Day One; Tuesday July 6th
After arriving up at our campsite in Big Bear on Monday, and doing much setup and preparation, our favorite part of the day arrived. At about 12:30 a chartered bus pulled down the dirt driveway bringing to us 34 smiling faces. Each child was whisked through a parade of welcomers and over to the Chapel on the Rocks where they were introduced, two at a time, to their counselors for the week. Next, sack lunches to be enjoyed while they explored the site with their freshly formed 2 campers, 1 counselor team.
After soaking each other in and exploring the grounds, all campers headed to a Drum Circle to get the party started and, two at a time, into a small log cabin, known as Bonanza (since Bonanza was filmed there), where they painted their hands and placed them onto a banner and then onto a tee shirt to form a heart.
Flash forward about an hour to Everybody’s Birthday Party where each camper was blessed by name and by gift, thanks to the ever-generous Birthday Fairy and celebrated with dinner and an extra-ordinary cupcake dessert courtesy of DOTS. This part of camp is very special to us as it isn’t unusual that our kids do not get to celebrate their birthdays throughout the year.
Dinner and dessert were followed by a performance from our very own Drama Team at the outdoor Amphitheater and a night of Ice Breakers to get to know each other. We finished off our night with a bedtime story of “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” read to us by our Nana and Papa, since Grandma and Grandpa (who started our camp) couldn’t be with us this year. Once our story was over, each camper went back to his or her room to get ready for bed, discuss the day ahead, and had delivery of precious mail from their fellow campers and volunteers then; LIGHTS OUT!
Phew, a long and joyous day!
Day Two; Wednesday July 7th
Rise and Shine and get ready for the day to come. Breakfast for all, followed by a segment at Chapel on the Rocks about 1 Peter 2:9; “For you are a chosen people, a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, His very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness and into his wonderful light.” (We’ll get to the significance of remembering this verse come Friday night.) After Chapel on the Rocks the children went to the Athletic Field with the Staff while their counselors took an hour to rest and shower. Our coaches taught the campers a few things about soccer. Next, a snack of granola bars and Apple Rush Maui Organic Sparking Apple Juice for their hard work and onto the Morning Show where they were blessed by our very own storyteller as well as praised for their hard work playing soccer.
Following the Morning Show was a new and loved addition to camp that we called the Rotation Activities. Camp was divided into three smaller groups that moved from three very special activities each day. One day of a Drum & Music Circle, one day of Printmaking, and one day of a Service Dog Assembly. Then finally it was time to wash up and go to lunch.
After lunch each day is an hour of mandated rest and quiet time we call 30/30 time. You can imagine how it goes with 34 kids who are very excited to be at camp and enjoy the lake. Rest? Quiet time? Right!
On this, the first day the lake was open, from 2 o’clock to 4 o’clock, we had Family Lake Day where EVERYONE on site went down to the lake to play. Swimming in the lake, catching a fish for the first time, learning how to bait a hook, kissing your fish, canoeing, splashing, sun bathing, you name it, this was the time. This time to ALL be together is always a favorite! The hour after this was free time but most of the kids stayed down at the lake. When you don’t usually have access to this therapeutic time in the water, why wouldn’t you?
Post lake time, wash up for dinner and then replenish the energy you’ve used up for the day. After dinner we headed back to the Amphitheater for the second installment of the drama and more camp songs. If you don’t know Bazooka-zooka Bubble Gum, the McDonald’s song, Wataliatcha, Boom Chick A Boom, Duke of York, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and so many others that elude at the moment, you’re missing out! Once we were through singing some songs of our own we moved inside for a special performance from The Colour Elect who sang for us and talked to us about becoming singers and songwriters.
Next up, bedtime, (yawn)…and we are carried off to dreamland.
Day Three; Thursday July 8th
By this point camp is running, and we mean RUNNING, at it’s own pace and the mornings look pretty much the same with a few minor excepts like a new meal of pancakes…
moved from soccer to volleyball on the Athletic field…
praised a whole new set of campers for their hard work during the Morning Show…
heard a new story…
moved from yesterday’s assigned Rotation Activities to today’s.
THEN…
Lunch.
Rest, sweet rest.
FREE TIME of hiking, lake time, mail writing, Arts & Crafts, Talent Show rehearsals, etc etc etc.
Wash up.
Dinner.
Drama and songs.
