Do Something Different
Have you done something different recently as a couple that disrupted your life, expanded your horizon, or challenged your comfort?
Our Experience
Libby and I just got back from two weeks of volunteering at a Christian Conference Center in the North Carolina Mountains. For years some of our grandchildren have attended the outdoor camps connected to the Conference Center. Their other grandparents had volunteered the last two years, so we thought we should ante up. We did not want to get too far behind in the Grandparent Sweepstakes.
Also, some dear friends from the first church I pastored were going to be there.
It was easy to be bold eight months earlier when we had to sign up. But as the time approached, I found myself asking, “We‘re doing what?!” “For how long?!?!”
We got the When I Work app on our phones, packed, drove to Black Mountain, got signed in, moved into our modest mountain version of Motel 6, and eventually found the dining hall for our first dinner.
So, what were our jobs?
“Hosting” the meals for 1,400-1,800 guests, mostly teenagers, which meant wiping a lot of tables in the 990-seat dining hall. Sometimes our job was to greet all the guests and count them on a finger clicker. As you can imagine, Libby was great at greeting, except I thought that she was a little too upbeat and cheerful for breakfast as tired youth dragged themselves to breakfast.
“GOOD MORNING!”
“Pancakes for breakfast!”
My greeting?
“It’ll get better.”
We also worked in the ice cream parlor and coffee shop.
One boy came up to the counter and said,
“May I have a slice of pizza and one scoop of ice cream?”
“What flavor of ice cream?”
“What?”
“What flavor of ice cream”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll take chocolate.”
It was great for our marriage:
To be a team serving a crowd of strangers.
To meet and get to know other volunteers who were outside of our ‘bubble.’
To have to report to the dining hall at 6:30 am several mornings.
To enjoy seeing each other with fresh eyes as we related to others. It was fun seeing Libby hoist the biggest bag of Captain Crunch to keep the cereal chute supplied. (I celebrated each morning by having at least one bowl of this classic cereal.)
To be tired together.
To relax in rocking chairs with beautiful mountain views.
We are glad we went.
What are you thinking about doing?
