Week Two: The Daily Grind

On Sundays we get a new batch of teens ready to start their week at camp. Teen Staff meets everyone on Sunday evenings by holding a Kickoff Night. We open with a movie all about us, a few silly skits, and then break into small groups by age. The first week of camp I met with the 17–18 year old girls.

Most morning sessions (9–12 am) consist of an opener (a silly competition like drinking soda out of a baby bottle or feeding your partner pudding blindfolded), worship, a lesson, small groups, and a game. We try to break up the spiritual learning with lots of fun and interactivity. I'm learning all types of camp games, so if you ever need an idea, I'm your girl.

The evening activity is different depending on the day.


Monday: The lifeguards reserve the pool for the Teen's use from 7–8 pm. We meet up for worship and then one of the Staff shares their testimony. After that the kids can play on the beach or swim in the pool. The girl staff members figured out pretty quickly that if we don't get in the pool right away we get splashed or thrown in.

worship poolside

Tuesday: This entire day is focused on missions and a particular nation in need. So far we have covered Indonesia, Bolivia, and my favorite, Burma. After educating the kids on the spiritual state of the country, we write them encouraging letters or pray for them. It's pretty awesome to see highschoolers care about other nations.

Wednesday: Guys and girls split up for separate activities. We normally talk to the girls about a particular topic to encourage them. We try to bake treats and treat ourselves to manicures or uplifting notes to each other.

Thursday: The kids meet us at the beach for a bonfire with worship and a testimony from one of their peers. We burn marshmallows for s'mores and try to avoid getting dropped in the lake. Unfortunately, my first escape attempt didn't go that well.

Friday: Friday morning is different from the other days because we guide the kids through a prayer walk with different stations and activities. Once every small group makes it to each station, we all meet in the prayer tower overlooking the lake and have a time of worship, confession, and communion. It varies from week to week but the Holy Spirit normally touches the teens and they open up about what they are struggling with. I loved praying for my girls for the first week.

Since most of the kids leave Saturday morning, we get them together for one last hurrah in the evening. Normally they want to play games or have a dance party.

Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon we invite the the teens to a planned activity. Last week they got really into boat building—a competition to build a boat that floats well out of the random items we give them. We took the makeshift crafts down to the canal and filled them with bocce balls and bricks until they sink. Sometimes we play more active games like kiddie pool kickball or dodgeball.

Boat Building

Good news! I got to design the weekly fliers for Teen Program. They get handed out to the new vacationers every week. I also am working on some Staff t-shirts. Our director approved them but I'm not sure how tedious the printing process will be. Keep you posted :)

Kendra