Day Five – Saying Good-Bye

Counselors and staff pray for a safe journey back to Boise

It’s always hard to say good-bye to our campers.  Bonds and friendships are quickly made at camp. The final day of camp starts out with Breakfast Club and then chapel.  Campers, staff and counselors sign each other’s camp shirts in-between meeting times.  After lunch, it is time for us all to make our way back to Boise where we put on a Welcome Home presentation for the foster parents which included songs and a video that showed what life was like at camp.  With that, the our camp for 2010 has come to a close for this year.

2010 Counselors and Staff

Day Four – It Was A Crisp, Clear, Morning

It’s a camp tradition to hold the Polar Bear swim and the Penguin wade. At the early hour of 7:30 am, courageous campers, counselors and staff make their way to the lake for the swim and

wade.  The rules are simple, to officially be a polar bear, you must dive in over your head and swim for the beach. To be a penguin, you must wade into the lake up to your knees and then make your way back to the beach.  We had a record number of swimmers and waders this year.

During Breakfast Club, we had another installment of the puppet skit.  In this morning’s skit, Hannah, LeeRoy and their friends encouraged us to take our problems to God and ask for his help in solving them.

We were back on the lake this afternoon.  In addition to the swimming and beach activities campers, counselors, and staff had

the opportunity to going sailing. The excited campers came back from the sail and informed me it was really cool and scary.

 

Throughout the week, the RFKC Boise players have been putting on a production of Esther.  Our campers can relate to Esther since she grew up in similar circumstances to those of our campers.  Esther’s mother and father had died and she grew up in her cousin Mordecai’s house, which made her a foster child of sorts.  As I am sure you know Esther is later chosen to be the queen of Persia.  In her role as queen, she prevents the genocide of her fellow countrymen.  Her part in the plan to save her nation could have cost her life, but she had the courage to undertake it none the less.

This story can be an inspiration to our campers.  The knowledge that a woman of similar circumstances to theirs garnered such great achievements can be a great encouragement.  The story also tells us that we should do the right thing despite the cost.