Thank You 2015 Staff

2015 Staff Photo

Dear 2015 Staff,

This is my last chance to talk to you. This is my final blog post of the summer and I’d like to take a minute to say thank you. Many of you came to camp as strangers, not sure what to expect. Some of you flew across the country with little certainty you’d make a home here. Some of you came for the fifth time, worried that the new staff wouldn't fit in. Some came to camp and they weren't sure if they belonged and some came knowing that camp was home. When you came to camp you came as a group of young adults from different backgrounds, here for a variety of reasons, but you leave in a very different manner.

We accomplished a lot this summer. We served over 800 campers and baptized 10 people, including one of our own. We graduated staff training and passed the general certification test. We taught campers to swim, climb, skate, act, drive and most importantly, love the lord.

We do a lot of things at camp. We act in outpost, we teach in our activity areas, we counsel, we forget what its like to be among adults, we spend time with campers and help our fellow staff. We lose sleep, we work hard ,we eat way too much jello, but more than anything, We Change Lives.

At the beginning of the summer I told you that the most important decision you would make was to walk through the door and leave your lives behind in favor of working at camp. At the end of the summer I told you that the most important thing you did was not leave. 

I was wrong.

The most important thing you did this summer was the work you did each and everyday to change the hearts, minds and lives of our campers. Its painfully obvious that we couldn't have camp without you, but its easier to forget that, in many cases, our campers wouldn't have Jesus without you.

I want to thank each and every one of you for every sleepless night,  every drop of sweat, every callused finger, every blister and every day you gave up this summer to minister to our children. Thank you for the memories and the relentless willingness to serve. I’m not blind or naive enough to think you didn't give up a lot to be here. We could have made more money elsewhere, we might even have more fun elsewhere, but you came here. 

Its hard to remember those first two days of camp when i didn't know your names. Its hard to remember how life works down the mountain and its hard to remember a day without you all, but it will be hard to forget you. We came to the mountain as strangers, but we are leaving as a massive family. 

Thank you,                                                                         Your friend, Colin

Teen Week: Wednesday-Friday

Adventurus Class

The week has flown by and the end of camp is drawing near. In the past three days, the teen campers have experienced so many special moments from going on their different day trips, watching the drama unfold during outpost and working hard for ultimate cabin points during big event. Cabins have become closer to each other, relationships have been formed, classes have come to the end, and pageant provided a moving experience for many of the campers.

Pastor Dante

On Wednesday, the classes continued to dive deeper into the knowledge of their departments. For example, team water sports learned simple fundamentals about water polo, adventurus hiked up to White Rock, ropes got to experience the zip-line, and cake decorating got to experiment with fondant. The small engine racing class went on their day trip to Pole Position Raceway Indoor Track. They had a blast racing go-carts while the rest of us had fun back here at camp. “Cornucopia” made for an exciting big event, with campers and counselors battling it out with noodles and dodgeballs for ultimate cabin points. We ended the day by watching the third and final part of outpost, where we witnessed the dramatic conclusion of the feud between the Wrightleys and the Gales.

Cornucopia

On Thursday, rain, thunder and lightning threatened to dampen the mood of the campers but they didn’t let the weather stop them from having fun. Ropes went to their day trip to Hangar 18 while the rest of us enjoyed indoor activities up at camp. Board games were brought out, groups got together to play “mafia”, and campers used their creative imaginations as inspiration for fun. Thankfully the weather let up and the campers were able to play a huge version of the board game, “Sorry”, on the field. The fun of this game led up to the excitement and pleasure of the Carnival. Games of lazer tag were played, the basketball class took on the PSR staff basketball team, and nachos, ice cream, and popcorn were eaten to the tune of a medley of songs.

Today (Friday) marked the end of classes and the beginning of the Sabbath. Classes came to an end and post tests were taken to see how much the campers had learned. The girls from south village also had “No Makeup Friday” and all the mirrors in the cabins and bathrooms were covered with colorful paper. Phrases like “you’re beautiful”, “you look amazing”, and “you are gorgeous” were written all over these pieces of paper, reminding the girls that they didn’t need makeup to be pretty in God’s eyes. Super Big Event was a blast, starting with an intense version of dodgeball for ultimate cabin points, and ending with cabins choosing different departments to enjoy (like pool, ropes, and field games).

Teen Campers Responding to Altar Call

Friday night closed with Pageant, a play that we use to communicate Christ's love to our campers. At the end of the program, campers were asked to make a decision on whether or not they were going to be different, whether or not they were going to make a difference for Christ. Over a hundred campers

stood and made that decision to be different. Our summer season is drawing to a close, but we will be back next summer with more staff that dare to be different and that want to bring campers closer to Christ as we “Connect” together.


We’ll have one last post for you before all is said and done, but until then Happy Sabbath,          -Colin