Day Three- Birthdays, Give it a Go and more

 

Pastor tells the story a David chosen
 king with the help of the campers

During J-Zone, we have been learning about the life of David.  David was a part of a family who lived in Bethlehem.  He had seven brothers, and his father was named Jesse. Note the largest ,oldest, or most powerful,  David is all but forgotten by his family as be tends the sheep in the fields, but God has not forgotten him. God, seeing the inside of  a person, not the outside, and when he leads the priest Samuel to choose the next king, he points to David, who is called a man after God's heart, rather than one of his seven brothers. We learn that the labels and circumstances others put on us doesn't keep us from accomplishing God's destiny for us, as we seek to follow his plan for us. 

A rendition of

Goliath mocking the 

army of 

Israel.

Although chosen as the future king, life for David continues on as it had. He is still tasks with watching the sheep, and he has been given an additional task of running food to his brothers while they serve in the army. Once on the battleground, David is put into a situation where is faces the champion of the enemy, Goliath. Skills he learned as a shepherd, using a sling shot and stones, are what David uses  to take Goliath down. Sometimes God puts us in situations to learn skills that he can use to move his plans forward in the future.

In act two of our Sheep Fold drama, the little flock has left the safety of the sheep fold and have headed into unknown territory. This is against the wishes of the Good Shepherd who has guided to the sheep to stay in the safety of the sheep fold.  Going against the Good Shepherd's wishes seems like an exciting, fun time, but the sheep are not aware of the wolf's plans for them. which are not good. 

Sheep contemplating leaving the fold 

After lunch it was off to the waterfront where the campers and buddies swam, played in the sand, and boat rides.

Buddy buried in the sand

 

Riding on the boat

Skimming the waves 

Diving from the boat 

Hitting the water 

Buddy cannonball 

Pastor Sue heats the cord ends to seal them.

One of the activities in the Activity Center is creating paracord bracelets, also known as survival bracelets.  Paracord bracelets have long been a favorite activity for campers, buddies, and staff.  

Happy Birthday campers 

Bags filled with gifts

If it's Wednesday, then it time for the Birthday party. Every year the camp hold a party to acknowledge and celebrate each campers' birthday. Large bags are packed with toys and distributed to each camper. Once the "Go" is given they tear into them and pull out the gifts.  This year's favorite toy was a karaoke microphone.  

Birthday crown center pieces

Camper wears multiple birthday glasses

This year's party, salad, included pizza and cupcakes.  Thanks to the host camp staff for putting on a delicious meal.

After dinner the campers made their way to the chapel for the "Give it a Go" show.  This show provides an opportunity for the campers to display their talents. It's not a talent show, since everyone is encouraged to give it a go. 

Campers and buddies put on a puppet show

An exciting  game of Go Fish between
 camper and buddy as a talent 

This year's acts included singing, dancing, cheering, jokes, displays of artwork, games and lectures.  The Give it a Go show provides a safe place for campers to perform for the other campers, buddies and staff. 

 

Everyone gets cheers and applause
 after they completed their act


We want to thank the performers and the audience for making our show a success. 

Day Two- Camp Art and Other Fun Things

The Tie-dye booth returned this year and was in full swing as campers designed their shirts.  This year the dyes were in the blue, maroon and mauve. It was exciting to see campers' variations and creativity as they were hung in the sun to dry. 

Camper Dying a Shirt 

Tie-dye Shirts Drying in the Sun

Campers were able to demonstrate their creativity in the spin art booth as well. Each piece is unique to the camper's color choices and no two paintings turn out the same. 

Camper's Spin Art

Colorful Birdhouse

Brightly colored birdhouses and dollhouses appeared on the drying racks as campers began to apply paint to the kits they assembled yesterday. The dollhouse now has a person (right of the house)  using a template drawn by the camper, and created by wood craftsman Tom. The person can be used while playing with the dollhouse.  

Dollhouse 

Paddle Boats Waiting to be Painted 

Campers enjoying  painting Plaster of Paris bisques in many shapes and forms. One camper was very excited to be the first to paint a Cocker Spaniel bisque. She was quoted as saying, "All the other campers are going to choose this dog as well." 

Camper Painting a Plaster Bisque of a Dog

Today starts the drama, "The Lord is My Shepherd", an adaptation of a RFK classic.  In this drama are a flock of sheep, that include a a dowager, teen, baby, and other sheep in various stages in life. The cast includes a sinister wolf and a wise sheep dog.  In today's installment, the sheep are introduced to the campers and are playing games and interacting within the sheep fold.  The teen sheep is disenchanted with remaining in the fold, and convinces his fellow sheep that the world outside of the fold offers adventure and delectable grass that cannot he found within the fold.  With a lot of fast talking, the teen sheep persuades the rest of the flock to follow him on a big adventure.  The flock believes the wolf is far away, if real at all. Will the wolf get our little flock since they have left the fold? We will see as the rest of the adventure unfolds over the next few days of camp.

Drama Sheepfold Stage

Camp Puppet Stage

The camp zipline has been improved and extended. The campers are able to fly down the line and experience the speed and excitement of flying down the line from the platform.

Trip Down the Zipline

Brianna Grace, Spencer Boliou, Noah Walker

That night we were treated to a concert by Brianna Grace, Spencer Boliou, & Noah Walker. The message these had for our campers was heart felt and just right, as they reached our to all of their listeners.  You can hear them them sing clicking here and here. Thanks to Brianna Grace, Spencer, and Noah for the great concert. 

 

Day One Let the Fun Begin

Royal Family Kids, Boise camp has officially started with the arrival of the bus. Campers hopped off of the bus, quickly unpacked, and then were off to the activity center. 

Face painting has always been a favorite activity and this year was no exception.  Campers, can use design suggestions from a book or can go completely freestyle with their designs for their buddies' faces.  

Many woodworking projects are underway. The campers have many kits from which to choose and if they have something special in mind, wood craftsman Tom will create a custom kit for them.  

Bug boxes, birdhouses and carryalls are starting to appear, ready for a first coat of paint. 

Fishing is also a popular camp activity. Catching fish was off to a slow start, but things picked up once the clouds set in. A few determined fishermen were reward with fish later in the day. 

Business in the Music tent was booming as campers, buddies and staff took advantage of the Karaoke machine. 

The afternoon brought more fun as campers and buddies headed to the waterfront to swim, kayak and play in the sand. 

We rounded off our day with the quilt give away. Project Linus who provides quilts for our campers, which become cherished keepsakes long after camp ends. We appreciate the people of Project Linus and the beautiful quilts they provide.

To learn more about Project Linus, please click here.