Well the Teams have almost made it to the finish line! Team 1 is already on a bus travelling back to Montreal from Chicoutimi, two Teams arrive back from Ontario tomorrow by bus, two fly in tomorrow evening and the last Team flies back Monday. Then next Tuesday we will hold our big debrief meeting together before everyone goes their separate ways.
As always, these past six weeks have sped by at breakneck pace and my thoughts are already turning to some new plans for 2019. AGH!!!!
But first let us enjoy the last of our “Postcards” series.
Team1-
Mark and Mariejoy have spent this week at CFB Bagotville, near Chicoutimi Québec, about 6 hours Northeast of Montreal. It has been a smaller Camp than usual since the Coordinator’s family was stricken with illness immediately prior to the Day Camp, which necessitated some hurried changes to billeting plans and to the pick up arrangements last weekend in Québec City! Mark also came down with a nasty virus and had to miss a day and a half of Camp but Mariejoy has soldiered on. Fortunately Mark was fine again by midweek and since then things seem to have settled down. They held a Friday closing Gathering and BBQ yesterday afternoon and left Chicoutimi at 930 this morning.
Team 2-
Lauren and Rachelle resumed their 2-person Team status and have spent this week in North Bay. By all accounts it has been a great Day Camp with around 25 Campers. We have never been to North Bay before and we really hope the Church has found the experience worthwhile enough to invite us back next year! As always I await the evaluation report with baited breath 😊Since Lauren herself is from the Toronto area, she is taking a bus home tomorrow and Rachelle is getting a ride as far as Ottawa with the Clergy family. From there she is taking a bus back to Montreal.
Team 3-
Alexandra and Nathan also resumed 2-person status and spent their week in Barrie Ontario. They have been at another “first-time’ church with a Camp of close to 30 children. They reported that the week has gone pretty smoothly. Working alongside a local team that included several retired teachers can be a bit challenging for young leaders but I believe they have felt valued and been able to present the program successfully.
Team 4-
Patrisha and Maynard spent the week in Dysart Saskatchewan. This is one of the prairie communities to which we have been sending Teams now for about 5 years so they really know the Program. Some helpers from Week 1 also came to give extra support, as the local team was smaller than usual this year. Hopefully everyone has learned to work well together and become one cohesive Team most of all we really pray that the Campers have had an amazing, exciting and joyful week!
Team 5- Emmanuel and Kathleen remained billeted in Birch Hills Saskatchewan, driving each day to the nearby First Nation at Muskody. It has been quite a challenging week getting off to a slow start with only a few Campers, improving on Day 2&3 and then meeting with problems for Day 4&5 when they were told that they could no longer use the hall where they were meeting due to a funeral and wake on the Reserve. I spoke with them Thursday morning after they had been moved to the local fire hall (complete with fire engines!!) but unfortunately, despite the efforts of the local clergy, no campers came and so no Day Camp was held. Yesterday they were taken for a day trip to the nearby city of Prince Albert, which hopefully cheered them up a bit! (no photos 😔)
Team 6- Kelvin & KC had the honour this week of being the first CTM Team to ever lead a Day Camp in Victoria BC. Actually they have been in the Parish of North Saanich (presumably north of Victoria) where the Rev. Brett Cane is currently an Honorary Assistant. By all reports they have had a great week. They held a Closing Gathering last evening, followed by a BBQ and will be flying back tomorrow. I was able to FaceTime with them on Wednesday evening and they still seem to be full of energy and enthusiasm. I’m sure when they get home they will have many stories to share with their friends and families. They have certainly been the most “travelled” of our 6 Travelling Teams having done Day Camps in Airdrie and Edmonton Alberta, Delta BC and finally in North Saanich. Wow!!
And so we’ve almost come to the end of Day Camps 2018. For myself there will still be evaluation letters to write and feedback forms to fill out, invoices to send and 6 bags of supplies to unpack.
In September we are planning a CTM Praise & Thanksgiving Gathering at which Day Camps, Junior & Senior Youth Camps will all have opportunities to share slideshows and videos from this summer. During the Day Camps portion of the Gathering we will also sing the Theme Song for the last time and hopefully the Team Members will also present the 2018 Liturgical Dance.
Even before then the committee will already be starting serious work on the 2019 Program.
There is so much for which to give thanks! I am so proud of our small but dedicated Teams.
There hasn’t been much space for other projects at home this week. On top of everything else I catered a dinner for 10 for a friend on Wednesday. She was taking it to her country home to serve so I had to pack everything up carefully for transporting. Thankfully she reported that her guests really enjoyed the meal.
Wednesday evening I finally finished knitting my summer shawl and am very happy with the way it has turned out.
In other crafting work, I have begun to assemble my “Wil” book, a scrapbook of memories of all things “Wil”. Of course I don’t need a scrapbook to remember him but it is good to gather together the special cards that were given to me when he died and to make sure his baby teeth are saved in a special place. I shall also be including some pencil sketches I did of him over the years as well as two or three particularly lovely photos.
It now looks as if we are about to have a thundershower so in a few minutes I’ll need to go and rescue my washing that is hanging outside but first here is a recipe.
This morning, as I took a photo of my breakfast tray I thought that my recipe for Cherry Muesli might be a good choice as it is so lovely to enjoy something cool yet satisfying on a sticky summer day 😊
Cherry Almond Muesli
- ¾ cup oat bran
- 9 cups rolled oats (NOT quick cooking!!)
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 2 cups dried cherries
- ½ cup flax seeds
- ¾ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
Combine all the ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Store in large jars in a cool place. To prepare- the night before, place ½ cup of dry mixture per person in ether a large serving bowl or in individual bowls. Stir in 2 heaping tablespoons of plain yoghurt and an equal amount of milk, per serving. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
At breakfast time, serve with fresh berries or chopped stone fruits, extra milk, yoghurt and maple syrup. Yum 😊