Family Camp

The first comment most people made when they arrived to the campground was about the weather, how perfect it was. The last time Grace OPC held this Family Camp, two summers ago, it rained more often than not. But this year, the clouds vanished and there was glorious sunshine all day Friday and Saturday. I'm still not used to hearing 75 degree days called "hot" by veteran Alaskans, but the summer Arctic sun does seem to bear down with unusual heat.

The highlight of the camp was the missionary family who spoke, the Proctors. Rev. Phil Proctor, his wife Meredith, and their four children live in Uganda and are presently on furlough. Rev. Proctor introduced us to the joys and challenges of preaching the gospel in Uganda. He works with a group of 12 churches there (of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Uganda) and his focus is on training future pastors. It was a wonderful encouragement to meet a family who has made great personal sacrifices out of obedience to the command of Christ to make disciples of all nations. And, I am thankful that we as a church now have a personal knowledge of the Proctors to encourage our prayer for them.

One of the traditions of the camp is the fishing contest for the kids. The rules are simple. Every child who catches a fish, or tries to catch a fish, or thinks about trying to catch a fish, or has been within 100 yards of the lake in which said fish live, gets a trophy at the end of the camp. And "fish" includes minnows. After lunch on Sunday, TC Wilson, one of our elders, presented the fishing awards to the children. Each child was able to choose their own prize from an impressive display of trophies, each topped with a golden fish. The winner was Naomi Proctor, who was the only child who actually landed a real, non-minnow fish.

I enjoyed the softball and soccer. In soccer, playing with mostly teenagers and younger kids, I noticed I seemed to be the only one wheezing after every run up the field. Taking several turns at goalie saved me from a possible heart attack (although I then became an easy target for the mosquitos).

For me, the worst part of the weekend was losing my voice. In God's perfect timing, though, it happened over a rare Sunday in which I had no speaking responsibilities at all.

It was a special time for Robyn and myself because we attended the same camp two summers ago. At that time, I came as the speaker. In the providence of God, I am now the pastor of the same congregation.

I've posted the pictures I took this weekend here.