(There’s no wireless here at the Central Indiana Family Camp in Frankfort so this blog is being posted from a coffee shop in town.)
Bay shore was an amazing camp to be a part of. The counselors that work there are all volunteers and work for the one purpose of reaching young kids with the love of Christ. We truly saw that this week as we were placed on the staff with the counselors as full out counselors ourselves. Denny and I were completely in charge of the senior guys cabin and the other guys worked with two other returning staff in the other cabins. Chris K. counseled in a cabin for a football camp this week and did a fantastic job. We began the week with staff orientation and were privileged to see a video by Bob Ditter about good touch and bad touch, which was stimulating to say the least. Our speaker this week was Kent Fischel who has been coming to speak at Bay Shore for 35 years plus. Kent was incredible and we are excited to work with him again next week at our FCA camp at IWU. He has spoken all over the world at camps, conferences and events, as well as traveled with several professional sports teams doing ministry and getting a chance to work with the athletes.
This week we had many opportunities to work with the kids. The camp had 2 days of skills classes with multiple topics like worship arts, basic car mechanics, soccer, drama, service projects etc. to choose from. I lead the drama skills class this week and Seth led the worship team. Denny helped both of us out, floating between the two. The rest of the guys got to help lead things like soccer and cross-country. It was a ton of fun for me to get to teach the kids some drama and use the concepts that I had learned in high school about staging, acting, auditioning and how God is glorified through the excellence and opportunity of drama. Honey I love you but I just can’t smile, Mrs. Mumbles, and emotional party quirks were some of the skits we did. At the end of the week we got to perform our emotional party quirks skit for the camp and the worship team played How great is Our God for the camp.
Every morning we had discovery time and every evening was celebration time. Discovery time centered on the movie “To Save a Life”, an excellent movie about the struggles of living out your faith in high school (released August 3rd – GO RENT IT). We broke off into discussion groups and talked with the kids about issues like struggles with parents, abortion, teen suicide, depression, authenticity etc. One of most eye opening things we did during that time was crossing the “River of Life”. A piece of duct tape was laid across the floor representing the river of life. When Kent called out different things such as “my parents are divorced”, kids and counselors would walk across the river if that applied. Other statements like “I have felt unwanted and alone”, “I am stressed out”, “I have contemplated suicide”, “I have known someone that has committed suicide” etc., were truly heartbreaking to see how many kids and counselors had experienced those things. No one was even close to alone on these issues; typically at least half of the group crossed over. As one of the kids said later in the week during Afterglow (testimony time), it is just easier to put on a happy face and pretend like nothings wrong when you’re around people – when inside and at home, things are broken. The kids really opened up this week and we heard testimonies from 30 or 40 kids of how God had changed them during camp and was giving them a new way to work through pain and depression. God did some awesome things with the kids this week – and again, many raised their hands and prayed to accept Christ for the first time. Praise God!!! The altars were full almost every night. The night chapels were Celebration Time, where Kent had a lesson and our team opened and closed with music. We also played for at the end of discovery time every day. The kids had so much energy and desire to sing and dance for the Lord it made it easy for us to worship.
There were so many cool things about this camp. One of my favorite games was after a downpour that morning which turned the afternoon game into a slip and slide in the grass. I also enjoyed the day Denny and I worked the canoes and we turned canoeing into pirating. We waited until the other canoes splashed us, giving us the liberty to splash back and eventually flip them. Chris K joined later and the fun was amplified to the next level. The kids started out firmly stating they didn’t want to get wet… by the end they were the ones doing most of the splashing ☺ Worship at the outdoor chapel was awesome as well as worship at the Afterglow where three of the girl counselors joined our team. Elizabeth, Kelly and Jess played guitar, violin, and sang – we had a blast together. “Puttin on the Hits” involved each of the eight teams putting together a lip sync dance to a song. Seth’s team won the competition but the teams all had fun working together throughout the week to put the songs together.
