Liz was right ... we have experienced a bit of fatigue (not unexpected and not different than other years ... but always unique, particularly to first-timers)
Commercial break ... Elodie and Cecile want me to pause and say 'Hello' and ... 'you are all amazing!' (special 'hi' to Mama Shack ... some of you know Elodie from her visits to a few of us in the States ... and her time as a fellow attendee (and counselor) at previous years of TED. Some of you know Cecile as a camper in previous years at TED and a family visit to the States ... they both are our guardian angels over here!)
Back to it ... We arrived safely yesterday afternoon with smooth sailing ... all bodies and luggage arriving on time and intact! Philly to London to Lyon to Grenoble to Champfleuri. Today we were far more awake, and had a fine day. In fact, I would say that today established the best coordination with the other American Campers of any year I've been. Our students polished their workshops with each other, had a volleyball tournament (ended in a tie!) amongst themselves (hybrid teams, of course), and came out with a great start toward the morrow, when our focus shifts. The team from St. Louis consists of 3 female campers and two female leaders (all of whom were here last year ... and have many solid memories). The team from Dillon, Colorado consists of one male leader, two female leaders, 4 female campers, and 3 male campers. Great groups both ... and it has been a team-growing day.
Tomorrow (Friday), the French campers arrive, starting around noon. This is a significant day, for it is probably the day when all campers work through a few awkward moments (even the greeting can be awkward ... we were figuring that out with some French counselors over dinner tonight. Do we 'bisous' (touching cheek to cheek) or simply shake hands? We are entering the culture of these French youth, so we'll be sensitive to cultural fineries (girls will be more involved (with French gals)with their greeting than the guys (must be a personal space thing!). I digress ... tomorrow is an important day, and we would appreciate your prayer for these first couple days ... very important that relationships are established effectively. Think about it ... just as Jesus faced many awkward moments (and plenty worse) for our benefit, so we are called to 'put ourselves out there' to be a blessing to others. Great opportunity here!
I am always struck by the incredible diversity of the leadership team. Check this out:
1. Damien. Camp director, and overall top dog (and Texan of all things), along with ...
2. Allan (Camp TED worship leader, Allan was with us for a Champfleuri TED many years ago, but we had missed him in recent years. I'm really glad to be back in touch with him. Jon Steel will get plenty of time with Allan, as he is going to join the worship team as the lead electric guitar.
3. Buan (pronounced Boone). Buan is a Wheaton undergrad and grad student from a few years ago. He spent some of his youth in France, and has always had a hankering to return as a missionary. He met Theresa while at Wheaton, and they formed their plan to be involved with youth camping ministries in France, so I'd say Champfleuri is a direct hit. Buan brings all kinds of things to the table (outdoor specialist, capable of music leadership, very relational, small group leader, etc.). These three make up the prime leadership of camp, and they simply do a great job of learning from past history, bringing effective changes to camp, while maintaining the baseline of quality and grace.
4. Thomas ... recently married to Carine. Thomas is responsible for the upkeep of the facilities, and Carine now runs the kitchen and facility staff. Both are entirely capable of helping with language translation and small group leading. Seems like a great pairing to me.
6. Tom, Ann, Cindy ... leadership team for the Dillon, CO group. Tom is the youth leader at the church, and Cindy and Mom are moms of students on their team.
7. Janet and Sarah ... leadership team for the St. Louis group ... Janet is also the Mom of one student on their team. These 3 moms form a very effective team of many behind-the-scenes activities ... Damien's right hand team!
8. Steph!! What a great blessing this young lady is, as she fits perfectly the model of being intentional with her life for God’s glory … and loving our kids and the French kids. She is leading a small group, and constantly on the move.
9. Add a support staff that hails people from northern Ireland, Switzerland, UK, Chicago, and France (etc.), and this becomes one of the finest melting pots I've ever interacted with! Just a taste of the diversity God designs into his kingdom, now and into eternity. He is the common bond to bring together a team that loves the Lord, and shows love to a variety of kids that may or may not have heard the gospel message before.
OK, a good start to the blog ... and a good preparation day ... and I'm going to try and have our students blogging regularly, although they will be very busy starting tomorrow!
Appreciative of our home team!
Bon Nuit, Jim
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