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Today, Camp Merri-Mac awoke tenderly as we realized that last night’s storm had passed.  Then the girls sprang out of their beds to clean their cabins and then sauntered down the hill to hang out on the back porch before breakfast.  We enjoyed a meal of French toast sticks and sausage patties with extra options of yogurt, fruit, and grits.  After all the tables had been cleared and it was announced that tonight’s evening activity would be Apache Race, we trekked up to chapel.   Once we were situated, Lainey answered the question of “Who is God?” by contrasting God and herself.   She exemplified this through her tale of campers who were hidden from her and whose real names were she didn’t know.  She explained that God always knows where we are and knows every fiber of our being, including our names, and read us Psalm 139:1-4.

After organizational tribe meetings and a few enthralling games of tether ball, the girls headed to their morning activities.  Fencing had a fashion show where one girl modeled the correct way to wear all of the fencing safety equipment.  In camp craft, the girls acted out safety rules and the principles of leave no trace.  The diving girls practiced the 3 step approach on the dock in a large group and then again in pairs.  Each girl in dance pretended to be an animal as they pranced across the floor in the lodge.  In cooking, they baked and ate cookies and learned about the history of chocolate chip cookies.  In DIY crafts, girls cut out everything from the eyes of celebrities to the letters in their names and glued them onto journals.

For lunch, we were blessed with taco in a bag and mini cherry pies.  We tired ourselves out by shouting tribal songs at the top of our lungs, so then we headed up to rest time.  When the bugle loudly rang to signal the end of rest time, the girls sprinted down to trading post, where they were allowed two items of their choosing.  After a few more games of tether ball, we headed to our afternoon activities.  The volleyball class got to know each other by finding out their spirit animals.  With great enthusiasm, the girls in kayaking learned the parts of the boat and paddle.  In pottery, the girls made pinch pots to serve a variety of purposes.  For soccer class, they split into four teams and played a dribbling game.  The girls in drama took turns playing a “normal person” and a “weird person” sitting on a bench.  When the bugle played at 5:30, the girls skipped up to their cabins to put on their tribe jerseys and to collect any other supplies they might need for Apache Race.

Following a dinner of barbeque chicken and veggies, the girls participated in Apache Race any way they could.  Some girls ran with their tribes’ flags between activities while other girls helped by doing the activities.  Girls blobbed, went down the water slide, rode horses, shot bows in archery, and packed backpacks for their tribes.  Iroquois just hoisted their flag up the flag pole to win this Apache Race, and right now the girls are singing Side By Side, proclaiming that they are “three of a team, like sisters it seems, side by side.”  After a few more hours of fun, we will all cuddle into our beds for another good night’s rest.

Audrey Ellis

Proud Seminole

Blue Heaven Counselor