Session 5: Christmas Week w the Muskrats

Session 5 is quickly coming to a close. We had a 'Holiday' theme this week (don't wanna offend anyone) and the Muskrats loved it. All week we told stories of how Scrooge was stealing HH's Christmas Spirit (although everyone wanted to keep the 'Christ' out of Christmas, it's kind of hard to keep remembering to say 'Holiday' all the time!!; funny how that is), and to be on the lookout for him. We played it up until last night when Scrooge (played by John Lefner) suddenly appeared at the dining hall and stole the North Pole which contained the camp's Christmas Spirit. We chased him all over camp while he mocked us in his golf cart. The climax happened at The Getaway room where we cornered Scrooge and Connor wrestled the North Pole from his hands. Scrooge subsequently fled the scene, never to be seen again. Then we celebrated with presents, cheese sticks and chipwiches, and we watched Elf. Sweet.
The sessions seem to be moving along quicker with the Scrats, which I totally expected. August is here and we've just over 3 weeks to go here in Lake Luzerne. It's hard to contain our excitement for September, but we've still a job to do here.
This weekend I believe Jenny & I are going camping with our friend Jessica and her boyfriend. We look forward to a weekend filled with Divine Love.

Session 4: Muskrats (Sharks)

This last session I had the privilege of being part of the youngest boy cabin at camp. Usually it is named the Muskrat Cabin, but this week we turned it into Shark Week! It is a much different pace from the 15-16 yr olds I was used to working with. The Sharks get up earlier and go to bed earlier, and they are WAY MORE high energy. I really enjoy the goofiness of the younger campers. You can let loose and have a lot more fun.
The week was filled with lots of camp stuff like the usual trip to Great Escape, and all the other things at HH that have become routine. The kids continue to have a great time, and almost all of them are so sad when the session comes to an end and their parents arrive to take them home.
Anyways, it was a good session that went by incredibly quick. Jenny and I have had some conflicting feeling about being here as of late, but the summer is flying by and soon we'll be waving goodbye to HH and recieving whatever God has in store for us next. We did however, get some good eatin from Galatians this morning!

in our ignorance

A Communist officer, beating a Christian prisoner with a rubber truncheon, put his stick aside and asked: "What is it about you? How is it that your face is shining? You have something like a halo round your head. How can you look at me so lovingly? I would never love a man who jailed and beat me. How is it that you can obey the foolish commandment of your Christ to love your enemy?"
The Christian answered: "I am not obeying a commandment. It is not that I love you only because Jesus orders me to. Jesus has given me a new heart and a new character. If I wanted to hate you, I would no longer be able to do so. A nightingale cannot sound like a crow, because it is a nightingale and not a crow. So a Christian can only love."
The rubber truncheon has remained put aside for ever

-Richard Wurmbrand
Sermons In Solitary Confinement

Enuff said, what are WE doing?

'Un'Traditional

Yesterday Jenny & I booked our flight/hotel for Vegas. For 10 days in mid-september we will be staying at the Stratosphere. This Vegas trip will constitute our wedding/honeymoon and it took a lot of online research before we were content to book. We did alright. The travel agents I was in contact with did their best but I ended up getting a bit sweeter deal for about $300 less! Nice job Duffy. We are so excited. On top of the wedding/honeymoon, we will be taking a couple of trips into the desert to do some hiking, and likely some evangelizing on The Strip. The Stratosphere is also home to the 3 highest thrill rides in the world.
Many people here at HH are surprised that "ministers" would want to get married in Vegas, but they think its pretty cool. The fact that we are also planning a Drive-Thru ceremony is a little over the top, but thats the way we like it. Jenny & I aren't the norm, and nothing we do is either.
We love this kind of life. And the fact that we are saving $1000's on these plans as opposed to a traditional wedding/honeymoon means we can direct those savings towards Cambodia or wherever the Lord would have us take the Gospel.
We are blessed, and cannot help but be, because the God we serve is gracious and merciful and loving.

quarantined

Yep, I have the runs. So if I can make it 72 hrs without RUNNING to the toilet, I can resume my employment here at HH. Session 3 ended today and I couldn't even say 'Goodbye' to my campers. I went on quarantine at about 6pm last night and will be off until at least 3:30pm on saturday. This sucks cause the next session starts saturday morning. Oh well, could be worse. The session was well though. The Beaver Cabin started out with 8 staff and 9 campers but 2 had to go home so we continued the session up one staff. That usually never happens. We did all the regular HH stuff like Great Escape, rafting, talent show, dance, activities, etc etc etc. The kids have been amazing to work with. On a side note; at Great Escape monday, I was 'helping dreams come true' or 'making magic' or whatever (I was loading a 16 yr old Beaver into a rollercoaster) when I SMASHED my toe on the lip of the ride. It hurt, and still does. Check out the photo -->HERE<--.

