Week 6 - Reflecting - Friday

Even with our rain adjustments, we all enjoyed our final day at camp. We considered again God's lavish love on us and His incredible sacrifice to make us His children, exchanging our old lives for His new life. Campers and staff shared stories of how the Lord had spoken to them this week. Referring to our invitation to come into God's family, one camper said, "I was on the outside and now I'm on the inside."

A director shared the verse below with some staff yesterday. In light of that, we're praising God that He has given us life and love through His Spirit. Please pray that campers and staff would remember His love to adopt us and would rely on His Spirit as we enter back into our everyday lives.

 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 

- (from Romans 8)

Week 6 - Prodigal Son - Thurs.

We’ve been learning about God’s gracious love through the parable of the prodigal son. Our hearts naturally wander and we listen to a myriad of competing voices leading us in many directions. We can trust our heavenly Father who loves us so much that He runs toward us to restore us to a right relationship with Him through Jesus.

We’re seeing the Lord change hearts with His love this week. 

We’ve seen some encouraging changes in campers:
- A camper who is consistently angry at home is having a great week at camp. We're praying that the things he knows in his head would touch his heart as he faces returning to a difficult situation at home.
- One camper, who was opposed to memorizing the Bible, has become happy about doing memory work.
- One camper is always kind and social, but has limited his conversations to surface-level topics. He’s begun to ask deeper questions (for instance, he asked about sin).
- A camper who has gotten in a lot of trouble this week reacted well when his cousin was restrained: he encouraged his cousin to settle down and not fight back.

We’re also seeing God work through campers to show His love to other campers.

We’ve seen campers help and lead:
- Campers have encouraged and supported one of their peers who has a torn hamstring. His limitations have discouraged him and he’s wanted to go home. The care of the other campers has given him a desire to stay at camp.
- A camper is looking out for his younger brother in an encouraging way.
- A staff person took note of a camper who “really helped lead” during the campout on Wednesday night. He took initiative to pitch in and help the counselors.  He mentored another camper during devotional time, giving very helpful advice.

Week 6 - Egg War - Wed.

“When’s the Egg war?”  -- Staff began hearing this question as soon as campers arrived. The anticipated event did not disappoint. Campers and staff divided into two teams to play “Capture the Flag.” Each received three eggs, which disqualified opponents when they were hit. Everyone enjoyed the time in the woods, the competition, and the mess. The evening built camaraderie and trust.

Following the war, we learned that there are two teams in life. Either we are on God’s team or we’re not on God’s team. There isn’t a sliding scale of good and bad that determines our spiritual position. None of us can be good on our own. We all need God’s gift of life through Christ to be on His team. We were challenged to consider our separation from God and to consider His love that as He welcomes us to come into His family.

Week 6 - God's Unconditional Love - Tues.

Today we learned about God lavishing His love on us. Although we say we "love" for many different things, love has a variety of meanings. We talked about the love that exists in families, in friendships, and in romantic relationships. We learned that God's unconditional love surpasses all other kinds of love. God also doesn't just give us small amounts of love; He gives us His love in abundance when we're His children. 

Our speaker challenged us to think about God's love for us (even though we're naturally His enemies because of sin) throughout the day today. We're working on our pinewood derby cars, we're learning recreational skills (like archery and swimming), and tonight's a big night. Tonight is the Egg War!

Canoeing - Staff are encouraged by the atmosphere of encouragement and support at Teen Boys Camp. Our canoeing elective showed it clearly.  More guys signed up for canoeing than will fit in Camp Cumcito’s canoes this year. Also, in the past, many campers have quit canoeing on Thursday afternoon before the 5:30 am canoe trip on Friday. For these reasons, the canoeing group spent their first rotation carrying their canoes all the way around the lake. 

The campers rose up to meet the challenge. Staff noticed that they worked very well together as teams.  They heard campers say, “I’m not a quitter. I’m doing this.”  Noticing that one canoe lagged far behind the others, staff advised the larger group to use encouraging words with those who lagged. Some of the campers said, “Let’s go help them!” Six guys got under the canoe and carried it together the last 150 yards.

Week 6 – Teen Boys - Mon.

Our camp staff welcomed 38 guys, ages 13-16, just before lunch.  As you might expect, activity fills even the first day of camp for teen boys. After orientation, campers took turns swimming, making pinewood derby cars, and playing sports. 

