Hello from the first full day of Junior High camp! Monday started off bright and early with a wake-up bell and Polar Dip, followed by flag raising and the delicious morning meal! Then we all gathered on the Steps of Faith for the big group photo! Check out the goofy one we did below:
Then it was time for Morning Chapel. These chapel sessions will be split between guys and girls. Today, the guys talked about Trusting in God, studying specifically the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). They learned about how David took an active step of faith by going onto the battlefield with nothing but stones and a sling, leaving aside armor and any other weapons. He completely trusted God as he confronted Goliath.
TAKE CAMP HOME: For guy campers, read through the story of David and Goliath found in 1 Samuel, and talk about David’s act of faith in God. What does it mean to be active in your faith? Ask your camper about what ways they want to take an more active step of faith in the future, and pray about that together!
The girls talked about how we are made in God’s image, and that when we believe in Christ, we are washed and sanctified. God sees us as washed and clean, even though there is no way that we could do it on our own. Our Creator defines who we are! The girl campers were encouraged to look at a list of who God says they are and to pick one to dwell on. It takes a lot of courage to believe what God says about us.
TAKE CAMP HOME: For girl campers, revisit some of the verses from today’s morning chapel (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10; Romans 6:3-7). Ask your camper to tell you what they remember from this morning chapel. What does it mean to be washed? What are some things that God says about who we are? Ask your camper to tell you about the abstract painting and the artist metaphor (Hint: What did the abstract painting look like to them – and what would the artist say about it? How does it apply to what our Creator says about us?)
Morning Chapel was followed by some Free Time and Cabin Time, where campers got to hang out as cabin groups and do some fun activities. Then it was on to lunch and Mail Call – campers got to meet the summer-long characters for the second time and find out more about the story of the week.
This was followed by Clinics & Seminars! Campers get to choose from a variety of options for an hour of digging deeper into a particular topic, led by different staff members.
And then it was Free Time! Today, the beach, craft room, and canteen opened, and campers could head up to the Laser Tag field. The swimming area was packed today, with tons of kids out on the Raft and on the Watermat, not to mention the people taking out paddleboats, canoes, and kayaks. Some campers even took out the Corcls (small, colorful saucer water toys)! There were lots of impressive leaps off of the diving raft today, some of which are shared below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/By1HAtwhttb/
The craft of the day was a mason jar mug with a really cool lid, which campers got to design themselves. It was a popular craft today, along with friendship bracelets and nail & string art!
TAKE CAMP HOME: Did your camper do any art during the week at camp? Have them show you what they made. Could it be a craft you could do together?
Every day at 4pm, there is a different Free Time option. Today it was a game of Ultimate down on the Lower Field, running around in the soft grass and sunshine!
Tonight after dinner is the first Big Game of the week – Clue! This game is very similar to the classic board game, with cabin groups working as a team to solve a mystery created by the staff. Several staff members get to dress up as characters who all know different pieces of information about the mystery (some helpful, some not so much). The first cabin to figure out the mystery is the winner!
TAKE CAMP HOME: Who won the game of Clue? What was the mystery, and what was the solution?
The game tonight was so much fun! Campers get a little break for Canteen before Chapel tonight. The recap of the Chapel topic will go up in tomorrow’s blog post! We’ve had such a great day with these campers already – we love all the energy and enthusiasm Junior Highers bring to summer camp! Let’s have some more fun tomorrow!
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