Day Five - It is Not Goodbye

 This morning we picked up where we left off in the account of Jospeh’s life.  Joseph is in prison, God enables Joseph to interpret the dreams of two of the pharaoh’s staff, and ultimately interpret the dreams of the pharaoh himself.  The pharaoh’s dreams predict 7 years of a rich harvest and 7 years of famine. Seeing God’s favor on Joseph, the pharaoh makes him second in command with the responsibility of preparing for the famine. 

Camper is putting on the Joseph costume to be a part of the story

Just as predicted, the famine hits and not only affects Egypt, it affects those in the surrounding area.  This includes Joseph’s family. Joseph’s brothers travel to Egypt to ask to buy food, Joseph recognizes them and tests his brothers see they have changed hearts from when they sold him into slavery, seeing their hears have changed,  Joseph reveals himself to them and provides food and land for his father and his brothers in Egypt.  

Buddies play the part of Joseph's brothers seeking food

While Joseph suffered in the beginning, God used those circumstances to save his family and provide for them.  Joseph states, “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” Genesis 45:5 NIV

If you want to learn more about Joseph, follow this link.

During this week, the camp drama team has been regaling the camper with the story if Bandyanna Bones and the Search for the Tree of Life.  The small band of travelers makes their way through the jungle in search of the Tree of Life, while facing many perils including a brush with an anaconda. They do find the Tree of Life at the end of their journey and agree that each person must make their own way to find the Tree of Life. 

Left to right: Native, Bandyanna Bones, Dr Banks, Prissy, and Lensy Lew 

The underlying message, that is spoken throughout the play is, if you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.

Kid Royale hands out crocodiles

As in years past, the camp mascot, Kid Royale provides toys as a reward for campers doing Acts of Kindness. These acts can take on many forms, sharing toys, holding doors open, cleaning tables, the list goes on. All campers are recognized throughout the week and this year they received a stuffed toy crocodile. Kid Royale is a camp favorite. 

With today being our last day of camp, we packed up, had lunch, and traveled home.  Every year we preform a couple of songs for the campers’ care givers. This year we sang two camp favorites, My Lighthouse and Jesus Loves Me, the Go Fish version. 

There was also a video of the campers’ week that showed the fun events in which they participate.   Then the campers were off to finish their summer.  At camp we don’t like to say goodbye, rather, we say until we see you again.

Day One- Camp 2022 In Full Swing

The camp excitement crescendos with the arrival of the bus. 20 campers were met by the excited buddies displaying signs of welcome with their names on them. 

The bus arrives 

Buddies welcome their campers

Welcome to camp

A welcome from the Chapel Crew

After a brief safety discussion and lunch, it was off to the lake and down to the Activity Center to check out the cool things campers can do. Campers could be seen rushing from activity to activity.

Bubbles at the Activity Center

Bug Boxes

Woodwork at the Activity Center

Buddy and camper checkout the water

The Drama Team started play practice with costume fittings and rehearsals. This year's play is centered around Esther, a poor girl who was made queen, and later rescued her people for a certain death.  The story will unfold throughout the week. 

Mordecai played by Uncle Bill 

Day One is also a time for new campers to receive their quilts. This has been a longstanding tradition for our camp.  The Linus Project is a group of quilters who have been providing quilts for our campers for a number of years. The quilts are cherished by our campers, and many have turned into keepsakes for campers long after they attend our camp. We are grateful to the Project Linus group for their many years of service to our camp. 

Happy camper with a new quilt

To learn more about Project Linus, follow this link to their web site [Project Linus] 

Day Three- The Hunt is On and Camp Talent Abounds

 

Today camp started like many days. We have what’s known as J-Zone where we sing songs and  learn

more words of wisdom from our teachers, Sue and Carolyn. These women have a way of taking ancient scriptures and putting them in a way that makes sense in today’s terms for our young campers.  We learned about the giant King David had to face as a young boy and how he set his fear aside, as he face the giant problem in his life and depended on God to keep him safe and lead him towards his destiny. Our campers have many fears and giants that have been placed in their lives as well.  It was important  for them to hear that these fears can be faced, overcome, and that they too can march on towards the destiny God has for them. As a side note, our giant known as Goliath is actual size at 9 feet two inches. We got a taste of what David had to face and it was pretty scary. Besides the stories, our camp play can be used as a teaching tool too.

 

We  will talk more about the camp play tomorrow but want give you a preview of it today.  Royal Family KIDS camps around the country are sharing a play about a sheepfold and the good shepherd that
watches over the flock.  Since this is Idaho, we thought it only fitting that our set have a sheepherders wagon on the set (pictured right).

