I had the pleasure of spending this past week at
Camp Calvin near Naches, Washington which is approximately forty miles outside of Yakima. It was started by some people in our denomination (the Christian Reformed Church) years and years ago. We have people in our church who are in their 50's that attended as campers. We rent out a camp owned by the Union Gospel Mission called
The Lost Creek Village. All the Camp Calvin staff (directors, game leaders, worship team, kitchen help, counselors etc.) are volunteers. Many of us are paid or volunteer youth leaders in our churches or with Young Life. Others are teachers who have summers off.
I attended three years ago as a counselor and took along Jamie from our church. Jamie was a camper finishing up her eighth grade year. Although I have some great memories from that week, the program itself was struggling. There were a few safety issues, leadership problems, and a lack of structure. By the end of the week, I was beyond exhausted. I had not felt fatigue like that since 2009 when my youngest got bronchiolitis as an infant and stopped sleeping. The directors and I agreed we learned from all the conflicts and setbacks, but it was emotionally taxing. We had hope that God was going help us bring Camp Calvin back as a safe and fun place for kids. We were driven and motivated to make some healthy changes.
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My first year at Camp Calvin in 2015
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And so beginning of August 2015 we started meeting over Skype. We set goals, shared ideas, talked through issues, and we prayed. The more we planned, the more excited we got.
My desire was to bring more kids from our church to Camp Calvin 2016. But because only Jamie went in 2015 and now moved on to high school, no one really knew much about the camp. I tried to promote it as best as I could. When my husband was selected as speaker and our whole family would be able to attend, I longed to take more youth groups kids as well. That was not part of God's plan for 2016. My daughter and one other youth group girl came as campers. However, I knew if they had a great experience, they could encourage others to go in 2017 better than I could.
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Our family at Camp Calvin 2016 minus Hailey who was hiking with other campers
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In 2016, our goals of safety and fun were achieved. The majority of the issues we faced in 2015 were minimal or non-existent. Everything ran smoothly.
Our director mentioned that he longed to see more of a spiritual focus at camp following 2016. Some youth leaders asked their campers what they learned at camp or how they saw God at work. Many could not answer. Sharing times such as the closing campfire steered away from a spiritual focus and became more of a time to share funny stories.
So as planning for 2017 began in the fall, I prayed for a stronger spiritual atmosphere. I also asked God to send more kids from Sunnyslope. Even though the spiritual focus is still a work in progress, both prayers were answered. I had the honor of taking not two but ten kids from our church plus Jamie returning now as a junior counselor.
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Departing on Monday morning from our church parking lot
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The heart of the week was Pastor Matt (from the Seattle area) sharing about the life of Christ. We talked about how "it's OK to not be OK" and how Christ guides us in the "dead ends" in our lives. As counselors we prayed over the "dead ends" many of the kids shared anonymously on 3 x 5 cards. We had some good discussions as a small group sharing each morning and evening in our cabin groups. We were blessed by the stories at the closing campfire about how fellow campers and staff saw God at work.
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Pastor Matt speaking at the closing campfire on Thursday night
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The kids watched as Pastor Matt threw their "dead end" cards in the fire as a symbol of leaving it behind. He reminded that their problems would not go away and some situations may not change, but God was at work. We have hope through Jesus Christ.
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| Burning the cards |
Camp always includes group games. Some are played every single year such as Viking's Gold (a spin off of Capture the Flag) and Fruit Basket Upset. I personally enjoy Viking's Gold and try to play at least one round. Being a long distance runner, the sprinting is difficult for me. I can't overrun many of the kids.
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| Playing Fruit Basket Upset |
We tried some team building games this year. I was proud of how our Sunnyslope girls worked together and achieved many of the challenges in the time allotted. It was not always easy for them. They struggled to work together on one of the challenges where they have to move a pole to the ground while balancing on their fingertips. Many of them displayed leadership and good attitudes.
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| Team Building Game |
During the afternoon, the kids had many choices of what activities they wanted to do. Some wanted to swim all afternoon. Others learned how to play archery or did paintball. Some kids hung out in the craft area and used modge podge glue to make clipboards or candle holders.
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| Swimming at the camp pool |
Some of us hiked
Edgar Rock. The trailhead is located very close on the Lost Creek Village site. It is a four mile hike if you begin from the camp (though I think we calculated it was slightly longer). The elevation gain is 1,350 miles and the switchbacks are steep. I encouraged all the kids to try it (even those skittish about climbing mountains). The hike itself can take 2 1/2 hours and I think most of our kids did not want to commit their afternoon to it.
I was proud of Hailey for doing it even though none of the girls from Sunnyslope wanted to go with her. She and I ended up hiking it with two other adults. A few other campers (who outhiked us!) plus Jamie and another counselor went as well. Hailey is hoping to climb Mount Saint Helens with her school in September. It was not easy for her to tackle Edgar Rock, but it helped her realize how strenuous the upclimb can be...yet how rewarding the downclimb is! I have done the hike now each year.
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| Hailey on top of Edgar's Rock |
One of the highlights of the week is a trip to Boulder Cave (about a ten minute drive). I was grateful we did it the last afternoon. It was the perfect way to end the week. We do a short hike through the cave and then a river walk that includes a natural waterslide.
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| Hiking through the river walk |
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| Hailey going down the waterslide |
Also on our last day we celebrated Jamie's 17th birthday and had a little party for her complete with cake. Our Sunnyslope girls secretly made her a giant card and kept the party a secret.
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| Jamie's birthday party |
We ended camp with an all camp party that went from 10 PM to midnight. Normally this party was limited to eighth graders only. For various reasons, our staff felt it was time to end the tradition and make it open to all campers. It included a night pool swim, movie in the lodge, and games in the field with glow sticks. I missed most of the party as I needed to sleep preparing for a 5+ hour drive the following morning.
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| Night Pool Party |
We got everything cleaned up and pack so we could depart by 10 AM sharp. We had hopes to roll back into Salem by 3:30 PM. The ride itself was smooth sailing and we were making great time until Fairview, Oregon (just outside of Portland). We were in bumper to bumper traffic for well over an hour. Our 5 1/2 hour trip became 7 hours (with only two short stops). We all were pretty cranky, miserable, and wanting to be home. Yet we all survived and it did not ruin the week by any means.
Now we're home and I am exhausted (though not as tired or emotionally spent as 2015). I'm grateful that we had a such a fun experience and God could use us to reach these middle schoolers spiritually as well. We'll see what 2018 brings!
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