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 Five–Camp Wraps Up

We had the final installment of the story of Joseph in Breakfast Club.  Yesterday, we left Joseph at the spot where he’d just been made second in command to the pharaoh.  A famine had struck the area, just as God had foretold through Joseph, and Joseph’s family was forced to go looking for food in Egypt.  They were brought before Joseph to ask for food.  Joseph puts them through several test to see if they’re still of bad character or if they’ve changed.

 

Campers portray Joseph’s brothers heading off to Egypt in search of food.

 

     Camper portraying Joseph

Joseph learns that his  brothers have had a change of heart and are no longer of a jealous and murderous nature.  He forgives his brothers, offers them food and invites them and his father to come to live in Egypt.  We learn from this story that throughout our lives, we can rely on God to be with us and will watch over us, regardless of our situation, whether it be good or bad and that we must forgive those who have hurt us and treat us poorly to ensure bitterness doesn’t overtake our lives.

The rest of the day was taken up with lunch, the trip home and our Welcome Back presentation for the campers’ caregivers.  The songs for the program were, Jesus Is Our Super Hero, Rain or Poor and Absolutely Nothing. We also watched a video of our campers having fun throughout the week.

2011 RFKC Boise Staff and Counselors

            2011 Drama Team

The less serious side of the Drama Team

We want to thank our campers’ caregivers for allowing us to spend the week with their foster children while at camp. We’d also like to thank our camp sponsors and those who have made donations through the year.

It’s time to start planning our next year’s camp.

Day Four- At Least There Wasn’t Ice On The Dock

Though the morning was crisp, the weather couldn’t stop our Polar Bears and Penguins from their annual camp swim.  Early this morning the campers marched down to the waters edge to take their early morning dip. Many of the campers, counselors and staff joined in on the event.  What’s the definition of a Polar Bear and Penguin in camp Lingo?  Polar Bears dive into the cold water from the end of the dock, while Penguins wade into the cold water until the water reaches their knees.  After the swim, campers warmed up by taking a warm shower and then heading into the Dining Hall for waffles.

The Sun peaking through the clouds, just prior to the Polar Bear Swim & Penguin Wade

Campers and counselor heading down the trail to the lake

Counselors dive in and start their swim

Spectator at the event

Our camp Grandma and Grandpa traveled from Australia to be a part of the camp.  They along with some of the staff members, watched the Polar Bear Swim and Penguin Wade from the balcony.

At Breakfast Club, we learned more about the ordeals and triumphs of Joseph’s life.  As mentioned yesterday, Joseph was accused of crimes he’d not committed, which had resulted in the loss of his job, goods, and a place in his household.  We learned today that these false accusations also led to his being imprisoned. But through it all, Joseph never lost his trust in God.  Joseph was blessed by God while in prison and rose through the ranks of their “White Collar” prison to one of administration over the prison.  It was while he was there that he met servants of the Pharaoh,and through one of them was able to predict a famine (with God’s help) and advise the pharaoh on steps he should take to prepare for it. The lesson of this story is that God is always with us whether we’re experiencing an ordeal or a triumph.

The afternoon’s water activities consisted of more kayaking, sand castles building, and speed boat rides. The campers were thrilled to skim across the surface of the lake in the boat.  They also enjoyed playing in the water and on the sandy beach.

The after swim activity was working with a parachute.  This type of activity promotes teamwork as well as improving fitness.  An added benefit is that it’s a lot of fun.

 

Campers huddle under the parachute

The final event of the day was the Award’s Ceremony and Graduation.

Co-Camp Directors and  Dean of Women distribute awards

Each camper receives an award certificate that highlights something special about him or her.  The awards can vary from “Best Smile” to “King of the Bug Catchers”; the sky’s the limit.

Our graduation ceremony is for those campers who have reached the upper limit of our age bracket (ages 6-12).  Each graduating camper receives a Bible and Graduate medallion.  Their counselor says a special prayer for them as a part of the ceremony.

Graduating camper receiving graduation hat from the camp Director (The picture has been blurred to respect the privacy of the camper)

However the Graduation Ceremony does not signal the end of camp.  We still have one more day of fun to go.