Did you miss me?  My plans to post remotely from camp didn’t go as well as I had hoped because the data speeds through my iPhone were miserable this year.  It’s probably for the best though, I was able to disconnect for a while and focus on hanging out with the kids at church camp.

Our girls at camp.

I have written before about church camp as one of my favorite things.  This year made me enjoy camp even more.  We had the largest camp session we have ever had and everything went smoothly.  The weather was absolutely beautiful with the highest temps only reaching 95 and a steady wind all throughout the week.  It even rained several times which helped.  The Southwest region of Oklahoma where Quartz Mountain Christian Camp is located is in desperate need of rain.  Here are a few thoughts/highlights of camp for me, followed by a gallery of photos:

• Our camp director raised his kids at camp and has graciously allowed our family to do the same thing.  Our oldest daughter has gone to camp every year that she has been on this earth.  I know this is not what every youth minister would do, but it works wonderfully for our family and our ministry.  My wife has come up with some great ideas over the years to keep our young children occupied during worship times.  This year we had a sandbox out behind the chapel where our youngest daughter played.  Camp is a special time for our family and I appreciate the ‘big kids’ who set a good example for our children and love on them throughout the week.  I also believe we play a role in demonstrating a Christian family in action.
• This year was the first year I really tried to focus on delegating out some tasks.  The biggest task I delegated was transportation for the kids to and from camp.  One of our men at church loves to drive and volunteered to make the 9 hour round trip…twice!  The second van was driven by one of our camp counselors who is a good young man.  With transportation delegated our family was able to go up to camp a day early and get settled in and help get everything ready for the campers.  It definitely helped, and allowed me to be rested and ready for the flood of campers.
• We have some amazing young people.  If you think that all teenagers are hopelessly connected to their cell phones and video games, you should try going out to church camp sometime.  It is heart warming to see the kindness that the kids extend to each other.  Our camp has a wide age range of kids from 4th through 12th grade.  The older kids really look out for the younger kids and the younger kids definitely look up to the older kids.  We also have several kids who come out with us that have special needs and the teens make sure they are looked out for.
• The Quartz Mountain Christian Camp facility is run by an amazingly family.  The caretaker of a camp facility plays a huge role in the atmosphere of camp.  A family of five facilitates our camp session along with some amazing workers.  This year they amazed us by providing great meals, addressing various needs in the cabins and even finding time to help us with a few special projects.  Facilitating 10 weeks of camp sessions must be exhausting but rewarding work.  Somehow amidst their busy, exhausting schedule they found time to come out and visit with us and spend some time with the campers.
• 

  Adam at the top of Quartz Mountain!

  I wasn’t even present for one of my favorite things from camp this year.  We have a young many named Adam who comes to camp and has a few special needs.  Among other things he is legally blind and uses a cane to get around and needs help getting from place to place.  The kids always make sure someone gives him a hand getting from location to location.  No one ever has to be asked to give Adam a hand.  Adam loves camp!  With the help of some staff members and campers, Adam was able to make it safely up and down Quartz Mountain.  I think the teamwork, trust and love shown in this effort exemplify what our camp session is all about!  I have had Adam in my cabin the past few years and truly enjoy having him among my campers.

I could go on for a lot longer about camp.  The singing is great, the lessons were amazing and I really enjoyed teaching Bible class for the junior high age kids.  Camp is definitely a highlight of the year for our youth group and our family.  If you ever have the chance to go out to camp as a volunteer or assistant, you should give it a try!

Guest posts start next week with a post about selling stuff on eBay on Monday and a guest post on Tuesday as well.  I hope you have a great weekend!