Spirit Week!

Having McKendree come as a short term team is always a nice treat for me. I love being able to see how the group grown and changes over the years. This year was especially exciting as I had the experience to share with some of the newer youth how their group got to be involved in Friends of Refugees 6 years or so ago. It all started with a few of us in the then tiny Jolly Avenue Community Garden. Our first time visiting there were only a handful of plats that were just piles of dirt. We worked hard pulling weeds, spreading some worms, and getting dirty and sweaty. We also had a chance to do some home visits where we were going to see if any tenants needed help filling out work orders for their homes. I was a part of an especially lucky group that was invited inside a home for a feast where we met an entire family and got to learn about their story and how they came to America over some delicious food. As we debriefed as a group, the leader told us there was a summer camp and that they were always looking for groups to come a serve a week to help out. This was right up our ally and we gladly signed up for a week...we told our youth pastor about it later (whoops!). As we stood in the garden now, with almost 100 plots all bursting with green, it was surreal to look back on that first experience. Because of that one short day 6 years ago, I'm on staff, 2 more are interns, 20-25 youth come each summer to serve at camp, and even more come in the evenings of McKendree's camp week to help host a 3 night VBS at Clarkston UMC. What a blessing to get to now facilitate opportunities like the one I had that brought me here.

This is where it all began. You must stop but if you're in town!

This week was also Spirit Week. The first day, every Monday actually, we wear our awesome camp shirts (designed by our very own Jess Bullock). Tuesday was twin day. Wednesday was whacky sock day. Thursday was grade color day (each grade has a specific color they have been assigned and a chant they created, the two were combined to see which grade had the most spirit). Friday was a group favorite of Super Hero Day. It was so much fun to get kids, interns, and McKendree alike all excited for the day with this special week.

1st grade interns rocking twin day.

This intern/high school helper combo stole the show. 

This intern and her 1st grade twin might have been the cutest.

The week was also special because it was Cow Appreciation Day at Chickfila. At camp, we love little more than free food so we packed into our local Chickfila off of Memorial Drive with as many kids as we had cow shirts to all eat together. Like one big party, we all ate together, played together, and enjoyed some extra time with the kiddos. Don't they make cute cows?

So much free food, so little space to sit. 

Though this particular week was especially busy with camp and VBS, it was a great busy. At the end of each day I feel the kind of tired that means you accomplished something that day. I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to work hard for something I believe in and that makes a difference.