Camp, Christ, and Cougars

Ahoy! It is now day 3 of our first week at the Malibu Club. We are definitely adjusting to life here, even in 80+degree heat this first week.

Silas is adjusting so very well, the first day here, he was very reserved and didnt eat much. well that all changed day 2 when he ate all he could, ran around everywhere, and even tried to escape at night. we got settled into our room, in bedroom with a king size bed, so silas gets to sleep in a pack n play in the closet, a very large walk in closet. the first night we were here Ernie had a lot of meetings late into the night, so Joanna put Silas down, set up the baby monitor, and went upstairs in the Katana Lodge, and talked with parents. About 15 Minutes later one of the other members of the Assignment Team found Silas walking up the stairs looking for us. lets just say he is very stealthy, because no one could hear him through the monitor. so now we are enjoying making barriers outside his door to keep him sleeping!

Unfortunately there arent any children Silas' age, save one of the property staffs children. So he likes to try and follow the older boys around, which it doesnt seem they mind too much. He also has been swimming great! Thanks to a floaty swimsuit provided by the Hubers, Silas was able to swim without Joanna having to hold him, 4 laps around the pool! He has also loved the Clubs, we think he feels right at home during a Younglife Club.

Joanna is adjusting well also, observing the different families interacting and enjoying being with some of the folks up here. We are really enjoying the Kanata Lodge, which really does feel like hotel accomodations! Joanna is also trying to adjust to just following Silas around, instead of always staying busy running around at home. and the 2nd night here she and another wife saw a cougar walk through the frisbee gold course behind the lodge! slightly freaked them out, but fortunately they are secure and the property has folks on staff to deal with these types of sightings.

Ernie is really enjoying being a Head Leader. doing this job you get to interact with the 335+ leaders and students each week. Remembering names is slightly difficult, but he is getting better at it. It has been so exciting though, getting to see all the students having fun and feeling free. of course being a head leaders, you get to deal with the students who are a little too "free", aka PURPLE. ha, boys are blue, girls are pink... dont make purple, thats the saying we have here. there are a few "couples" who dont seem to mind stretching the rules so far. oi.

During the second night while keeping kids inside the camp for the night he got to talk to a student who was trying to smoke outside the designated area. turns out the student was ashamed and didnt want his girlfriend to find him, but was still having difficulty dealing with the loss of his Grandmother, whom he described as the most perfect person around. Ernie talked with him for a while, and was able to relate after losing his grandma a few years ago. they talked for some time, the boy was in tears for a while, but all Ernie could really do was sympathize and let him know he was praying for him.

Its tough not having all the answers and being able to fix all the problems in an instant, but we suppose that is just part of life on this earth, but we do have the opportunity to point students toward a God who does know the answers and is able to walk us through our pains.

I suppose our biggest prayer request right now would be for Joanna and Silas to keep getting to know more people, and for Ernie to have enough energy (staying up past 1230am is a normal day)

and for the cougar to keep its distance...