Here we are nearing the finishing line! As I write late on a Friday afternoon in August, I have already had calls from 3 of the 6 Team Leaders reporting on successful Closing Services, which have just taken place in 3 different provinces!
God is good! Oh there have been many challenges and not a few disappointments but the good far outweighs the bad and I am so proud of each of these young people who have given of themselves to serve the Lord and His children this summer. Those Team Members have learned a lot. They have learned things about working with other people of all ages, from the 4 year old Scramblers to the grandparents who have served the refreshments or billeted them in their homes And they have learned a lot about God too- Trusting Him and relying on Him through so many situations.
As I listened to Leaders’ excited voices with their Team Members chiming in in the background my own heart was filled with gratitude for once again witnessing the miracle of all of this. How God can take 14 or 15 young people and through them reach out to touch literally about 1000 people with the Good News! Is that not a miracle just as big as the feeding of the 5000? I think it is, and yet so often we just do not see, or choose to see such miracles right before our eyes.
I know that in the days and weeks to com there will be negative comments from disgruntled Coordinators who might have bought craft materials that the Team did not use, from Clergy who expected a better organised Closing Worship, or a church treasurer who is annoyed by the cost of long distance bus fares! But all of those small gripes pale into insignificance when I look at the big picture. To me it is beautiful, very beautiful and I am thankful to have a small part in it.
This week one of the regular blog readers suggested it would be nice if there were photos of the different Day Camps in these posts. Well it would be very nice, however many parents do not wish pictures of their children to appear on the internet and we, at Crosstalk Ministries respect those wishes and agree with them.
On occasion a church or individual sends in a picture which has been approved for posting and in those cases I am really happy to include them but apart from those photos, I’m afraid you will need to be satisfied with seasonal vignettes of my home, and my various interests from crafting to baking and gardening from sewing to painting!!
Speaking of all those activities, in-between a gazillion texts, emails and calls this week there has been quite a lot of that sort of thing happening on the home front as I prepare for the SYC Pre-camp, for my own workshop at Camp (beaded necklaces) and as I craft some special gifts to take along with me when I visit.
One afternoon things got pretty hairy as I attempted to cook 30 Jamaican Roti in three frying pans! My house smelled exactly like an Indian restaurant so I then made some chapattis and had curry for dinner to complete the scene!
And since we always do include some cooking right here, how about the recipe for my Mum’s Summer Fruit Mould. I have made it a couple of times during this hot summer and plan to serve it as the dessert next Tuesday when we have the Team Leaders’ Evaluation meeting.
Summer Fruit Mould
- 1 Tbsp. unflavoured gelatine (use organic, it is worth knowing that animals are treated humanely)
- 2 ½ cups peach juice
- 4 diced fresh peaches
- 3 sliced bananas
- 2 sliced pears
Place ½ a cup of peach juice in a small saucepan. Soak the gelatine in the juice for 5 minutes and then warm it stirring until completely dissolved. In a large bowl combine this mixture with the prepared fruit and the rest of the juice. Rinse a 6-cup mould with cold water and pour in the fruit mixture. Chill several hours or overnight. To serve, unmould on a decorative plate. Serves 4-6.