to throw at your friends. With music playing in the background and the sun down, it felt like a late night party here at camp!

Homesick Update

This morning I wanted to speak with one of our counselors, Adam Gallagher, to ask more about how he deals with homesick and the differences he sees in his campers once they get over it. We got to talking and Adam told me that homesick is more common in his younger campers, for example this session he’s a counselor in Cane Brake, our second youngest boy’s cabin. There are one or two in his cabin this session that he said he’s been up with the first few nights in order to talk through with them what is going on inside their heads.

Adam mentioned a lot of his campers don’t just flat out tell them they’re homesick, it’s disguised behind a lot of other signs that he has to notice then ask a few questions to really understand what is wrong with them. Adam takes time with his campers in order to make sure they feel comfortable. For example, one night a camper woke him up at 3 am letting Adam know they miss home, so he stayed up talking with him and gave him some ‘magic water’ to make him feel better. Our magic water is a secret to most campers, kept in a secret place. It’s known around the world for it’s healing powers and we get to keep some here at Huawni!

At first, Adam would just resort to the magic water, because he thought it would appease his camper for the night. After learning throughout the summer, he now knows the best way for him to help his campers through homesickness is to relate to where they’re at. Adam lets the campers know he gets homesick when he’s away at college too, then they know they aren’t alone in feeling this way.

Advice for Parents

I asked Adam what he thinks could be good to do before camp, as parents, in order to help their kiddos while at camp. He said just preparing the kids, letting them know putting themselves out there and making friends can make camp easier, highlighting that camp is only two weeks and it’ll be over in no time at all! Letting the kids know what is coming before they’re here could help prepare for what is to come.

Please comment with any questions you have concerning homesick kids, how we work with them, or anything!