Update (finally)

Greetings friends and family!

I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had posted an update, time just blurs past out here!

The past month has been great! Each week I have had a different group of kids, usually ages 10 – 15. Each group brings a different dynamic of attitudes, maturity, and how much fun they’re willing to have. Overall, each group has been a great experience, though in different areas.

A typical week will start on Sunday at 2 pm, and end on Friday at 2 pm.

Sunday: The group arrives at around 2 (ideally J ) and us leaders then separate them into their different small groups that they are in for the week. Once all their luggage is put into their rooms, we take them off and do ice breaker games, energizers, and get to know you games. After an hour or two of this, all the groups come together for large group energizers. Dinner is then served at 7. After dinner, Ilie, the camp director, introduces the camp, lays out the rules, etc. Then the kids go to bed.

Monday: We meet the kids for breakfast at 8:30, and then let them go and get ready for the day. At about 10/10:30 we meet up with the kids and hike up to the ropes course. The first day at the ropes course consists of low ropes elements, i.e. elements that are close to the ground. These elements require teamwork and thinking outside the box type strategies to get through. We leave the ropes course around 5 and go to dinner at 7. After dinner the leaders perform a bunch of crazy and fun skits, and then it is bedtime.

Tuesday: Same morning schedule, and back up to the ropes course at 10:30. Tuesdays we do high ropes course elements, which involves climbing boards suspended from cables, jumping between platforms, and walking across suspended logs. Most of these elements are 7-8 meters off the ground (22-25 feet) and a good number of the kids will have fears to overcome. Watching someone who is shaking as he climbs the ladder, but comes down glowing after he conquered the element is one of the most rewarding parts of being a leader out here. Tuesday evening we stay up at the ropes course and have a fire that we roast dinner and s’mores over.

Wednesday: After breakfast on Wednesdays we start with orienteering (navigating with a map and compass) around the woods here. In the afternoon we go on a short hike out to some small cliffs and do some rock climbing with the kids. This is another area where you see kids conquering their fears growing in the process. Wednesday evening is a game night with a few different competitions that the groups compete against each other with.

Thursday: We start the day with a short hike and do an ecology section where we talk about nature, how to take care of it, etc. This can be about how to pack a backpack for a hike, how to treat a campsite, campfire safety, or etiquette around other hikers. Thursday afternoon we do arts and crafts with a few different stations where kids can make things, and then we do an economic lesson where kids can buy crafts that other kids made, and the money will go towards a fundraiser. Thursday ends with a big dance party!

Friday: In the morning we take our small group out somewhere quiet, and do a “closing ceremony” with them. During this time we talk about the week, what the kids learn, where they struggled, and where they excelled. We then read through a list of ways that we can all work on to change and live better in our own lives, and they each choose one of these and promise to work on it. At the end they are all given a bracelet to symbolize and remind them of this. All of the groups then gather and watch a slideshow of pictures of the week. After this we send them off home.

By the end of the week I am usually exhausted, and the rest on Friday afternoon and Saturday is very, very welcome and appreciated!

A lot of people have been asking me what I have learned this summer, or where I have seen God. One of the things I have really grown in and been learning is to live in the present. Too often I look ahead to the next big thing in my life, counting down the days until whatever happens. I have really been learning to stop rushing through life and enjoy it. And in enjoying, look for God in the small, quiet moments. Some of the passages that have impacted this growth are Elijah encountering God in cave; not in the earthquake, fire, or wind, but in the small whisper in his ear. Hezekiah talks about trusting in God no matter what, and living out your life for Him and knowing He is with us. Jesus words about the Lord caring for the birds, and how much more He will care for us has impacted me as well. Perhaps the simplest yet most impactful is the phrase: “Be still and know that I am God.”

All of these phrases and passages have had a huge impact on my life, especially in the context of being away from home and often getting lost in worry about the future. But God is good, He is patient, and He continues to guide me.

Thank you for reading, and God Bless!

– David Vanderhooft