Early Returns
Hm, Amanda is calling me from camp. I wonder what this means… Knowing we had just dropped off six Tween campers the day before, my mind tried not to guess the reason for this call. No one ever calls from camp because cell phone service is a precious rarity, saved only for special occasions. I was just wondering what kind of “special occasion” this was, especially remembering one particular camper, Shane.*
Last week, I saw Shane a couple times as we finished up details in preparing for camp. Most of the time, he seemed pretty lively and curious, asking 101 questions about camp—activities, people, food. (“No meat?! I’m going to starve!”) But there were a few red flags, like the fight that almost broke out between he and his half-brother, Tyler,* (who I didn’t know was related at the time), because he did not want him to go. In fact, I was a little ticked when I found out the next day that Tyler’s application had gotten ripped up by Shane and friends. When I went back on Thursday, Tyler had his application ready and intact, but Katie* (the sister) said Shane didn’t want to go anymore. I asked a few questions when I saw Shane, and found out he didn’t want to miss the fireworks on the Fourth of July. That’s easy enough, I thought. “They have fireworks out there on the Fourth of July, and they’re pretty good,” I said, thinking I was saving the day. Not exactly…
“Yeah, Shane’s pretty determined to come home,” Amanda broke the news Monday night. And apparently he was “inviting” his sister and half-brother to join him, even though they seemed to be having a good time, but hopefully they could still be convinced to stay. “His counselor said if he didn’t want to go home on his own, he’d probably end up being sent home later in the week anyway.”
“Alright, we’re on our way.” Elisa and I imagined many scenarios on the way out to camp. Would he be swearing all the way home? Or angrily silent? Or just disengaged and asleep? We were prepared for the worst with Shane, but didn’t expect to be taking all three home.
However, family bonds can be pretty tight in dysfunctional families. And culture shock can be a bit much for some kids to take. We tried our best to convince the other two to stay, but eventually we were on our way back with all three. It wasn’t scary or loud or violent. In fact, for the first part they talked a lot about everything they enjoyed about camp. It was tempting to use those moments to interject with, “THEN WHY AREN'T YOU STAYING?!” But we figured it’s probably better that we not force them to say they hated it just so they could justify leaving. At least they left with a good taste in their mouth, and I’m pretty sure God can use even that small amount of time to give them a message of His hope and love for them.
It also makes me think of how often we choose the comfortably pathetic rather than the exciting adventure God has for us. Yes, we might even recognize that we’re living a dysfunctional life, but it’s the life we know, and rather than be open to what God has in store, we’d rather choose the predictable. It really does take courage to believe that if we make it through the “culture shock” and the discomfort, God has awesome plans. And God is even willing to give us the courage if we ask. Seems like a win-win to me. I’m staying the whole week at God’s camp. :)
*Names changed.
Last week, I saw Shane a couple times as we finished up details in preparing for camp. Most of the time, he seemed pretty lively and curious, asking 101 questions about camp—activities, people, food. (“No meat?! I’m going to starve!”) But there were a few red flags, like the fight that almost broke out between he and his half-brother, Tyler,* (who I didn’t know was related at the time), because he did not want him to go. In fact, I was a little ticked when I found out the next day that Tyler’s application had gotten ripped up by Shane and friends. When I went back on Thursday, Tyler had his application ready and intact, but Katie* (the sister) said Shane didn’t want to go anymore. I asked a few questions when I saw Shane, and found out he didn’t want to miss the fireworks on the Fourth of July. That’s easy enough, I thought. “They have fireworks out there on the Fourth of July, and they’re pretty good,” I said, thinking I was saving the day. Not exactly…
“Yeah, Shane’s pretty determined to come home,” Amanda broke the news Monday night. And apparently he was “inviting” his sister and half-brother to join him, even though they seemed to be having a good time, but hopefully they could still be convinced to stay. “His counselor said if he didn’t want to go home on his own, he’d probably end up being sent home later in the week anyway.”
“Alright, we’re on our way.” Elisa and I imagined many scenarios on the way out to camp. Would he be swearing all the way home? Or angrily silent? Or just disengaged and asleep? We were prepared for the worst with Shane, but didn’t expect to be taking all three home.
However, family bonds can be pretty tight in dysfunctional families. And culture shock can be a bit much for some kids to take. We tried our best to convince the other two to stay, but eventually we were on our way back with all three. It wasn’t scary or loud or violent. In fact, for the first part they talked a lot about everything they enjoyed about camp. It was tempting to use those moments to interject with, “THEN WHY AREN'T YOU STAYING?!” But we figured it’s probably better that we not force them to say they hated it just so they could justify leaving. At least they left with a good taste in their mouth, and I’m pretty sure God can use even that small amount of time to give them a message of His hope and love for them.
It also makes me think of how often we choose the comfortably pathetic rather than the exciting adventure God has for us. Yes, we might even recognize that we’re living a dysfunctional life, but it’s the life we know, and rather than be open to what God has in store, we’d rather choose the predictable. It really does take courage to believe that if we make it through the “culture shock” and the discomfort, God has awesome plans. And God is even willing to give us the courage if we ask. Seems like a win-win to me. I’m staying the whole week at God’s camp. :)
*Names changed.
You are so positive, Andrea. I'm constantly amazed and inspired.
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