Today was Cabin change. Between the 3rd and 4th sessions, the whole camp changes cabins and gets to experience HH from another perspective. I was a Beaver (15-16 yr old boys) and now I will be a Muskrat (6-7 yr old boys). I go from the oldest to the youngest. Jenny was a Bear (15-16 yr old girls) and now will be a Deer (6-7 yr old girls). It should be a wild 4 sessions coming up!! 

We are now off until saturday and I will be laying low trying to get this sickness taken care of. 

If anyone knows some good movies for Jenny & I to watch over the next couple days, let me know and we can watch them online.

Here's a good song for you to listen to:

Regina Spektor - Oedipus

no more HH pictures

The people at the top decided they didn't want ANY campers online, even if they had photo permission. So, as of now, there will be no more Flickr or YouTube concerning Double H campers from myself or Jenny. Sorry everyone.

Beaver Cabin: Session 2

Session 2 is done and the Beavers were an awesome group of young men. Everyone associated with these Beavers said it may have been the best cabin ever. Hard to imagine, considering that in Session 1 we had such an amazing group of teens.
It was another week filled with the Great Escape, white water rafting, HH Olympics, fireworks, a dance, talent show, etc etc etc. Nothing real spectacular, but a consistent week which the kids loved and felt awful about leaving.
The weeks are passing by quite quickly, and soon september will be here.
Vegas, Vegas, Vegas.

Engaged

Psalm 42:7

deep calls to deep

It's true; Mr 1Cor7 is engaged. Jenny has the bar far too high for anybody else to even come close. The thought of spending the rest of my life in service to God with Jenny is an abolute dream come true.

We got engaged on July 2nd, and we have no concrete plans for the date and place yet, but the word 'Vegas' has come up an awful lot.

Session 1: Beaver Cabin

Week 1 is over. About 75 kids came to camp for this session and there were 10 in my cabin. Most of them had hemophilia or sickle cell anemia. My cabin houses boys aged 15/16 and many of them are returnees; so they know the routine of camp and are usually eager to impart into the younger campers. They were was an amazing group of young men.

After arriving on thursday, the campers settled in and we had a big campfire in the evening.
Friday was Great Escape day. I took Jamil on the bumper cars, and I rode 3 rollercoasters!! Keep in mind that I haven't been on a rollercoaster since I went on Space Mountain in Disneyworld when I was 10 or so!!
Saturday, my cabin went white water rafting but only two counsellors got to go and I wasn't one of them :(. Maybe next time. They had a blast though.
Sunday, was a fairly normal day of camp. In the evening was the infamous..........dance!! Jenny spent much time dancing with one of her "Bear's" (Bianca). I spent most of the dance hanging out with Cooper.
Monday, my cabin was scheduled for the Ropes course. This is always a camp favorite. In the evening was the Session 1 talent show followed by a Wishboat ceremony followed by one last Cabin Night. The Wishboat is a small boat of wood constructed by each cabin that houses individual wishes the campers would like to experience. For our last Cabin Night, we watched Anchorman in the indoor pool. It was pretty sweet.
In between all these activities there was the normalicy of camp life: taking campers to the Barn, and to Creative Arts, and Arts & Crafts, and Team Adventure (sports), and the Waterfront (boating, fishing), and the Pool, etc etc.

Today is our break and tomorrow a group of about 125 campers arriver for another week of craziness. I will be a Beaver for two more sessions and then we get to switch cabins and experience camp from another perspective. Jenny is a Bear (which is the oldest girls cabin) along with being Small Animals Assisitant at the Barn.

Don't forget to visit Jenny's blog (http://www.missionaryjenny.blogspot.com/) for her perspective on camp, and also our Flickr site -->HERE<-- for pictures, and our YouTube -->HERE<-- for videos. Keep praying for us. The Harvest is large and the labourers are few!!!