a wide place

Good morning!

It’s been a long time. Do people even write blogs anymore? I don’t know, but I don’t use social media or record a podcast, so this is my way to communicate with the outside world and I think I’ll keep at it.

This summer feels like a good time to blog because it’s the start of the rest of my life. Let me explain why. On Saturday, we dropped Judah off in the Blue Ridge mountains at his camp for two months.

I’ve never done anything like this before. But as I have a rising senior in high school, I’m well aware that this is only the beginning.

The very most I’ve been separated from any of my children in almost-18 years is two weeks. Two weeks. And that’s also for the three boys to attend camp each summer. Beyond that, David and I traveled to Ethiopia and Kenya for 12 days when Judah was a baby, and Egypt for another 10 days several years ago.

I remember that first year we dropped Judah off for two weeks of camp and I didn’t think my heart could bear it. Now two weeks feels like the blink of an eye and I’m wondering how we’ll get through two whole months.

How will I feel when he goes to college?

But down that road lies despair. And tears at 8:30 on a Monday morning. So instead, let’s talk about Judah’s summer: a happier topic.

He’s doing the Guide program at Deerfoot Lodge Blue Ridge, which is a summer internship to train to be a counselor (or chief, as they’re called at Deerfoot). The program is really by invitation only, and even then you have to go through a rigorous application/interview process.

Probably the main reason Deerfoot is our favorite is the great care the staff takes with selecting and training their counselors. It’s evident in every part of the camp. These young men are mature, skilled, and godly. They truly have a heart for ministry and invest so much in the campers. As a mom, I can’t explain how amazing it feels to be greeted at camp drop-off each year by these smart, tough, college-age guys who also look me in the eyes and make conversation with me and my boys while they show us to the cabins.

So it’s an honor to be asked to train for that role, and Judah was thrilled to be accepted. His hope is to come back and work as a chief during his summers throughout college.

Deerfoot is a completely tech-free camp; we can’t even email our boys and no care packages. Just snail mail. That’s been fine for a two-week session, but suddenly it’s a lot harder when Judah’s there all summer.

But I love this aspect of the camp. It’s so simple. Unplugged. Teaches the boys to be present to God and to nature and to each other. Actually, I wish I had something like that in my life.

Judah said he’s thankful for the enforced break from his phone too. He’ll have a couple of days off in town to go to Wal-Mart and the laundromat, so we’re hoping he can call us then (but really, we don’t know!).

Now I’ll tell you about drop-off day.

First of all, Judah woke up at 6am to run hills with some neighborhood guys. He decided to wake up early and run before a whole summer of waking up early and running! I’m so glad he takes after his dad in this aspect, not me (I prefer to not run and to not wake up early).

After a last breakfast of bagels, we loaded up his bin and suitcase in the van, brought travel mugs of coffee and hit the road. This is what it’s like to have teenagers: we now have four coffee drinkers in the family instead of just two.

Judah napped first thing, then we all chatted and listened to his last playlist choice of the summer: Mumford and Sons. Not even his favorite band but he said “For some reason when we drive up to the mountains we need Mumford.” Ha! That’s because we’ve been doing that since our kids were preschoolers. It’s ingrained.

There are 12 Guides this summer, with two chiefs leading them. We checked Judah in, then walked across the lake, past the ball field and up a wooded path to the Guide lean-to’s.

This is Judah’s home for the summer.

The guides are divided into these two cabins connected by a breezeway. I love the open-air wall with the lush green view (although hopefully they don’t get a crazy rainstorm. They also have their own bonfire spot in the clearing. The bathroom is back down the trail.

I insisted on getting out Judah’s sheets and making up his bunk. I just couldn’t leave without doing that. Oh 17-year-old boys … he was like “Mom! I’m fine!” But I wasn’t.

Here’s something I love: a couple months ago, the Guides started a text group, and they’ve been having regular Facetime calls ever since. It’s so smart; that way they weren’t total strangers when they all showed up on Saturday.

If you’re wondering, this separation is hitting Amie the very hardest. Her big brother is also her best friend and she’s having a real crisis of identity without him. She has a fun summer planned, which I’ll tell you about soon. But the sadness is real.

We’d love your prayers for our boy. He had to show up Saturday with 30 Scripture verses memorized and able to do a set of 30 push-ups. Here’s a basic itinerary of his summer, in his own words. Keep in mind that a “session” is a two-week period of time.

Session 1: I’ll be getting certified for CPR, Lifeguard, and Wilderness First Aid, as well as doing trail maintenance on some of the hiking trails outside of Deerfoot, where there’s still hurricane damage. I’ll also be memorizing more Scripture and preparing to lead cabin devotions.

Session 2: My group will hike through several state forests and parks for ten
days, at the end of which we’ll split off into smaller groups and map our way to the end of the trail. The day we get back to camp, we’ll do our big 10-mile mountain run, and that will mark the halfway point for the summer. Also, this is the session that Gabe and Noah will be attending camp, so I’ll get to see my family at their drop-off and pick-up.

Session 3: We’ll do a canoe hike for several days. Then we’ll be sent out into the woods alone with a Bible, water, and tarps, and will fast for three days. This will be the training climax, and we’ll be doing practice fasts up to this point.

Session 4: I’ll be paired up with an older counselor to lead a cabin, and have full responsibilities as a Deerfoot chief. The session ends on August 2, and I’ll join the staff after-party for the summer on August 3 before heading home.

As you can see, it will be an extremely full and physically, mentally and spiritually rigorous summer. But we’re confident that Judah’s ready for this challenge and can’t wait to see how God uses and grows him through the experience … both the highs and the lows.

We gave hugs and said our good-byes with no tears. Judah seemed so happy and excited and just … ready, that it was impossible not be be excited for him.

Even so, it was a very quiet car ride home to Columbia.

Thankfully we regrouped later that evening with a visit to Mum Mum and Grandpa’s followed by a dip in the pool and a Survivor episode.

It’s going to be a great summer!

Meanwhile, Kira looks like how we all feel about Judah leaving (and yes, we’re all pretty sure Judah will miss his dog more than he misses his family! No one blames him; she’s pretty great):