July 12

Happy Sunday! We are always looking forward to Sundays at Camp, and it’s easy to see why... they’re so much fun! Between 30 extra minutes of sleep, Chapel, and plenty of time spent with friends, Sundays always feel extra special.

We kicked off our Sunday with an exciting Chapel, complete with visitors, a speaker, and even a musical performance! Longtime camper and counselor Susan Edwards Lewis joined us once again, and we are always so happy when she comes to Camp. Susan spoke about the importance of grounding and helped us better understand why Merrie-Woode feels like such a grounding place to so many of us.

Drawing from the scripture readings and Dammie’s Prayer, she reflected on the idea of the "freedom of littleness." In the "real world", we can sometimes feel like it is too risky to try new things when we may not have the knowledge or experience to succeed. Susan encouraged us to see the encouragement and sense of belonging that surrounds us at Camp as a gift. Because of that support, we can challenge ourselves to do hard things. There is something incredibly grounding about recognizing that you are one small part of something much bigger than yourself. Whether it's being a member of your cabin, your activity group, or the Merrie-Woode community as a whole, that sense of belonging helps us feel connected, supported, and rooted. It was such a thoughtful message and a wonderful way to begin our Sunday together.

Following Susan’s message, we enjoyed a special performance from one of our Guitar classes! The group played and sang Noah Kahan's "Everywhere, Everything," and it was such a fun addition to Chapel. One of our favorite things is getting to watch campers share what they've been working on in their activities, and they did a wonderful job.

The fun continued at lunch, where tables were sorted by hometown rather than cabin. Campers from the same states got to sit together, and each state had its own song that played over the speakers. As soon as their song came on, campers jumped up and took a lap around the Dining Hall, singing and cheering the whole way. It was so much fun seeing everyone show their state pride, and there were definitely a few states trying their best to be the loudest!

Sunday Activities are always a highlight of the week, and today was no exception. Campers had the chance to choose from some especially fun options, including moccasin making, a Tajar Tea Party, and International Extravaganza. With activities you don't get every day, Sunday afternoons always bring a lot of excitement around Camp.

As Sunday Activities came to a close, Leadership Team hopped in the mini truck and drove around Camp making a very important announcement: it's TAJAR NIGHT!!! For one night, the counselors get the evening off, and instead of Campfire, everyone heads to Castle for a movie night. The Kitchen Staff gets a well-deserved evening off too, which means Leadership Team steps in to serve Cookout for dinner. Between the surprise announcement, a night in Castle with friends, and some of our favorite Tajar traditions, it is always a night campers look forward to.