June 7-11

WAKE UP!!!

Camp was pretty good, if you ask me. I had a great time getting to know the kids better, the adults better, and even getting a little sunburn. Here's a day-by-day account:

Monday -
We packed up everything in the trailer, Kevin's truck, and the bus, then prayed and took off for camp. Todd drove, which was great that I didn't have to. Once we got there, the set-up of things began while the kids played around. We set up the video and sound equipment, passed out booklets, schedules, and bunk assignments. The kids played a game to get to know the camp better (Kevin designed the game), and it was fun to watch the kids get excited and competitive about the game. I got to get up and fire up the kids... making sure they were awake. If someone was not awake, you are allowed to yell "WAKE UP!!!" right in their face. Yeah, it's harsh, and I got it back a few times over the week, but it was fun. Today was also our anniversary! It's been two years since Holly and I tied the knot. I am blessed beyond imagination to be with the LOML. You know what I mean. I love her, and am so happy to be holding her hand as we continue through life. Who knows what this next year will bring! Love you Holly! I'll make up the date to you, I promise.

Tuesday -
The first full day of camp went well. We had a good time in the morning with the Start Up Wake Up song that I've done for years... but it was the first time for the kids to hear it. They liked it. It's a funny song I learned when I was young, so I knew I should pass it on. The kids wanted to hear it over and over again. Good. :) The devos went fine, I hope that the counselors dig deep with their kids and not just read it like a book. Here's hoping. I set up things for the Worship time at 11 while the kids went on Adventure time (rope course, paddle boats, etc). Worship time went great, with the kids learning the "Wake Up" song by Leeland. Tori did a great job with the motions for the song. The kids will be doing this song on Sunday morning. Lunch time. Decent food, reminds me of my school-day lunches. Play time for 4 hours... where I got a nice sunburn. That's what I get for swimming and playing in the sun with no shirt on or sunscreen. I had a blast, but I'm betting I'll regret it, skin-wise. Ah well. Dinner. Game time, which was slip-n-slide kickball... which resembled slip-n-bleed kickball, because of the rough ground we played on. At least we found a place. The kids had fun, but lost interest because they all couldn't go at once. Eh, that's what you get, I guess. Chapel was next after clean-up. I led worship with Holly, and the kids seemed to have a great time singing along with us. We had a huge God-moment during our share time. Brandon McD came up and shared about what is going on in his life with his family, and really inspired everyone to trust in God. What he is going through is tough, and we all surrounded him and prayed for him, his brother, and his family. There were very few dry eyes in the place tonight. After chapel, we had campfire and s'mores. Then bedtime. My cabin of boys go right to sleep... and it's awesome. More sleep for me.

Wednesday -

Breakfast. I'm sleepy. Wake Up songs to get fired up. Devos. Adventure time for the kids. Todd and I had a good talk for an hour while they were gone. Worship time, where the kids reviewed "Wake Up" with Tori. The kids seem to be getting a good hold on it. I also showed them the other new song we'll be singing at chapel. It's called "Taking Over Now" by desperation band. It's a fun one to dance to. Lunch. Play time, where I took a NAP! Dodgeball, dinner. We played Musical Pies for the game after dinner. Pass a little bowl around... what's in it? You can't tell, because there's whipped cream all in it. Underneath the whipped cream? Either chocolate pudding or baked beans. Yum Yum! The kids had fun with that messy game. Clean up again... then chapel. The kids really sang loud tonight, and it sure gives me goosebumps when kids worship God like they did tonight. Campfire, s'mores. Bedtime. Well, kind of. Ben and I scared the girls, then ran away to hide. I'm sure we'll hear about that tomorrow. Sleep.

