I just want to be a sheep....

Baa Baa Baa Baa :-)

Last week we had the primary and middler camps up here at the Chain 'O Lakes.
The first thing the staff and I realized is that the work we needed to do was different. There were less numbers of kids so the dishes were less, but they did need more oversight at the craft barn and waterfront. We were all tired, but it was a good tired as we were rewarded with many smiles, pleases and thank yous!
I am pretty sure there were some kids that if they weren't picked up the staff would have been ok with that.

Speaking of staff, I am still watching them as they start their third full week of campers and the conversations continue to be about superheroes and their powers. My superpower is looking through windows :-P

Here is a picture of Nola explaining to her primary campers the story of Jonah and telling them to look for rocks that are in the shape of a heart.













At the end of the middler week, the Director has a peanut carnival. I didn't get to see much of the other games, but here are a few of pictures of campers playing Hang the Hanger:

One of my a-ha moments last week had to do with the people that make camp happen and the ownership and love that goes in to being here. I already knew it on some level, but watched how deep it really goes in action. Thanks to EVERYONE that helps to support this ministry - God is absolutely at work here - in the campers, leaders and staff!

I received some bad news on Friday afternoon and took off in the kayak to just get away. When I found a quiet spot on the lake I opened my Bible and found Proverbs 16:20 calling to me: Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he that trusts in the Lord.
Once I was able to reset and pray I felt so much better. I hope everyone has a moment to realize that they are blessed!

Sr. High and more

Now may he who supplies the seed to the sower...supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. 2 Cor 9:10

No offense to any Sr. High campers that may read this - I survived the first real week of camping! My staff also survived, but I am concerned about them as they were talking yesterday at breakfast about getting a sugar glider, making a walnut helmet for it and shooting it out of a canon. I think they will be OK, but I am keeping my eye on them.

We had a great week of the Lord moving in many different ways. Because I was running around trying to fix all the things I messed up and getting ready for a wedding at our farm, I missed out on a lot of the worship time, but heard that it was wonderful and messages were given that needed to be heard. I was given a lesson as well on making sure the light of Jesus is shining even when people are feeling it isn't there.

The verse above was part of a calendar of the day I received as a gift about leadership, but it also struck me as relevant to the camping experience of last week. Many many seeds were planted last week and I saw some start to grow even before campers and leaders left. Some I know still need watering and time to germinate and God will provide what is needed to increase His kingdom.

Where are you in your growing? Are you helping to spread the seeds God has provided? Are you finding a way to tend to the plants that are growing? The love and encouragement I saw last week was amazing and I pray that it continues long after.

What a great looking crew - on the inside and out!  :-)

Thank you campers/leaders/volunteers/staff and whoever I may have missed for a great week - thank you God for the opportunity to help multiply the seeds!

Past due

The title of the blog this week has different meanings for me:
1) This blog is 10 days late :-(

2) Have you ever had a decision to make or a tug on your heart and when you finally made the decision you can't believe you didn't make it earlier? I quit my job of 18 years on May 24th. While I loved the industry, most of the people I worked with and opportunities I had, I am ok with the decision to move on. The tagline for our company was "Bringing the Miracles of Medicine to Market Sooner". It was time to move on to different miracles. Doesn't mean the process has been easy, but I know I have made the right decision.I feel like an onion with layers of stress peeling away. May take awhile though.

3) Still looking for lifeguards to help this summer and if I don't find any the plan is to fill the lake with oatmeal. Ok, maybe not really, but I am feeling like the cut off date is coming and I may not be able to provide the campers with the lakefront experience.

4) This past weekend was the AB Women's retreat and the speaker shared a lot of stories and ideas and I think one that has stuck with me was the idea that you need to love yourself and take care of yourself otherwise you won't have any love to give away. I am not very good at that. I go, go, go (writing this blog at 10:15pm when I should be getting ready for bed) and then have crashed before and can't take care of anyone.

5) I started my summer class and already feel behind there. My own issue, not a camp issue :-)

Even though as I read this list it sounds negative, I know God is already at work here and will continue to do amazing things this summer.

Thanks for the support and continue to pray for us and the needs of the camp as we start with Sr. High this Sunday! The Journey begins....

And we are off....

Alright everyone, the camping season is literally days away and I am already tired :-)


Last weekend was the mini-mission weekend and most of my family came up to help. It was nice to see everyone's talents being used! My dad helped clean and may come back up this summer to help paint. My mom helped with organizing the craft barn, canteen (new t-shirts are in!) and cooking. Emma took over the dishwasher in the kitchen and even trained another volunteer on what to do. My husband came up too for a little while and did some plumbing work on the Director's cabin. 
The other people that volunteered were amazing! Many hands make light work. We didn't have too many hands, but the work was definitely lighter overall and it takes things off the to do list for Mark and Deb.
Thank you to all who came up and shared their talents!


