Almost the end...

Well, the bonfire has just finished, a little earlier than last year (1am). It was an incredible night, all in all. Due to the late hour, and my need to be awake for the drive home, I'll leave you with the final overall results, which are also the order for the Lip Sync results.

1st- Red
2nd- Green
3rd- Yellow
4th- Blue

I'll have a lot more over the weekend to finish things off. Thank you again for your prayers and support. This camp would not had gone as smooth if you were not involved. Later.......

The Final Day has come

The final day has come upon us. Last night the pew olympics went very well. No significant injuries to report. The ski race, pew toss, and pew crawl all went well. I even set a new personal best record for the pew toss with 18 pews. If that makes no sense to you, just ask your kids.

Trevor taught another convicting message, and we have a huge praise. One of our students accepted the Lord last night, just after midnight. She has been coming to our youth group for only a few months, and God worked the miracle of salvation in her heart. She comes from an unsaved family, so keep praying that she will have boldness as she returns home to a non-believing environment. Thank you again for your prayers in that area.

Today, we had our gym day. It was a ton of fun (and not in the blazing sunshine). It was pretty evenly spread throughout the teams as far as victories go, so we'll have to wait for tonight to add those points.

Tonight is the lip sync, and I have to say they all look pretty good. We also have our last session and our bonfir, so please continue in your prayers for those events. We are looking to finish strong spiritually, and we are trusting in God's strength for that.

The points listed reflect the scores as of last night, before today's games. Enjoy...

1st- Yellow 467,000

2nd- Red 465,500

3rd- Blue 451,000

4th- Green 438,000

It was a close 4-way volleyball game, but Green took it in the end

Some of the girls trying out the scooter scoot

Yellow took it for when the leaders did the name game

Everyone looked great for elderly night, even the "Seniors"

Crossing the mine field... another tough one

Listening patiently to the rules

Cooling off with the sponge squeeze

Lazer lines on field day is always fun to watch.

What a HOT day

Hello again everyone. First of all, thank you for your patience with me during a very busy week. There is so much packed into each day, it is hard to get away from it, but it is nice to just get my thoughts down every so often and update you all. So, here is what's been going on since yesterday.

Pool day was great. All the teams were pretty even, which meant that the standings staying pretty much the same, at least for yesterday's team activities. We had a lot of fun doing the different relay races, and of course the diving contests were fun to watch as well. Just like last year, Doug Dunton had a perfect 10 for his belly flop. There was some good effort put forth by a number of the girls, but their timidity was a hinderance. Stevie also showed off a bit with a nice flip during the jump or dive contest. One minute he was diving, then when we called jump he flipped and went in feet first.

The rest of the day went pretty well. Trevor brought up a lot of great issues in his message. He really challenged the students in issues of simple obedience, like going to bed at camp on time or doing the things they are asked around the house. Many of them really opened up and confessed sin to one another. I have been very encouraged by the response of many of the students to not only the sessions, but to the workshops and TAG times as well. Already we are seeing some fruit from these times together.

Last night ended very well. We practiced our quiet games outside, respecting our neighbors here on campus. And I have to give props to Green, Yellow, and Blue for naming everyone on their team during the name game.

Today looked a little sketchy. The weather man said 80% chance of strong thunderstorms right when we were supposed to have our afternoon games. So, in our leaders meeting, we prayed for some sun and a nice afternoon to play all our games. And boy, did God answer that prayer. It was in the upper 80s and totally clear. I have some nice tan lines on my arms and neck, as do a lot of the students. Everyone played really well, paying attention to Jordan and not complaining. I enjoyed seeing all of the students interacting, even the timid and injured ones.

Tonight, we continue our study through 1 Sam., and I would again ask you for your prayers. God is moving in many of the students hearts, and I trust He will continue to work wonders amongst us. Please pray for physical strength for me and the rest of the leaders as we continue to draw on the Lord's strength. We have two more days to go, then we'll really see the impact of what we've all learned this week.

I'll put up pictures from the day's activities later tonight. I'll leave you with the point totals for now. Thanks again for all your encouraging notes. Talk to you soon...

The points are incredibly close...
1st- Green 403,500
2nd- Yellow 397,000
Red 397,000
4th- Blue 393,000

Another Great Day... Half way to the finish

As you can see from the posting time of this update, things have been running a little late today. The internet was down this morning, so I apologize for the lack of posts today. I'll have a lot more info tomorrow (or later today I guess). Green is making a slow but steady comeback. Have a good one...

Moriah crying out for freedom

Becca took the top prize for military night

The belly flop contest, you'll have to see the video

Green cleaned up during pirates plunder

Preparing for the clothing relay

Another great day at the pool

Another day in the can...

As another day comes to a close, and we enter into Wed., I can't help but think about one thing. I want to sleep. But that will come in a few days (and hopefully a few minutes). The youth dressed up in many creative costumes for our holiday night, celebrating days like Flag Day, Veteran's Day, Pi Day, Donut Day, and even a few Amish that don't celebrate holidays. J.D. Nolte took the victory with his disturbing costume of Cupid, with Jonah Gallagher a close second with his celebration of Arbor Day.

The session was another great time in God's Word, adjusting our perspective on the fear of man. We were challenged to look at Christ's example of humble submission to God's Will, despite what we would consider a fearful time of looking at the cross. This is mirrored by David as he approached Goliath.

The groups times and team times have been great. We have unbelievers interested in Spiritual things, kids that didn't even want to be here that are participating and having fun, and a whole group of kids that sing their hearts out to the Lord. I'm praising Him for your prayers. They are certainly making a difference.

