Hello from Junior Camp #1! (Friday)

FRIDAY

Probably the best way to start a Friday is with some carbohydrates, so we had the campers munching on French toast, cold cereal, strawberries, bananas, toast, vege-patties, yogurt, dates, and various toppings for breakfast. Even though some of the campers are a bit older, a ladle full of syrup doesn't look like a whole bunch until you drop it onto a whole mess of food. It took the campers a little longer to construct their meals this morning, but French toast is a meal that can't really by rushed. 

For worship Pastor Pablo talked about sharing the gospel and using it to connect to others. After worships was over we split up for morning activities. On Fridays we do something a little different by allowing the cabins to choose which morning class they want to take (absent those signed up for specific classes). Sometimes all of the cabins want to do the same thing, but this Friday they were really nice and almost everyone got to do a rotation in an activity they loved.

Lunch today was baked potatoes, chili, chili toppings, Jello, salad bar, fruit, and we even let the campers have soda. After lunch it was time to go the store, have quiet time in our cabins, or even go for a nature hike with our counselor before super big event.

Super Big Event is when the camper get to visit the pool, the zip line, play soccer, do drama games, or laser tag. Cabins get to rotate through two of the activities between 3-5 pm, and most of them go to the pool or drama games.  

  
After those rotations we have dinner (it seems like all we do it eat and play at camp!) which was grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, with full salad bar, French fries, orange slices, Jello, and water/milk. Grilled cheese sandwiches is a popular meal, and I saw lot of the staff filling up in preparation for the evening program.

At PSR Camp we start the Sabbath at sundown, and campers go to our sundown service after flag lowering. After singing a few songs we have our Pageant and then the camp pastor does a call for those who want to dedicate their life to Jesus for the first time. Most of the campers make this kind of decision at camp or choose to rededicate their lives to Christ and honor the sacrifice He made to cleanse us from sin.

Sabbath is my favorite day at camp and it's not even over yet.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Hello from Junior Camp #1 (Wednesday & Thursday)

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY

I'm glad to be at camp this week, so many things have been happening down the mountain and around the country that it's nice to be away from it all at Pine Springs Ranch. The campers are having fun and we're having a blast with them every day.

I have been up and down the mountain several times in the past couple days, so I haven't spent a lot of time with the campers. I wish I had a lot more to report about camp, so I'll try to create a really good blogpost tomorrow for our most avid followers. Things are going so well at PSR this week, but now that thought brings me very little joy because of the events that have transpired to the north of us.  

I'm sure some of our parents have heard about the two staff from Camp Big Lake in Oregon and Camp Wawona in the Central CA Conference who've recently passed away. Even though those two individuals weren't working at PSR Camp, their loss has been deeply felt by those who knew them here at camp and elsewhere around the country. A camp staff is really like a family and I find myself unable to imagine how we would deal with that kind of tragedy. We're doing our best to care for the staff who are hurting while also rotating our staff around so that people have a chance to grieve before coming back on duty.

This is our smallest session of camp, which really bothered me a week ago. However, if we had more campers here this week, we wouldn't be able to rotate the staff to give some people a bit of extra time off. I'm not sure what God's plan is but I'm bolstered by the small things we're able to do everyday to help each other during these difficult times.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Hello from Junior Camp #1 (Tuesday)

TUESDAY

It's hard for me not to mention the weather everyday. Last week it got unbearable hot for a couple days, but that hasn't been the case at all this week. Things could always change, but I'm hopeful that we won't have any unexpected weather events.

This morning we started with fried eggs on English muffins, tater tots, yogurt, strawberries, bananas, grapefruit, cold cereal, milk and juice. All of the campers were able to get through the cafeteria line in about 15 minutes, so they all had about 45 minutes to eat and then prepare for line call. It was another standard morning, with a few upset stomachs but nothing out of the ordinary in the camp population. Some of our staff are a little under the weather, but everyone reported to flag raising on time.

Cabin Apache raised the flag and did a little show. I have recently started thinking about video blogging just because all of the cabin presentations after flag raising are so memorable and creative. The boys have been a little more shy so far, but the girl cabins are starting to become more outgoing and interesting.

After flag raising we went to morning worship and the camp pastor talked about the gifts God gave us and then we had a positive affirmation battle where two people would day nice things to each other in front of the audience. It was really nice to hear people affirming each other in a way the world often uses to disrespect others (often humorously).