I can’t describe how awesome it was getting to be a part of Bay Shore camp. The counselors alone made the week incredible, getting to see their hearts as they served and prayed with the kids with sincere hearts. The campers impressed me with their transparency and honesty by the end of the week. It was so awesome to see God transform lives before our eyes. We left Friday night after tearing down and grabbing ice cream with the staff. We drove back to IWU and got there at about 3 a.m. We slept in.
Saturday was the first day off we’ve had in a long time. We hit up Sweet Water music store in Fort Wayne for needed supplies and went “out to eat” for the first time this summer at Olive Garden. Kent, who lives in Fort Wayne had dinner with us and invited us back to his home to beat us in Connect Four and hang out for a bit. I was surprised to find out that Kent knows Gary Grey and has spoken at the CFC and Hot Rock in past years. Small world. We get to work with Kent again next week at FCA camp.
God is good. We had some low times this current week and last week at Bay Shore being tired and drained. However, by God’s great grace we were and are able to enjoy the blessing of seeing His hand at work in kids lives. We are half way through our camp in Frankfort now so you can expect a report of this week to come soonish. Thanks for reading. We realized once again last night that we can do nothing without God’s power. We are tired. We are spent. But we are not defeated because the power of the Holy Spirit will never is always available. We have been encouraged by God’s word this week and pray that we finish out the summer with even more energy than we had at the beginning. Please keep the kids and our team in your prayers. God bless you! Thanks for reading.
Ps. You may be interested in watching a video of Denny on a tire swing from Bay Shore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP-70Lp-khQ
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Camp Mischewana
Last week was different in a good way. We arrived at the camp in Hastings Michigan and once again gratefully found air conditioning in the chapel. We set up the stage and headed to our lodgings. This was where we realized this camp would be different. The lodge, called Shawandasee, was incredible and I actually fell over when I walked in the door. Our eyes first fell on the fireplace and the canoe hanging from the ceiling, next the couches, projector screen and kitchenette. Downstairs we found ping-pong and foosball. We felt like we were in the wrong building or at least like we would be crammed in the building with other camp guests. But as it turned out – we had it all to ourselves. It was such a blessing to have a “home” on the campus where we could go and be ourselves together. That night we had dinner with the kids and played the first worship set on a stage with stained glass and air-conditioning.
By day two we began to discover that for the first time this summer, the team was not expected to do much with the kids. This is where the week got harder. For the last 3 weeks our focus had been on connecting with the kids as opposed to focusing only on being the band and playing music. We started to feel like we couldn’t properly minister to the kids because we had little opportunity to interact with them personally. All of us felt it but we didn’t talk about it until Tuesday night when we found that everyone was restless and discouraged. The meeting took place after the first worship set we had ever messed up during. Kids seemed distracted and disengaged, which added to our confusion. The meeting was the best thing we did all week. We talked and came to the conclusion that no mater how the kids responded to the worship or how much time we were given to be with them, our responsibility was to worship with all our hearts regardless of the response; and to do all we could with the kids but not to become discouraged when we were given free time. It was amazing to see what God did with that when we got out of the way.
For being relatively small, the camp had a lot of really cool things. Zip line, high and low ropes, a mud pit, tubing, water trampoline and blob, outdoor chapels, archery, slip and slide, sandy beach, etc. We had a lot of fun getting to know a lot of the counselors this week. These counselors were true servants and were a lot of fun getting to know. We had a lot of random fun stuff happen this week, like Chris and I and 3 other people getting to cut someone’s hair. Chris, Anthony and I went tubing with three of the counselor/lifeguards and had a blast. We had a hoedown with square dancing, hay bail tossing, and pie eating (I got 3rd, Denny 2nd) etc. We spruced up a mud pit for the kids to play football in and made a video about it. The water was cold… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrdnYccHd2Y. One of the other awesome things that happened this week was getting to know the speaker Joel. We enjoyed going with him out for pizza one night and having a birthday pizza/cake party for Chris H. in our Lodge with him. He was a great speaker and we had a blast working together. Finally, one of the favorite events from the week was getting to be involved in skit night. The team put together an improv skit where we played various roles such as male models, pro wrestlers, racecar drivers, and Anthony played a televangelist. We also did another skit which turned out really well involving pickup lines!
