life lessons from some monkeys

My little "Cabin Monkeys," as they dubbed themselves, waiting for canteen.

Craft time! We made popsicle stick houses to illustrate our mission, which was Casas por Christo.

Camp was an amazing time. I was a cabin mom for five VERY energetic little girls and the craft director for the whole group, which was geat fun, because little kids+glue+paint=chaos. They were so proud of their little houses, even the ones that didn't exactly end up looking like houses.

When my girls wouldn't go to sleep the first night, I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into, but watching them interact with each other, I realized that their spirit is what the world is missing.

They came into camp knowing maybe one or two other people from their churches, but they just jump in and make friends, no matter what. I had one of the most outgoing, talkative girls in my cabin, as well as one of the shyest, and they were best friends by the time we left. There's hardly any pressure to impress anyone or be something you're not, and they just love everyone they meet.

More than that, watching them sing praise and worship songs during our sessions and at campfire, you can feel the joy just radiating. It's a pure and unquestioning faith for them; it's not about what they can get out of it, or what God can do for them. They just love him because, as my girls LOUDLY sang coming back from campfire, "Jesus Loves Us."

All my girls drew me pictures the last day and then rubbed body wash on them so they would smell good, and a few of the boys even painted individual popsicle sticks for me.When two of our kids got hurt at the pool in a freak accident that required five stitches and two staples, every kid asked how if they were okay, and my girls said a special bedtime prayer for them, even thouht htey didn't know them at all. They just love people-it's excellent to watch.

I wish we could all just remember what it's like to be kids sometimes...