Before dinner, cabins paired up to compete in the “Great Race.” Teams faced various challenges, like a styrofoam javelin throw, a cookie balancing feat, and racing with boards under their feet.

In the midst of all this activity, our speaker gave us another challenge: to listen to the still small voice of the Lord. We all had different motivations coming to camp and the Lord has His reasons for bringing us here. We’re trusting that God will use the activity, and the stillness, to show us His abundant life.

Week 5 – Winding Down the Week - Friday

Friday morning, on the last full day of camp, it seemed that going outside had become Camp CUMCITO's newest water activity! Thankfully, the thunder and lightning cleared off in time for morning activities (after knocking out Internet communications for the entire camp), so campers were able to swim in the pool and the lake despite the weather.

For most of the day it seemed unlikely that the rain would stop in time for the scheduled Friday night carnival. Staff and campers thought that they might have to make the best of the weather that was sent their way. But less than an hour before show time, the clouds rolled back like the proverbial scroll and the sun came out for the first time all day! God sent perfect carnival weather; although the counselors in the dunk tank found it a bit chilly!

There are so many stories of God's working this week! Several counselors had accounts about campers who had bickered and fought early on finally coming around by the end of the week, and even performing little acts of kindness like tying one another's shoelaces. One cabin had four little girls receive salvation this week; they fully understood the Gospel and wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior! Overall, it's been a great week and we look forward to seeing these kids again next year!

Week 5 – Up, Up, and Away! – Thurs

 The junior campers have been learning about how Jesus is their Good Shepherd, and how they can turn all their worries over to Him and let go of them.

After watching a skit in chapel this morning showing how the Good Shepherd cares for his sheep, our campers were able to participate in another activity illustrating how they can give their cares and concerns to Jesus!

Each camper wrote a worry that they were struggling with on an index card, and after the morning chapel, workers tied these cards to helium balloons and allowed the campers to release them. Every child watched their concerns float away and up (symbolically, of course) to their Savior who cares for them.  It was a beautiful sight and a great lesson!

Week 5 – Lakeside Encouragement – Wed

The oppressive heat stroke has finally broken at Camp! In spite of the hot weather yesterday, our boys enjoyed a morning of exciting activities at the lake, including swimming, boating, and the always popular BATTLE BARGE!

Two of the girls' cabins camped out by the lake all night and learned how to fish and pitch tents. They roasted marshmallows around what was many of the girls' first campfire! One camper caught her very first fish, much to the excitement of the entire cabin.

We have also had an amazing story of God's work in camp this week! One little girl here has health problems that often cause her to be a step behind the rest her cabin. Instead of complaining about her special treatment, or the delays she inadvertently causes, her cabin mates have rallied behind her, supporting and encouraging her when she is struggling- and so have the girls in the cabin next door! Thank God for their new found unity! It is a blessing to see the girls rally together!

Week 5 – Fun & Answered Prayer – Mon & Tues

The second week of Junior Camp is in full swing here at Camp CUMCITO! Our 7 to 9 year olds arrived Monday afternoon and enjoyed an evening of swimming and fun on the playground before ending the night with a spectacular chapel time! Two of the girls' cabins also had a special treat -- the opportunity to pelt their counselors with cereal! The contest was to see which cabin could stick more breakfast food in the shaving cream on their leader's face. How fun is that?!!

We have already seen God's incredible blessing this week. A counselor’s toddler son at home has a lung condition that requires equipment to help him when he can't breathe.  A call from home sent word that his son was not breathing well, and that the equipment was not helping. The counselor was preparing to leave camp and be with his son, so the campers in that cabin had the opportunity to pray before he packed his things to go. At least five of the eight campers prayed out loud for father and son. Within about 10 minutes, a call came in from his wife to say that the equipment company had suggested an easy fix and their son was breathing normally again! The counselor was able to stay at camp and he was able to share with the campers that God had answered their prayers.

We trust that God has and will continue to use this experience of urgent prayer and answered prayer to impact the campers throughout the week.  Hopefully, this is something they won’t soon forget!

Happy birthday to volunteer Paul Gerard!
God bless him for serving with us on his special day!