This is my last day in the office and I am trying to tie up loose ends. I read a devotional this morning and the verse really stuck with me:
And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work He had done for Israel. Judges 2:10


This is what Camp Tamarack is all about! If you aren't a part of Camp Tamarack - you are an honorary camper just by reading this blog in my opinion - this is what witnessing is all about.
Emma and I had long talk in the car up to Camp about what it means to witness and I know there are many different approaches, but for her I said it was about walking the talk and showing others we are trying to be good Christians even though we don't always get it right. At least we are trying. We don't want anyone to forget God's goodness and we want to show those who haven't seen it how good God is.  


In Judges it took a few generations for people to forget, during our time on this earth, let's see if we can help people to remember!

Continuing the Journey

It seems like I just started this blog and this new role for Camp Tamarack and in about 2 weeks I will be moving up to camp for the summer. The past few months have flown by and I have learned a lot already - I am sure there is more to come!

Recently I watched the movie "The Book of Eli" with Denzel Washington. He is in a post apocalyptic world and has a very sacred possession. He is told to walk west by a voice and he did it. He didn't know what he was walking towards, only that a divine providence was leading him. Being that this is a post apocalyptic world you can imagine the journey wasn't easy. He needed to find food, shelter and ran into evil forces as he tried to move west. In about 100 minutes the story wrapped up and the quest was completed, but this got me to thinking. We all start journeys and are pushed and prodded along the way and run in to road bumps and blockades. The trick is to not give up, to continue forward knowing there is a destination...sometimes without knowing what it is!

I feel this camp season and this job is a journey and one that maybe I needed more prodding than normal to take on for various reasons, but I am here and excited to see what happens! I hope you will all stay with me during the journey :-)

Staying connected

Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.

Yesterday in church Pastor Karen talked about connections. Our passage was John 15:1-8. We had a reminder that we are connected to the vine, but it isn't always easy as some are pruned back to help facilitate more growth and some are pruned off as they are not productive at all.

I spent a lot of last night and today thinking about connections. I thought about friends, I thought about co-workers, I thought about family, I thought about places and so on. In class this past weekend we talked about the Hebrew idea of heaven...there isn't one. The legacy and connection is your family and the generations to come. That is why stories are so important and making sure things and people are remembered.

When I travel, I don't buy a lot of "stuff". I don't need more "stuff". Instead, I take a lot of pictures. I want to remember the time I spent there and when I look at those pictures I am connected to a different time and place.

Since this is about Camp Tamarack and I have heard from several people the last few months about how disappointed they are that they can't come to camp this year for one reason or another...my question is where else do you feel connected to God?

I feel connected watching my daughter play and learn, I feel connected with family, I feel connected in the barn as I work and talk with the animals, I feel connected when I sit in the beautiful space at Green Lake Federated, I feel connected on the water. I truly feel connected when I take the time to just be and breathe in where I am and breathe out where I was.

Random thoughts

My brain is a jumble of many thoughts today so try to stick with me:

1) I had the honor of attending First Baptist Church in Madison yesterday to talk about Camp Tamarack. It was great to see so many people that already knew the joy of the camping experience. The last part of the day was a luncheon and I presented a short PowerPoint about camp. As I finished, Art Basile walked in! What a great opportunity to meet someone that made Camp Tamarack possible for all of us! Here I am in my "God said Go Camping" t-shirt and he is in a suit tie - jeesh this younger generation!
I stayed in the newly renovated Basile Retreat Center this past weekend and it is a GREAT space. The Missional Group had their meeting there and I brought up the food and stayed to visit. Sounds like some great conversations are being had!

B) Still looking for two full time accredited lifeguards for the summer!

*) Before starting to write today, I looked at the stats for this blog and the pages have been viewed over a 1000 times in the continental US plus Alaska! Next I conquer the world! Ahem, or maybe share my message with my friends in different countries. :-) Thanks everyone for the support!

4) I started ordering for the craft barn this summer - that was FUN! Plus Lauren has some cool new ideas.

C) I am working on my paper and project for Hebrew Bible II and picked Amos 5:18-24. I love this passage and have gained a lot of insight already into the prophet and his message to the people of Israel. I actually have too many ideas and need to pick one. (Or two??)

&) I follow a blog on FaceBook that asks a question every day - thought I would share this one with this group since I have gone through many changes with work, school, family, friends.







7) In a month I will be up at camp!!!!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday - Shalom~ Carolyn