“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE?!?!” the 10th graders begged as they paraded into my classroom on Thursday during lunch. “We really really want to go. Mr. F said he’d go, so we have our guy adult.”

The plan? Ten tenth graders decided they wanted to camp out overnight on ‘upper field’ and needed male and female chaperones in order for approval to go. I was the target choice of female chaperone. They’d asked the day before after school and I’d told them to come back so I could think about it. “9pm. After family night!” (their Friday night activity). I mulled. I hemmed. I hawed. “Sure.” I decided.

Come 8:50pm, I stuffed a sleeping bag and hammock into a giant blanket with some wool socks and a fuzzy north face jacket and walked 100 yards from my cozy warm home into the windy night. I meet Mr. F on the field and we make some decisions about where the girls and guys camps will be, and then sat back as one by one fifteen-year-olds drag dorm mattresses onto the field. Tarps are procured, and from somewhere comes a portable projector and speaker, set up facing a stone wall.

The mattresses and blankets are arranged as we get cozy for a quoting party. I would say we watched a movie, but nearly all of the lines were doubled by someone mumbling, “Anybody want a peanut?” or “As you wiiiiiiiissshhhhhhhh!!!” making fun of a bumbling useless princess the guys all thought was cute and a conniving dread pirate with a perfect nose. As the movie wrapped up, the star tipping began while I stayed on the mattress pile with one of the girls, R.

While friends spun around, eyes fixed on a star above only to turn around and chase a bright light, usually ending up with the world facing sideways, R and I chatted about how she came to RVA as a 3rd grader halfway through the school year, staying with a family on campus instead of in the dorms because she was so young. She talked about her older brothers who’ve both graduated, and her new home in a big city in Tanzania where they can actually get groceries instead of having to drive 6 hours and stock up every once in a while from where they lived in the bush.

The clock approached the dawn of a new day and movement was made towards our separate camps. I snuggled into my hammock, blanket wrapped all around me, double layers of clothing everywhere tucked into my sleeping bag, only to have the wind whip the loose fabric and rock me back and forth steadily as the cool air easily cut through my layers. Even with my hat pulled over my eyes I couldn’t block out the lights on the outside of the gym. Two o’ clock am rolled around and I gave up, crawling out of my hammock to find a spot on the ground.

I did a quick head count of the girls piled nearby and started to get nervous when I was two short. Then I had to chase my pillow which had blown down the hill. I counted again, looking at the completely missing hammock one of the girls had been planning to sleep in. Had to pause my count again, this time to chase my little air-mattress-sleeping-pad which had blown twice as far as my pillow.

All belongings secure, I began towards the boys camp to wake up the other adult to help me solve my missing girls conundrum. About ten yards into my journey across the field, I found them sound asleep on a separate mattress pile. They must’ve wanted to chat a little longer than the other three ladies. I tried to fall asleep in my new position, rolling this way and that to get comfortable on the ground, only to feel my tiny air mattress slowly deflate beneath me. Forgot to check for rocks…

I hear a rustling and check my watch. Five o’clock. The girls are up- they’d asked me last night. I pop my head up as they remind me of their plan. They creep towards the boys camp, then burst into a jolly chorus of “Rise and shine” racing back to their beds for another hour of shut eye. I remind them a couple of times that the plan involved going BACK to sleep, and have to tell one of the guys who wandered over it wasn’t quite time to start mixing camps yet.

The sun starts to rise and the birds are chirping as I’m once again stirred. I lift my head and instantly see six frozen statues. There are only five teen guys, which tells me Mr. F is on the move too. They begin to stealth mode over exaggerate tip toe their way towards the sleeping ladies. The closer they get, the louder their song, and the faster their motions. Craziness once more washes over camp as the game becomes “Wake up T & T.” This of course only makes the two still sleeping ladies more determined to stay in their beds. Blankets are stolen. Then piled, then mattresses piled high, then boys start jumping over mattresses, then jumping ON mattresses, all while the two remaining sleeping beauties remain unperturbed.

Eventually the game shifts once more and the mattresses are simultaneously taken by all five guys to build a fort with the empty soccer goals. Somehow the last mattress with the two ladies on it is lifted and carried a mere fifteen yards before the ladies are deposited and that part of the game is dismissed. After an hour and a half of laughter and joy, sleeping bags are rolled up, hammocks dismantled, and shoes are located.

I leave having slept only a few hours (as I anticipated as I sleep lightly and knew I’d be acutely aware of student movement) but having had a few hours of fun. Of the ten of them, only two are current students of mine. One of the guys says, “Thanks so much for coming out. Your students must be lucky to have you as their teacher.” I’m reminded again of my day job, teaching chemistry, as I think of my real job, reaching students.

Though nothing major or profound happened in our evening under the stars, we did have a blast. These ten teens were given a chance to be a little insane, and Mr. F and I were able to provide the space for it to happen. As I sat in my hammock and watched what can only be described as teenage craziness, Mr. F sipping coffee on the ground watching from the other side of the tarp, we both had huge smiles on our faces as our conversation went something like,

“I love teenagers.”

“They’re complete idiots.”

“This is amazing.”

The cafo opened for breakfast and other students started meandering out of their dorms and past our campout spot. One by one, mattresses were returned and students wandered off. I wandered back home and made my own cup of coffee, ready to start my sleep deprived day.

Prayer Points

• Would you pray for rain? We are very dry, and another part of our evening involved forest fire watch as a very big one blazed just over the ridge.
• Would you pray for continued finding of balance? It’s a constant battle to figure out what part of my life is work, what part is fun, what part is pouring out and what part is filling up.
• Would you pray for endurance? We’ve got about three weeks of term, then one week of “interim” (student trips) and kiddos are starting to feel the drag- this point in the term is always hard on them as their time away from their families is felt more.