Already, it was a wild time trying to get out of the house. Last night, I fortuitously finished packing very early in the evening and was able to start downloading a massive play list to listen to whilst cooking for the next week. While I was doing that, the phone rang just before midnight. We were on call for the receiving center (a place set up for foster children to wait between being removed from the home and being placed in foster care) and it was being activated. Argh! So, Jimmy had to leave for the evening while my carefully laid plans had to be shifted around to accommodate the morning that would no longer involve Jimmy's help.
I suppose that's our life, though... The chaos and unexpected seems to follow us wherever we go.
I should have remembered that when things started to go awry in my whole camp experience. If this were a science experiment and I were to present with you with proof that my life is Cray to the Z, I would present such evidence now:
1) before leaving for camp Jimmy was called away unexpectedly, causing me to rearrange any and all plans I had made to have a smooth transition.
2) while saying a prayer to help along the way I was prompted to pray if there was any contention, that my friend, Kelly, and I would be able to battle it with strength, courage and kindness (Kelly seemed perplexed and asked why I prayed for that since we had never had a disagreement in our whole friendship. Of course, I was prompted because of #3)
3) at Costco, we met every rude employee in the whole building. Drawn to us like a moth to a flame, they were. After six unsavory interactions, we both extended a prayer of gratitude unto heaven for the preparation. Seriously, though. We met some doozies... a cashier that was totally offended that I told her the amount of an item I had in the cart so she wouldn't have to count. The worker that snapped at us because we wanted to take boxes. A packer that was totally put out that we might want to help pack the cart. Guys, the list goes on. Yet, Kelly and I were in similitude of skipping through a field of daisies because we had such a fortuitous prayer.
4) we were met with contention among the staff because we changed the camp menu. Like, serious hissy fit-ism. Sriously? We played the petty card and put up a fake menu (think frog legs with lavendar cream and braised sweet breads) I know, I know- we're punks.
5) the walk in fridge broke on the first night we had girls. THE FRIDGE BROKE.
6) we stayed up late into the night to move the items out of the fridge to places all over camp.
7) the following morning, we could not find the items we needed to serve an early breakfast and pack lunches.
8) to help us out that morning, a non-kitchen staff filled the water cooler with water and promptly forgot to turn the water OFF. Yep. That happened. Flood Zone Central.
9) one staff member was blinded by a laser pointer and could not work in the kitchen. Not even joking, you can't make this stuff up. WHich brings us to...
10) another kitchen staff emember had to go into town to get medication because she a crippling illness. (Town is almost two hours away, in case you were wondering)
11) fridge fixed! Moved everything back into the walk in fridge*
12) drove down the hill to the kitchen following morning and got a flat tire. While changing the tire a kitchen staffer ran up the hill to tell me...
13) *the fridge broke again overnight. Yay!
14) move everything out into other fridges again.
15) someone tells us as we are serving lunch that day that they wished the old kitchen staff was there instead of us because we didn't serve enough cookies.
16) over cook the rice, lost the bacon, burned the chicken. You now, just a host of mishaps. One after another, in fast succession.
17) someone pulled us aside to complain there was no lemonade, not knowing it was in the freezer and we couldn't defrost it because the fridge was broken and all...
I looked at my staff during one of our meetings and said, "I am so sorry guys, this is all my fault." After their protests of why it wasn't, I knew the truth. Chaos just follows me. I am well versed in it. The time I had to make soup for 400 people the day the kitchen sink broke, check.
Trying to run a committee after our internet AND phone line called kaputz, check.
Making an entire dinner for someone only to have it spill on their doorstep, check.
Just a few examples off the top of my head of things going wrong in the exact right way- how harmoniously frustrating is that??
Can I tell you what I do about it now? Just laugh. And find the good.
I may have had a rough time at camp and felt like I was racing myself in my own misfortune but, this week was miraculous.
I was witness to a miracle in the face of adversity. I watched every mishap get slaughtered by a laugh, a smile, a joke, a prayer. I watched testimonies grow in this heaven on earth. The people I worked with were resilient and kind. We continued to have faith that everything would work out. It did. By the grace of God did it all work out. All the weight we bore in the week did not prevent us from soaring. I am happy to report that regardless of the evidence posted above, the week at camp was not a disaster. And that is why I am so happy and optimistic about life. I have had so many curveballs thrown my way, but I have always been okay. I have always stood up, dusted myself off and forged on. Heavenly Father has given me a great gift in being able to see the good through the bad. And to laugh, always to laugh...
(P.S.- thought you ought to know that I have sat down to blog a ton in my tiny little window of time and the internet stopped working. SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING. I'll let you know when I find this funny)
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