Training Recap/Commissioning Service

Yesterday marked the official end of staff training. I learned a lot that will (hopefully) help me this summer. However, I'm quite happy to be on break and not have to be in the dining hall at 7am for breakfast. Here's a quick recap of what I've been doing since I last posted.

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday:

The tree I painted for Sunday/
Friday worship

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were the busiest days of training. We spent most of the time in KYJ (Know Your Job) sessions that focused on different aspects of our job. For example, one of my KYJ sessions was about how to lead a program meeting. A program meeting is a meeting I lead everyday at camp during which my MCs and I plan worships. So during the program meeting KYJ, I learned how to facilitate planning worships and how to steer my MCs in the right direction. During another KYJ session I painted a giant tree on a sheet for our Sunday and Friday worships. You'll have to stay tuned to figure out how it's incorporated into worship!



Saturday:
Saturday was a day of celebration. I'd been looking forward to Saturday all week because this is the day that we were able to move to Camp Baker. Training is at the other camp, Cumberland Pines, so on Saturday Baker staff moves all of our things (plus the Mt TOP trucks) to Baker where we will be spending the rest of the summer. I was so excited to see Baker again for the first time since last summer. Somehow, I just don't quite wrap my head around the fact that I'm on staff until I make to Baker Mountain.

The truck caravan driving to Baker.

All of Baker staff outside the lodge.

Me in front of the staff lodge.

Name-tag photo of my staff's management.

Then, after we unloaded everything at Baker, we spent the rest of the day bonding as a staff. We had lunch at a local restaurant and then went to Beersheba Porcelian, a Mt. TOP staple. Beersheba Porcelain is a pottery store run by the Mayhews out of their home. It's an idylic setting with ponds and flowers all around the property. Mr. Mayhew sits on his porch and makes all of the pottery. There's also a mountain overlook down the road where we had to take some the classic Mt. TOP staffer name-tag photos.

Finally, Saturday night we had commissioning service where all the summer staffers are commissioning to do God's work during the summer. It's a special worship where we celebrate Holy Communion and receive an olive-wood cross and a fishhook pin. The olive-wood cross symbolizes our ability to weather many storms with God's help because olive trees are very hardy, and the fishhook is the symbol of Mt. TOP, based on Matthew 4:18-20. Of course, there was also time for a staff picture!

My staff at Commissioning minus Tyler who was sick.

Sunday/Today:

One of my Walmart purchases. Every
Program Manager needs some smelly markers!

Finally on Sunday morning we cleaned the camp and gathered for a closing circle where we reflected on the training experience. Then we all left for break. I'm staying with three of my friends at the home of one of the Friends of the Ministry, people in the community who open up their homes to staffers who live too far away to go home during breaks. So far we've gone to the local flea market, made a quick stop at Walmart to get things we forgot, and a whole lot of nothing. There's a joke (which is usually true) that the only things Mt. TOP staffers want to do on their breaks are sleep and do laundry. Tonight I will head back to camp to get ready for pre-camp which starts tomorrow morning. I can't believe that the next time I'm on break I will have already had my first week of campers. There's so much to do, but I can't wait!

All the best,
Stacy