I had one day at home after my family camping trip before heading out camping once again! This time I had plans to go camping with some of the volunteers and residents of Adam House. I slept for one night at Mom and Dad’s and then packed up their van along with borrowed sleeping bags, tent, dishes, tarp, etc! I left for Toronto at around noon and later met Aiden and Tim at Adam House to see what food we could get from there and then go grocery shopping for anything we were still missing. The next morning I picked up ice and went to pick up some of the residents. I knew that I wouldn’t have enough space for everything in the van, and so I took my parents suggestion of putting all of the sleeping bags and mattresses in two big garbage bags and tying them to the roof rack. We were a bit delayed doing this before heading off, but it worked like a charm and gave just enough space for everyone. I met up with Tim and Aiden’s car at York Mills Station and then we all headed off! It was fun to hear the residents talking about Afghani and Persian history and music while I drove!
Upon arriving at the campsite we set up camp with many hands to help! There were ten of us in total! A funny moment happened when we set up Aiden’s two tents only to discover that one was a dining tent and could not be used to sleep in. That meant that the seven guys would all be packed into my parents tent that luckily is pretty big! We decided to use some of our remaining daylight hours to go exploring and find the beach. We discovered that was a short walk from our campsite. The water was oh so cold, but that didn’t stop everyone except Tim and I from going swimming. I decided that I would have plenty of time to swim the following day! After the swim we decided to find a peninsula that was on our map called Sunset Point. I decided to be artistic and spelled out Adam House with pebbles and we all had a good time taking photographs. We headed back before the sunset to prepare our dinner of burgers and sausages. We also got the fire started and everyone enjoyed just sitting and chatting. I surprised everyone by pulling out my guitar and playing a few tunes and a few others played as well! We stayed around the fire until midnight and then we came up with the idea of going for a night walk back to the beach to look at the stars! We walked all the way to the point we went to earlier, laid on the ground, and just stared up at the beautiful sky for a half hour. Several of us saw shooting stars at different times! As soon as we got back we all went to sleep. I was pretty tired and so fell asleep pretty quickly, but apparently there was a bit of a snoring contest from the guy’s tent!
Sunset point
Around the campsite
The next day a few of us got up at around 8am and started making pancakes. In the late morning we packed up everything we needed to spend the day away from the campsite. First we went to the store to pick up a few things (and enjoyed some popsicles!) and then we went for a hike around one of the large ponds in the park. The path was a nice loop with two lookout points intended for bird watching. We were such a merry, chatty group that we probably scared most of them away! We had fun taking pictures of the group at a few points along the path. After the hike we were ready to go to the beach! This time we decided to check out the public beach that we hoped would be a bit bigger than the campground beach that we went to the day before. The beach was bigger but in the water in most places there were big rocks that were impossible to walk on. There was only a narrow strip where stones had been cleared away and there was sand. It didn’t stop us though and we spent a good amount of time in the water. At first it was freezing cold but eventually we all got used to it. Ali had a phone that could go under water and so we had fun taking underwater photos and videos! Lana and I built a small sand castle and a few of us enjoyed just laying on the tarp and soaking in the sun. Volleyball is a tradition with the folks at Adam House and so there were two very epic matches where the winners got to kick the losers into the water! I watched the first game and then played in the second game and lost! We headed back to camp to wash up and then left for the point again in time to see the sun fully set. Once again there was not a cloud in the sky and it was beautiful to see the golden ball slowly sink below the water. Back at the campsite we had spaghetti for dinner and enjoyed another fire. This time I made sure everyone got to try a well roasted marshmallow! At midnight we went a second time to see the beautiful starry sky. I felt so at peace and was so thankful to have this time to spend with such great people.
A bunch of crazies…
Volleyball tournament
The next day we packed up camp early because we would have a long drive back and I also had to drop off my parent’s van and return the equipment I had borrowed. We had bacon and eggs and leftovers for breakfast and Tim brought us through Psalm 8 which was so applicable to the nature that we got to enjoy on the trip. It is true that looking at the stars makes us feel so small, and yet God reminds us that he values us and gives us work to do on this earth. I was thankful that we all arrived back in Toronto safely and that everyone had a good time! I was so glad to share the experience of camping with the residents. It is an activity that is so unique and amazing about this country!
Psalm 8 (ESV):
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
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