Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

Whether it's a good game, or a short walk, time with you is always loved.

Your,

Kate

Faith, Trust, and Praise

^{Psalm 94: 18-19}

¹⁸ When I thought, “My foot slips,”
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
¹⁹ When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalm 9: 1-2

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Time To Dream...

Writing ideas and topics for when the mind just needs to go:

• What's your life's purpose?
• What kinds of things would you like to accomplish or have happen in your future?
• What dreams did you or do you have for your life?
• What are you here on the planet for?
• What are human beings on the planet for, in your view?
• What area do you think you could make a contribution in?
• What kinds of things compel you?
• What makes your heart sing?
• What kinds of things will you be doing when you have resolved this problem?
• How will you be different with other people when you no longer have this problem?
• How will others recognize that you no longer have this problem if you haven't told them it is gone?

Psalm 4: 4, 5

Tremble, and do not sin;

Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And trust in the Lord.

You know you've been at camp too long when...

• Your leg hair begins to grow back from having waxed at the beginning of camp.
• You've lost a good five pounds.
• You can only audiate camp songs all day long.
• You give up cocoa butter in attempt to minimize mosquito bites.
• Your nails start changing colors and cracking from all the nail polish remover and constantly changing colors every few days.
• Camp eggs during breakfast begin to taste normal.
• Tuesdays are not complete without tacos.

 Contributions by Kari Fillian

• You are suprised when toilets don't have foam!
• You look forward to opening day breakfast because:

1. you get semi-normal breakfast.
2. you get to eat with staff members.

Reflection on Summer 2013

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

From the first time I stepped foot into my cabin room early this summer in June, on the wall there was a greeting, Psalm 121. My dear friend, co-counselor, and now roommate for the summer, had thoughtfully written the psalm on note cards, and placed them above her dresser as a daily reminder and prayer for each day at camp. Many mornings I would wake up from the bottom bunk and look across the room just to read the promise and truth so faithfully hanging for all to see.

The overlying theme that sticks out to me is the phrase, "to keep." What does it mean?

We often talk about things or people in our lives that we want "to keep" around. This phrase may come up when we are doing our spring cleaning: do I keep the old wicker chair or make room for a new piece of furniture; I have four shirts of the same color and similar design...I love them all, but they sure are taking up a lot of space and variety can be a good thing...so which do I keep; or I've had these jeans for a long time, and they are my absolute favorite pair so I'm going to keep them, even though they are terribly worn and faded. 

With people, "keeping" friends and family around is clearly more serious of a matter than going through personal belongings, so the actions associated with "to keep" change and become deeper. To keep people, we think about the devotion and sacrifices we make to be in community with them. We remember and cherish experiences and memories shared and know the connection that time brings in passing. "To keep" the people we love close to us, we overlook and give grace to the not-so-delightful characteristics and actions in others because we know that down underneath lies goodness, truth, and hope. Choosing to keep people in our lives requires effort, setting aside our own plans, intentionally seeking out others, living through the inconveniences, calling for help when we feel unworthy or burdensome, making ourselves vulnerable and dependent in a world where we're supposed to be headstrong individuals making our own successful way, and loving when it's hard and the proverbial "well of life" seems empty. All of this action with people suddenly translates into another word all of a sudden: commitment. 

This can be a dreaded and shied-away-from word because when commitment comes into the picture, reality and truth of the situation shows its true colors. When I choose to "keep in contact" and really mean it, I am making a commitment to that person to write them and check in from time to time. When I say I am going to pray for you and your situation, I make a commitment to you and to being with you as best I can. I believe that a large part of our mission and process of life is to be in community with others, make commitments to one another, and see them through together, just as Christ came to be with mankind in our community and continues to do so. He keeps me.

Throughout the summer when I was tired, sore, hurt, overjoyed, fulfilled, and resting, God was with me, chose, and chooses to keep me. His faithfulness and unchanging nature met me these past few months and continues to curb my life. He and our commitment lays at the center of each day and, I pray, that I will continue to choose and keep Him at my center. Each day is new, and the promise and opportunity "to keep" begins again. Yesterday is gone, and I have another chance now. We continue to think about new ways and truths in which God is our keeper and how He takes care of his people. While we discover more of God's nature, his nature itself doesn't change, but as we continue to grow and learn and experience new things, this question never really ends: how, and do we, in turn keep the Lord?

