Your camper may have come to camp this week to ride a horse, splash around in the pool, and cook their meals over a fire, but they are doing so much more. They are trying new things, overcoming challenges, making new friends, serving one another, and being their goofy fun selves all while praising our good good God!

The week started off with some dreary rainy weather, but that didn’t stop us! The group was very creative when creating their group name and ninja names (be sure to ask about this!). After some get-to-know-you activities, they were off to cook their first meal over the fire; pasta, meatballs (or, more accurately, meatblobs), and zucchini. The evening finished with Vespers (evening worship), campfire, songs, fellowship, snack, teeth brushing, and their first night sleeping in the wilderness Hogan shelters.  

Sunday nerves quickly expired as we jumped into Monday’s Morning Watch (Bible Study) and learned that God created us for a reason. We read about Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story and how God created and used them to give us John the Baptist. Your camper then thought of qualities God gave them through creating an acrostic with their first name. I heard them describe themselves with confidence with words like: amazing, courageous, artsy, and loving.

The rest of the day consisted of games like Fairytale and gaga ball, swimming in the pool, and riding horses. After a great nights’ sleep on Monday, Tuesday brought chocolate chip pancakes, water polo in the pool, relaxing time in hammock village, bath bombs at craft time, and hotdogs and banana boats cooked over the fire.

Between meals, activities, and Vespers, your camper is singing camp songs and stopping for “God appreciation moments”. Be sure to ask what their favorite song was! Although, I’m sure you’ll hear quite a few around your house the rest of the summer ☺. Our best God appreciation moment so far was Tuesday night on our way to Vespers. We were walking through the horse pasture and saw the most beautiful orange and pink sunset behind a field of grazing horses. We responded with the appropriate “oooo!” and “ahhhh!” and “You’re cool, God!”.

I am continually amazed by your camper. We get to experience such fun activities together, but my favorite part is the conversations we get to have as we walk between them. I get to see and hear how smart they are, how they care about their family and friends, what’s hard for them, how they understand God’s love, and what they’re passionate about. THANK YOU for sharing your child with us this week. We prayed for them before they got here and continue to pray for them, and we are excited to see how God moves the rest of the week.

Emma Acker, Camper Vs. Wild Director