Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Philip Fishing

The other day while the Friends of Camp Cherokee were meeting and teasing me about my birthday, my two sons were busy at work in my office. The task, to create a picture of something fun they remembered doing while at Camp Cherokee. Neither one of them have been campers but by the same token neither one of them are strangers to the program or staff either. Jean and I frequently say that neither Iain or Philip know a stranger and while that can be both good and bad, it is undoubtedly a result of their time at camp as children of the Director. Day to day encounters with the college staff leave both of them feeling like they are totally the center of the world and for a short time capable of commanding the attention of superior beings, full of laughter, energy, open arms and unbridled Christian love.

Jean & I work hard to make sure that Philip and Iain are not treated differently than the rest of the children who attend camp. While staff often gravitate to them because they are around every week, I deeply believe that the summer staff at Camp Cherokee work diligently to provide each camper with that unparalleled experience of feeling as though they are the center of THEIR role model’s attention. If we could all just feel that feeling again on a regular basis, just think if each of us could truly feel like they have a personal and central connection and focus with their maker! What a different world we would live in indeed. At any rate, each camper who comes to Camp Cherokee is immersed in an environment that fosters such relationships, and with that foundation we send our campers back out to be Christ’s “Fishers Of Men” in their own communities.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Philip's picture is so cute. I can't wait to see him.