After nearly 3 months with out a day off, it was refreshing to my spirit to return to Camp Mack for a sabbath time. There were only 3 or 4 of us there which was different cause we usually have around 15 to 20 pastors there. It made for a really great and restful time, cuz so often when you put a bunch of pastors together all we do is talk. I spent far more time in the woods this time than I had before so that I could continue to work on my tracking, stalking and awareness techniques. I needed that. I sat at the edge of the lake Tuesday night and heard nothing! I mean I heard nothing remotely resembling traffic in the city or airplanes or just city noise/pollution. It truly was refreshing my soul. After a while, the geese took flight and the night sounds began to fill the air and for the first time in quite some time I was at peace.
Yesterday evening I shared some time with a bunch of 4th graders from a nearby school district that as part of it's school curriculum incorporates nature education. I was invited by Camp Mack staff to come and demonstrate for the kids how to make fire using the bow drill. I had two sharing and demonstration times with them. The first time I was able to get a good coal but it didn't quite take once it was in my tinder bundle. The second group only got to see me working at getting a coal but no fire. It was still an important lesson to be learned because they understood that to make fire it requires some knowledge and work. We gathered in a tipi and talked about bow and arrows, stone tools, brain tanning and shared some Native American lore/folk stories. The kids loved it! I wonder if I could somehow do that on my own and begin teaching those skills once we get settled into Illinois? If I want to do something bad enough I will find a way to do it! The rest of the evening was spent around a campfire singing songs and popping popcorn in a kettle over the fire. Good times! I see possibilities for me to be involved in those settings but again it might be more teaching those wilderness skills... we'll see.
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