By the end of the week we were bewildered at how much the kids response to worship had changed. We got to see the transformation of a group of kids from bored and zoned to engaged and alive. God truly did a work in hearts this week and as always, it was humbling yet incredible to be a part of it. We then packed up and drove to my house for the night. The guys went out and saw a movie, while I stayed home and got to hang out with mom and dad, which I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated ☺ Mom made one of her famous pies as well as here unsurpassable white chili! It was so good to be home. In the morning we drove out to Bay Shore camp in Sebewaing MI.
PS because the internet at Bay Shore was difficult to access, this post came a week late. Hopefully I will be able to post about Bay Shore later today before we head to the Frankfort Family Camp tomorrow! Thanks for reading! Keep praying!!
By day two we began to discover that for the first time this summer, the team was not expected to do much with the kids. This is where the week got harder. For the last 3 weeks our focus had been on connecting with the kids as opposed to focusing only on being the band and playing music. We started to feel like we couldn’t properly minister to the kids because we had little opportunity to interact with them personally. All of us felt it but we didn’t talk about it until Tuesday night when we found that everyone was restless and discouraged. The meeting took place after the first worship set we had ever messed up during. Kids seemed distracted and disengaged, which added to our confusion. The meeting was the best thing we did all week. We talked and came to the conclusion that no mater how the kids responded to the worship or how much time we were given to be with them, our responsibility was to worship with all our hearts regardless of the response; and to do all we could with the kids but not to become discouraged when we were given free time. It was amazing to see what God did with that when we got out of the way.
For being relatively small, the camp had a lot of really cool things. Zip line, high and low ropes, a mud pit, tubing, water trampoline and blob, outdoor chapels, archery, slip and slide, sandy beach, etc. We had a lot of fun getting to know a lot of the counselors this week. These counselors were true servants and were a lot of fun getting to know. We had a lot of random fun stuff happen this week, like Chris and I and 3 other people getting to cut someone’s hair. Chris, Anthony and I went tubing with three of the counselor/lifeguards and had a blast. We had a hoedown with square dancing, hay bail tossing, and pie eating (I got 3rd, Denny 2nd) etc. We spruced up a mud pit for the kids to play football in and made a video about it. The water was cold… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrdnYccHd2Y. One of the other awesome things that happened this week was getting to know the speaker Joel. We enjoyed going with him out for pizza one night and having a birthday pizza/cake party for Chris H. in our Lodge with him. He was a great speaker and we had a blast working together. Finally, one of the favorite events from the week was getting to be involved in skit night. The team put together an improv skit where we played various roles such as male models, pro wrestlers, racecar drivers, and Anthony played a televangelist. We also did another skit which turned out really well involving pickup lines!
By the end of the week we were bewildered at how much the kids response to worship had changed. We got to see the transformation of a group of kids from bored and zoned to engaged and alive. God truly did a work in hearts this week and as always, it was humbling yet incredible to be a part of it. We then packed up and drove to my house for the night. The guys went out and saw a movie, while I stayed home and got to hang out with mom and dad, which I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated ☺ Mom made one of her famous pies as well as here unsurpassable white chili! It was so good to be home. In the morning we drove out to Bay Shore camp in Sebewaing MI.
PS because the internet at Bay Shore was difficult to access, this post came a week late. Hopefully I will be able to post about Bay Shore later today before we head to the Frankfort Family Camp tomorrow! Thanks for reading! Keep praying!!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sky Ranch
Good Times in Oklahoma.
Just when I thought we had exhausted God’s summer supply of blessings, He proved me wrong. Praise God for another week of fun, safety, amazing kids, amazing leaders and spiritual growth! We spent the week with the Tri-State Youth Camp at Sky Ranch in Quapaw Oklahoma. Again we were privileged to see God powerfully work in hearts and transform lives through the power of His word and the obedience of His servants.