Then, the pace changes again for the night. Wednesday we heard songs from a band and how they became songwriters and this night we were blessed to have heard from Caitlin Crosby about a project that she continues to pour herself into as well as some songs. Her project is called LoveYourFlawz and it is all about learning to love yourself for ALL that you are. Her message spoke strongly to our whole family, both kids and adults, and we love her for it!
After Caitlin was finished, but before we moved outside, we had a little talk by our resident fire fighters about fire safety. Then, we moved outside for our first ever campfire. Most of us adults know that being huddled closely around a campfire does something special to your soul but most of our campers had yet to experience a like this. Huddled closely around the fire and cuddled up next to each other, we had the joy of hearing from each counselor about their two campers, their character, what they were like to be with 24 hours a day and the way that they changed each other’s lives. This time to publicly encourage our campers goes further than any of us truly understand. Think about the last time that you were praised in front of a large group. Most of us have never been affirmed in that way and most of our campers won’t again until next year. This is HUGE! You can see their behavior change as you do it. Try it with your own kids! After we went through each and every one we took a moment to ALL look up into the sky at the stars and bask in the gifts that God has given us in each other. Blessed we are, beyond belief.
Bed, mail, and slumber…
Day Four; Friday July 9th
Same as the past mornings but this day by lunch time every kid had tried out a handful of new sports, heard a handful of new stories, and been to each Rotation Activity. Filled to the brim with new experiences and knowledge to share with each other, their caregivers and us volunteers, as they go back home.
Lunch.
Then, while every other camper had their 30/30 time of rest all the 11 year-olds in the graduating class had special time to sneak away with their counselors. Each 11 year-old child decorated a “popsicle stick person” in their likeness and wrote on note cards the things they most treasured about themselves and placed them into a treasure chest. After doing so they were off on their 11 year-old hike.
When they arrived back they joined up with the rest of the group who were busy during Free Time. (Which for most meant lake time and catching, by this point, “my 10th fish” time.) After Free Time was over and dinner was eaten our whole family went to the Amphitheater for songs and the Camp Graduation. Each 11 year-old was called forth by name and given a special gift of a copy of “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss with an individualized inscription inside each cover.
Then it was time for the much anticipated Talent Show:
- Fresh and catchy songs written by campers that we’ll never forget like “It’s 2010, not 2009!” by one of our newest 7 year-old campers
- Exciting new choreographed dances as well as free style dances
- Re-enactments of some of the best moments of camp (like counselors in canoes almost getting hit by “Catch and Release” fishermen and everybody’s favorite “Where’s Uncle So-and-So?” taking a boastful “I’ll kick it to the trees!” step up at soccer and slipping onto his butt.)
-Probably the most popular was in regards to 1 Peter 2:9 as I referred earlier. A male volunteer told one of our graduating 11 year-old girl campers, that if she memorized the verse he would eat a bait worm. (Mind you, these are not little earthworms they are HUGE worms!) She lured him into thinking that she didn’t have it memorized as she (fake) stuttered through the first couple words and then nailed it, making him have to face the 7 inch long worm while being taunted by 34 screaming campers. Queasy yet? Pure camp stories!
All the campers headed back to the their rooms to get ready for bed except for the graduating class who moved quietly and cautiously down to the lake to place each of their popsicle stick people onto a wooden boat along with their treasure chest and allow it to set sail just as we are sending them off. Next they were allowed some planned mischief of toilet papering a volunteer's car. Every camp needs a little planned fun!
Then it was off to bed, reading mail, and dreams about the laughter and fun of camp!
Day Five; Saturday July 10th
A quiet but joyful rise, breakfast, delivery of packed bags to the parking lot and our last Chapel on the Rocks together. All this followed by planting a Cedar tree that the returning campers will get to watch grow each year. Then the boarding of the bus through the pouring out of “I love you”, “I’m proud of you”, “Be good” and a hopeful “I’ll see you next year.”
Each of these things said with love, hope, and joy, and the occasional heart break of the knowledge that a lot of these little ones aren’t looking forward to going home the way that we are; to people who love and support us, a comfy bed, a hot shower, and a fresh meal, but knowing that as they go we’ve done all we can, given all we’ve can, and loved until it hurt to make a big impact on their little lives.
To each of you who were apart of this journey over the last 365 days, a HUGE Thank You! You donated your time, your money, your ideas, your care, your prayers and mostly your love to make this work for yet another year. We can’t express enough how important you ALL are to us and our mission and how much we truly can’t do it without each and every member of our FAMILY.
WE LOVE YOU!
Signing off for 2010 and looking on to 2011!