Our Camp Directors were able to create a miniature wagon that looks pretty authentic and we’re all enjoying having it incorporated in to the play.

 

Some of our campers decided today would be a great day to hunt for water snakes. While hunting snakes might not be everyone’s cup of tea, you can see the team pictured below was enjoying it.

In the end, they were successful in capturing a few snakes and one of them is shown in the picture below.

It’s important to note that no snakes were actually harmed in the big snake hunt of 2014.  I do suspect they were annoyed at being captured and having their day interrupted but they were soon released back into their home field to carry on with the day’s activities no worse for the wear.

Snake hunters weren’t the only hunters out in the fields and waterways today.  Many a tadpole, water skipper, and bug hunter were on the banks of the pond, trying their luck.  They too were fairly successful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’ve followed this blog in the past,  you’ll know that our camp has many traditional events that we try to host each year during camp.  Two of those events are the Birthday Party and the Give it A Go Show.

We had some first time campers that were quite surprised that we celebrated everyone’s birthday and that each camper received a Birthday Box of gifts. The Birthday Party is one of the highlights of camp each year and returning campers look forward to it eagerly. One of the other highlights is the Give It A Go Show.

This show is geared to give each camper a safe place to share their talents.  We call it the Give It A Go Show so the campers can feel more comfortable in sharing their unproven talents rather than using the talent show moniker where some sort of proficiency might be implied.

We had some of the more traditional performers this year, such as singers and dancers.  Some of the more unique talents displayed where making noises with a cup, a trick ankle and a magic trick involving a small fan and some balloons.  All in all, I think the  campers had a good time performing and being in the audience cheering on the other performers.  Who knows what future stars of tomorrow we might be cultivating at camp today.

Day Two- Royal Family KIDS Boise Camp Regatta

 

It was a great day for riding the zip line. The sun shown brightly above us and a light cool breeze blew across the camp.  The campers tried many poses as they flew down the line, each with a name crafted by the rider. We had the usual Iron Man and Spiderman poses.   One of the more unique poses was named the hanging deer.

In some instances the face paint added to the whole zip line experience making it easier to figure out which poses were which. 

You’ll see to the right that Spiderman is getting his face painted just prior to heading down the zip line.

 

 

We had what  I think might be the first annual Royal Family KIDS Boise camp regatta.  Some of the campers built boats during their time in the woodshop and they wanted to  test them on the high seas.

Campers built a series of canals, locks and dams that spanned much of the sand on the lake beach.

The campers brought water from the lake in their sand pails, they poured the water in the canal, and the water washed the boats through the canals.  They also test the water out in the lake swimming area. The campers were pleased that al of their crafts were watertight. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a group of talented musicians that form a band just for our camp. This year they entitled their band the Shepherds’ Band.

During their concert, we learned the all important answer to the question, “What does the sheep say?” For those of you who are unsure of the answer, it is “Ba ba, ba, ba, ba ba baaaa.”  The campers had a great time singing and dancing to their music. Thanks Shepherds’ Band for taking time out to come and minister to our campers.  Day Three has something special in store.  It is a secret that we will share tomorrow.

The camp is very peaceful right now with the wind lightly blowing through the tops of the trees. The sun warms the early evening air and the scent of pine is everywhere.  The team has worked hard to prepare for the arrival of our campers.   Activity tents have been set up to house the beads, ceramics and wood that will later become treasures pieces of artwork by our campers. Stages have been set and songs practiced.  We’ll are excitedly anticipating the time when the silence will be broken by our campers’ voices and laughter.

 Tomorrow is Day One. Let the fun begin.

Day Five- Is Camp Really Ending Today?

Royal Family Kids’ Camp 2012 Counselors and Staff

One of the questions that seemed to be asked by most of the counselors and staff that I spoke to was, “Is camp really ending today?” Camp always seems to end more quickly than we think it should but this year’s camp seems to have flown by.

Today was a time for wrapping up all of the lose ends. We completed our teaching lessons and had the final two installments of our drama program, which this year was based on an Olympic theme in honor of the 2012 Olympic Games. The storyline follows several athletes who take their own paths to what they will hope will lead to Olympic glory.  At first, most of them do not listen to the advice of their coach.  Over time, they learn that listening to their coach helps them improve their standing and ultimately ends with all of the athletes winning gold medals. The life lesson of this drama is learning about God and seeking his “advice” for how we live our lives will end in fulfilling the destiny he has planned for us.

 

A good example of someone seeking to fulfill their destiny can be found in both our Camp Director and his wife.  Twenty years ago, this couple was given a vision to build a camp that could serve children at risk in the Boise Metro area.  Through extremely hard work and perseverance, they took the vision and made it into the reality of the camp we have today.

