Winter Blast 2012

So .... it has been 7 months since the last time I blogged.  I'm not really sure what happened.  I still read all my friends' blogs (and a handful of well-written strangers), and I always think how nice it is to feel all caught up with them.  So I think I'm back.  I even updated the music (although my feelings aren't hurt if you mute it :-)  Winter Blast at Camp Beechpoint is a great reason to start the blog back up.

Thanks to some great camp friends I have pictures from Winter Blast.  Enjoy this snapshot of the fun!

Ka'Ja, Jada, and Kendra on the bus headed to camp.

How one boy packed to come to camp - he put all his belongings into his coat, zipped it up, and slung it over his shoulder.

Gym games!  We sure love having a gym during the cold winter!  The leaders ran through all the kids and tried not to get hit with the balls in order to score points for their team.  Hilarious.  What little kid doesn't want to throw balls at their leaders?

Mya, Shayann, Ka'Ja, Megan, Drew, Bella, Curtynaija

On the Great Klondike Derby the kids use team work to accomplish a series of tasks.  For this one they had to try to get the tire off a tall pole.  Bonus points for ingenuity ... even though I suspect this ended with tears!

They also used teamwork to saw a log branch some kindling.  Every kid thinks this is cool.

Each camper had a turn trying to hunt a giant polar bear.  (I love Riley's hat!  And seriousness, lol.)

And on the Derby they had to work together to build a shelter the whole cabin could use to get out of the cold, lol.  I mean, to be fair, I'm not too sure I could do much better.  It was my friends who took these pictures, after all.  I didn't even go on the Derby. ;-)

Our lessons were from Ephesians 6:11 - "Put on the full armor of God so you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."  I got to teach both the younger boys and the younger girls.  I loved it!  Teaching is always my favorite part of camp!

I know what you're all thinking.... "If only I could have THAT GUY'S job for the weekend!"

One of my supporters sent slipper socks for the girls!  They were super excited to have new socks.  I saved them for Saturday night so they'd have something warm and dry to sleep in after all day in the snow.

TriNiya didn't really want to smile in pictures this weekend ... but couldn't help herself during sledding!

This picture is taken half way down the hill.  No wonder they all sleep so good on Saturday night!  One little boy wrote in his thank you letter that he thought he was the coolest kid ever since his sled went the farthest ... until he realized he now had to walk the farthest to get back up the hill!

At the end of the weekend each camper writes a thank you letter to their sponsor:

"First the food was awesome.  We went sledding and the Klondike Derby.  The only bad part was farting in the cabin.  We also learned about the armor of God.  Thank you for making it possible for me to come here.  I hope I can come again.  Sincerely, Tyson" - age 10

"Now I think I really have a relationship with God and now my love is stronger.  This was a blast!" - Aubrey, age 11

The summer is going good.

I wish I had time to blog every day and tell you stories of campers and fun and life change.  I wish I could post a picture a day so you could see everything I love about camp.  I wish I could video every camper telling their story so you could hear it from them.  As long as I'm wishing, I wish you could all come visit and see just what it is that makes camp so wonderful!

In the meantime I found these 15 minutes to upload some pics.  I promise to post more from summer camp in the fall. :-)

I love this picture - it makes me smile.  What a great new experience!  To be clear, I am definitely not trying to touch a chicken myself - or sit on the ground in a chicken coop, really boys ?! - but I love that they are loving it. :-)

Khaniysile kissing the Beechpoint mascot.

It's a well known (and teased) fact around camp that I am bad at building camp fires.  But since we've started using this indoor fire once a week I am suddenly self-sufficient! :-)

Jaelan and I at the park.

My friend Jess took this picture of Darrius.  I'm hoping this gets blown up and framed at camp!

Sugar sweet Tatiana at the park.

Morning devotions. :-)

Javion and Shamya - 2 happy campers headed home after a great week at camp!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and care for me during summer camp.  Please pray for the remaining 2 weeks and 240 campers we are expecting to join us.  Pray that the staff will have endurance and the campers will come with hearts soft towards God.

Also, I miss all of you......

Hooray for friends from home!

So, at the beginning of 2011 I decided that I was going to have out of town guests once a month for the whole year.  Unfortunately, not all of my out of town guests were in on that decision with me.

However, this summer Albert and Zerena Turner came to camp from Rupert, Idaho!  Albert is a summer staff cabin leader for 10 weeks and Zerena came out as an LIT (Leader in Training) to serve a missions trip on our teen volunteer staff.  I love having friends from home here to visit!  We spent a weekend in Chicago so that they could see my home (and sign the guest book!)  Here are a handful of pictures from the trip.

Albert with some of the campers at the park, Jaelan and Donald.  Albert is my favorite staff person to take to the park with me because he loves to run around with the kids!

Zerena with her campers, Destiny and Kayla.

First stop in the city:  Giordanos Famous Chicago Style Pizza.  See, the thing about Chicago deep dish pizza is that you really have to understand what you are getting yourself into.  Otherwise you think you are going to get pizza.  It's disappointing to find out you are really going to be eating casserole.  Just sayin. :-)

Second stop:  a dozen beauty supply stores so Zerena could by big (obnoxious) earrings and bright colored shoes.  This display here made me shudder.  Above the sample it says "TRY ME, YOU'LL LOVE IT".  Do you see those before and after photos??!!  That means people with those before lips have stuck their fingers into this lip balm?!  Awww, heck no! 

