Confessions of a Cabin Inspector: West Coast Honor Camp Monday through Tuesday

Each year of West Coast Honor Camp, I'm faced with a variety of new experiences. This year, for example, I am learning the duties of general staff: specifically, I'm learning the role of a cabin inspector. I am inspecting the rawhides (where the junior high girls sleep) while they are away at their Bible lessons. I have only been inspecting for two days with my partner, Liz Benesch, but I have already made some observations based on what I've heard from other inspectors and what I've seen myself.

Inspections are much harder than one would think. We're given a sheet with eight categories — grounds, floors, beds, clothes, shoes, suitcases, bathrooms, and bonus — and each category has a potential of five points. The inspection process itself begins at the communal bathrooms. We have to check both sets of shower stalls for any sand or mud or hair around the drains, any curtains pulled to different sides, any undumped trashcans and any unlabeled left-behind bottles or towels or clothes.

Then it's on to the two sets of toilet stalls. As with the showers, we look for lost items, curtain conformity, clean floors and empty cans. But then we have to check for any unflushed bowls — and sometimes, we find them. (Yuck!)

After grading the bathrooms, the real challenge begins: we have to walk through eight rawhides and one tent, judging each of the criterion — all in less than an hour (hardly enough time).

We start outside with the grounds: Is there trash around the rawhide? Are the porches swept? Any wayward shoes or clothes below the clothesline? Is the clothesline labeled?

Once we grant points for the outside, we slowly open the door to the sleeping area, never knowing what to expect. Today we were showered with patriotic confetti; greeted by a giant teddy bear holding a fish, a bouquet and a bunch of taffy for us; directed along a trail of sparkling stars and shoes to a trophy; given a story about a picnic in celebration of soldiers and pie accompanied by the picnic scene (the people and animals celebrating, but no pie); and provided with a poem about a bunk that collapsed yesterday. Others left us necklaces, notes and various candies. Such creativity, along with the use of patriotic decorations and sticks and rocks and pine cones all go into the bonus category, often making or breaking a winning score.

From there, we begin down the list. Floors: Did they sweep? Is there any clothing under the bunks?

Beds: Are sleeping bags zipped? If not, is there a note explaining a broken zipper? Are there any lumps?

Clothes: Any to be seen? On the line outside, are they neat? Undergarments should never be found, ever!

Shoes: Do they make a distinguishable pattern? Are they uniform in presentation?

Suitcases: Are they zipped closed or is there an explanation for why they're not? Any Bibles or lesson books to be seen (They should be with the kids at the lesson, NOT in the rawhide)?

More often than not, rawhides, along with the tepees (junior high boys) and cabins (high school), do well with some scores and not with others. Unfortunately, this can lead to problems. Camilla Taetzsch, one of the cabin inspectors, explains. "How do you choose between a cabin that's hyper clean but has no decorations and a cabin that's moderately clean but has lots of decorations?"

Other times, the ultra-clean cabins give the inspectors grief. "What I hate most is when everything is fine except for one thing," Taetzsch said. "Like when the grounds are perfect except for one pair of shoes, or all beds are perfect except for one person's. I think 'What happened?' and feel bad for not being able to give a perfect score."

The best parts of inspections are leaving the kids candy and watching how the rawhides improve throughout the week, and like all the other staff, we inspectors hope and pray the children are improving and growing as well.

Monday's Evening Lesson: Think Right, Do Right, Feel Right: Introduction (more information to come)
Tonight's Verse Card Count: At least 85.
Junior High Armor: Shoes of Peace and Breastplate of Righteousness
High School head to their ministries tomorrow. Please keep them in your prayers.

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
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