Day 26 - so fresh & so clean!

Day 26 - Wednesday

Got up, when James did, except he was going for a run - d'oh! Went back to bed till 7.55, then got up all in a panic as the morning meeting was at 8!! Prepped for the discussion group - going to be tough - doing study in Romans, which was hard enough for the leaders to understand - hopefully some wisdom will be granted for the discussions. Had the 4th Session - a recap, then Jesus' life, death & resurrection. Before session, had some really great songs - 'This is Jesus' & 'How Great is our God' - yaaay, but my voice is definitely not in the right place at the moment & not as strong as on junior week. The discussion session went ok, got everyone talking which was really great, the only problem was really the wind, which was blowing the marquee like a giant sail (definitely the most windy day so far!).

Swimming - ahhh a shower & a swim - ain't nobody dope as me, I feel so fresh & so clean lol (that's from an Outkast song if u were wondering!) it was rad to get clean again, & try to exercise my aching knees & shoulders - w00t w00t!!

When we got back, we prepped to play a Manhunt/Fugitive game in the woods! The theory was that there would be 7 leaders hiding, with a 3 minute head-start, then each tent crew had to find each of the 7 leaders, in a specific order. In my infinite (though most would say questionable!) wisdom, I decided that we should add a little more hype & realism to the games - cue a couple of Super-soakers & cap guns for the woods! Well I thought (quite correctly) that if I'm hyped up & wanting to take part, then the campers would be to! So we got 'locked & loaded' & set off to find James M, & did...eventually, then were on an actual mission to “find Phil” (who had been running the spiritual program!). After what seemed like a really long time [it really was!], a hole was found in the plan - one group had no leader, or torches - so went missing for a bit! Also managed to lose Phil - he turned up well over a mile away from everyone else, but we got him back…eventually!!

When we got back to base, Kirsten was already running the Saloon - this time with a chocolate fountain - was proper rad, then debrief & bed…at last!!

Day 25

Day 25 - Tuesday
Morning breaks & crawl out of my sleeping-bag! Had breakie & then the 3rd session - rest of the Old Testament, then had an OK discussion group, followed by a footie match - English vs. Welsh, the result.........no score draw!!!

The afternoon activity was the stagecoach rally - went to the woods, a town & the beach for a photo challenge - did have to stay in the coach with Tim - he'd busted his knee (during the football) & might have damaged the ligaments in his knee, so had to sit out of the activity – hopefully he will recover before the end of the week! This was quite a rad activity & the group worked well together again! Also, not that I'm a jelous man, but when we went to the beach it was perfect for swimming & I didn't have my boardies - fail!! But some of the crew went in, as they were prepared for just such an occasion!!

When we got back, spent time chatting to Little Lauren about many things; spiritual gifts, the trinity & revelation - was tough, but alright (I hope!). Also spoke to Jen on the phone, who didn't have much to say, which was pretty rubbish, but hey, she's at SS with the crew!

Evening was wathcing the film The Wild Wild West, followed by a campfire, with cocoa & toasting marshmallows, but hit the sack (or sleeping-bag if you will) early - like 10.30!!

Day 24

Day 24 - Monday
Another struggling wake up - earlier today for a communion - with real vino (well Blossom Hill lol) & a massive loaf of bread! Then breakie, & the 2nd session & the 2nd discussion group - not as stagnant as yesterday - sat outside today as it was almost sunny lol! Then luncheon, closely followed by bowling - western style! We all (well the leaders) dressed as cowboys (I had my red-checkered grunge shirt, & red buff as a neckerchief thing, cowboy hat & some jeans - winner! Bowling was coolie, played Ghost Squad (awesome guns & perfect arcade action) & House of the Dead 3 (we should have shotguns for this kind of deal!) oh & had 2 games of 10 pin bowling lol! I didn't do particularly well (surprise, surprise lolz!) but managed to get a strike & a spare over the course of 2 games (but Giz would still have whooped me lol!)!

The evening's activity was the Cowboy Catwalk! This was a dressing up campers affair, we dressed up 2 camps - one in full cowboy attire, the other as a Indian princess - we were pretty good – I think we should have won the competition, but we were third - beaten only but the cooks/tech team (well who would out-vote the cooks, unless they didn't want any food lol!). This was the first time that the whole group really gelled & worked as a team – was pretty awesome! The Saloon with milkshakes with glow-stick straws - very unique lol! Then had to prep for the next day's discussion group before heading to bed.

Day 23

After that first difficult day many a prayer request, hopefully things will get better! Let's find out:

Day 23 (ish) Sunday

Got up (struggling lol), had the prayer meeting, then breaky, 1st session & discussion group - real quiet, will have to micro-manage the questions more carefully & encourage them to be more open to discussion.

