I used to be pretty good at skipping rocks. I grew up next to a river, which is a very good place to find small stones that are flat and rounded by the water. A gravel beach, however, is also a good place to find such stones. Last evening, as part of a group of fun games at camp there was a rock skipping contest. I didn’t win. I got in a couple of pretty good skips, but there was a boy who was a natural and whose throws were much more powerful than mine.

There were other fun contests as well, such as a banana relay race. I didn’t compete in that one. There was a canoe swamping race to see which team could completely swamp their canoe first by splashing water into the boat with their hands, a process that pretty much gets all of the members of the team wet. I didn’t participate in that one, either.

I did take part in the biggest splash contest, which I won, and the smallest splash contest, which I did not win.

It was all fun and part of the joy of a family camp. In most of the contests, the smallest and youngest campers were competing right alongside the adults. To be fair there was an “under 12” contest for biggest and smallest splash. Body mass and water displacement are factors in the size of a slash a person can make.

When I was a camp director, we often spoke of Wednesday as “hump day.” If you get past the Wednesday hump, it is down hill to the end of camp. This was in part due to the simple fact that we adults had a bit more endurance than youth campers. They would have more energy and push the limits of our sleep needs in the early part of the camp, but they would tire and we would have more energy in the last half of the camp. The phenomenon also had to do with the balance between the energy of campers being new to the space and the need to form community at the beginning of the week, and the development of a few routines by mid-week which played out as the week went on.

In those terms, today is “hump day” for this camp. As a camper, however, I’m not having any sense of that phenomenon. The leaders of this camp are doing a wonderful job. The songs are fun, with just the right amount of silliness and seriousness. The program is light, with lots of free time and options. The meals are generous and flavorful and served at appropriate times. The schedule has play time and free time and, of course, a quiet hour for naps.

I do have a bit of work that needs to be done on the side. I need to publish my journal from the dining hall, so I slip out onto the deck just before breakfast and get my work done. Connecting to the Internet brings up my email, some of which needs to be responded to because people expect quick responses to email. And there are activities and programs at church that go on despite the fact that we are at camp.

Our version of what used to be called vacation bible school will be in a couple of weeks. We’re hosting a day camp called “Creation Care Camp,” and there are lots of details involved in organizing volunteers and putting the finishing touches on programs for that. The business of the church goes on when we are present and when we are absent. However, we are responsible for less of the day to day leadership in our position at this church. It is part of being semi-retired. There are others who are dealing with getting out worship bulletins, news emails, and other details of church life.

At one point in the conversation yesterday, people were sharing some of their hopes and expectations for the week. The conversation quickly turned to a list of the things people like best about camp. For some a week of having someone else do the meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking and dishes is a real treat. For others, disconnecting from phones and computers is a blessings. All of us are moved by the beauty of this place. The sunrises and sunsets over the lake are spectacular. The high country has a character that is different from our usual places. The trees and wildflowers, birds and butterflies make us glad to be out of doors. Camp is a special experience for people for many different reasons.

It is a process of drawing closer to God. In our everyday lives, we sometimes make distinctions between our physical existence and our spiritual lives. At camp it is more natural to live the connections between spirit and substance. We speak of our camps as thin spaces, where the distinction between heaven and earth draws thin. Of course our faith and the experiences of generations of faithful people assure us that God is present in every place we go. Sometimes, however, we need to be reminded of that presence. Camp makes that presence somehow more obvious to us.

Because I am responsible for leading programs for the youngest children at camp, I am not participating in the conversations of adults. I miss the opportunities to study bible together, to discuss theology and to grow in faith by hearing of the experiences of others. On the other hand, young children are excellent teachers of faith and our experiences are no less meaningful than those of the adults. It is a good assignment for me to be thinking of games and activities that demonstrate God’s love and care for people of all ages. Blowing soap bubbles is an opportunity to speak of spirit and wind. Playing games is an invitation to teach about forming community. Picking up toys together at the end of our program time reminds us of how at camp everyone pitches in to make the work light.

It is a good week, and we’ve still got most of it ahead of us. I’ve no need to endure hump day. I’ll simply enjoy it.