Overheard Conversation of the Summer

I had an “assistant counselor” last week. He was there to observe and somewhat experience what being a counselor was like. After having our groups nightly devotions around a camp fire, we started hiking back to wilder, which is slang for wilderness camp. About half way there one of my campers says that they’re afraid of bats. Then the assistant counselor says, “That’s okay I’m afraid of Bob Barker.” Then there was a couple of seconds of laughter followed by my assistant going on, “Cuz he’s a giant d**chebag.” Everyone went quiet. I asked him to not repeat that in front of campers ever again and we had a perfectly silent hike the rest of the way back to wilder.

Excursion 1

The weekend of the 4^th of July was staff development weekend. This was to be a fun weekend to be spent as a summer staff in order to make sure that we continue to get along. Friday night after battling the dust bunnies attempting to infiltrate the lodge, we all got ready and hopped on the bus. Cal drove us to Inwood, IA so we could go to the demolition derby. Upon arriving in Inwood we walked to the park in order to have supper. We had brought a cooler full of sandwiches, chips and cookies to enjoy. About halfway through our meal a muscular gentleman walked over to us, flexing his muscles the entire way, and said, “There are no coolers in the park today.” Then he walked about thirty feet away and watched us to ensure that we would indeed bring the coolers out of the park. All of us already had our food and started to eat it so all the coolers had in them was no longer needed ice. So we carried the coolers out of the park in order to appease the oversized man who felt as if he had won some kind of victory.

Next it was time for the demolition derby. I hadn’t been to a demo derby for at least 8 or 10 years and was therefore very excited. The derby was a ton of fun. Cars were smashing into each other, and we were picking favorites for no apparent reason. Of all the things I could have learned from such an event there is one thing that I walked away with; the station wagon is always a safe bet when it comes to predicting a demo derby winner.

After the derby we stayed around for fireworks. These I thoroughly enjoyed. My new favorite fireworks are the ones which blow up and make a loud noise like a cannon exploding. This annoyed some of the people around me but I absolutely loved it. For me the noise of fireworks is more impressive than the sounds they make.

While on our weekend excursion we realized many things about the outside world. I say this because being at camp is like being n a bubble without contact with the outside world. We learned that gas was “uber” expensive, it was Obama vs. McCain for president and that East Iowa had undergone some major flooding. From this I came to the realization that being at camp cuts you off from the outside world, however it is a safe haven from all evil of the world.

Day Camp

My first week of camp I was assigned to day camp. Day camp is composed of kindergarten to third graders. The campers arrived between 8 and 8:30 A.M. We keep them active with such activities as Bible stories, games, crafts and swimming. The same kids come every day for a week (Mon.-Fri.). It was not long into my first week that I realized that day camp is nothing more than organized chaos. These children have an unbelievable amount of energy. There are five counselors to look over thirty children. The kids are a ton of fun but can be a hassle to watch after. Every once in a while one will try to run away just for the sake of running away. This is a tiring week but we do get some free time in the afternoon. Also since our campers leave at 3:30 we are able to play night games with lodge and wilderness camps. These are a lot of fun and include Romans and Christians, Bible Smugglers, Capture the Glow Stick and Bonkers. These are a lot of fun and the lodge campers love us because we play with them.

Days of Elijah's Major Flaw

Days of Elijah ranked in on my list at tenth. It made the list largely because of its fun actions. It would have made it higher on the list if the song didn't anger me. I still have fun singing it but I am angry with the writer for an obvious misrepresentation of the Bible. There is the a line that reads. "These are the day of your servant David, rebuilding the Temple of praise." David?!?!?! David didn't build the temple; in fact he was ordered not to build the Temple. Instead the building of the Temple was left for David's son Solomon. However I don't let this ruin the song for me. Instead I make a point of it to sing "...of your servant Solomon, building the Temple of praise". I also suggest that other do same in order to not teach children falsely about the Bible. I hate to think about how many children walk around thinking David built the Temple just because of this song.

Top 10 Summer Camp Songs

At camp we have Chapel at least once if not twice a day. At Chapel we always sing a number of songs and I have compiled my own top 10.

10. Days of Elijah
9. Blessed Be Your Name
8. Mighty to Save
7. Freedom
6. Love
5. Awesome God
4. Give Us Clean Hands
3. Amazing Grace-any of the several versions we sing
2. Better is One Day
1. Pharaoh, Pharaoh

Pharaoh, Pharaoh wins because of how fun it is to sing. The actions that go along with the song are amazing and it usually winds up being the campers' favorite song.

Summer Camp

I am working at Inspirations Hills Summer Camp which is in rural Inwood, IA. In all actuality it is much closer to both Fairview and Canton, SD. It lies right on the Iowa, South Dakota border. I could literally shoot a BB gun from here and have it land in South Dakota. Inspiration Hills is a Christian camp which features lodge, wilderness and day camps. Other offerings include canoing, hiking and biking adventures. At this camp I am a counselor meaning I get to experience two weeks of training and eight weeks of counseling campers. Age groups of campers vary from early elementary school to Junior High.