Next was designing flags & teepee-exterior-things (for evening's activity). Next was team games/activities - we cheated, but never won! Eventually got rained off! Then came into the marquee, James M ran a few quizzes, quite good, but the Shooting Stars went down the best - proper lol e.g. (Q: Name a day of the week. A: Tuesday)

Got a call from Hobbit, although it transpires that he didn't technically call me, it was still good to chat to him about stuffs - bless him! Turns out that Rosie & Mad-Eye are at the same week of Soul Survivor as The Others (KBC crew; AJ, Hobbit, Jen, Lego, Duplo, G, etc.) & actually met up with Hobbit & Jen - bizarre!!

The evening's activity was the teepee making - 8 garden canes, string, gaffa-tape, & our bed-sheets that were decorated earlier - ours was definitely structurally the best, with guy-ropes, pegs, etc. but hey, what can u do?! Also got given glow-stick necklace & stick (which I used as a pendant - winner) Strangely no1 has broken theirs open...yet!!

Saloon - pancakes - much better than Junior 2 lol! Now is about 10 & feelin properly knack'd, will try to crash out at the earliest possible opportunity lol!!

Day 22

OK it's been a little while since last I blogged, but don't worry kids - I kept me blog going using word on my mobile lol!! This blog is starting with MWCC Senior Week - but be warned I found this week a real challenge! Enjoy:

Day (I dunno 22 maybe?!) - Saturday

Woke up at silly o'clock (6.45am), got out of bed an hour later, & then threw some clothes in my holdall, got the rest of my stuff needed for camp, got dressed up in my narly O'Neill trousers & red Muse top & headed down to pack the car. Had a quick chat with Ian, but going to not borrow any money this week (my mum filled my car with fuel & gave me £50, so should be sorted for camp...hopefully!). Chucked everything in the car (including a warmer 3-season sleeping bag) & progged my TomTom to get me to camp home base & set off for camp, albeit a little more nervous than on junior week 2.

The journey down was ok...then it started raining with about 40 miles to go (d'oh - why am I wearing trousers?!) & decided to try to avoid Lyndhurst, by going the way me & Hobbit used when we dropped of that camper a couple of weeks ago. I tried to do this by progging the TomTom to miss out the road to Lyndhurst, but it was going miles out the way, so I tried that way through Emery Down (or Green or whatever it's called lol), which confused the living crap outta my SatNav lol, but hey it caught up with my plan...eventually lol!!!

Got to camp & said g'day to the weeks head honcho - James, helped set up some monumental tent & a couple of smaller ones, & found where we were sleeping! Then the rain started.......& continued all afternoon! We had a little leaders intro, some luncheon & had a look at the program.

I'm leading a crew with a guy called John & a girl called Jo (who would be arriving later on that afternoon). Met a couple of our tent crew & they seem cool, will see how relationships develop through the week.

Feeling more than a little nervous at the moment - mostly because I don't really know anyone (apart from Loz) so I think this is going to be a really challenging week. This not exactly helped by a big drive over the past few days, my unnatural tiredness (through the Ami) & the fact that the weather really sucks - cold, wet & thoroughly miserable!!

...to be continued!

Well had an introduction by James, now on a bit of down/unpack time before dinner, the rain has eased to be more of a dribble, which is much betterer lol! We're all (me John & another James) in one of the really dark tents which is great, but I can't see lol, also had to mop it out, because there were a couple of pools of water on the groundsheet - d'oh!! Feeling a little less apprehensive, but this is still going to get getting used to methinks!

Had a good dinner & chatted to Stevie G & John C - good times, good times!

Next headed off the beach (but Highcliffe Castle this time - not the same as Junior Week) for a wander & to get into teams & come up with a team chant - ours was kinda silly, but funny at the same time - we're the sherriff's & ours went:

'Nothing rhymes with sherriff, shake & bake cowboy!!!'

Classics lol! However, walking solitarily on the way, & chatted with Ian T on the way back. Also on the way, sent out a mass prayer appeal (if your one of those who got that text, many blessings!) to try to sort out; the rubbishy weather & my lonliness & apprehension, feeling out of place, etc. Got a few replies, which was great, but really not finding this cool so far - patience my son, patience!!

Got back, had the saloon, but wandered out to chat to Jo (thanks my dear Josephine!) & chilled out, then off to bed for 11ish (takin the Ami so crashed straight out!). Did get a few texts from Jennie which was cool - lookin after me from afar...kinda! Hopefully things will improve over the week