From 1995 through 2004, for one or two weeks every summer, Baptist Park summer camp in northern Maine brought us up to be the evening speakers. Some years it was for high school camp, others for younger kids. Some years Sue and I would also teach classes on balloon sculptureor juggling. Then, in 2005, when the directorship opened up, the camp board offered me that position, which I did for 15 years. Then, after, five years away, we were invited back for a week, this time with the youngest of camper groups. There were two days of six to eight year olds, two days of four to six year olds, and a day with the two groups combined.
Sue and I headed north on July 27th and arrived at our old summer home by 6:00 pm. We were staying in the "preacher's cabin". This is where we first stayed in 1995, at the time with our two preschool aged daughters (both now in their 30's). The old cabin, with its exposed beams covered in grafitti (I distinctly remember "I oove Shaun Cassidy" in huge black marker on one beam) , uninsulated walls, and horribly uncomfortable couch had been restored into a virtual luxury vacation spot. It was doubled in size, insulated, air conditioned, and refurnished. There was a kitchenette and a bathtub. Clearly the trustees of the camp had been very busy. Other improvements were evident as we walked around the camp.
After a comfortable night in our luxury cabin, we rose early to do a Sunday morning show at the Baptist church in Caribou. Michael Sullivan, who worked for me for a few summers as a camp counselor, is now the pastor of this church, and he was having me in to do a show for the Sunday School hour. It was great to see Mike again, and the show went well. There were a lot of kids there thanks to a bus ministry they have, and several adults were also present. Although "Mary and Marty" might have been above some of the elementary kids, I felt it was important to include, and it got good feedback from one of the adults afterwards.
After the show, we stayed for church, and Michael is an excellent preacher! It was just a little hard for me to wrap brain around the fact that this young kid who was so nutty at camp was such a wise and strong orator of God's Word. The rest of Sunday included some rest time back at camp, then an evening service at the camp's 'tabernacle'. Here we were able to reconnect with a lot of other old friends from when Baptist Park was our summer home, and hear a variety of pastors share brief devotional thoughts, including Michael again. From the tab we went to the pool to watch a baptism. Joseph, a young man who grew up as a camper, then counselor at the camp, was the one getting baptized. What a fine young man he has become (and he's now a senior counselor at the camp!)
On Monday morning the camp session began. On Monday and Tuesday I did two half-hour shows for the older group of kids. The rest of the week I did one morning show only, except Friday, when the group was split and I did a show for each age level. I acknowledge that audiences of young kids are not my forte, but the camp counselors helped keep the kids focused, and we had a lot of fun. I imagine some of the kids got something out of some of the routines, and of course they loved meeting Zeke - our rabbit. If all some of the kids got was that camp is a fun, safe place they want to return to, then that's great too. I know, for Sue and me, it was a great return to a place where we spent all or parts of 25 summers, wonderful to see the improvements made to the camp and to meet up with some old friends, too.