And we’re back!
It’s time for summer camp again here at Red Rock Bible Camp. But before we welcome the campers into our facility in the Whiteshell, the staff come a few days early to participate in our annual Staff Camp.
On Thursday we welcomed 61 Summer Staff to camp, all with the same mission to serve God through this powerful ministry. Staff Camp is often considered the most important week of camp, because it is this week that sets the tone for the rest of the summer.
So the question is: What happens at Staff Camp?
Well, one of the major goals for Staff Camp is to unify our staff. Some of us have been here for years, but some of us are here for the first time, or were CIT’s last year. In order to get to know and trust each other, it’s only natural that we resort to what summer camp’s do best…teambuilding!
For teambuilding, we called upon the help of Garth Friesen, who comes to Staff Camp every year to help teach us activities that we can pass on to our campers, and to pass on his wisdom on how we can be successful in our ministry here. Garth is a great communicator, but it looks like he lost Stefan somewhere along the way.
One of the teambuliding activities required a lot of teamwork as you can see from the first picture that was posted. In that shot they make things look easy, but if you look at the big picture, it’s clear that a strong team doesn’t come without working out a few kinks. I guess you could say…their first attempt was executed pourly.
**Content Note: If you’re new to the blog, puns happen sometimes. They aren’t any good, but you can’t truly capture the culture of RRBC without them. We apologize for any inconvenience.**
Anyways, in past years, Garth has gotten the staff to build a raft, and also to build the tallest free standing structure they can with things around camp. This year, he gave us the best of both worlds as he instructed us to build the tallest freestanding floating structure possible. In this particular teambuilding session, one group was successful…
…And one was not…poor Yeji, the paddle almost hit her right on the head.
I don’t know what it is, but it seems like every Staff Camp we have scorching hot weather. I’m not complaining, But the hot weather meant that once we had free time, we hit the beach. Who’s up for some beach time? Joe certainly is.
But if Joe’s going to be in the water, he wants Josh out of there. Terrifying. So much for unity. (Just kidding of course)
And if we weren’t in the beach, the group was usually participating in one of the most classic camp games of them all. Did somebody say Bump?
A big part of Staff Camp is about creating a schedule that allows us to hang out and bond in a natural way. And in some ways, the free time that we had just playing bump or swimming in the beach allowed us to grow closer as friends, and as a staff. This also gave some of our full time staff members like Kim some time to spend with family. I’ll say this, when Kim is in Grandpa mode, he’s just as adorable as little Quianna.
Staff Camp is really a blast for everyone who’s a part of it, but we also spend a lot of time training to be prepared for when the campers arrive. The staff attended many sessions throughout the week, such as “intellectual fixes” where we were informed of different protocol and other important information for the summer, and “spiritual fixes” where Chuck Nichols spoke about Truth, our theme for the summer.
It’s always such a blessing to have Chuck come out to speak at Staff Camp. Not only does he challenge us through his speaking, but he is also a Christ-like model for how to care for and interact with people. We were all encouraged and challenged by what Chuck had to say, but that wasn’t the only way God was at work. We spent time every morning digging into God’s word in preparation for our Morning Watch time with the campers, we had cabin devotionals every evening where each staff member shared their personal testimonies, and on Tuesday night we focused on ending the camp in a surrender to God with a two-hour long retreat of silence, and a powerful worship night led by some very talented staff members.
The campers arrived today, which means that the summer is officially underway. God has already done some powerful things at Staff Camp alone, and we ask for your prayers so all of this can continue with our campers this summer. If Staff Camp really is the most important week of the summer, then we’re certainly on the right track, and we look forward to what God has in store for us this summer.
Remember to check back every day during the week this summer, as we will be posting daily to keep you up to date with what is happening at camp. You can also keep up with us by liking our Facebook page, or following us on Twitter.