Our morning started early…we woke everyone up at 5:30 and drove up to God’s Open Window to see the sunrise…well, actually 3 sunrises. It was clear over us, but there was a cloud -line to the east and the sun peaked in and out 3 times. We headed over to breakfast, pancakes and bacon, then down to camp to get ready for the work day.
Bathroom Crew – Joe, Janet, Megan, Taylor, Sarah, Carter
The MS Work Crew went to their site and laid down the 4 remaining tiles, and glued down the smidge of carpet left to do. They were done by 9:30 and were up at the ramp site by 10.
Ramp Crew – Everybody Else
We got to the ramp site and started: laying the remaining deck boards on the upper level, finishing the railings, building the gates, installing and tightening the bolts in the supports, and when the MS Crew showed up, the sanding began. One of the advantages of a ramp job is you can throw a bunch of kids at it and keep everybody working. We broke for a quick lunch and started back at it. By 2:30 the ramp was done and we had the trailer mostly loaded. We took pictures and signed our handiwork, and off we went.
Goodwill
One of our traditions is a trip to the Goodwill Store in Berkeley Springs. While some kids actually buy some stuff, it’s mostly just a fun time, as you can see.
Dinner @ Maria’s
After showers back at camp we headed to dinner at Maria’s (another tradition of ours) We pre-order, which makes things go smoothly. As always it was wonderful,although no accordion player this year. 
Similar to our purple shirt we pass on at the Commissioning service, we have a MS Shirt that is passed on to the hardest working MS’er. Last year’s recipient, Sarah, had a really hard decision this year, as everyone, including all the MS’ers worked really hard. She narrowed it down to 3, then to 2, and finally to this year’s recipient…ok…per the request of this year’s recipient, I’m withholding the announcement, until they have had time to share it with their family….Basically I’ll tell you in tomorrow’s update.
Bowling
As I type, we’re at the bowling alley, having a blast. This year we’re able to have 3 lanes to ourselves, so everyone is getting to bowl together.
Tomorrow
We’ll be up fairly early, breaking camp, cleaning the lower bathroom, Vespers at 9, and then hitting the road. Should be home somewhere around 3-4 +/-. We’ve had an awesome week, this is an amazing group of young people, and as I told them tonight after dinner, it’s hard to compare year to year, and I’ve had some really good Camp Joy groups, but that they were certainly one of the best if not THE BEST!
