The last two weeks have been busy. After the youth retreat, Julia’s grandparents, Stan & Arlene Sizemore came to help out for most of the week. Stan used his carpentry skills to help us check off some items that have been hanging around on our to-do lists for a long, long time. He finished up the bathrooms in (the newly remodeled) Krestan Hall by building shelves in the closets. I’ve been waiting (not always so patiently) for that job to get finished so we have a place to put all the clean towels. Arlene spent so much time cleaning, and she did it well. Sometimes it feels like we have so many different jobs to do that they all get done halfway. I am so grateful to anyone who can put their heart into cleaning and really making a place sparkle. Stan also built shelves in the pantry of "the cottage" which, as of Saturday, is no longer empty.

Justin told me last week that he likes the challenge of getting to do new things. He made that comment while he and Roger were in the process of learning how to lay carpet. They rented a carpet stretcher, figured out how to use it, and got the hallway and two bedrooms in the cottage looking like home. I was very impressed. (I still am.)

This past weekend seemed to be full of nonstop action. Thursday evening a work group came in from Wooster, Ohio, and stayed through Sunday afternoon. That group of middle schoolers got a lot of work done – with much enthusiasm. When I cook for a group like that, I gain new respect for Bill (our summer cook.) By the end of the day, I was so tired I couldn’t think straight – and that was just cooking for 20 people! I don’t know how he does it. Maybe I should drink more coffee – or grow a mustache…

And now for the big announcement… we have another baby! Well, not us personally, but us the camp. Shaun and Wendy Davis and their 4-month-old, Lily, moved in to spend the next year at Bethel Camp. It took me less than 24 hours to realize that I’ll have to set down some rules for Malin and Avery. No visiting at Lily’s house without mom or dad’s permission! It’s just too much fun to have a living baby doll to love on.

That reminds me of a story Ella June tells about one of her girls when she was little – Elaine I think. She loved going down to the cottage to visit Mabel and Martha Maust, but she was too independent, and she had Ella June worried about where she had gotten off to. So the ladies worked out a system. If Elaine didn’t have a note pinned to the back of her dress with her mom’s permission to visit, then she was sent back home. Sounds like a good idea…

Sunday afternoon, just as the work group was packing up to leave, we had a nice surprise. Bear and Opal Noble stopped by to visit! Bear has spent many weeks here at camp in the past, and we’ve missed having him around. Camp’s always open – if you ever want to stop in, we’d love to catch up with what’s been going on in your life. And if you come at mealtime, we just might feed you. Have a great week!