Here at camp, we just completed six days of intense training for this year’s summer staff. Much prayer and consideration goes into choosing our staff and when school finally lets out, we have the honor of training them for a summer of service.

So here are our staff on the first day of training!

“Wait a minute, Boo Boo?” You might ask. “That looks suspiciously like fun!”

Hmmm … yes indeed. It does look like they are having fun. That is not, in fact, accidental.

The staff actually spend a great deal of time sitting in the lodge listening to teaching sessions. They have sessions with Pastor John about counselling issues.

They have sessions with our four interns about the daily camp schedule, cabin management, different camper personalities, and camp procedures. They have sessions with other guest speakers whom I failed to photograph.

Then they have many, many, many sessions listening to Scruffy. Here he is talking about how to share the gospel with kids.

But lectures are incredibly boring to take photos of and we don’t actually want our counselors lecturing campers. So, not only do they need a break to get up and move around after sitting so long, they also need to hone their skills at vital camp activities like Chuck-the-Chicken, Archery Tag, Paintball, and Capture the Flag.

Princess Leia Freyja had to share her squeaky chicken with the counselors so they could practice this game. She does indeed love all campers, so she was willing to sacrifice, but was pleased to get it back.

While she waited, The Princess enjoyed one of her favorite pastimes. Taking goofy pictures with staff!

Not only did Princess Leia Freyja’s sacrifice allow the counselors to practice running in circles,

running in straightish lines down the meadow,

and throwing a rubber chicken in a remote, outdoor setting,

her sacrificial sharing allowed the staff to form the kind of bond that will last over a summer of intense service to kids.

This is another reason that Staff Training does not focus entirely on passing pure information on to the next generation of counselors.

We want our staff to be a true team and adding the goofy, the strange, the hilarious, and rambunctious to our training sessions may look pretty silly, but goes a long way toward fusing these young people into the amazing team that will be caring for your children all summer.

So meet our 2019 Camas Meadows Counselor Staff!

From the fresh new faces of our first-time C.I.T.s (Counselors In Training) to senior counselors with several years of experience, they were a delight to teach. Add our four interns, the support staff, and of course Choco and Scruffy and we are all set and ready for the campers to arrive. We truly would appreciate your prayers this summer! Camp ministry is the best job on earth, but it is not always as easy as a game of Chuck-the-Chicken in the meadow. Please keep us in your prayers and I will keep you all updated concerning our amazing summer adventures! Until next week … .

Boo Boo

On Memorial Day every year, campers young and old and in-between grab up their chainsaws, work gloves, paintbrushes, and shovels.

They follow their fearless leaders into the fray, cleaning what must be cleaned, clearing what must be cleared, and doing every job needed for Camas Meadows to be prepared for a summer of ministry to children.

There may be some debate about which job to do first, where all the shovels have gone off to, and exactly where Scruffy wanted that pile of rocks moved. But eventually everyone gets a job, instruction, and bolts into the forest ready to conquer downed trees, potholes, and piles of pine needles!

With stern (and necessary) fire-hazard rules in place that prohibit chainsaw use in August, much of our firewood gathering must now occur in the Spring.

Experienced chainsaw operators work to bring down and cut up any trees killed by those pesky pine beetles.

Younger firewood enthusiasts roll rounds to the camp truck, help stack wood, or pick up all the scattered branches that such a task produces.

Our gravel roads come out of the Winter months looking shabby and full of potholes.

But with the hard work of many hands put to the task, both the parking lot and camp road are fresh and smooth.

Work was also completed on the paintball course by this father-son team.

And this Nana-grandson team charmed one and all while bringing delicious snacks to the other workers.

Yum!

Not all jobs are out of doors. Painting, scrubbing the camp chairs, washing windows and bunks, organizing the kitchen shelves and many other tasks were completed as well.

Yes, when they are not attending to their mother’s “bunny ears” needs, these helpful campers scrub all of the chairs until they are fresh and lovely!

Cleaning out the camp stove, not a problem for this hard worker.

Grubby doors … no problem!

No, she is not sticking a screwdriver in that plug in! Why do you ask? Instead, we paint the walls and ceiling in Robin’s Roost, which requires taking off the bits and pieces that we do not want to end up pale blue. Even then, we both have a few blue strands of hair and more than our fair share of blue skin by the end of the weekend.

Good food and a moment here and there to rest and play finish off an amazing and productive weekend. Thank you one and all!

Boo Boo