Church Camp Chaos (15 page)

CoraLee’s mom and sister, Katy, stepped into the room. Her dad, a few steps behind, was struggling to carry two huge suitcases, hanging clothes, and bedding.

“Wow, looks like someone plans to be here all summer,” Susan said, an obvious teasing tone in her voice.

“CoraLee has packed only the necessities for a comfortable week away from home.” Mrs. McCallister had an edge to her voice. “We McCallister women don’t do well
roughing it
.”

“Oh, right. Sure.” Susan didn’t seem to know how to respond. “CoraLee, which bunk would you like to claim?”

CoraLee pointed to the bunk directly above EJ’s. “That one will be fine,” she said. Her dad moved toward the bunk and dropped everything next to it as if he couldn’t carry the heavy load for another second.

“CoraLee, that one’s reserved for Macy,” EJ said, poking out her head at the foot of the bunk bed.

“EJ! Hi!” Katy McCallister rushed to EJ’s bed and plopped down next to her. “I love your sleeping bag—red is my favorite color!”

“Thanks, Katy.” EJ smiled to herself. Ever since she had realized last year that Katy wanted to be just like her (and not CoraLee), she thought maybe CoraLee was a little jealous. “Are you coming to day camp this week?”

“I don’t see Macy’s name on that bunk.” CoraLee narrowed her eyes at EJ. “And that’s the bunk I want.”

“How about the one above me?” Susan offered, patting the mattress. “I promise I don’t roll around at night much or snore too loudly.”

“On second thought, I think I want to stay as far away as I can from this Payne-in-my”—CoraLee saw the disapproving look she was getting from her mom—“uh, I mean, I’ll just take a bunk at the back of the room.”

Mr. McCallister sighed and reloaded his arms with luggage and bedding and followed CoraLee and his wife to the back of the room, where CoraLee was already loudly complaining that her mattress didn’t have a memory foam top.

“Yep, I’m coming to day camp,” Katy said as she stood up to reluctantly follow her family. Then her face brightened. “Maybe you can be my big buddy!”

“I’d like that. I’ll see what I can do,” EJ said. Weeklong campers would be assigned day campers to be “big buddies/little buddies.” EJ knew it was a way to keep track of the little campers—but if she could have a cool little buddy like Katy (and not get paired up with Isaac), it might not be so bad.

“Awesome!” Katy gave EJ a big smile. “See ya later, alligator!”

“After a while, crocodile,” EJ said.

EJ watched as girls and their families showed up in the doorway, all looking for empty bunks. Susan made quick work of ushering them in and getting everyone situated. EJ appreciated that Susan steered clear of the bunk she was trying to save for Macy. Soon the room was a hum of excited energy.

“EJ! I’m coming!” EJ heard Macy shout down the hallway even before she could see her. Two seconds later, Macy ran into the room, a sleeping bag tucked under one arm and a pillow under the other. “Am I late?”

“No, you’re right on time, Mace!” EJ grabbed the pillow from her friend and tossed it on the top bunk. “There, now it’s officially your bed.”

Mrs. Russell walked into the room, Macy’s big canvas gymnastics bag on her shoulder. “Here we go, Macy,” she said as she set the bag at the end of the bunk. “Good-bye, my love!” She pulled Macy in for a quick hug and kiss on her forehead.

“Aw, Mom!” Macy wiped off the kiss. “Have a good week. I love you. Tell Dad I love him, too. And tell Bryan not to touch my stuff while I’m at camp.” Bryan was Macy’s fifteen-year-old brother.

“Take care of Macy this week, EJ,” Mrs. Russell said as she walked toward the door. “You girls have a week full of memories!”

“We will, Mrs. Russell,” EJ called after her.
Our first and last time at camp
, EJ thought miserably.

In a matter of minutes, the remaining bunks in the room were claimed, and soon the last parents and siblings cleared out of the room after saying final good-byes. Sleeping bags and pillows of all colors topped each mattress, and girls were chattering and giggling and bouncing on beds while getting to know each other before camp officially started. EJ and Macy sat next to each other on Macy’s top bunk, their legs dangling over the side while they read through the camp booklet that explained the week.

They oohed and aahed as they read about swimming, jet skiing, horseback riding, canoeing, bumper boats, a candy store and soda fountain called the Snack Shack, archery, and the high ropes course and zip line. EJ wondered how they’d be able to fit so much awesomeness in one short week!

Just then, the
bong-bong-bong
of a bell sounded in the distance.

“There’s the bell, girls!” Susan said, checking her watch. “Head out to the hillside for the camp picture, and after that supper in the dining hall. Camp has officially started!”

“You boys in the front row—stop that tomfoolery!” the lanky, redheaded camp counselor named Gene yelled through a megaphone.

“Who is Tom Foolery, and how do we stop him?” The words coming out of Cory Liden’s mouth may have sounded like he was sassing the camp counselor, but EJ was actually wondering the same thing.

Gene, dressed in an orange Camp Christian T-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, white tube socks, tennis shoes, and a floppy fisherman’s hat, stood behind a camera on a tripod, glaring at the boys in the front row. The entire camp—about two hundred campers and counselors—stood on the hillside to get a group shot to commemorate the week. (Dad still had the photos from every week of church camp he attended. EJ loved looking at the faces in the crowd and making up stories about the particularly interesting-looking ones.) Gene had been trying to take the camp picture for the past ten minutes, but a group of boys in the front row—mostly boys from EJ’s church—kept ruining the picture by posing ridiculously at the exact moment Gene snapped each shot. For the first picture, they turned around so their backs were toward the camera. Then they all saluted, crossed their eyes, and stuck their tongues out. After that they jumped and pumped their fists in the air. Next they played air guitars. For the last shot they picked up a camper named Michael Draper and sat him on their shoulders.