Third stop:  Ed Debevic's, a restaurant downtown where the staff are supposed to be rude.  Albert thought this was hysterical!  I enjoyed it as well ... until our waiter called me a princess.  Albert is busy planning how he can get hired to work here. ;-) 

One of the signs at Ed Debevics.... can you imagine??!!

Fourth stop:  Some shoe stores for Albert.  He decided to wait until the next weekend when some of the guys could help him pick out a pair.  I actually really like this shoe - it's like a pinstripe sneaker. :-)  Come on, Ilise!  COME VISIT ME!

Fifth Stop:  We swong by (hmm... I mean, that sounds right...) Demetrius' house to see Jabari, Jabri and Jireh, since the summer is too long to be without them.  Beth and Nick got to come here 2 summers ago, it was fun to bring more Turners over. :-)  Zerena is holding Jireh and Cierra and Cheyenne are standing.

I also got to take them to both my Michigan and Chicago churches.  I love that they have seen my apartment, my city, my churches, my camp.... it's good to have people from home!

PID Club Wrap Up

Partners in Discipleship (PID) is camp's year-round discipleship program.  Kids meet weekly 1:1 with mentors or in after school clubs where they receive 1:1 time from a leader.  I currently meet each week individually with 8 kids and have 1 after school club in the city.  We have high hopes that there will be 3 clubs running this fall.

During their 1:1 time, kids discuss the Bible lesson they completed at home, pray over requests, and quote memory verses.  Kids in PID earn points to help pay for them to return to camp the next summer.  The kids at the club do homework or play games together while they are waiting for their turn to meet with a leader.

At one of our last clubs I gave the kids my camera and told them to go take pictures.  This is what I got:

Isabella

Isaly and Niani are sisters and are coming to camp for the first time this summer!  I can't wait until the week that my club kids are here! :-)

Chelsea and I

Andy.  Andy has a friend his age that he calls once a week to do a Bible study with.  He told me that they were reading the story of Jonah and that they prayed for each other that they will always obey God.  This young man is going to be a pastor when he grows up.  I'm praying so.

Zoie doing skits.

Zoie and I praying at the end of her 1:1 Bible study time.

Alec and Nico.

Me and some of my Armitage kids.  Since they were in such a photogenic mood we took a handful of group pictures. :-)

Golf Marathon 2011

Camp Beechpoint's 2nd Annual Golf Marathon was held this May to raise scholarship funds for campers who may not have an opportunity to attend camp otherwise.  It's a fun day-long event full of golfers from around the area who raise sponsorship to participate.  The goal is to golf 100 holes in one day.  This year we had 15 golfers and raised $20,000 to help send kids to camp!  Praise God for His provision!

Last year I was unable to attend, so this was my first Golf Marathon.  I got to be a caddy, although my golfer, Jeremy, had to train me from scratch.  Apparently you can't drive on the short grass.  And you shouldn't park the golf cart ahead of the golfer.  And you're supposed to watch for where the ball lands (next time I need binoculars, I was surprisingly bad at this task).  Lucky for me I was put with a golfer who had been by himself for 72 holes and said to me on the first hole we did together "you can keep talking while I am golfing".   If he had known how many topics I could generate and how many questions I would have, he might not have been so eager to encourage conversation. :-)  Did you know that the caddy gets a cut of the winnings?  The Golf Marathon has a hole where you can win $10,000 for a hole in one.  I was cheering Jeremy on!

It was a truly beautiful afternoon to be golfing.

My friends Chris and Todd.  They had a riot of a day.  Next year I want to just follow them around and make a movie.

This made me chuckle.  I suppose 100 holes of golf would lend itself to some Tylenol at the snack station. 

Oh, I almost forgot.  I also loved the Golf Marathon because everyone had golf carts.  At camp, having a golf cart is a bit of a status symbol.  There are a handful of staff who have exclusive use of specific golf carts.  Then there are a larger handful of staff who share keys to 2 carts that can be used when they are available.  And then the summer staff are not allowed to drive golf carts.  I have graduated to the second level and keep my eye on Craig's List in hopes that if we get a large enough fleet I will make it into the first level. :-)  But at the Golf Marathon . . . everyone has a golf cart! :-)

White Sox Game - Take 2

This spring we again took our PID kids to a White Sox game.  I like this event because:

• the work is done ahead of time - we pre-purchase the tickets and then everyone just meets up at the game
• I get to have a bunch of my PID kids all in the same place at the same time
• they sell cotton candy
• I pass out the tickets so I always sit myself next to 2 people who will talk to me during the game

On the other hand, I dislike this event because:

• it costs $25 to park
• it takes a good long minute to get out of the parking traffic after the game.  (why not just take the train you ask?  because I wouldn't be safe walking back from the train station in my neighborhood in the dark)
• it's baseball.  and let's be honest... I'm just not that into sports.

Rachel and I... it was a chilly and foggy base ball game.  Is baseball one word or two?

Kenya and Aunt Jan.  I got to meet Kenya's dad at the game.  He came with her because it was his birthday!

Me, my friend Nakeisha, and one of my PID kids, Tavontay.  Turns out Nakeisha really cares about watching the game.  Looks like we won't be sitting together at this next year. ;-)

My pretty girl Kiyasia!  She convinced her auntie to bring her along to the game and shared my cotton candy with me. :-)

Jakarri and Tavaris.  I haven't seen Jakarri in like 6 months.  He got into the car with a grown man voice!  I can't believe that all my "babies" are growing up, these boys are 13 and 14.  :-)  Look at Kiyasia tryna peak around the corner to be in the picture, lol.