Since we left IWU last week for Oklahoma we first stopped in Illinois at host homes to spend the night. We were able to attend a Freedom Celebration at a church near St. Louis complete with a full choir, orchestra, and video presentation. We enjoyed the night celebrating our country and thanking our past and present servicemen and women. After 5 hours in the van it was so sweet to simply sit and listen and enjoy the sounds of the praises of God’s people. It was also neat to watch a storm roll in through the giant windows in the sanctuary. The storm was awesome, needless to say it messed with our trailers electronics and we were delayed the next day. The host homes we stayed at that night were amazing. Anthony and I were entertained at the Coxs’ as their year old cat and yellow lab chased each other around the house. We also enjoyed getting our own bedrooms for the night – a very unusual but welcomed thing when you are on the road for 2 months. In the morning we discovered that the trailer lights didn’t work because of the rain. Three hours later we had it fixed and were on the road for another five and a half hours. This video was recorded during the waiting period http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYjIPwIdHdw.
Pulling into Sky ranch was pretty cool. From the road we could see a waterslide, natural spring, a blob, and climbing wall iceberg, and it only got better form there. Sky ranch had the longest zip line I’ve ever seen, skeet shooting, horseback riding, paintball, soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts and air-conditioned buildings. It was pretty nice to say the least. Since we were delayed getting there, we were rushed to the front of the line for dinner so we could set up for that nights worship. This week the schedule included “crazy worship” at 12:45 every day and chapel at night. Crazy worship is just what you would expect - lot’s of upbeat and crazy songs, flying beach balls, and stage diving (done by pastor Mark). There was such a spirit of joy and freedom during those times – it was a blessing to be a part of. Night chapels usually began with 5-6 songs and then the speaker Jeremy would take over. Jeremy is friends with Francis Chan, so it was a good week ☺ The focus was on being a real Christian, with emphasis on being prepared for the Christian walk and living your life with a real and evident love for Jesus Christ. By the end of the week the kids wrote down spiritual goals and action plans to help execute those goals. On Friday one of the girls ripped up her “booty shorts” in a step of obedience to glorify God with her dress. We were so proud of her. We discovered that the favorite song of the week was All My Heart (Stellar Kart) as we heard kids humming and singing it in the cabins, cafeteria and during activities. Other main songs were I Exalt Thee, Undignified, One Way, Counting on God, The Stand and a new song for everyone called In Your Freedom.
One of our favorite games this week was called Comando. It involved the campers searching for 6 flags hidden around the grounds while counselors with flashlights could stop anyone and either send them to jail or accept a bribe in exchange for giving them freedom. Denny and I were partner counselor cops and enjoyed the bountiful benefits of bribery. At the end of the night we had received in bribes a bag of peanut M&M’s, big league chew, honey roasted pretzels, 3 musketeers, jolly ranchers, bracelets and the promise of being served 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner. We also enjoyed listening to the kids bribe us with singing and acting as well a physical feats of strength. The rest of the IWU guys (except Chris who obtained a scooter by bribery) rode around in our IWU van and threw kids in the back to take them to jail.
The most memorable of the week’s games were the messy games. We played ultimate frisbee with a cow tongue and raw fish, did a slip and slide searching for coins in a kitty pool full of corn and mud water, and finally we played capture the flag with eggs – the point of the game being getting the egg back to your side without being tagged and then smashing it on your head. The fun part was launching eggs from the safe zone to our side and catching the egg on our heads.
All in all it was a great week and once again it was difficult to leave all of the kids on Friday afternoon. That night we drove back to St. Lewis and stayed with some more awesome host families. There was much laughter that night. Next we drove to IWU for the night and we are now at a camp in Michigan!
I hope the description of the week hasn’t bored you too much. Please please please pray for our team that we would truly serve Christ and not do it for the response of anyone. Pray that we play as a team and minister as a team with Christ at the center.
Ps by the way pictures of the summer will be coming, we haven’t quite had the opportunity to transfer them to different computers yet – but they will come. Thanks for reading ☺
Romans 8:31-What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
Just when I thought we had exhausted God’s summer supply of blessings, He proved me wrong. Praise God for another week of fun, safety, amazing kids, amazing leaders and spiritual growth! We spent the week with the Tri-State Youth Camp at Sky Ranch in Quapaw Oklahoma. Again we were privileged to see God powerfully work in hearts and transform lives through the power of His word and the obedience of His servants.