Morning activities went off without a hitch, with some campers doing rotations and others taking classes. I heard they were really cooking in Junior Chef today, which is probably why it's one of the most popular classes at camp. It's a bit silly, but after sampling their own food it's basically time for mail call and then lunch.

Lunch today was vegetarian Swiss steaks, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetable, Hawaiian bread, chocolate pie/or vanilla pie, and a full salad bar. I wasn't very hungry, but the campers and our staff ate all the food. We very nearly had to make more potatoes so everyone could get all they wanted.

After lunch and rest period we had afternoon rotations. I spent most of my time clearing trails for classes that are going to happen during Tween Camp. I even missed big event today, which was ultimate kickball. I'm not sure what makes it 'ultimate' but I could hear the laughter all the way from my office in the lodge.

The Outpost play (Mon, Tues, Weds nights) has a lot of these campers on the edge of their seats. Last week the campers didn't enjoy the outpost as much as this group, it's nice to hear them laugh and sit silently when the action rises and falls. Pastor Pablo focused on two of the characters and how their decision to do the right thing might be scary to them, but it would help someone else immensely.

I think his words were really well received by everyone who heard them and I'm hoping for another great day tomorrow!

Blessings,

-Jeremy

P.S. Looking for photos? Check out the website! I posted 90 photos today on Ultracamp.

Hello from Junior Camp #1! (Monday)

MONDAY

It was a beautifully sunny day at PSR Camp today!

Breakfast was eggs, tater tots, fruit cocktail, melon, toast, & juice/water/milk. I missed breakfast, but I talked to the campers about it during morning worship and they all told me it was fine. After breakfast we raised the flag and ran off to morning worship where Pastor Pablo Ariza from Calimesa talked about different ways we can connect to God. It's really nice to have him up at camp as a pastor, and the children were very quiet and attentive.

I know some of you might think I'm just saying that, but the campers this week are different than most sessions. They listen very well and have great manners for junior campers. I had my first day of camp without a single issue that I needed to attend to regarding camper behavior. It's a real blessing when all of the children are getting along, but I honestly have to admit I was almost bored today!

After lunch we had morning activities, followed by lunch which was corn dogs, chili beans, fries, toppings, salad bar, and we let the campers have a bit of soda if they wanted it. I ate quickly to get ready for our fire drill and it went off without a hitch before afternoon activities. I think a few of the campers thought it was a real emergency, but everyone was calm and we finished in nearly record time.

For afternoon rotations I spent time with the boys from Navajo and Nez Perce at the pool, and then I checked in Arapaho and Apache on the field for soccer. All of the campers were playing, and seemed to be having a good time. It wasn't to hot today, and I'm sure that helped. After the first rotation ended I went to dig a trench and barely made it back for Jedi Dodgeball out on the field at 5:10 pm.

After our big group game we all headed to dinner, which was pizza!

Pizza night is the best night of camp. Last week the campers had pizza on my day off, so I was glad to see those square slices of cheese greet me this evening for dinner. Along with pizza we had a full salad bar, fruit, chips, and water/milk. I know I talk a lot about the food, but it's the one time I get to see all of the campers in the same place. A stopped a couple children who were running in the cafeteria (towards the pizza) but otherwise dinner was uneventful.

Tonight after dinner we had our first night of Outpost. If your campers love or dislike the play this year its my fault. I write the plays every year, and try to create something interesting for children ages 7-17. Its always a challenge, but I'm very proud of the cast this summer. They have a great director and are really doing better every week.

After the play is lights out before 10:00 pm, and nearly all of the campers were worn out after such a long day. I am going to get to bed before midnight tonight, and I really have the parents to thank! So far camp is going really well and we're looking forward to a bright and early morning tomorrow at 6:30 am.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Farewell Discovery Campers! (Saturday)

SATURDAY

Sabbath is my favorite day at camp and not just because I get to sleep until 8:00 am.

After a special breakfast tradition where the counselors have a picnic-style continental breakfast in the cabin, we all gather around the flagpoles at 10:30 am to start our day. For the morning we have a special program where campers get to go all over camp to accomplish different missions in a world that consists of Biblical characters.

Each cabin decorates their counselor to look like a Roman Soldier, Scribe, or Fisherman and then the characters from the Bible (scattered around camp) react to them in their different roles. It's a lot of fun and part of the challenge is that there is more to do in the activity than the children can do within the time limit. This means campers really need to prioritize, work together, and try to figure things out in short order.

