Jam Camp Day 2

We survived a scorcher of a day here today!  To say it was hot and humid would be a gross understatement.  It was the kind of day that leaves you feeling sticky and wet after about 5 minutes of being outside.  Not my favorite weather to be in, personally, but when you're at camp you just have to adapt and make it work!  Thankfully, the Lord graciously gave us some cloud cover this afternoon, which helped with the intensity of the sun and made the day a little more bearable.  Tonight was much better, we even got a gentle and cool breeze after dinner, thank you Lord!!  We are thankful to be on the lake however and to have the option of water time to cool off!

We took Ava straight to the lake after lunch and it took her no time to find some arms who wanted her :) 

We also blew up her new raft and let her splash around in that for awhile!  

She loved it and I loved that it has a sun shade on it :) 

I'm not going to lie, she's our favorite camper here.  

Nobody else wears a hat with a chin strap like she does :) 

Some counselors enjoying a much needed break on the dock...

...and lots of students lining up for more rides on the lake couch!

The slide was also a hit, but mostly for kids with short legs :) 

And of course there are always guys who are willing to push each other off the floating dock!

I braved the sweltering heat for a few minutes so I could watch Ava in the lake, but it did not take long for me to wish I was right back in the air conditioning.  Being 7.5 months pregnant in the dead of summer is not for wimps!

But getting a smile out of this little peanut is totally worth it :) 

These two girls tried desperately to take a picture with Ava, who was "less than cooperative!"  In her defense, she was just minutes away from her 2 hour nap this afternoon!  

Thankfully, the clouds stayed out all afternoon and the kids were able to play their game without the hot sun on them the whole time.

Their fearless leaders :) 

They played a variety of things, including an old-fashioned game of tug of war.

Can you sense the excitement??  Ha Ha!  I'm told it was a fun time, I just wouldn't know because I could only stand the heat for so long!  I joined Ava for a nap too :) 

Tonight at dinner we had a little fun with the mail call game!  Every day when the mail comes, we make a big deal out of who gets a package or a letter and we make the kids do something funny to "earn" their mail.  Every single year my cousin Jenny sends a package to everyone in our family who is at camp.  This year, she included someone very special:) 

Our little camper got her first piece of camp mail!!  She had to do the chicken dance with her cousins to get it :) Well, her Daddy had to do the dance for her while she sat on his shoulders!

Reading her little letter and opening her very own care package, complete with a strawberry shortcake doll and animal cookies!!  Not too bad for a a 1year old!!  Thanks Jenny, we LOVED it!!

I had high hopes of writing something about our program time tonight, but my night has turned into a blur of band aids and neosporin, benedryl and ibuprophen.  Nothing major, thankfully, just lots of cuts and scrapes during our night game.  I prayed this afternoon for the Lord to give me some opportunities to bless some kids or minister to them...I was thinking more along the lines of a great conversation or some play time with Ava...but I suppose to test my sincerity, the Lord was thinking more along the lines of mercy :) I am the camp nurse, so it is fitting that I should "work" for that title!  I will say, all these years of growing up with a Mom who is an RN is definitely paying off!  I can hear her voice in my head every time someone says, "Are the nurse? I think I got hurt."  Anyway, it's later than I wanted to be up posting this, so I'm going to leave the program stuff for another day.  

I do have a couple of prayer requests for you, if you are praying along with us....We appreciate all of the support so many of you have told us about and God has graciously answered lots of the prayers you've prayed on our behalf.  In fact, before I forget, I do want to tell you about the best part of our day!   This afternoon, during some free time before dinner, one of our 7th grade students called Travis over to talk.  He asked if he could pray with them because the friend that he invited along to camp wanted to pray to receive Christ!!!  Amazing.  Somewhere between this morning and this evening, the Lord did a work in this student's heart and drew him to Himself like only He can.  Travis was able to talk with him and pray with him and tonight, welcome him into the family of God in front of all the other kids!  So sweet and totally worth the all of the effort to "put on" camp for a week.  

Our requests for tonight are short and sweet...

-We have several kids with stomach aches, nausea, etc.  We would love for them to feel better and for us to have the wisdom we need to help.  The heat is not helping, but we are doing everything we can to keep them well :) 

-Mosquitoes!  They are terrible this year!!  We are certainly functioning despite them, but is there anything more irritating than a mosquito bite??  Maybe the Lord's heart will be moved by some petitions from some Mom's and he'll wipe them out of here for tomorrow night :) Wishful thinking perhaps, but it's worth asking, right??  

Thanks friends!  We are having a great time and are amazed at the way God is speaking to all of us as we seek Him.  We're looking forward to another great day tomorrow!!