When I was hunting around in my brain for a title for this post I came to the conclusion that “varia” pretty much sums up the past week.
It has been a sort of “bits and pieces/ups and downs” kind of week . In some ways I feel I have made good progress in the great Day Camp Plan and in other ways I feel discouraged. Maybe it is just “February”!
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| My February jigsaw puzzle |
On the “up” side, the Parish Supply List (with the kind help of Jill) has been almost wrestled into submission and should soon be posted here and sent to the host churches which have already applied.
I have also made a list of potential Evening Speakers for REZ and put in some work on the revised Schedule.
We received another Parish’s deposit and I have spoken with several Lay Leaders, some Clergy and couple of Bishops, with varied success, regarding more host locations for the coming Summer.
On the “down” side, we still have NO Team applications and only vague promises of 4 potential applicants; a far cry from the 18 Team we need to successfully fill 6 Teams.
This is the time of year at which I question whether all my energies should be put into badgering possible Team members OR begging Churches to consider hosting Day Camps. It is a Chicken and Egg situation. Which should come first??
That is the trouble when one is passionate about something (as I am about the value of this Program)– when things go well, I am passionately joyful and when things go poorly, I’m passionately despondent.
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| Patchwork Design-Winter |
I having frequently ( and not exactly originally) likened the work of Day Camps to the making of a patchwork design or to the putting together of a large jigsaw puzzle,both of which activities I also enjoy.
You move pieces around and suddenly a portion comes together (or doesn’t) and then you move onto another part.
I frequently lose sight of the Big Picture
and have to stop and step back to see if the big design “works”.
All of this of course is under the umbrella of tonnes of prayer.
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| Winter Banners |
Is this pattern pleasing to the Lord? Does He want me to put this pieces here? Am I forcing a piece into the wrong place and ignoring His Big Picture? AGH!!!!
And so the work goes on and I must try to push forward and “run the race”.
God does have a perfect plan for this Summer, just as He has had for every past Day Camps Summer but I want to actually execute the plan according to His purpose and not with all the mistakes of my own!!
On one last brighter note….This past Thursday morning, I did have Coffee with Brett Cane, the originator of our Program. I gave him them a tour of the “office’ and he prayed for my work here, which was lovely.
Brett has recently retired as Rector of a church in Winnipeg and is off to do an 18 month Chaplaincy at Trinity College in Bristol UK.
The dear soul is already on the look out for potential Team leaders amongst the students there and I, like Mr. Micawber. am “hourly in the expectation of something turning up”.
Well maybe the Lord did put me in this place because I am able to bounce back from the petty discouragements and remain optimistic that we are moving towards the most amazing Summer ever!!I shall celebrate (in that expectation!) this evening, by serving my Saskatoon Berry Pound Cake made with genuine Saskatoons brought back, after Christmas, by my boarder, Maria from her family farm.
The pound cake recipe is a special request from my friend Barb. I’m hoping it will lure her into visiting this blog!
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| Saskatoon Berry Pound Cake |
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups Saskatoon Berries (or raspberries)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter on med-high for approx. 7 mins. until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and gradually add eggs, scraping down the bowl as necessary.Reduce speed to low and add salt, then flour, beating until well combined.
2. Transfer batter to a greased and floured loaf pan ( 8&1/2×4&1/2 in.) Bake for approx. 65 mins. or until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a rack for 1hr. Remove from pan and cool completely. To store,wrap in plastic. Keeps up to 3 days , at room temp.Freezes well.
To make berry cake variation- Fold 2 cups berries (I used 1 cup each Saskatoons and raspberries) into batter, before placing in pan.
If you wish to gild the lily, ice with lemon frosting (see Fairy Buns in last week’s post)