I would have to say Work Camp was the highlight of my summer. This experience was absolutely incredible and everyone should have the experience of going to it. The silly antics of the St. Dunstan’s group made this trip so memorable. I made so many friends, both within the church and with other youth congregations from around the whole Eastern Shore. I still keep in contact with people from Bath County in southern Virginia on a daily basis. I continue to see my friends from this youth group throughout the summer. Our group attended all prayer sessions, and would then find  ways to broaden the experience by walking  down to the wharf and the docks. We had many inside jokes such as the multiple visits to the Dollar Store (broken sandals), midnight runs to Burger King, walking into dinner with ice cream cones in our hands, strolling down to the wharf in our groups, Chelsea from Bath County and her silliness, inter-congregation drama, our jellyfish battle scars, the thrift store splurge, digging tunnels in the sand on the beach, Wes’ A Solitary Blue, taking mini naps, the Japanese candies (or were they even candies), drive miles to pick up adorable children, taking showers under the hose, and so much more. The most memorable moment of my trip was the last night while we all sat on the dock, some of us watching the majestic blue heron, and others gazing at the stars up above, reflecting on the times we had at the camp. The experience I had at work camp was amazing and unforgettable. I am sure to come back next year to enjoy this all over again. Thank you so much St. Dunstan's for your support and to Rev. Rob for putting this all together and for being the best youth leader ever!    
Alexa Ciesinski

 
           Every year there is a special time for young people known as summer. Young people all around the United States covet this time during the months of June, July, and August. Teens especially love this time because it allows them the opportunity to relax or party. Although most kids use their summer for their own purposes, some take a little bit of this free time and give it to those who are in need. This time of service can manifested in many ways but for myself, it is shown in work camp.  Work camp is my time to give back to those who are less fortunate than myself, and reflect upon how lucky I am .  This year’s work camp was truly amazing not only because I didn’t have to sit in a car for 30 hours to get the site and back, but also because of the individuals which comprised the camp. Even though the group was small, it was a very tightly knit group and I made a bunch of new friends. I will remember this workcamp because I left the site feeling as if I had made a difference in the lives of those we served, especially migrant children. I know that I felt great after working with them because I knew I was doing them a huge service and I was making a huge difference in their lives.  This year’s work camp was a great experience for me because I feel like I made a difference, helped those in need and still had fun.
Michael Bombard

Many traditions including Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and modern psychology talk about the peak emotional state of happiness, which they refer to as "flow".  Flow is when you're completed absorbed in doing something you really like.  Some religions believe that the afterlife involves infinite and perpetual flow, where you're completely absorbed in the most interesting situation imaginable forever.  In Buddhism, an enlightened one or Buddha is in a state of constant and infinite flow.  Ultimate, infinite flow is difficult to achieve, but people can at various points achieve regular flow by meditating, reading, or doing something they feel passionate about.  There were many situations during camp where I was in flow.  In Annapolis we stopped at a museum where I found myself gazing at colonial silverware with strong curiousity.  There was the kid's club where we were writing the songs that we would sing to the kids and where we were all happily involved in making arts and crafts projects.  During kid's club, Nick and Wyatt led us in the most intense game of Four-Square I've ever played.  But the situation where I had the best flow experience was when we were sitting on the dock at night, star gazing, a symphony of frogs faintly heard, with Wes telling me amazing things about the physics of the universe, when all of a sudden appeared a solitary blue heron on the water, at which point we all stopped and stared.  In fact all of the youth group members knew a surprising amount about the universe.
 
There were other moments that really stick out in my mind.  Michael Deaton (the knock-off Michael Keaton) kept us all laughing with his ridiculous one-liners.  Rev Rob was touched when he received a carved wooden cross.  Emma and Morgan were afraid of the jelly fish but we cheered them on and they ran and jumped in the lake.  Wes's plan of using a raft was foiled when everyone hung onto it.  Scraping paint was terrible, but we walked around a small cemetery nearby and googled history of the Virginia soldiers buried there.  I played a classical piece on the piano that everyone at the old folk's home enjoyed.  They said the old people would have Alzheimer's and that we shouldn't ask them about their lives.  But the older lady I sat next to and talked to was eager to talk and it turns out she's a fellow Duke Alum! (Class of 1942). And best of all, I formed lasting bonds with the youth group and with the youth at the other churches, taking lots of pics and collecting emails.  I'll never forget it and I look forward many more experiences like it in the years to come. 
Aprelle Neal

 

 

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