Fashion and Hair and Makeup, Oh My!

Whelp, day one is over.

I can't believe that I'm here in New Windsor, responsible for 21 youth and advisors! I got into the area yesterday without any problems at all which was absolutely amazing and now here I am with one day under my belt. I can check it off my list of things accomplished! It is always so great to touch base with those here at the Service Center. I come back here and I really feel like I'm home! Donna and I have stayed busy making ourselves comfortable and becoming acclimated with our surrounds for the week and checking in with various people around New Windsor. I really believe that we are as prepared as we can possible be so now it's time to enjoy the week! And of course wait and see what random things come up that need to be taken care of!

We couldn't have asked for better weather for the week. The forecast is amazing. It's supposed to be mid 70's and not terribly humid and there shouldn't be too much, if any rain and that's exciting news! I've heard that the past few weeks here have been horribly humid and hot. It also beats the crazy weather that we've been having out west! I guess it's a good weather week for a lot of places! I think it's been really, really warm down south in New Orleans because I have another workcamp going on there this week as well. For the most part things are going really well down there too! There has been some problems with dehydration, but hopefully nothing too serious, but we shall wait and see.

With the group that I'm working with this week there are six boys and 12 girls in the group. It will be a challenging week for me in this sense because I am very much so a boy person. I relate better to boys. You all know me, I'm into sports and goofing off. When it comes to girls, especially girls who are really girlie, I don't do so well. This week there are a lot of girls who are into fashion and how they look and act and love to do hair and makeup and I don't know how to relate to that! Ahhh! Well I'm just going to have to figure out a way to relate and I know that I can do it but that it won't necessarily be easy.

And in all it's a great group and I'm excited to get to know them more this week and work with them and hang out with them. One thing that's hard about the New Windsor workcamp is that it is so short. I am constantly thinking about the schedule and running through what is coming up next and what I need to prepare for and before I know it I've run out of things to plan! New Windsor is a great place for youth to come who are going to a workcamp for the first time and wanting to slowly move away from being home. It's close enough to home for most of these youth and just long enough that it makes for a great time.

New Windsor itself is such a great place to be. Donna and I had a talk today over lunch (when we finally remembered to HAVE lunch) about the future of this place and honestly it doesn't look good. We brainstormed a bit about what could be done to rejuvenate this place and that's a tough question to address. What needs to happen is to make the younger generations appreciate this place and realize all the work that goes on here. Most of the groups who come here to work are older adults who know the history and the worth and the importance but I'm afraid that knowledge is going to die with the generation. If there was a way to have opportunities here that would draw the younger crowd like having a camp ground atmosphere or activities that were especially interesting to families and the younger generations that would be great. But then you get to wondering what would be interesting and appealing. And then if we did figure out something that might work, would we be willing to make the changes to find out for sure?

So then if people decide that those options are no good and we choose to sell it would it be possible to find a buyer who would be interested in purchasing the place and also preserve some aspects of the Center. And what is it that people are wanting to hold on to when it comes to the Center as a whole? Is it the memories and the history that this place holds? Or is it the actual structures? I'm sure these are some of the questions and thoughts that people have been having regarding this place for many years now.

I myself, have become emotionally attached to this place. I came here for the first time summer of 2005 through Ministry Summer Service and I fell in love with the Center. I've been coming back in various roles ever since. During that first summer I was involved with everything that went on here that I possible could. Everything from folding quilts to reading materials published by the Brethren Disaster Ministries, to working with the volunteers to leading youth groups in devotional servies and spending time with the Junior High Workcamp, to being a part of the Passing on the Gift celebration for the Seagoing Cowboys. That summer will stick with me forever. The following winter I went and served for three weeks doing Disaster Response work in Pensacola and the next summer I came back and worked in the material resources part of the Center. I have a deep love of this place and I admit that I would be sad if it was sold and we moved on to something else. But sometimes that is what needs to happen. There comes a time when you need to finish reading and re-reading the chapter you're on and move on to the next one.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see this place rockin' and rollin' again but time will tell and the new chapter will unfold as it's supposed to. And for now, I will enjoy this place and share it's worth to these youth who have given their time and their talents this week to be here. The future will show itself when it's good and ready, and it usually starts with tomorrow!