Posted August 10, 2009
Paetkau's Place
Previous editions of the News & Notes are posted in the News Archive
# 112 July 2009 Paetkau News & Notes
"A tree just took down a power line by the cabins….." Not something that you want to hear in the middle of a rainstorm and campers huddled on the front porches for shelter nearby. But such is life at camp - never a dull moment.
July is camp month, and there are many stories to tell.
Of lessons learned: When the instructor tells you to sit on the makeshift platform that is tied to the inner tube as you pull yourself across the river, you sit. You don't attempt to look in control and balance yourself by squatting on the platform. Of course, the individual who learned this lesson was one of the leaders - who then did an unintentional back flip into the river as soon as someone pulled the tow line.
There are stories of safety - of how God watched over us. Lightning did strike during one storm - at least 4 times by eyewitness accounts on different parts of the property - and the wind took down a number of trees, including one that took out the power line near the cabins. There were over 150 people at camp during that time, and no one was hurt. Of course, since every camper seemed to have a cell phone, everyone back in Sumy knew about it within hours.
"A tree just took down a power line by the cabins….." Not something that you want to hear in the middle of a rainstorm and campers huddled on the front porches for shelter nearby. But such is life at camp - never a dull moment.
July is camp month, and there are many stories to tell.
Of lessons learned: When the instructor tells you to sit on the makeshift platform that is tied to the inner tube as you pull yourself across the river, you sit. You don't attempt to look in control and balance yourself by squatting on the platform. Of course, the individual who learned this lesson was one of the leaders - who then did an unintentional back flip into the river as soon as someone pulled the tow line.
There are stories of safety - of how God watched over us. Lightning did strike during one storm - at least 4 times by eyewitness accounts on different parts of the property - and the wind took down a number of trees, including one that took out the power line near the cabins. There were over 150 people at camp during that time, and no one was hurt. Of course, since every camper seemed to have a cell phone, everyone back in Sumy knew about it within hours.
There are stories of relationships - campers connecting with people who care about them. Many of the campers came from homes which have very difficult situations. Coming for 10 days to a place where there are things to do and people who care was a new experience for them. Of course there were those who felt it was their duty to make life as difficult as possible for everyone involved, which will add to the stories to be told during the winter months over tea when we reminisce.
There are stories of new friendships across cultures - people from different countries serving as God enabled them. We had Ukrainians, Canadians, Swiss, Germans, Americans & Georgians serving together this summer. It added an interesting dimension to the creative elements.
The first 10-day camp - kids ages 7-12 - we had 98 campers run us through our paces. They had a lot of energy, which kept things lively. Praise the Lord for the bridges that were built into families, many who did not have any other contact with the church. We found it interesting how many kids had cell phones. It seems like the whole country has a mobile pressed to their ear, and at the camp it wasn't much different. One camper who lives in our building in Sumy kept his phone off. Well, his mom would call me and ask me what was going on, and ask me to tell her son to turn his phone on so that she could call and make sure that he was still alive and being fed etc.
The second 10-day camp - teens ages 12-16- we had 94 campers join us for a time and challenge and excitement (any time you get that many teens together it becomes a time of challenge and excitement).
Through it all, we saw God work. There are times when you wonder if there will be impact in an individual's life, but God continues to show us that He is working. Different times leaders would share of a conversation that they had with a camper, of the questions that were being asked, the discussions that were taking place, all showing that God was working in many of the hearts of the individuals who were there.
This was also our first time to hold a 4-day "family camp", so we focused more on the young families in the church, and kept it smaller. Well, it turned out to be a bit smaller than planned due to a few cancellations, but such is life. It was a real success, and those who came made the recommendation that it be expanded for the greater church family.
Another blessing was the ministry of those who came from Kiev and beyond. SEND teammates - Bruce McKay (kids camp), Blaker family (kids/teens), and the Rist family (family camp) joined us from Kiev. Nikki Friesen & Brianne Lindstrom joined us from Canada for 6 weeks. Hugh & Amy Prichard joined us for 2 weeks from the USA. We also had 2 fellows from the country of Georgia (Dan, visiting his wife's family in Sumy, Tangeze, a student from Kiev Seminary) help us for the kids camp. Everyone got involved in a variety of ways, from doing crafts and sports to pouring cement on the conference center main floor. Praise the Lord for their help.
This was also our first time to hold a 4-day "family camp", so we focused more on the young families in the church, and kept it smaller. Well, it turned out to be a bit smaller than planned due to a few cancellations, but such is life. It was a real success, and those who came made the recommendation that it be expanded for the greater church family.
Another blessing was the ministry of those who came from Kiev and beyond. SEND teammates - Bruce McKay (kids camp), Blaker family (kids/teens), and the Rist family (family camp) joined us from Kiev. Nikki Friesen & Brianne Lindstrom joined us from Canada for 6 weeks. Hugh & Amy Prichard joined us for 2 weeks from the USA. We also had 2 fellows from the country of Georgia (Dan, visiting his wife's family in Sumy, Tangeze, a student from Kiev Seminary) help us for the kids camp. Everyone got involved in a variety of ways, from doing crafts and sports to pouring cement on the conference center main floor. Praise the Lord for their help.
So we look back and we praise the Lord for all that He did. Another year of memories, lessons learned and challenges faced. And we look forward to next year…..
Talk to you later,John
4 the 5 of us sumites
p.s. regarding the photo that I mentioned I would explain this month. Well, early one morning (6 a.m.) as I was walking towards the conference center I came around the corner and saw a group of people standing by the outdoor toilet (the squatty potties as we call them), from which came the sound of puppies barking. 3 puppies (that someone had dropped off outside our fence) had found their way into the camp during the night, and two had fallen into the outhouse. The rescue operation was underway when I stumbled upon the scene (I hadn't had my coffee yet). The contents of the storage container were solid enough to hold up the puppies, but not anything else. So the only solution was going in head first. Eventually with a bit of sausage to bait them I got each one close enough to grab an ear and haul them out. It was an interesting morning.