As always happens, once Day Camps get rolling, the past week has just flown by!
Having one of the 3 Training Leaders billeted with me, I have been kept completely up to date on the Day Camp happening at my home Church and the other 2 Leaders have been conscientious about calling and texting almost every day. Of course the week has been filled with crises (mostly minor!) and as I write the Teams will be having lunch before the last afternoon of the Program. Two of the Camps will be holding Closing Services this afternoon, with the other holding theirs on Sunday morning.
On Wednesday I biked down to St. Stephen’s and spent the morning visiting, everyone seemed happy and engaged, a real joy!
Unfortunately one of the Team Members at another Camp has decided that Day Camps is really not for him and has already left the Team. Since we are always right on the edge regarding the number of applicants, to lose someone means that one of the Teams will only have 2 people instead of the 3 we had planned on. This Team is scheduled to travel to some Francophone communities and really needs another bilingual member, as the Leader does not speak French. I’m sure the two girls will manage by God’s Grace but I still would feel way better if they had another member (preferably male) to round out the Team. Since we begin the Retreat on Sunday it would take quite a miracle to find someone (I’ve tried 4 people already ☹️) but thankfully we do have a God of miracles so we continue to pray about this situation!
This post is getting started on Friday (Canada Day! but no holiday if you are involved in Day Camps!!) since first thing tomorrow morning I shall be meeting Mark (Co-Director of SYC) who has generously offered to transport the HUGE grocery order over to Isaiah 40 from the CO-OP. Once there I hope to get the kitchen organised and maybe even hang up some signs around the building. Then Sunday everyone will be arriving for what is really the culmination of a whole year of Day Camp Planning- THE TRAINING RETREAT WEEK!!!!!
So today is all about checking off lists, printing documents and packing up a mountain of last minute items to schlep over to Isaiah 40 this afternoon. Then in the late afternoon Brenda (Training Team Leader@ the First Filipino Baptist Day Camp) will come over to debrief with me since she cannot stay until Sunday because she is Children’s Pastor at a church in Toronto and must get back by Sunday.
Jillian, the Leader who has billeted with me all week, will be heading home this evening to spend Saturday with her family but as she is a committee member and one of the female overnight supervisors at the Retreat, we will have plenty of opportunities to debrief during the coming week.
Yesterday I was excited to pick up my first CSA Box of the season so Jillian and I celebrated with a farm fresh veggie meal- “Mixed Grill”.
Before I heat up the leftovers for my lunch I thought I would close off by sharing the recipe…
Mixed Veggie Grill
- 2 medium kohlrabis
- 1 medium zucchini
- 6oz. Haloumi Cheese (available at Middle Eastern Grocers)
- ¾ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3-cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 clove chopped garlic (or two garlic scapes)
- salt and pepper
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Whirl until totally pulverised. Peel the kohlrabi, halve lengthwise and slice ¼” thick. Slice the zucchini, slightly thicker and on the diagonal. Slice the haloumi ¼”, place each ingredient in separate shallow dish and brush both sides with some of the parsley sauce. Heat a stovetop grill or BBQ until hot. Grill each vegetable until well charred and place in a large bowl. Toss with the rest of the sauce and then arrange on a serving platter. Finally grill the haloumi until soft and arrange on top of the vegetables. Serve immediately with a loaf of crusty bread to mop up the extra sauce. Serves 2