Monday, June 09, 2008

The Countdown Begins....

In just 6 days, my family and many of our friends families will be heading up to a very special place. A place where we converge once a year (more if we're lucky) to serve others as Jesus Christ commands us to do. Where are we headed?

COP!!!!

What the heck is "cop"????? Actually, you pronounce it C.O.P. It stands for Cathedral of the Pines. It is our church's summer camp, and it's located in beautiful Lutsen, MN. If you've been reading my blog for a long time, you've heard me mention this wonderful place more than once, and you've seen a picture or two of it.

It is one of our favorite places on earth. It's a place where you are as close to God as you can possibly get living on Earth. It is an amazing camp, with amazing people that run it each year. On Saturday, we arrive for Family Work Week. There are 20+ families that go up each year to get the camp ready for the camping season. There are TONS of things that need to get done before the season can get underway. Mowing the grounds, planting flowers (of course, that's the committee I'm on!!!), cleaning windows, washing cabin curtains, cleaning the waterfront, painting, chopping wood, cleaning the biffies (I make sure I am NEVER on this committee:)!), cleaning the chapel, and the list goes on and on. We get so much done each year, and we have SO MUCH FUN doing it!!!! It's not all work, we have lots of playtime.

In celebration of our trip up there this year, I will be sharing some photos of camp all week. I want all of you to be able to experience, albiet by photos, the wonder of this place called COP. I am beyond excited. We really need to get up there. It has been SUCH a rough year, and going up to COP will restore in us new energy and new hope. Actually, it was a year ago June 12, while we were up at camp, that we got the call telling us Muriel was in the hospital. It was the "official" start of our difficult year. I plan on using much of my quiet time up there to reflect on the year and what God accomplished in me through it. I am so thankful I will be up there with these woman, to help me through it and to hold my hand. They are some of my most favorite women from church. Sue (HI SUE!!!) is on the left, she is the other half of Mike, my hubby's best friend; such a wonderful woman.....Marni is next to Sue, and she works up at the camp all summer. I'm not sure of what Marni's "official" title is these days, but titles mean nothing to me anyways. She's just an amazing young woman, such a joy to be around when we are up there. Obviously, I'm next to Marni (duh), and on my other side is Susan, who never fails to keep us in stitches the whole time we are up at camp. She is also constantly getting in trouble for being late to chapel, or breakfast, or whatever. One year, Susan and I had to do a skit on the night of the talent show as punishment for......something SHE did.....I think. I usually never get in trouble......Susan...do you remember why we had to do a skit that year? I think it was a "guilt-by-association" thing She was guilty and I was with her so I had to do the skit with her? Regardless, Susan is an amazing, funny, caring woman. I am just giddy with excitement to spend time with all of these ladies again!

Well, that's about it for today. I hope to take some pics of the cards I made this weekend so I can share something other than camp photos this week!

Hugs,
Amy

p.s. The first photo is a shot of the camp staffers on the shores of Lake Superior. We go down to the shore once during Family Work Week to hold our evening chapel (we have chapel service twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening). We sit on the rocks along the shore and sing camp songs (the staff was leading a song in this picture), listen to Pastor Youngdahl give a short sermon, and then we have smores! It is an amazing experience to worship God on one of his greatest creations....Lake Superior!

3 comments:

  1. I can't wait to hear/see more! I LOVE camp. I used to spend my summers working for a camp, and now my brother works for Drift Creek Camp, and is gearing up for the summer. Last year he let me come out for the highschool camp and teach a craft segment, and this year I get to go out and do the same for middle school camp. I can't wait!

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  2. Have lots of fun and fellowship, Amy. We all so desperately need that in our lives. So glad you have these kinds of friends to be with.

    blessings!
    barb

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  3. Camp sounds amazing. When we lived in California we attended a camp yearly with our church family, it was always such an uplifting and faith building experience. I've really missed going to camp. Can't wait to see and hear all about it, I'll pretend that I'm there with you! LOL

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