The past few days have flown by at an unbelievable speed as we prepare camp for Sunday. Earlier this week I got the opportunity to start the new Tikkun-Olam (Program at camp) project to create a new, shaded area for Saturday morning services. I was not thrilled when I saw the area we would be working with. The area was littered with dead trees, leaves, and weeds everywhere. As the morning progressed I found myself becoming more invested in the labor of raking and moving fallen tree limbs. After an hour of work I realized that what we were doing has value for the aesthetic beauty of camp, and a different inherent meaning for individuals who create this new area during the summer. By the time our group finished in the afternoon there were no leaves or limbs of any sort present. Now the area looks clear, beautiful, and ready for the campers to help build benches and other necessities. I hope campers will feel similar emotions that I experienced while working on this location. They are part of building the next generation of camp and will have the pleasure of attending Saturday morning services in a space that they themselves constructed. The project will take time, but it is not exceptionally laborious work. It is rather simple tasks like one bunk making a bench or pulling a section of weeds that we missed. It takes time, and the time that campers put into this project, will make them all the more excited to see the fruits of their labor; I know I am. In addition, this new program has the powerful effect of illustrating first hand evidence that their time and energy can be the origin of a significant project that will be used in years to come.
Mohawk staff is a tight and cohesive group this year, but we still have room for improvement before the campers get here. I am counting down the hours until the most successful tribe of camp is united and wins fight song.
Jeremy Garson
