Summertime Happenings

Summertime happenings...

This summer has been very busy for LIGHTHOUSE 2911. We had summer camp July 13-16th. The kids had a great time swimming and learning how they could be the change in the world. But our youth did even more. They gave back to Cathedral Oaks Worship and Retreat Center in Weimar, TX where we had the camp, by painting the basketball goal lines, and the two restrooms by the pool. They also cleaned out closets and the laundry room. One of the important things we have each night is tell our highs and lows of the day. Your heart can break when you hear statements like, "This is the first time I could really be myself." or "You guys are really family to me." The weather was hot and dry and the food was great. This year we had guest speakers come out and talk about their lives and how they cope with the struggles of life. It was four great days of work, play, learning, and a little bit of sleep.

But that was not all we did this summer. On August 1st we went to SplashWay Waterpark in Sheridan, TX. This day was one of those hot Texas days, but the water was cool and soothing. I grilled burgers for the group. Other leaders brought chicken salad, soft drinks, chips, cookies, and water. We had so much fun. We even had a birthday party. Somewhere near lunchtime, the dj invited people to do the ChaCha slide. It was a shame that I had to be grilling hamburgers at this time, but some of our youth really got into the ChaCha. The ChaCha slide will never be the same for some of us. As we enjoyed the afternoon and prepared to leave, we kept missing one of our youth who was busy floating in the river and talking to girls. We only teased him a little bit on the way home. And speaking of the way home, the new Shaved Ice Stand in Hallettsville is a great place to stop for ice cold snowcones on a hot Texas day. It is very cool to talk to a young man who was working in the stand about his summer camp experiences and how small this world really is.

We couldn't have done all this without the help of many people - people who donated money, or churches like First United Methodist Church of Gonzales who helped us with transportation, or that group of men and women who came to help in any way we needed, or those fine folks at Monthalia United Methodist Church. Everyone's support is greatly appreciated.

So it's been a great summer, but now it's the second day of school and we need to look to the future, but more about that later. Now lets just enjoy the memories of the summer.

Oh, I forgot one other thing. We were even able to buy school supplies with donations that came in. Many youth are happy with their new binders and supplies and are planning to make this the best school year ever. Now I'm sure you are tired of hearing about our summer. Stay tuned for more to come.

Paul