Shalom Church Camp Journal
Dieterich, IL, 1997
Monday, June 9, 1997
We met at church this morning at about 8:00 and
loaded up the van with all of our luggage. I told my parents
goodbye and our group said a nice prayer before departing. The
1 1/2 hour trip down to Camp Walter Scott in Dieterich seemed
to go by very quickly because I was having fun and was excited
to get to camp. We arrived a little early, so we got our stuff
out of the van and just sat around for a little bit. Then, I
checked in with the counselors and found out what group I was
in. After everyone was checked in, I carried my bags down the
path to my hogan and unpacked them there. We then went to the
dining hall where we ate lunch with our groups. After lunch,
Burley Harron, the camp manager, 
reviewed
the camp rules, which most of us already knew by heart. Then,
we got our camp picture taken and went to groups, which mainly
consisted of playing games to get to know each other better.
This year was the first year that the two high school camps (Shalom
I and Shalom II) were combined, so there were many new people
that I didn't know, but the community seemed to build up quickly
anyway. My group was assigned to clean the bathrooms today.
Tuesday, June 10, 1997
Today was my first full day at camp
.
In groups, we played a lot of "get to know everyone"
games. It was pretty fun. The scripture that we read later really
made me think about my faith and what I believe. In the afternoon,
we weeded the volleyball court and the area where the new playground
is going to be. Then, we had free time to swim, play volleyball,
play cards, or just have fun. I went to the photography session
during activity time and learned a lot about taking pictures.
My group was assigned to Peace Patrol today. This is where we
get in a line and hug everyone as they enter the dining hall.
Wednesday, June 11, 1997
Today went by very quickly. Group time was more educational but still fun. I played skip-bo with a group of people during free time. During crafts, I made a key chain. For our community project, we built a roof for the drinking fountain shelter. It turned out pretty well. My group was in charge of building the campfire and running the worship service.
Thursday, June 12, 1997
Today was a very interesting day. After lunch, it was announced that the sewer line was clogged and leaking, which meant that we had to go to the other side of the lake to use any water (this included toilets). At first, they thought that they were going to have to shut down the camp, because no sewer companies could come down and it wasn't sanitary to have a sewage leak on the grounds. Finally, they found a company from Decatur that could drive down and fix it so we were saved. After that excitement, we had a fairly normal day. For the community project, we cleared the area between the dining hall and the lake of trees so that it was possible to see the lake from the dining hall. My groups chore for the day was to set up for dinner. After supper, we had a talent show, featuring each of the groups, the counselors, and anyone who wanted to do something extra. My group put together a group of songs and imitated the bands that perform them for a "MTV week in rock" show. It was great. There were also some very good songs that some of the camp members had written, including one about the sewage problems that we experienced titled "poop." Then, that night we did a neat thing at campfire where we stood in a circle with our groups, and one at a time, we would go to the center and get a compliment from everyone on the outside of the circle. It was a very neat and uplifting experience.
Friday, June 13, 1997 ­ Saturday, June 14, 1997
Today was sort of a finishing day for camp. We
had to finish all the projects we had started in groups and get
all our things together throughout the day. We also had to bring
all the girls' belongings over from the far side of the lake
for the lock-in at night. It rained all day long, so it was hard
to move all the stuff. 
There was a banquet
for the seniors at dinner, and everyone dressed up. The banquet
was a very emotional time for many of the seniors as they concluded
their last year at camp. Of course there was still the dance
and lock-in afterwards. The dance was fun and had pretty good
music playing. Then, we had the lock-in afterwards. We played
games, watched movies, ate food, acted stupid, and did anything
else that would keep us awake. I made it through the whole night
without dozing off. At breakfast, we had the famous last day
cinnamon rolls. I had two. Then, we had a closing worship at
the chapel. At about 10:00 a.m. the church vans began to arrive,
and they gave us our camp pictures. This turned into the usual
frenzy of campers trying to get their pictures signed and say
goodbyes and drivers trying to get all their members into the
van. After all the goodbyes were said and the vans had departed,
we all met back at MacDonald's in Effingham, like we do each
year, to get some good food and talk to all the people from camp
one last time. Then, we all have to say our goodbyes again, and
we're on our way. By around noon, we arrived back at home, and
my parents took me home, where I slept for an incredibly long
time.
  |
Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
(217) 428-4336
email the webmaster at gbarron@cccdisciples.org