Well...we got here :) Praise the Lord!

It was a bit of adventure. Day started out well, with a departure of about 8:20, when in my mind (and no one else's!) I was hoping for 8:30 at the latest, so that was a good start...

We got to Gila bend, stopped for the novelty that is Love's gas station for a short break and we were back on our way to SD...in the process discovered that one of the 3 TV monitors was recently broken...boo :)

Stopped in Yuma for lunch...45 mins turned into an hour...but oh well...no biggy, IT'S CAMP!!!!

Then it got fun...

we had to pull off a number of times (4 or 5 in all) for approximately 10-15 mins each time) to allow the bus engine to cool down...which meant that we were sitting in a greenhouse...I tried to keep things lively...I gave them a 4 second chance to yell and complain as loud as they wanted, and then that would be that...it was great...I also "Crowd Surfed" from the front of the bus to the back...interesting experience, lol...we have a couple of new sayings now....whenever Rusty or I see a train, we yell "Train!!!" and they all respond, "CHOO CHOO!!!"

once we got though the mountains, we had a number of people needing to go potty, but I asked them to hold it, as the later we showed up, the longer registration would be, because more churches would be showing up...they held it :)

We arrived, got unloaded okay. The girls got the top dorm rooms, (i.e. "Closest and easiest walk!) and the guys did as well, YAY! We unloaded the guys first, since all of thier gear was on one side of the bus, and it would have been about 3 times the driving to do it the other way, due to one-way traffic around the campus...

Dinner was from 5:30-6:30 and the kids were able to get their rooms, and get to food by about 6:15, so that was good...

The evening chapel, which included "The Opener",(the opening program of any Hume Lake camp is legend in itself) was very good. Got to meet the speaker, learn about him and he gave a great message. Main point was a challenge of three basic beliefs of our faith...God Loves us, God Knows what's best, and God has ALL Power to do what He sees fit...Do we really believe that? And if so, do we live like we believe it?! Great stuff

A very short amount of free time followed, and then off to the dorms...breakfast will come early...it's been a long day...

I will say, I am SO proud of our kids...not once did they complain about the delays, or whine about the heat, they were awesome! Parents, that really says a lot about you! Be proud of them!!

Our volunteer ladies are in one simple word, AMAZING! They made my job so much easier by double checking forms, doing all of the paperwork stuff that needed to still be taken care of, they were just awesome. (Rusty has been that way for a long time now, and he's gotten enough attention, so I'm leaving him out of this one! :P )

Largest Hume/SD camp to date, 738 people! Cram packed and happy to be here! It is very warm here, expecting high 80's and 90's all week, with humidity...it's a little mucky, but that's what the beach is for!

It will be an amazing week, I have no doubt...Please pray for unity in the students, and safety for all...I'll try to post once a day at least, and maybe twice as time allows...

God Bless...thanks for your prayers! Feel free to leave a comment, it helps to know someone is reading...

Troy

ps...I heard about the unfortunate bus accident that happened with another church youth group, and my heart aches for the students who experienced it, and for the staff and parents who now must pick up the pieces...