This year I was back in the main lodge. Jay now had Mike C. and was stayin in Lick Run. I had Peter and Matt G. We shared our room with Jim, a new counselor, and Mike P.

Having Peter and Matt G. was a new experience for me; it was the first time I had a camper that could talk, also the first time I had a camper who would wander away.

It was really hard for me to back away from Mike C. I felt responsible for him. Every time he was slipping in his wheel chair or made a little noise I wanted to run over and help him. But I knew that it was better for Jay and Mike if I left Jay make the same mistakes and learn the same lessons I did. It was very hard but I only gave Jay advice when he asked for it, and he didn't ask often. He and Mike C. really bonded. In a way I was jealous. At camp Mike was no longer "mine", but I also realized it was better for everyone, especially Mike, that he be exposed to different people.

One of the most amusing new campers was Nicholas. You never knew what he was going to say. Before worship time we would all gather in a circle and Don would ask if anyone had anyone or any thing they wanted to pray for. We went around the circle and heard many prayer requests for parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. Then Nicholas raised his hand and said in his most solemn voice "My cat got run over by a car and I'd like to praise the Lord for that".

Another new camper was Stephen. Stephen was one of our older campers, he had Down's Syndrome and was very quiet. One day we were in the craft room getting ready for snack time. Eileen, Stephen's counselor, told him to go in the bathroom and wash his hands. A little while later, when Stephen didn't return, Eileen went to find him. The bathroom door was open so Eileen peeked in. No Stephen. She went outside and didn't see him. She came back in and told us she didn't know where Stephen was. A small search party checked the immediate area. No Luck. Now we were all growing uneasy. We assembled all the campers in the craft room and left them under the supervision of a few counselors. The rest of us took off in every direction. I ran up along the creek. I returned empty handed to find Stephen in the craft room with the rest of the kids. The whole time he was standing behind the bathroom door, ignoring our calls.

Another new addition to our camp was the "Wesley Greyhound". Someone had donated a handicapped accessible bus to the camp, and another group of campers painted it. It was painted with trees, the sun and mountains. On the front hood was flames and the words "NO BRAKES" painted backwards so any cars could see it in their rear view mirror. Now we didn't have to worry about finding a van to use and transporting it to camp.

One of the new campers was Darcy, a cute young lady, who told us all that she was going to be a high fashion model. Darcy's caring personality and cute smile endeared her to everyone, especially Nicholas. Nicholas followed her everywhere. One day they were sitting on the porch and he said to her "I wish we were the only ones on the porch, it would be just like something that rhymes with bomance".

Timmy was a new camper around 12 years old. He was in an automobile accident, and would gladly show you the scars. Timmy tried to act tough but really wanted your attention and praise. A little praise or thank-you swelled Timmy with pride. Timmy and I developed a secret handshake, it involved a series of handshakes ending with using your fingers to mimic shooting a gun, blowing away the smoke and putting the gun in a holster. Every time Timmy passed me we would do our handshake. Timmy's favorite phrases were "nothing can stop this man" and "piece of cake".

One night a year we have the opportunity to sleep in teepees. The teepees look just like Indian teepees. They have a dirt floor and an open flap top. It is up to each camper/counselor to determine if they are to "rough it". This year Matt G. wanted to go but Peter didn't. I traded campers for the night, Peter stayed at the lodge and I took Nicholas with me. As I was leaving I had to assure Peter over and over that I was coming back in the morning. When we left he didn't seem convinced. We loaded up the van with sleeping bags, pillows and stuffed animals.

After a restless night sleeping in the dirt, we headed back to the lodge. When we got off the bus I heard "Counselor, counselor" and then Peter jumped into my arms. He was shocked that we actually returned unharmed.

Amy, a new camper, became fascinated with Kevin because he had darker skin. Amy innocently asked Kevin why he was black and Kevin told her it was because he hadn't taken a bath for a while. We couldn't convince her later to stop asking Kevin when he was going to take a bath.

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