1 post tagged “camp”

My kids have six weeks of summer left before school starts.  Where has it gone?  After his strep, Connor rebounded quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of his week of Cub Scout Day Camp.  We attended the closing ceremonies Friday and enjoyed our ice cream, the Indian dancing, and the skits the kids did.  This week he’s attending soccer camp thru the league he plays in.  Charles says he was very excited to get his new soccer ball (he goes up in size of the ball this year), and I suppose we’ll hear more (much!) tonite.  Before he started playing two years ago I didn’t even know there were different sizes to the balls.

Duncan and I had a scout meeting last night to prepare for resident camp next week.  This included his swim test.  There are nine boys going from Troop 749.  I’m really excited for him as I know they will have a marvelous time.  I just have to get him packed this week so he’s ready to be dropped off on Sunday at 11am. 

On the things-to-waste-your-time-on category, I have been back to visiting Where’s George again since I got a marked bill in March.  It’s a currency tracking project that is quite fun.  It costs nothing except your time in recording all the US currency (bills) that pass through your hands on their website.  I got a hit in Oregon today, my farthest hit so far.  I also got a hit in Gastonia, which is just right down the road.  My other semi-time-waster is the Gas Buddy website.  It helps you find the cheapest gas wherever you are.  I do my part by recording prices for the stations I pass near work every morning.

I discovered a new opportunity through Compassion this week by reading their blog… for kids whose sponsors don’t write to them, they take volunteers to write.  You run the risk that their sponsor will exit the program, and then you’d have to pick it up or let them transition to their new sponsor, but still… have I mentioned how much Compassion stresses the value of the letters, that they are as important as your financial contributions?  I saw this as an opportunity for me to continue to grow in the mentor role, and to let some child reap the return benefits, without taking on something else I can’t afford now.  So I emailed Compassion, and they put me on the waiting list, stating it was as much as three months waiting for a child needing a correspondent.  Imagine my surprise then when I logged onto the site to get their address (I’ve got a math workbook I’m mailing to Upendo) and saw I had been assigned a child to write to!   Her name is Birri, and she’s in Ethiopia.  She’s older (almost 18) and in the 7^th grade.  My first reaction was “Oh, wow, what do you say to a young adult?!”  But then it hit me that I didn’t know what to say to Upendo in the first letter either.  I would never have picked an older child, but I trust that God handed me what I needed.  I also saw in her profile how she likes singing & music – the last letter I wrote to Upendo I spoke about how much I enjoyed music and how often I see God reaching out to me through music.  I called this morning and spoke to a sponsor/donor representative with a few questions about her; she’s been in the program for 11 years.  I wonder if she has ever gotten a letter from the generous people who have sponsored her all this time.  It breaks my heart a bit, but hopefully my time and letters will help.  I mailed my first letter to her this morning.