Week 3 - Russell

Week three of WildHeart came with new activities and challenges.  We embarked on Sunday on our week long canoe trip.  The second we stepped out of the vans to unload by the river, swarms of mosquitoes attacked us like the fresh meat we were.  Throughout the week the mosquitoes abated and we learned how to deal with them(albeit not without a fresh dose of complaints every morning.). During the second to last day, we had the opportunity to ride some class 2 rapids in our canoes and body-surf them afterwords.  This was an exciting and enjoyable experience.  It was this day that I had a peak in my counselor career.  One of my campers was in a canoe that flipped while going down the rapids.  That camper found his way to an island in the middle of the rapids.  With white water break on either side of him, he refused to jump in and float down to us.  In the end, I ended up swimming to the island and talking to the camper.  It became abundantly clear that he was not going to jump no matter what anyone said to him.  I told him that I was going to push him in.  He shook his head no, but in the end  I had to push him.  He went screaming and flailing down the rapids.  I jumped in after him laughing my head off.  That particular camper ended up thanking me later for getting him through the situation.  
 Towards the end of the week, we returned home from the canoe trip.  Although we faced some vehicle trouble along the way, we made it back in one piece to enjoy the evening with some long awaited reunions between father and son.  The last few days of camp was spent in the father son structure, enjoying activities ranging from games, to white water rafting, shooting, and many other enjoyable activities.  Through all of these activities were chapels and services that helped the campers and myself to stay focused on spiritual things. Specifically about restoration in the relationships around us.  As camp wound down to a close, many bro hugs were given and many tears held back.  But through it all I was able to enjoy seeing the progress made by guys that I thought I would never be able to get through to.  
 
Thank you for a great summer, WildHeart.