I'll leave you with a few prayer requests and our score updates for the night. Please keep the leaders in your prayers. This is the first summer camp for many of them, and they are feeling the fatigue of long days with lots of activities. Also, pray for God to continue to soften the hearts of unbelievers. He is moving, and I trust He will continue to do His thing amongst us.

That's about it for me. I'm off to bed. Pool day tomorrow, along with everything else. Night Night.

Point Totals:
1st- Red 148,000
2nd- Blue 135,000
3rd- Yellow 112,000
4th- Green 111,500

J.D..... what can I say

The group, dressed up for "holiday" night

I didn't even know the was a "pi" day where you can win competitions by memorizing pi to the most numerical places.

Phage doing her thing

Christmas in June

The Murphy twins, the veterans

Trevor, teaching about facing our fears and bringing God glory

Matt Massey owned the name game, naming every member of Red

Points update before evening session

1st- Red 93,500
2nd- Blue 88,500
3rd- Yellow 75,000
4th-Green 65,000

Psalms Points- Megan Lietza (Blue) and Grant Sommer (Green)

Mid-Day on Day 2...

As the afternoon has come and almost gone, I reflect on another great day here at camp. We began our first full day at 7am with a great breakfast. I was happy to see almost all of the students already at the cafeteria when Jordan and I arrived. Most looked well rested.

Our TAG (Time Alone with God) time today was about taking responsibility for our sins, and not disguising them with lies, like the sluggard who said he shouldn't go outside because there was a lion in the streets, when he was really just lazy. We are also reading through the Psalms of Ascents and 2 Peter. After morning worship at 9, followed by our workshops, the students headed out to soapy tarp day.

There was a lot of intense competition, but blue bolstered by the arrival of their second leader, Moriah Huff, led the way to victory with 1st place after 1st place finish, including victories in the tug of war and the refrigerator box relay. But the other teams still aren't far behind. Blue may be in first, but there is a lot of camp left to go.

Please pray for us tonight as Trevor continues his teaching through 1 Samuel 17. Pray for the unbelievers here at camp, for those that are apathetic about their faith, and really for all of us to be strengthened in our relationship with Christ. You can also be praying for physical healing for a few of our students who have gotten sick. You all are as much a part of making this week a success through your prayers as we leaders who are up here. Thank you for your support.

I'll leave you with a few pics of the day so far. Remember, if I see you commenting, I'll do my best to post pictures of your kids. That's it for now...

The leaders starting to get into it

Steal the Bacon... not so easy on the tarp

A near collision during the refrigerator box relay

Green gave a good effort, good enough for 3rd

Team Yellow, losing to Blue by a nose in the Tug of War

Team Crab Walking

The glory of victory, the agony of defeat

Our camp speaker, Trevor, cheering on his team

The End of Day One... Oh yeah, SC is on

Well, as day one comes to a close, and day two begins, I can't help but want to get to bed. I think after a good night's sleep, things will continue to be great around here. The weather is good so far, soapy tarp day is coming up tomorrow, and the teams are under way. Here is the info on each team, their name, and their Lip Sync selection.


1st Place- Yellow (21,000 points)
Name: Kaboom
Song: Kiss the Girl (Little Mermaid)


tied 2nd Place- Blue (12,500 points)
Name: Sneakachoo
Song: Beat It (Michael Jackson)


tied 2nd Place- Red (12,500 points)
Name: Jackals
Song: Mob Song (Beauty and the Beast)


4th Place- Green (5,000)
Name: Green Street Elite
Song: After Today (Goofy Movie)


It is anybody's game. Last year's winner had around 350,000 points when it was all said and done, with 15,000 per person for saying this years scripture verses (Psalms 84 & 121) and the prize of 40,000 for the Lip Sync.

I'll leave you with a few pics for your enjoyment.

The "after bus" excitement, and fatigue

You gotta name all your teammates

Working on the Yellow Flag

Blue preparing for their cheer

Green Street Elite

Don't Tread the Red

Some old friends from TX

BFF's

It has Begun

Hello faithful followers of the blog. Camp has finally started, and what a start we've had. God has already answered so many prayers. Here is just a short story. We originally were booked to go back to a room we had been in a few years ago that was recently refurbished for our meeting room. As we entered the room, it became apparant that it would not work for us. It was smaller, had a stage that would hold our drumset and that's about it, and would have been incredibly loud had the band played like we practiced. Well, after some maneuvering, we were able to go back to the sanctuary we were in last year which worked so well for us. We found out later that the reason the room was free was because they were scheduled for remodeling that building this summer, but God in His providence held that off until next summer. God provided, as He always does.

The first session went very well. Trevor opened 1 Samuel 17 for us and challenged us all to not look down on the simple life we have as children, workers, and servants of God. Even David, although He had been anointed King, was still willing to tend the sheep.

Tonight is team names, cheers, flags, and picking the Lip Sync songs. I'll let you know how it goes.

Don't forget to send messages to your kids or spouses. I'll make sure to pass them along to the group.

It's Almost Time... Summer Camp 2009 Approaches

We are only 10 days and 20 hours away from departure as I write this message. I am so excited as I see the group God has gathered to focus on Him for a solid week. As you can imagine, a ton of prep has gone on already as well as a lot still to come. For those of you interested in getting a head start on setting up things with your roomate, or buying an entire wardrobe in your team color, I've posted all of those things as picture below. Let me know if you have questions or comments. Don't forget to check out the facebook group as well. I'll give you more updates as they come along. For now, keep praying for each other and yourself as you prepare for this week. Let's begin even now to raise our gaze heavenward and not be distracted by the ideals of this world. Peace...

This is the first floor for the girls

This is the second floor for the girls

This is the second and only floor for the guys

Here are the teams for this year