Random Thoughts of a Camp Director

I made my last 2014 mowing trip to camp this past Saturday, October 4th and started mowing at 9 a.m. finishing at 4 p.m.,7 hours later! That’s a lot of time to think. Time to think about the message for Sunday. Time to think about camp…New projects…Unfinished projects… Projects from days gone by…
This month I thought I might share with you some of those “random thoughts while mowing.” Hopefully its not too boring.
Mowing along the road to the ballfield, turn around and come back to hut turn around and go again. That’s one lap.
I notice where we diverted the water around the volleyball pit this summer has worked. It could use a little more attention but the sand isn’t being washed out like before.
Couple campers still here. Hope they aren’t pelted with paintballs at the retreat.
Mowing-mowing-mowing, ohh I like this song. (Could insert any one of a hundred songs. My itunes collection ranges from the Beach Boys and Ray Stevens to David Crowder and Wendy Bagwell)
Hummm. The water is diverted around the boys dorm. But it’s washing out the hill in front of the dorm. We need to fix that before winter. It’ll be a major washout by spring.
Wow the curtains on the tabernacle are holding up good with the straps this year. Awesome! Still need to get the other half fastened down.
Oh, yeah. Those lights on the boys dorm didn’t work camp week. Need to remember that…and fix it!
Mowing around the tabernacle, How can I not think about the messages we heard camp week. Great words of encouragement and challenge. (I said a Prayer for those who gave their hearts to Jesus. Praying they have now joined a church and are being fed the Word.)
Continuing to mow around the boys dorm…Dining hall…Tabernacle…Flagpole…First aid hut…Shower house…Bro. Meade’s camper area and across to the girl dorms. I notice the roofs. They still look good. Its been a few years since we (guys from Bethel, Malden, and Matthews) put those on. Bro. Al Hill came to work on the boys dorm with us. He was able to make it to church last week…he doesn’t have many Sundays left that he can. Praying for him and his family…reminds me of many others in our churches whose health has failed but their faith has not…
Behind the girl dorms now…a lot more rocks here than grass. They make a horrible racket when being crushed by my blades. I know this because I can hear them over the music coming from the earbuds crammed in my ears under the beanie. (Because it was 44 degrees when I started mowing) Which is also under the noise reduction ear muffs.
The slide sure looked fun…I should try it sometime…When no one is here of course.
Oops! There’s a bucket of bubble solution. Need to get that picked up before the first freeze. Those guys did great helping shut down after camp. They took down the bubble machine…Put up the table…Trash…Even the piles of rocks that were along the road…I really appreciate that!
I need to get the trash barrels strapped to the basketball poles…I’ll be getting them out of the creek again, like last year.
Mowing…mowing…mowing…keep right on mowing, down through the camper sites. I sure hope I don’t hit a rock through one of those camper windows. No whammys…No whammys…Phewww made it again!
Gotta get that power rake again for these rocks along the creek and slide…and try to get some grass in here by next Spring…need to do more work on the slide first though…I don’t like the bump they were talking about at the transition.
Do I need to mow the hill above the ball field??? Naa. It can wait till spring…I have to mow back in the woods for the paintball retreat.
Boy this ball field is rough…but they played ball on it…and it’s growing grass like crazy…maybe we can finish the backstop and get some lights up next year.
Still mowing…dozens of laps…songs…thoughts…and prayers later. We find ourself back in the woods mowing for the paintball retreat. It’s not perfect but knocking down the brush at least gives them a chance to get a paintball through to the opponent. Maybe I can come back and run the tractor…I have one more Saturday before the retreat.
I wonder what my kids are doing?
Ok, let’s start mowing our way back along the creek…new camper sites…not complete…need to finish those.
I’ll need to drain the water in a couple weeks…time sure flies…seems like I was just turning the water on.
Oh! Crud. Where did that rock come from?! I didn’t see it. Feels like it bent a blade…got a new vibration. (Not a Beach Boys song)
The ole train is parked on the ball court…I need to haul it home to work on the cars…I Hope I can make the trail a little smoother next year…we’ve sure run the wheels off that thing. It ran every day non stop during recreation…almost could justify running two the way they line up for it. Nope. Nope. You’d have to get a second atv to pull it…worry about drivers…nope…plus there’s plenty of other things to do.
Mowing on. The Concrete held the new swing in place. The teens had a place to swing and they used it. Great! It was a twisted mess last year. Shoot! Another rock. (On average I get three mowings out of a set of blades, that’s why I’m always saying. “You can pick up rocks.”)
Gotta clean up this fire pit too. Careful…Caarrefuulll. Don’t knock a window out of the truck as you mow past…One little spot left at the end of the boys dorm…Mow it, then load up.
Glad we have this dorm done…Still a few small leaks to fix…But what a job that was…Getting it all gutted and back in for camp…I’m glad we went ahead with the dirt work and drainage pipes underground.
Ok…Load up and head home…Just in time to make the associational gathering at Bethel.
I actually dusted off and drove straight to Bethel. Better a little dusty and late than never, I suppose.
So, there’s some of my random thoughts while mowing. When mowing at camp you really do say, SQUERREL!
Have a blessed month.
by Chris Polk