Hello! My name is Bekah, and this summer, I will be capturing the story of summer camp through pictures and writing. I am new to Camp Lebanon, and I am very excited to see the work that God does here and share it with all of you.
We are kicking off the summer here at camp with staff training May 28th-June 8th. It is a great way to get the staff together, new and old, to form a unified team as they learn more about camp, their position, and the group of people they get to work with over the coming months. The week started off with a getting-to-know-you session with the new staff followed by free time filled with a very competitive game of Apples to Apples and lots of giggles before heading to the cabins for the night.
Tuesday morning held a delicious breakfast and a Q and A session after going over some policies and guidelines. We were given more free time in which most people enjoyed the lake in kayaks, paddle boats, and the swimming area. The new staff was joined by the returning staff in the afternoon, and after an orientation, we were led on a tour of camp learning old stories and future plans along the way.
We were then divided into our “staff families.” These are groups that spend extra time together to support one another and make deeper connections. The groups spent time to get to know the family members and come up with a silly family name. Afterwards, we reunited as a whole to announce their names and worship followed by lights out.
Wednesday morning, we began adjusting to the camp schedule by getting up at 7:00 AM for time alone with God and raising the flag before breakfast. Following breakfast, there was time set aside for some of the staff members to give their testimonies. This will be going on throughout staff training so that every member will share with the group.
The rest of the morning was spent learning about procedures and talking about what the summer will look like as a whole and in certain positions. That night, we gathered for worship and chapel time, and afterwards, we all played a night game called “Live Action Mafia.”
Thursday morning began the same as Wednesday, and in the afternoon, we filled out paperwork, learned about Camp Lebanon history, and played a few games.
We were used as guinea pigs to test out new games to play with the campers this year, and it was a lot of fun! The games were also used as an example of how to properly lead an activity and clean up afterwards.
We then got to listen to our Marketing Director talk a little bit about what the marketing team will be doing this summer and how everyone can assist in the effort.
After dinner, we were graciously hosted by our Camp Director and his wife at their home. It was our time to relax after a long day of learning where we played all sorts of games.
There were board games, cards games, dice games, yard games, ping pong, basketball, catch, and some people decided to just talk and relax!
This morning, we again had our time with God, raised the flag, had breakfast, and listened to more testimonies.
Right now, people are working in groups according to their position to practice for the summer. We have lunch coming up soon, and I am looking forward to after lunch when we will run through all of our action songs that we will sing with the kids this summer.
I am so excited to be in this position and have the opportunity to share these things. The summer is going to be an awesome ride, and I hope you all check in on what God is doing here.
Thank you for reading, God bless!
