The Newspaper of Wayfarer's House
August, 1998 Issue  /  Esther Smith, Editor

Welcome to residents Stephanie, Debbie, Terri and Sharon.
Farewell and good wishes to Kristin, Natalie, Tracey, Carole, LaWanna, Day-Shawn, Trish, Jarek and Shalena.  Happy August birthdays to Mandy, Debbie and Tonya!

AT CAMP PECOMETH
Mandy was the happy recipient of a scholarship to Camp Pecometh in Maryland from a Sunday afternoon until the following Friday afternoon in August. Here follows her account as told to Ups & Downs:

When we arrived on Sunday we were taken to our cabins, introduced to the other people in our cabin and given time to settle in.

Each girls' cabin was paired with a boys' cabin in what was called our family group. We had recreational activities together, games and other social events. The boys' cabins were located on Boys' Hill and ours on Girls' Hill, but we were all at Camp Pecometh.

We swam every day. Sunday evening after supper, we met to learn the pool rules: no running, no horseplay, like ducking and such, no candy or gum near the pool. We all had to pass a swimming test in the deep end of the pool, which was 13 feet deep. I passed because I already knew how to swim. That first night we stayed at the pool until 6:30, then went to our cabins to rest until we met for Bible study, which lasted until 8:45 p.m.

When we went to our cabins, we could leave the lights on until 11:45, but after that we could only use flashlights.

There were eight girls in our cabin, who were 13-14 years old, and our 22-year-old counselor. We had to be in the seventh or eighth grade to be in a cabin in the Riverside part of the camp.

Breakfast was from 8 to 8:30 each morning, but "cruisers" had to be at the dining area by 7:45. Cruisers set up for the meal and cleaned up afterward. Everyone had cruiser duty once during the week for breakfast or lunch or dinner. We had good food!

From 8:30 to 9:30 we went to our cabins for clean up, bed-making and getting ready for inspection. Cabins were in competition for a rating of "excellent," which we always had. You could also rate "slob law."

We had an outdoor chapel, and every cabin had to clean up around the chapel area once during the week. We competed for a good rating there, too.

From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. we went to the Recreation Hall to talk, play ping-pong or foursquare and purchase snacks at the Canteen, a counter in the hall. We each bought a $5 ticket at the start of camp with which we could buy candy, sodas and other junk food. Because all the purchases were fifty cents or under, our ticket lasted all week.

From 10:30 to 11:30 we had Nature Quest with our "family group" down by the beach. We looked at things, selected sticks and other things we found and built creative displays with them. Sometimes when we had Nature Quest, we did other things, but we were always outdoors and doing something creative.

On Tuesday, instead of Nature Quest we had "Challenge," an activity also with our family group, but an obstacle course. We worked together to learn to be active and to cooperate.

For the half hour before lunch we played volleyball, and at noon we ate lunch.

From 12:30 to 1:30 we had recreation in our cabin, when we read, wrote letters home or took a nap.

At 1:30 we learned the rules for canoeing, how far out we were allowed to go and such. We canoed until 2:30 when we went to Friendship Hall for Bible Study. At 3:00 we went bach to the Rec Hall for forty-five minutes, after which we played outdoor games like Nuke 'Em at the volley ball net for another period until dinner at 5:00.

After dinner we had swimming and then an hour's song service in Friendship Hall. We had a half hour in our cabins before a great Tuesday night "Counselor Hunt." In this event all the counselors hide. All the family groups hunt for them. When a counselor is found he or she is taken to the pier and sits there until the bull horn blows. That's when we found out what each counselor was worth in points. Counselors were worth different numbers of points, and some had negative points. Each group adds its counselor points. Our group got 5th place.

Wednesday night we had a different schedule, with a dance from 9-11 p.m. in Friendship Hall.

Sports Camp included many different things, too: basketball, soccer, field hockey, horseback riding, mini-canoeing and even crabbing.

Thursday evening at 7:30 to 9:30 we had a Galilean Service in the outdoor chapel. The minister read the Bible, we sang soft, more quiet hymns, had a moment of silence and lighted candles and walked with them down the stairs to the beach to let them float in the river to represent a bond with God.

In our cabins afterward we got each others addresses.

After lunch on Friday we had a communion service, packed up, with lots of tears, and left at 1:30.

All my friends in our cabin wrote to me. I guess what I liked best were all of these friends and my counselor and the Galilean service.

I've written a letter of thanks to my sponsor for this week at camp. (I go to a Baptist Church, and this was a Methodist camp.) It was a great week.

WISH LIST FOR WAYFARERS' HOUSE:

Disposable diapers (all sizes)
Baby supplies, especially bottles and shirts in newborn size
Laundry soap and other cleaning supplies
Paper products, especially napkins and towels
Coffee, sugar
Plastic trash bags

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE
by Dorothy Law Nolte

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, the learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

GROUP ACTIVITIES:

Mon., 2-4 p.m. - Dr. Aaron sees patients at Wayfarers'
Tue., 9 p.m. - House Meeting
Wed., 6:30-7:45 p.m. - Parenting Group / 8:30 p.m. - Drug and Alcohol Group
Thurs., 7:30 p.m. - Bible Study of Revelation
Sun., 3:15 p.m. - Transportation to the Farm for Chapel at 4:00 p.m. and Dinner at 5 p.m.