The rest of the campers, who were amused by the boys’ antics at first, were quickly losing interest under the hot sun. Plus, supper in the dining hall smelled exceptionally delicious. (EJ thought that at least half of the camp could probably hear her stomach growling.)

“Gene, they’re fifth graders—not senior citizens,” Susan said to Gene as she walked toward him. “You’ve got to speak their language.” Then she turned around and addressed the boys.

“Tom Foolery was a camper who didn’t know when to stop messing around, and because he didn’t listen to his camp counselors, he lost swimming privileges,” Susan said matter-of-factly. “So if you want to swim tomorrow, boys, I suggest you learn a lesson from Tom and let Gene take this picture so we can get to dinner.”

“Go, Susan,” EJ whispered to Macy, grinning.

The boys looked wide-eyed at each other and appeared to silently agree to straighten up. Susan nodded at the boys and took her place in the crowd.

“Okay, everyone—one last shot,” Gene called through the megaphone. “Here we go … ten, nine, eight—“ Gene pressed the camera’s timer button and ran to join the rest of the group as everyone counted down.

“Ready for the best week ever?” EJ asked Macy

“Ready!”

The girls each put an arm around the other’s shoulder and grinned with the rest of the campers as the camera clicked.

“Everybody head over to the dining hall—but NO running!” Gene ordered through the megaphone. Then for added emphasis, he turned on the megaphone’s siren for a few seconds. A few campers plugged their ears with their fingers and gave the gangly counselor annoyed looks. Gene didn’t seem to notice.

If EJ thought Gene was a little strange, he had nothing on the crazy camp cooks, she decided. In the supper serving line, each lady was dressed up as a different US president.

“Oh yeah, I am so used to their costumes, sometimes I forget they’re dressed up,” Susan said, chuckling. “They’ll wear different outfits at every meal.”

Abraham Lincoln served grilled cheese sandwiches (“We’ve made four score and seven of these sandwiches, so please eat hearty, campers!”), George Washington served the green beans (“I cannot tell a lie. Green beans are my favorite vegetable.”), Teddy Roosevelt served fresh fruit cups (“Bully for you!” Roosevelt said. “I’m not a bully,” EJ replied, confused. “No, bully doesn’t mean ‘bully’ to Roosevelt,” the cook said. “He used that word the same way you could say ‘cool’ or ‘awesome.’ ” “Oh, cool—er—bully!” EJ said, grinning.)

EJ had to ask the cook serving cookies which president she was supposed to be.

“I’m James K. Polk—this great nation’s eleventh president,” the cook said. “I’m probably the least-known president of all of them, so instead of quoting him, I will just tell you that you have a choice between a chocolate chip or an oatmeal raisin cookie.”

“Chocolate chip, definitely!” EJ held her tray out to James K. Polk. Then she added, “Please.”

“Good choice,” James K. Polk said, winking.

After supper, everyone went to the rec field to play organized games—mostly a mish-mash of relay races and activities that were intended to wear out the campers so they’d go to sleep that night, despite the fact they were super excited for the week. EJ’s favorite game was one they called “earth ball,” which was like soccer, except with an eight-foot-tall inflated ball that reminded her of the boulder that chases Indiana Jones in
Raiders of the Lost Ark
. Instead of kicking the ball, campers would basically body slam the ball to move it down the field. The boys especially were going crazy during this game, and the camp nurse watched from the sidelines, just waiting for the first injury. EJ was sure she saw the nurse breathe a sigh of relief when they put the giant ball away and Gene announced that campfire would start in ten minutes.

The stars were just starting to twinkle in the night sky as Susan played a ukulele while she and a couple other counselors led the campers in singing silly camp songs, many with ridiculous hand motions, dances, and yelling parts. Then Susan switched instruments to an acoustic guitar and led a few praise songs. There was something extra-special about worship at camp, EJ thought. The songs were mostly the same ones they sang at church, but maybe since they were singing outside, it felt like their praises were going straight up to the heavens and not blocked by things like church roofs. EJ pushed air out of her lungs as she sang as loud as she could.

“So, you guys, our first night of camp is almost over,” Susan said as she passed her guitar to another counselor. The campers all gave a disappointed groan. “But we still have the whole week ahead of us!”

Everyone cheered.

“I haven’t gotten to know all of you yet,” Susan said, “but one thing I
do
know is that for some of you, this week of camp might be your escape. Maybe this is a week for you to get away from a brother or sister who drives you completely crazy—”

Yep
, EJ thought, smiling to herself.

“Maybe you’re getting away from parents you don’t get along with. Or maybe your parents don’t get along with each other. Maybe this is a week away from that neighborhood kid who picks on you—or even beats you up. Or you’re getting away from the pressure to be athletic enough or pretty enough or smart enough.”

EJ looked around at the faces of her fellow campers and saw recognition in some of their eyes. A few even nodded their heads.

“Or maybe there’s something scary going on at home. It could be anything, but it’s something you don’t have any control over. And you’re just hoping there will be enough fun stuff at camp to distract you so you don’t worry about it all week.”

EJ’s eyes widened, and she gaped at Susan. How did she know?

“The truth is, no matter who we are, no matter how young or old we are, we all have things in our lives that worry us and distract us,” Susan said, pulling a small Bible out of her back pocket and flipping through it. “Camp is a place to hear the truth and hope God has for you. Like here, in Deuteronomy 31:8, where it says, ‘The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’ ”

The campfire cracked and popped, sending a shower of sparks up into the air as Susan made a lap around the fire ring and looked into the faces of the campers.

“Don’t let his week go by without finding out what God has to say to you,” she said. “His voice is always easier for me to hear at camp—as long as I’m listening.”

I’m listening
, EJ thought.
As long as He’s not saying Macy or I have to move
.