Hello! My name is Dorothy Thomas. I am currently serving as a camp, church and conference intern at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center. This means that I am learning a million things, work where I am needed, and focus on special projects. I have lived in many states throughout the mid-western section of the United States, but am currently a resident of Texas. I am also a student at Texas A&M University Central Texas in Killeen, TX. I am a quirky individual that loves a diverse mix of activities; travel, hiking, reading, service projects, arts and crafts, visiting museums, dancing, etc. As I was staying in the Little Rock area this summer I realized that I was missing something in my life. There was a void that needed to be filled. I missed being in the outdoors away from everything and working for a place that filled me with passion. A few days later I found Ferncliff and applied. It was late in the game and I didn’t think that I would make the cut. Two weeks later I was moving in.

With all of the sustainable programs, outreach facilities, and camp environment I couldn’t resist the opportunity to be in such a place. Over the past few weeks I have made some amazing friends, started connecting to God on another level, become more involved in my community, and I’m learning useful information and applying those new/old skills together to bring about positive development for a place that I consider to be home now. I believe that Ferncliff is a place to build strong relationships and impact the community around us. This community has embraced me with open arms and lifts me up when I need support.

The place I find the most comfort is the kitchen. Ferncliff has recently opened a new dining hall. It is comfortable and inviting. The kitchen staff are fantastic individuals and the new cooking equipment is a dream to work with. The transition into a new facility was stressful but also a great time for celebration! I have had the great opportunity to assist in this kitchen and be a part of the team; utilizing my skills and gaining new ones. Part of building strong relationships with others for me is meal time. I enjoy cooking a meal, serving it, and sharing it with others; friends, family and strangers.

Everyone in my family can cook. Though many think I get the cooking gene from my father, I actually just learned most things on my own. And I am still learning. I am not the Iron Chef! But I enjoy being in the kitchen and creating a new recipe. My gram taught me proper table/dining etiquette, how to make a menu and set the table properly, etc. Many people may not prescribe to this kind of lifestyle anymore but I feel that it is an important part of being a family and daily living. The Lord said to feed his sheep and I embrace that philosophy. Everyone is welcome at Christ’s table. Fill those around you, and yourself, with good things. Be good to others.

As we grow in faith in this intentional community, I find that family meal time is very important to me. We as a group have kept fairly busy over the past few weeks and at the end of the day I feel the need to have intentional family time to stay connected. No matter how busy life gets, one should always make time to sit down at the table; have a real conversation, put away the cell-phones and turn off the television/computer.

One also must remember to put God first. A prayer before a meal is not just something you do because your parents said you had to. A prayer at the beginning of a meal is a time to thank the Lord for the blessings that have been provided and starts the meal with peace. It does not need to be long, but it re-focuses the mind to important matters. One must feed the spirit as well as the body. With God, good food, and good people I feel fulfilled and satisfied. As we merge into the holiday season we should remember that it is important to be thankful for what we have every day. I look forward to growing in faith with this community and thank God that I have been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities. With that in mind I will end this blog post with a camp prayer (please sing it when you say it):

“God is Good, God is Great, God he gave us Chocolate cake, he’s a righteous dude, he gave us food, rub-a-dub-dub three men in a tub, Thank you , God for this great grub, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen! Woo!”