After a relaxing and restful long weekend, the RRBC Summer Staff are all recharged and ready to go after a couple busy weeks at camp in a row. This is great news because the Spark campers have arrived, and to say they have a lot of energy would be an understatement. Although a lot of kids arrived on the bus, many came with their parents as well and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the rest of the campers to begin their awesome week. The good news was, they got to meet their counsellors ahead of time. Who wouldn’t want to meet Emily as soon as they could?
The campers didn’t have to wait long, however, as the bus came just on time filled with 30 or so campers who were ready to have the time of their life. I don’t remember the last time the kids ran through the arch this fast, I’m surprised we even got a clear picture!
After the kids ran through the arch, the campers met their counsellors then took off to their new homes for the week. For the girls, the hike is very short as the cabins are quite close to where they were dropped off, but the guys had to haul their gear all the way up the rocks and back down again to get to their cabins. Some of the kids had quite a bit of luggage, so that can often prove to be a struggle, but they have to use up that energy somehow!
The campers had a chance to briefly settle into their cabins, but soon after they went down by Pine Lodge to indulge in some sausage burgers and smokies. By 12:30, these kids (and the staff too) are usually very hungry, so not only is our BBQ lunch a great time for the kids to get to know each other, it’s also a good time to prep your body for the long day ahead.
After lunch, the campers had swim tests to see if they would allowed in the deep end without a life jacket, and then it was time to choose their skills. This can be a very stressful time for campers as they usually have a good idea of exactly what they want to do and when, but can’t sign up for it until their cabin number is picked. However, it didn’t look like any of the campers were stuck with anything they didn’t want, and everyone seemed to leave the Chapel smiling.
After the skills were chosen and all the different camp orientations were completed, the kids were more than ready to go outside and do something exciting. A lot of the skills start the first day with a lot of learning and orientation, but the kids were still able to be active to a pretty decent extent. Take the fishing skill for example. They may not have taken the boat out on the lake but they were still able to fish peacefully from the shore.
The archery skill also tested their natural skill by getting right into shooting on the first day. They already seem to be fully understanding the basics, and like always there is a great chance that they’re only going to get better throughout the week. By the looks of this picture, some of the campers seem to really be getting into it.
Kayaking was one of the most popular skill choices for the week, but before they could paddle out to the middle of the lake, they needed to be certified first. To be certified, the kayakers are flipped over by an instructor, who also helps bring them back up so they know what to do if their kayak flips. Karl was doing the certifying yesterday, and the kids seemed to really enjoy it, and are very excited to start kayaking more in their next skill.
The arts and crafts skill was also hard at work, and since it doesn’t require a lot of orientation, they were able to get right into crafting. I’m never really sure what they’re making at first, but by the end of the week I often see campers strutting around with some pretty neat crafts from their week of hard work. I imagine this week will be no exception.
In the evening, the kids finished up the rest of their skills for the day, and then split up into their Big Brother, Big Sister groups. During Big Brother, Big Sister time, the kids get to spend time in groups of two or three with either one of their counsellors, or another support staff member. Often times some pretty powerful bonds are made through these relationships, especially when they meet for Morning Watch every morning – but we’ll have more on that tomorrow.
After Big Brother, Big Sister time, the kids went to Chapel to sing songs of worship, and also listen to our speaker, Chris Derksen. Chris is a great speaker who is very fun to listen to, and the campers already seem to really like him. We are really looking forward to seeing how God is going to be speaking through him.
I know I say this every week, but it’s truly looking like it’s going to be a great week. These campers are already enjoying themselves so much, and God has already begun to put things on their hearts. Please keep us in prayer this week, and make sure you check out the blog tomorrow to see how the day went!
Just a reminder about our Facebook and Twitter pages. Give them a follow, and you’ll be able to get a look at exclusive pictures and discussions that you won’t be able to see on the blog. And for more pictures of Kindle week, sign into our eCamp account for photo galleries and other camp resources. Sign in information would have been sent with your registration packages.
