From on-site at camp

We're at a Scripture Union summer camp. For grades 6 to 8. It's been over ten years since I last went on such a camp as a leader. Most of my overnighting-in-community experiences since then has been at adult focused events, like missions conferences and church camps. The kid-focused event is quite a different beast. 

Even though I haven't been a fully involved leader (having your young family on camp does that for you as a mum), I feel like I've been constantly on the go and constantly moving from one thing to another. I'm tired! Mid-summer and near the beach, we're spending a lot of time outside and at the beach. I am totally over putting sunscreen on myself and three reluctant boys. The boys are too! 

Apart from that, though, they are having a fantastic time. It is great to see them really involved. I'm glad that we made the effort to come. 

The things you get to do on camp you'd never get to do as a family - like the messy games afternoon. For a couple of hours the campers (and our boys, of course) played games that involved getting food all over them. Like Duck-Duck-Goose, except instead of merely tapping people on the head, you dripped some kind of food on their head - chocolate sauce and molasses, I do believe. 

 Last night we ran an international night. Lots of work, but fun too. Toilet sign game, rock-paper-scissor train, Spanish songs and lots of different food, games, drinks, and other experiences. Late night, though. We didn't get the boys to bed until after 10 and they're tired today. 

 This camping experience (we're not under canvas, by the way), is also such an Aussie experience too. It reminds me of many childhood, teenage and young adult experiences. Positive memories, to be sure. Memory building for our family too. We'll remember this Aussie experience for sometime. We cannot take a lot of luggage back to Japan, but we'll take our memories. 

 The other great thing about being here, is that it is service that is NOT about us. Deputation is full of us running around talking about Japan, our experiences and answering questions about us and Japan. 

Here it hardly matters here that we are missionaries and that we've lived most of the last decade in Japan. Yay! I love it. Well, it's smoko time (morning snack/coffee time) and a coffee might just hit the spot. See ya.