Thursday -

The last full day of camp. I feel not as tired as yesterday, probably because of that nap I took. Breakfast, then time to wake up. We tried buzzing off Todd's hair, because he was acting like he was asleep... but the clippers we had we dull, and didn't do much of anything except hurt Todd's head by repeatedly going over the same spot. Sorry Todd! I thought it was funny, but the desired effect was not achieved. Oh well, the kids were awake after that though. Devos, and I hope the lessons are sinking in. Really, it's on the counselor to teach these kids. I gave them enough info to teach a little devo, I just hope they're doing it well. Adventure time, and they wanted me to go, but I slyly hid when they left. Bwahaha... Worship time. One more time to review "Wake Up" and dance around. They have really like my videos (What Happens Next?) that I made for them this time. Skits are tonight, so we let them get with their teams to practice. It should be a nice riot tonight during the skit time. Lunch is starting to get nastier by the day. I'm glad it's a short camp. Play time. I went swimming again. The cool water felt good on the sunburn. I hit kids with one of those inflatable noodles to keep them away from slapping my sunburn. Showered, then dinner time. After dinner was a hayride. We toured around the camp, and I acted like a English tour guide. Yeah, the kids thought I was weird, but they were all laughing, so I kept doing it. Chapel was good, with the kids really belting out the songs, dancing, and praising God. Skit time was so fun to watch. The boys all did a good job, as did the girls... but the best team was the youngest boys we had out here. The "Lightening Dudes" won the skit contest, with their great mixture of comedy, verses, and theme-based acting. "Duuuude???" Hahahaha... I'm still laughing about it. Campfire, s'mores for the last time. Scary stories. Flashlight tag instead of bed time. The kids had a good time. I had to take one kid aside and have a nice talk with him about throwing rocks in the dark, and not getting upset when you lose a game. Ah, the joys of camp. Ben and I scared the girls again... with a great plan. Joy's cabin was upset that we did not scare them last night, so we thought it'd be funny to play a trick on them. We told them that we would bang on their cabin doors like we did to the other girl's cabin the night before... We would bang on the door, then run into the upstairs lounge to hide, laughing and high-fiving because we scared them... BUT the girls would be in the upstairs lounge and scare us! Oh, it would be so funny... and it was... except for the fact that I thought of a better plan right before this went down. I had Tyler go in my place with Ben to bang on the door. The girls were hiding in the upstairs lounge. Tyler and Ben banged on the door, ran into the lounge, and the girls scared them. Ben told the girls that I wasn't there because my cabin was without a counselor, and I had to be there because of blah blah something something that wasn't true. INSTEAD, I ran into the girl's cabin and hid in there. The girls came back in their cabin, laughing, thinking they really got Ben... then I jumped out of the closet, scaring the crap out of all of them. Oh, the look on their faces. I ran out of there, screaming like a banshee... and Ben and Tyler were waiting, high-fiving me because we got the girls. Oh it was great. Bedtime now!

Friday -
The girls won't shut up about what happened last night. It was glorious. The girls tried to trap Ben and I in our cabin when we woke up, but it's not like they were coming in to do anything. Breakfast. Wake Up. Review Devos. Hope the kids learned something. Clean-up the camp. Prayer walk, where the kids went from station to station, praying for certain things, reading certain scriptures, and discussing life's tough questions. Pack up, Lunch. Cleanup some more, pack the trailer. We prayed, then hopped on the bus. The drive back was a quiet one, with kids passing out from the tiring week. Once we arrived back at the church, kids were happy to see their parents. Holly and I cleaned out the bus, sweaty and all. Unloaded the trailer. Cleaned up all that we could. Now it's time to crash at "home". We showered, then napped. Relaxed. Relieved.


Overall, camp went well. I don't think the kids learned as much as I would want them to, but they did learn some memory verses, and had a good time. I hope the things taught at camp will remain in their minds, and the worship time they had be memorable, driving them to want to worship God more. I hope the relationships they built with other campers and counselors will have a lasting impact on their lives. Things went smoothly for me, even though I was busy most of the time. It was a good week of camp, and I know that I love doing these events, even if it takes a ton of my time and energy. Camp was memorable for me growing up, and I hope these kids feel the same way.

Now it's time for these extra long paragraphs, one-word and run-on sentences to cease!

- clint