I spent some time working with Nez Perce on the journey, and they were able to do about a dozen of the challenges in the assigned time. Considering that there are about 30 things they could choose from, I think they did pretty well. We dismissed for a bit of free time to clean-up for lunch, but soon mail call was upon us where the nurses did a short safety skit.

Lunch today was Special K Loaf, with mashed potatoes, gravy, bread, corn, salad bar, white or chocolate cake, fruit cocktail, jello, and there may have been whipped cream. I tried not to eat to much, but like so many other staff and campers I overdid it just a little.

Church is at 3:00 pm, and it went pretty well. It was a bit shorter than usual but these are our youngest group so it didn't feel wrong to make it last the entire hour. We dismissed to our PM activity a bit early and it really was the highlight of the day for some of the campers.

From 4:00 - 5:00 pm the campers get to test drive the 2017 theme year materials. It's really fun and we get to see if our stuff for next year is of the same quality as our 2016 program. I don't want to post to much about our testing, but I am very optimistic right now about how our future plans will be an interactive and positive influence on our campers.

Dinner tonight was build your own sandwich, salad bar, and watermelon. The soda machines have been off all week, but some of our visitors today were a bit surprised by this tradition. I am glad most of our parents are ok with the soda fast. Camp is about making decisions and practicing good choices, but I'm always worried about hydration and health with these children more than any other group we have at camp in the summer.

After dinner was vespers, and then we had skits and a "fireworks" display to celebrate the upcoming 4th of July. Don't worry, they're not real fireworks. The camp staff throw about 300 glowsticks in the air for about 8 minutes, and it's pretty neat.

After program it was time to pack and then get ready for bed. It's been such a great week of camp and it's my greatest hope that your campers will tell you all about their great week at PSR Camp tomorrow!

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Greetings from Discovery Camp (Friday)

FRIDAY

I wasn't here at camp today, so here are some photos! I checked with the nurse, the village coordinators, and the counselors and all of your children are asleep and doing well.

I'll have one more update tomorrow.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Greetings from Discovery Camp! (Thursday)

THURSDAY

It was a beautiful day at camp.

We had a few stray clouds shade us in the morning and afternoon, and it almost looked like it was going to rain at one point. We're lucky it didn't because there was too much happening today for us to cancel anything!

Breakfast today was egg omelets, tater tots, toast, fruit cocktail, watermelon, and juice/water/milks. I'm never surprised by how many tater tots an 8 year old thinks he or she can eat, but needless to say that quite a few end up in the trash can every summer. Overall, it looks like food waste is down but I always cringe when I see a camper with more tots than they could eat.

Today was also a busy day in my Indian Camp activity, because we had a craft to complete, a storytelling challenge to prepare for, and everyone had to add their own symbol to the headband we're all creating everyday. There were no hikes today, although most of the kids want to go down to the abandoned mine to see if we can find any bats. Yikes! These kids have more courage than I do sometimes.

I wish there were a few more interesting things to report on. I think Thursday is really the day when you can tell if a cabin is working together or if they're getting annoyed with each other. Children are so interesting, some of them already have such strong personalities. I have called the parents of about half a dozen children to get some advice on how to guide their campers towards success here at camp, and all of them have been so understanding and helpful. 

We also tried to do more camper monitoring today. It's an entirely new experiment we're trying out this summer and about 95% of parents seem really happy with this free service. The other 5% are a bit unhappy with the content, so we are taking notes and we're going to try to improve it for next summer. I just wanted to generally thank everyone for their patience, we're doing our best and I hope you've enjoyed the updates.

For lunch we had vegetarian chicken nuggets, salad bar, corn, fruit, green jello, and we stuck to water and milk for beverages. Its a classic lunch, but we try to limit nuggets to six per camper. It's another food that can end up in the trash a bit to often. The main entrée for dinner was pizza, which was eaten to the last bite so often it almost makes up for the wasted tater tots in the morning.

I know I skipped ahead a bit, but tonight I am down the hill buying supplies, resting, and getting ready for the weekend and our next batch of campers arriving on Sunday! I know so many of you can't wait to see your children (in near/nearly mint condition) in just a few days. We're looking forward to Sabbath tomorrow night and the Pageant Play tomorrow.

Blessings,

-Jeremy