***

Lord, 

How I still desperately search for your truth and goodness and grace to learn more about you each day. Help me to remember how truly blessed I am; You have given me so much more in this life than I deserve. That despite my shortcomings, you keep me, you are in charge and provide for me. Whether in this lifetime or in eternity in heaven, I have hope that you will bless me, you will enlarge  and prosper me, you will be with me always and nothing can separate me from you (Rom 8:38-39). I do not expect this now, but in your timing as you prepare a place for me. You keep me. You don't discard me or put me on the front lawn with a "for sale" sign or an "unwanted" label. You keep me. You find value in me. You find a way to fix me up and use me for a specific purpose you have in mind. You cherish me and do not want to be without me. The love I have for you is precious in your eyes. You make me beautiful. You build me up and have designed and crafted me in a way that you adore your creation. You have made a graceful creature in me, which has only been transformed by your love and mercy, and my surrender. When you keep me, you love me. 

I am kept, therefore, I am loved.

Camp Wonderland 2013: I'll Never Forget When...

• I sprained my foot the day before first opening day.
• Elijah and I jammed on the keyboard with vocals to Just Around the Riverbend.
• during Session 1 at Pioneer, we trucked through the woods to Pheasant's Place! So much fun and proud of our team (props to Casey, and smiles for Kari) and our campers. Best of all was cleaning out the campers' shoes in the shower where I'm convinced half of the mud from the woods went down the drain.
• I sat on the bench with a Amber and prayed with her.
• we sang our campers to sleep every night.
• I received a mystery beauty package in the mail...I still don't know who sent it!
• I sang hymns and folk songs alone in the chapel.
• I fell through the tire, and hit the ground hard on the triangle course. I love ropes! Seriously, I do.
• one evening during Session 6 I knelt at the altar and hashed out life before and with God.
• OGU had our night out on the pontoon and played Never-Have-I-Ever.
• I helped raise the flag with Katie Berkley.
• Kari made me hot tea in the morning and I drank it from my bed. :)
• I held back Sara's hair on closing day when she had a stomach bug. :(
• I rear ended my co on leaving day...

23 Signs You're Secretly An Introvert

23 Signs You're Secretly An Introvert

Many thanks for Megan who found this blog and shared via facebook. If you're curious about many of my personal introverted thoughts, I highly recommend reading this article for yourself. :)

Camp Wonderland: Last Will and Testament 2013

I, Kate Hayashi, being of grateful mind and recovering body, hereby leave

Kari: my supply of cocoa butter, cotton balls and nail polish, apple cider vinegar and honey, a dent repair kit, a moth/fly swatter, my Gordon sweatshirt, my stargazing book and planisphere app, the Sharon community center, and all the love I could give to the best co-counselor I could have had this summer. God's timing is always the best!

Taylor: my bottle of witch hazel, some cotton balls, and a big hug.

Elizabeth: my friendship bracelet string to be used, my board games including Twister and Clue, and open arms for a hug or shoulder when needed.

Kaitlyn: all of my country music and tissue paper

Taletha: any more pieces of pizza my allergic body should not eat and my straw hat.

Rachel: as many hugs and cuddles as my arms can give.
 
Alysia: all my unwritten journals to welcome your sketches and notes, and my volleyball gear.

Jen: the Atkinson Chapel and the Hannah Montana Hoedown Throwdown.

Katie: the satisfaction of ruining my best never-have-I-ever card with flag raising, but also knowing how your presence comforts me and I couldn't and wouldn't have done it without you.

Cam: my supple of Mediterranean hummus and some ear plugs.

Cruz: a copy of that picture and a revised version of the Hayashi family tree. Much love, Brother!

Brad: my striper bass from Lake Massapoag.

Hannah: all my Twinings decaf tea (it's the best I could do for tea...) and a happy heart.

Elijah: my Icy Hot bottle, my ice pack and athletic wrap, and my wicked awesome tan you didn't get this summer!

Bill Rollins: my score of Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate

Camp Wonderland Staff 2013: my love. Also, the recognition that you have been a part of my best summer in New England. I praise and thank God for all the love and support you have given me these past two months.