What Should I Do With The Water?

I got to work at a primitive camp for city kids during college. Many of these kids had never been out of their city. When the bus pulled up after a 5 hour ride the campers slowly stepped off with wide eyes. Here they had arrived at a camp where they would sleep in tents and use an outhouse. It was primitive! There was a wonderful, old, wood beamed ski lodge at the center of the camp. Susi cooked on a wood burning stove for all 60 of us.. The lodge had balconies that overlooked a great room with an enormous stone fireplace. Slowly these apprehensive 5th and 6th graders warmed up as we introduced ourselves and showed them around their home away from home.

By the evening they were enjoying themselves and looking forward to the week ahead. At Camp Colton we hiked all over the San Francisco Peaks. We walked into the center of a volcano at Red Mountain, swam at Lake Powell, and took them to the Petrified Forest. This was a nonstop adventure.

It was an honor to be their counselor and share the excitement with these amazing kids as we fell exhausted into our cots each night. They were enthralled with what they were seeing and experiencing even though it was out of their comfort zone. These were such brave little souls. Each of them were teaching us much more about courage than we could ever teach them. Their lives back home were not easy, and they told stories that tore at our hearts.

When my group of 7 had kitchen duty one night, I learned an important life lesson.

I was running around directing my girls in the great cleanup. The kitchen was a buzz of activity, and I was directing my 7 campers. Rosie, a skinny, little cutie, came up to me with a gallon size pot full of green peas. She asked me what to do with them. I joked, "Eat them!" Unknowingly, I continued with the cleanup.

A few minutes later Rosie came up behind me with the pot full of slimy green water. She asked,"What do I do with the water?"

Oh no, she did not! Yes, she did. I was mortified that I told her to eat a gallon of PEAS! But I am not a complete monster. I stayed up all night with her in the double head outhouse as she passed all those peas out of both of our lives.

Needless to say, I was much more cautious with my words the rest of the summer.

In Him,
Joyful
1-17-2010
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