Since we left IWU last week for Oklahoma we first stopped in Illinois at host homes to spend the night. We were able to attend a Freedom Celebration at a church near St. Louis complete with a full choir, orchestra, and video presentation. We enjoyed the night celebrating our country and thanking our past and present servicemen and women. After 5 hours in the van it was so sweet to simply sit and listen and enjoy the sounds of the praises of God’s people. It was also neat to watch a storm roll in through the giant windows in the sanctuary. The storm was awesome, needless to say it messed with our trailers electronics and we were delayed the next day. The host homes we stayed at that night were amazing. Anthony and I were entertained at the Coxs’ as their year old cat and yellow lab chased each other around the house. We also enjoyed getting our own bedrooms for the night – a very unusual but welcomed thing when you are on the road for 2 months. In the morning we discovered that the trailer lights didn’t work because of the rain. Three hours later we had it fixed and were on the road for another five and a half hours. This video was recorded during the waiting period http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYjIPwIdHdw.
Pulling into Sky ranch was pretty cool. From the road we could see a waterslide, natural spring, a blob, and climbing wall iceberg, and it only got better form there. Sky ranch had the longest zip line I’ve ever seen, skeet shooting, horseback riding, paintball, soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts and air-conditioned buildings. It was pretty nice to say the least. Since we were delayed getting there, we were rushed to the front of the line for dinner so we could set up for that nights worship. This week the schedule included “crazy worship” at 12:45 every day and chapel at night. Crazy worship is just what you would expect - lot’s of upbeat and crazy songs, flying beach balls, and stage diving (done by pastor Mark). There was such a spirit of joy and freedom during those times – it was a blessing to be a part of. Night chapels usually began with 5-6 songs and then the speaker Jeremy would take over. Jeremy is friends with Francis Chan, so it was a good week ☺ The focus was on being a real Christian, with emphasis on being prepared for the Christian walk and living your life with a real and evident love for Jesus Christ. By the end of the week the kids wrote down spiritual goals and action plans to help execute those goals. On Friday one of the girls ripped up her “booty shorts” in a step of obedience to glorify God with her dress. We were so proud of her. We discovered that the favorite song of the week was All My Heart (Stellar Kart) as we heard kids humming and singing it in the cabins, cafeteria and during activities. Other main songs were I Exalt Thee, Undignified, One Way, Counting on God, The Stand and a new song for everyone called In Your Freedom.
One of our favorite games this week was called Comando. It involved the campers searching for 6 flags hidden around the grounds while counselors with flashlights could stop anyone and either send them to jail or accept a bribe in exchange for giving them freedom. Denny and I were partner counselor cops and enjoyed the bountiful benefits of bribery. At the end of the night we had received in bribes a bag of peanut M&M’s, big league chew, honey roasted pretzels, 3 musketeers, jolly ranchers, bracelets and the promise of being served 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner. We also enjoyed listening to the kids bribe us with singing and acting as well a physical feats of strength. The rest of the IWU guys (except Chris who obtained a scooter by bribery) rode around in our IWU van and threw kids in the back to take them to jail.
The most memorable of the week’s games were the messy games. We played ultimate frisbee with a cow tongue and raw fish, did a slip and slide searching for coins in a kitty pool full of corn and mud water, and finally we played capture the flag with eggs – the point of the game being getting the egg back to your side without being tagged and then smashing it on your head. The fun part was launching eggs from the safe zone to our side and catching the egg on our heads.
All in all it was a great week and once again it was difficult to leave all of the kids on Friday afternoon. That night we drove back to St. Lewis and stayed with some more awesome host families. There was much laughter that night. Next we drove to IWU for the night and we are now at a camp in Michigan!
I hope the description of the week hasn’t bored you too much. Please please please pray for our team that we would truly serve Christ and not do it for the response of anyone. Pray that we play as a team and minister as a team with Christ at the center.
Ps by the way pictures of the summer will be coming, we haven’t quite had the opportunity to transfer them to different computers yet – but they will come. Thanks for reading ☺
Romans 8:31-What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
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