Music Camp was GREAT!!!

Wow, I'd almost forgotten how much I love working with kids!! It's been a long time since I had much involvement in young people's ministries. I've helped out with a few things since I got back from Australia, but not much, and certainly nothing very long term. But I've just finished a week of Music Camp, where I taught Bible class, level one instrumental (although we started on the level two book halfway through the week), helped with canoeing, worked with the "C" band, and to make the week complete was a cabin counsellor. I didn't get to teach theory class though, which I was disappointed about. It was a very tiring week, but I had a great time, and I am pretty sure the kids did too.

One of the things I love about Pine Lake is the pranks. I went to Music Camp at Roblin Lake Camp in Eastern Ontario for four years, and we never did things like we do a PLC. Thursday night Tom and I (counselling buddies), had a busy night pranking the junior boys we were counselling as well as a general camp prank.

Pine Lake is host to the Legend of the Goatman, and this year he was a busy guy. Thursday night we took a group of 5 boys out to go Goatman hunting, around midnight. 4 of the boys were extremely nervous to start with, and once we got to the edge of the path that led into the trees, they were ready to turn around. But with a little big of persuasion we did get them to go into the trees. We had arranged for a group of senior boys to be hiding in the trees, and as they russled the leaves and made some rather odd sounds our boys became very scared. The fifth boy, who wasn't so scared was actually in on the prank, and knew that he was going to be kidnapped by the "Goatman" that night. One of the senior boys ran out of the trees in disguise and grabbed our bait, sending the other boys running very fast back to their cabin. When I got there I found 3 in tears and another telling me that he was sure that he wouldn't live through the night. We brought in one of the faculty members who is a police officer to explain that he had notified the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police - for my American/Australian friends) and that they were bringing out the canine units. We took the missing boys sleeping bag and pillow for the dogs to sniff, and got the others settled down. Our bait spent the night in the tents with the senior boys, which was good fun for him. The others fell asleep eventually, and in the morning we did tell them the whole story, which was good fun.

Once the juniors were asleep, Tom and I were still not done for the night. We had recruited four intermediate boys to help us with our next job of the night. We quietly moved around 50 or 60 wooden stacking chairs from a junk pile to the flag pole and created a pyramid around the flag pole, duct taping the chairs together for added stability. This took us a quite a while, as we carried the chairs from the junk pile up on the top part of the camp, down to the lake front, and then back up a set of stairs to avoid detection. We did get caught by our police officer friend who was out doing his rounds, but he allowed us to continue, so long as he could switch the Edmonton Oilers flag that had been flying all day for Calgary Flames and Calgary Stampeders flags before we finished. It was a fun night, even if we didn't go to bed until after 2:30 in the morning...we typically got up between 6 and 6:45 in the morning...short night.

I'm back in Peace River again for a couple of weeks before I down to Calgary for the Labour Day weekend. Two of my very good friends are getting hitched on the Saturday, so I've got to be sure to be there for that.

I'm getting down to work with week at work. We have a large amount of policy and procedure to write over the next few months, and I've decided that the best way to get going, is to pick an area and start typing. I can always go back and change things if needed, and I do have large amounts of time that I'm just sitting in my office during the week.

I'm also working on a list of people in the community that I want to start touching base with on a regular basis who might be able to help me identify some more pressing needs for service in the town. We are also going to do a community assessment sometime soon...although I don't really know what that entails.

I am also starting to look at getting a car. At the suggestion of my father, I'm looking at leasing something. A couple of Honda's and Toyota's have caught my eye...I really like the Yaris, and it is pretty inexpensive...

Anyways, I thought I'd get something of an update posted.

Take care all!!

A weekend away

Hi all,

Well, it is Monday evening and I'm getting ready to finish up a great weekend in Calgary. I decide Friday afternoon to catch the coach down to Calgary for the long weekend. I arrived in early Saturday morning and took a cab to my parents' house.

My brother was a little suprised to see me, as evidenced by him and the neighbour pounding on the bathroom door while I was in the shower demanding to know who was in there...

I had dinner with him and his girlfriend Saturday evening and got to know her a bit...as well as drive my brother nuts by threatening to grant her request for embarrassing stories. I also got to talk to my aunt in Florida on the phone that evening...something I don't get to do very often.

Sunday I was at my old home church here in Calgary and played in the band. I played first cornet after not playing an instrument at all for two months which was...interesting. But good practice before Music Camp later in the week. I spent lunch and part of the afternoon with a some friends, featuring a beautiful roast with veggies and Yorkshire Pudding, with fudge pudding for desert. I also got to see Michael and Lindsay's new house, which is very nice.

At 8pm this evening I will catch the Greyhound back up north, with an arrival time in Peace River at 6:45am tomorrow morning. I hope to get lots of sleep on the trip up, since I have to work in the morning. But I've had a very relaxing time and enjoyed myself.

Friday I will catch another bus down to the southern part of the province for Music Camp. I'll see my parents there, which I know they are looking forward to. They were disappointed that they were so far away when they heard that I'd come down for the weekend. I knew they weren't going to be here, I just needed to get away from Peace River for a few days.

Anyways, that's all from Calgary.

Take care all!!