Youth Group Camp 2010

OK so I'm a little late in posting these but better late than never right? I had the privilege of going on the first (annual) CCPO Youth group camping trip!!It was slightly drizzly while were getting ready but not enough to hinder the fun!  I really enjoyed getting to know the kids. Well I guess I shouldn't call them kids, but compared to me they are totally kids. I am getting old. That is something I learned on this trip. =o)

Here is the whole gang at the church office before we left. 

Debbie was there and thought it would be a neat idea to show every one's hands before the trip, and then after. Considering that we would not have running water to wash all of the time. Nice squeaky clean hands.

Once we headed off we arrived at camp and got settled in. This was towards the evening after we got the fire started. The girls sleeping area was in front of the Suburban on the right side of the picture, and they guys slept over on the other side of the pop up (kitchen area) on the left. The tent you see was just for changing. We all slept under the stars!! Waa hooo!!

Some adorable girlies!

Some weird guy with a stick through his head.

That evening we all enjoyed some wonderful worship. That night the Lord touched me so hard I thought I would fall over!! lol As we were having some sweet worship I was looking over the fire towards where the creek ran and I had remembered the last time Jeremy and I had been camping there. It was before we knew the Lord and we had come there with a group of friends to party. As I was looking over I remembered the last time I was there I was walking over towards the water with a drink in my hand and had fallen over into a little ditch area because I had drank too much. I hadn't remembered that at all, let alone much of the trip we had gone on before up until that part. Then That's when the Lord touched me. As we were singing Holy Holy Holy, I broke down realizing where I had come from, and where I was now. And how AWESOME our God is. To take a mess like me, and make me new and its just too incredible to put into words. After our worship time we had some time to share about whatever was on our heart, prayer and I shared my experience with the group. I was a little leary of sharing my past, but the Lord certainly used it to remind me just where I had come from and where I will be someday. Jeremy lead us in a study on Psalm 30.

After the devotional we had some sweet fellowship time. Here is Nicolle goofing off with dirty dirty fire feet. I think Jenna also had a hand in that. Somehow some foot prints ended up on the Suburban... hmmm ;o)

Here are the girls the next morning. It actually had drizzled a little on us over night, but us girls were under the canopy of the trees and actually stayed rather warm and mostly dry.
 

 

  The boys. I think they were more wet than we were, but they are tough and I heard no complaints.

GOOD MORNING!! I brought coffee for myself and the adults and started breakfast. I was dubbed camp mom and did a lot of the cooking and food prep. I really enjoyed it!

Some of the girls had some fun with my camera and took some neat shots. Look a foot star!!

 

 Look out its BOG FOOT... no wait its only Devin!

 In the afternoon, the group leaders (Jeremy, Nicolle, Devon, Patty and myself) headed out to try to bring to life an activity for the team. Jeremy had thought of trying to put together something of a Pilgrims Progress. I had never read the book, but its somewhat of an allegory of the Christian Walk. So we went for a walk and finally came up with a game plan and headed back to camp to prep the kids. This was going to be fun!!

When we got back to camp we paired up each of the youth and each had a leader with them. We explained that the goal was to make it to the bridge with as many blessings as you can. Along the way, you would find a path marked with a ribbon. A ribbon didn't necessarily mean that it was the right path or a wrong path, only the "right path" would have more blessings, and whoever had the most blessings at the end would win the game. The blessings were crosses that we made with sticks and tied with ribbon and hid them along the paths. Each team would leave at a different time so they would have to work as a team without following the entire group. But before they left, there was one thing they needed to do. Each team had a burden to carry. There were 4 large rocks and one log that 2 had to carry. We did not tell them what it was for or what they had to do with it. I was paired up with Hannah S. and Sam S. and what a fun pair!! I think I may had more fun watching them work together and offered a little assistance and hindrance along the way. About 5 minutes in I blindfolded Hannah and Sam had to take the lead and help her in her walk. There were so many analogies with this game I couldn't name them all. The coolest one for me to watch was Hannah decided to take her bible with her and watching her cling to her bible as she walked and Sam talked her through obstacles while carrying the burdensome rock was pretty stinkin' cool. I think Sam learned a lot about leadership and Hannah is just too stinkin' awesome too and said that the game was one of her favorite parts of the trip. Once we made it to the bridge, it was funny to see who still had their burden and who had cast it down. If we, as leaders were asked what to do with the burden, we were to instruct them to leave it at the cross. Here is one of the blessings and one of the team's burden, laid at the cross.

 

After all were done, we met up at the bridge and counted up to see who had won, and I actually forgot who got the most, but out of 20 "blessings" Sam and Hannah got 8 or 9 and I think the team with the most (I think was Nicolle's team, but I forgot who) got 14. There wasn't a way for anyone to get all of them since once they chose a path, they had to stay on it and couldn't go the other way.

Here lays one of the burdens at the "blessing"  cross.

But back at camp we played around a bit and headed off to the small stream that was left of the water and most took a dunk.

Nick and Devin playing in the fire.  Boys.

Some of the girls got a hold of my camera again and took some pretty cool shots.

Action shot!

The incredible Treva!

Jenna!!

Then it was time for dinner!! We had steak, corn on the cob and potato salad. YUM!!!

After dinner, the guys cleaned up, while the girls got a little dirty. =o)

Patty the villain.

Nicolle is totally rad.

 Simone is angry?

Steph is one tough uh..chick ;o)

Dani loves her momma! =o)

Here is Jenna and Sam by the fire after all the face painting fun.

Everyone stayed up late that night and played games. Up too late for this old lady. I think I headed for my sleeping bag around 1am and didn't hear the rest of the girls come to bed. I was out like a light!!!

 

The next morning, more worship lead by Nicolle and Stephanie and then a devotional by Devon. I, unfortunately did not get to hear it since i was cleaning up and getting packed up, but I heard it was good. =o)

A little more goofing off before we packed up and were headed for home.

But not before our hands picture. Only a little dirt and one minor injury and we were all good!!

 

Here is the gang!

That's all folks!