But the hugs - and tears - are universal. These kids, and the Camp Noah counselors were so loving and I received so much more than I gave. The site coordinator, Nichene and I made a SUPER team and kept everybody fed and happy.
I've been promised pictures from Becky, the head counselor. I'll put them in a later blog.
For now, here are some photos from the previous Camp Noah that I got from their website.
See what I mean??
So this was the last Camp Noah for me, for now. Like everything else in my life, I have no idea where and when I might find another opportunity like this.
I'll spend the next couple of days helping Karen at Camp Hope. Karen's mother had surgery this past week. So one night I was the chef. Four amazing volunteers and I prepared a baked pasta dish, Italian beans, garlic bread and Caesar salad, along with the previous day's red beans and rice. And successfully fed 175 people. Very satisfying work - but still not like Camp Noah.
On Wed, Aug 1st I'll head north for a long weekend with Lesly and my Airstream friends someplace near Jackson. Then it's on to VA and Adam's wedding.
I said "Good by" to the last group of volunteers that I'll spend a full week with and it was really difficult because they were an AWESOME group. Three parishs from near Boston: St Anne's, St Mary's and St Matthew's; St John the Baptist from MN, St John's from NJ, St Joseph and Our Lady of the Fields from MD, and St Thomas More from Washington state. The kids, and the adults were so full of the Spirit of Christ and came here to serve in any way they could. Again it was VERY HOT. They worked outdoors or in houses without air conditioning and I never heard a single complaint. I asked a lot of different kids to help me do things like carry groceries, stack shelves, set up serving lines - things that I'm sure didn't fit their initial thoughts of "serving the Lord in Mississippi". But there was never a second's hesitation. Just, "Sure. Where do you want me to carry it?" WITH a big smile.
The leaders swore they didn't pick on the basis of looks but I'm not convinced. They were ALL so beautiful (or handsome as appropriate). Short redheads, tall blonds, various sized brunettes, they were all simply gorgeous. Maybe it was the inner glow, I don't know. And many are making plans already to come back next year.
They all wanted to know if I'd be here when they return. All I could say was, "I don't know where I'll be this Oct. So next summer's location is a little hard to guess."
Too many options with no commitments could be the definition of
"Life is good !"