Early in the week of this year’s camp, one of the campers told their counselor, “I feel safe here.”  We’re so thankful this couple heard the call and took up the challenge to provide a camp for these young children where they can come and have fun, feel special, and feel safe.

Day Four- Skimming The Waves On A Speed Boat

 

The day started off briskly with our annual Polar Bear Swim.  The counselors started us off with the first heat of of the swim meet, followed by the boy and girl

campers, which made up the second and third heats.

To make Polar Bear status, the participants must swim from the far dock to the beach. If that sounds like it’s a little too much for 7:30 in the morning, there is the option to wade into the water at  knee height and the participants who accomplish this feat are awarded the Penguin status.  

Congratulations to this year’s Polar Bears and Penguins.

Face painting is always a favorite activity for the
campers and the counselors.  Many of these paintings have turned out with award winning quality.  It would not be unusual to see lions, tigers and bears walking about the camp as well as a few pirates and robots.

At the lakefront, the campers were treated to speedboat rides. the campers really enjoyed skimming across the surface of the lake with the wind flying through their hair.  When they weren’t on the speedboat, many campers spent time on the beach making sandcastles complete with water in the moats.

We held our graduation this evening. Our camps are for children in Foster Care between the ages of seven to eleven. The graduation is for those campers who will turn age twelve before the next camp.  We wish our graduating campers many blessings, a happy future and hope they have fond memories of the time they spent with us at camp.

Day 3- Hello Sunshine

We woke to a beautiful sunny day today. We didn’t waste a minute getting back to our favorite outdoor activities. The woodworking, face painting, beads and pond were buzzing with

activity. In addition to our crafts and sports the campers had the option to take a sailboat ride on the lake during their swim time. This is a great time to experience the silence and beauty of the creation around us here at camp.

 

If you’ve been following our camp blog over the years, you’ll

know that we like to have a joint camp birthday celebration.  Today was the day for that celebration.  We opened presents, sang the Birthday song to each camper and had cupcakes and ice cream.

Of course every Birthday party has to have decorations and ours was

no exception.  Tables and walls were decorated with all sorts of décor that let the campers know that we were serious about celebrating their birthday.

 

You could tell that the campers definitely enjoyed themselves by the smiles on their faces.  In fact the counselors and staff members had pretty big smiles as well.

 

Our camp grandma and grandpa travel from Australia every year just to be a part of our camp and spend time with our campers.  The campers quickly connect with  Grandma and Grandpa and love to spend time with them showing them what they have made as well as listening to Grandma and Grandpa as they read books to them. This year our grandparents had quite a time reaching us.  Due to missed flight connections it took our grandparents almost seven days to reach us.  Many people would have given up with these type of trials facing them but not our grandparents.  They persevered and they were welcome by the cheers and hugs from the campers, counselors, and staff.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for going to such great lengths to spend time with us.

Day Two–Gray Skies

 

The campers woke up to gray skies and quite a good deal of rain this morning. But we didn’t let a little moisture ruin our fun.  The campers were able to spend a lot of one-on-one time with their

Cloudy skies at camp

counselors and the staff.

  They spent time making bead animals, playing ping pong and took a  preparatory Archery class with instructor Lee with an eye towards being ready to hit the archery range tomorrow.

 

Once the rain let up, the              

 campers headed out to do their favorite activities.  Football games sprang up on the field and the pond was occupied by a lot of bug and tadpole hunters.

Camper and counselor making bead animals

Campers hunting for bugs and Tadpoles

This evening we had a special guest, the band Undignified, who entertained us and lead us in songs. Tomorrow promises to be a sunnier day.

 

 

Day One–Welcome To Camp

It’s finally here. The campers arrived midday today and an Idaho Ground Squirrel was at the door to greet them.  As you

can imagine the little squirrel is already a big hit with many of our campers.

 

Another big hit with our campers is swimming at the lake.  The

stage was set for a spectacular day of swimming. the Sun shown brightly and there was just enough breeze to keep the campers on the beach cool but not so cool that it kept those who wanted to swim out of the water. 

Swimmin’ and splashin’ and havin’ a good time… line for RFKC theme song

As is customary of all of our camps, this first evening was dedicated to awarding our new campers with handmade quilts provided by the Idaho Chapter of the Linus Project.  We want to thank this generous organization for the many quilts they’ve offered our campers over the years. These quilts become prize possessions these children that are cherish long after the camp has become a distant memory. Camp has wound down for the night with the promise of more fun tomorrow. 

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.