Hello everyone! Here we are at the final Wednesday Words for 2016. Today’s post is especially interesting since it takes us back to the very first Day Camp. I have known Priscilla since she was a little girl and even babysat her and her sister a couple of times😁 I’m sure you will enjoy her story, and don’t miss the photo from the 1970’s!!!!
Welcome Priscilla…
My husband Jeff, myself and our 4 children have been living in England and Belgium for many years and have recently moved back here to Montreal.. Since we have been back, our children have attended the Crosstalk Camps and they all loved their camp experience.
As these camps were such an integral part of my own life growing up, it brought me so much joy and contentment to think of my own children being blessed by them as well. I also felt very thankful to God that the Crosstalk Ministries Camps were still ongoing after all these many years.
I was in fact involved in the very first Crosstalk Day Camp. That goes back quite a while!!!
It was a hot summer’s day in 1979, when my mother told me that my sister and I were going to go to a summer day camp at our local church, Saint Peter’s, TMR.
I was feeling very excited at the thought of a whole week of day camp not far from home. This was not just any day camp. This was the very first Crosstalk Ministries Day Camp led by the enthusiastic Brett Cane and many other devoted leaders.
My brother Sebastian (whom a lot of you know! ) was 2 months old. My mother would push him in the pram as my sister, Rachel, myself and my other younger brother Julian would make our way down to the church.
The stories about Jesus became alive to me in a new way, through the plays, the quiz (with the Doves and the Crowns ) the short films and the small groups. I don’t think I had ever had so much fun at a camp before.. It was a new experience and one that had a very positive impact on me.
If I had to choose one song that takes me back to that first Day Camp, it would have to be the Peanut Butter song! Brett was amazing at leading it and got all of us kids right into it! He always, without fail, made it so fun and entertaining. I was of course also captivated by Lamb and would always look forward to the whole Day Camp, calling out “Lamb” in loud voices and being able to feed Lamb all the grass that we had picked earlier in the morning.
One vivd memory I have of my first day camp was the fun fair at the end of the week. We were given a certain amount of beans in a plastic cup to use to pay for the games at the various booths. My favourite one was throwing sponges of water at the counsellor sitting there on the chair. They didn’t have to do that, but they did, as they knew it would be something fun and obviously memorable for us kids!
The very first Day Camp at Saint Peter’s was a huge success and as a result, my siblings and I attended the Crosstalk Day Camps for years to come, got involved as helpers and then joined the travelling Day Camp teams. This was all a truly unforgettable and enriching experience that strengthened us in our faith and equipped us with many life skills.