Week 4 – S'mores & More – Wed & Thurs

Pre-Teen 2 is nearly at an end. As usual, it’s been a combination of spiritual growth and physical activities – for campers and for staff.

Each day, the campers go to chapel twice, where this year they are hearing about the parable of the prodigal son. Matt Wenger is drawing on Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal God for his teaching. In that book, Keller calls out the fact that the story at its root is about the father’s love for both his sons, and the fact that both sons have heart problems, not just the younger one. This has led to many good conversations with campers in devotions concering God’s love for them and the fact that we all need His grace.

The rest of the days are filled with lots of different activities. On Wednesday, the boys went to the camp lake in the afternoon, and the girls did the same on Thursday. At the lake they went boating, jumped on a trampoline where they were launched into the lake; and play on the “battle barge”, where they can play a floating version of “king (or queen) of the hill.” Other activities include archery, basketball, field games, fishing, swimming in the pool, making s’mores around a fire, cooking in the camp kitchen, scavenger hunts and overnight camp outs at the lake.

They also have crafts in the afternoon. This year they are making pinewood derby cars, which they will race at the carnival Friday afternoon. They are also framing cabin group pictures.

Week 4 – Playground Fun – Tuesday

Tuesday was awesome day for all the campers!   Some of the boys took control of the playground and had a lot of fun. Two boys, of mismatched weights, played on the teeter-totter. The lighter of the two boy was sent flying in a comical fashion. After a spectacular landing, the boy quickly got up, dusted himself off, and exclaimed, “That would have gotten a million hits on YouTube!” Another group of boys had a great time back at their cabin working on riddles, number games, and word games.

The girls were not to be outdone. One group took a somewhat unusual approach to decorating their cabin. They attempted to spell out 'Romans 5:8', their memory verse for the day, with their shoes, but were only able to manage to get “ROM” spelled out before they ran out of shoes. They did, however, place a Bible in the middle of their decoration!

Week 4 - Great Race - Monday

This week Pre-Teen Camp 2 began with a race between two teams, one of boys, and one of girls. The boys' team was able to take the win from the girls, and while there was some bragging on the part of the boys, the girls took the loss gracefully. One of the girls commented,  "Yes, you played really well. Congratulations!” This humble response curd the bragging from the boys quickly.

Dinner that first night was a

blessing for the kids. Many of them were excited to see just how much food was available. Two of the boys in particular were surprised at the amount of food and were overjoyed at the idea of getting to be able to get some of everything. One of the boys commented that this was the biggest meal he had ever had. All in all, it was a great blessing to pass onto the children!

Week 3 - The Beach - Thursday

Today we headed to the beach at Truman Lake for a relaxing afternoon. Girls had their choice of activity. Some chose to swim in the lake, others chose to get buried in the sand, while others chose to simply lay in the sun. We came together at the end for a picnic.

When we returned to camp, we had optional activities and girls had lots of new experiences. Some camped out for the first time, some learned new skills like archery or cooking. As Thursday came to an end, you could see tiredness in the eyes of many campers. It's been a long, hot week, but that didn't stop nighttime devotions from ending in long conversations about our God. We're excited to see what our last full day at camp brings us!

Week 3 - Hot, Hot, Hot! - Wednesday

Wewh, another hot day and we made it! It's been a hot few days actually, but with a lot of water and activity rotations in cool, shady areas, we are finding ways to stay cool.

With the banquet approaching on Friday, girls have been working hard on their crafts and dances to present to the whole camp. It's fun to hear the stories of campers who've learned to dive for the first time, or swim, camp out or be in a lake for the first time. It's clear that this week will be one of new experiences for many that will not be soon forgotten.

We're praying that the conversations, would also not be forgotten. Each night ends with long conversations about our Father and how that affects how we view our friends, family, schools, neighborhoods and every facet of life. It's been fun and we're excited to see what the day brings us tomorrow!

Week 3 - Egg War! - Tuesday

The second day at Teen Girls was a blast with the infamous Egg War!  The girls headed to the woods, were sprayed with bug spray and waited for the instructions of the fun to be had. The blow horn signaled the girls and staff to begin.  Everyone ran deep into the woods to hide their "Queen" and prepared to find the "Queen" of the opposing team. Three rounds ensued, with a final round of campers versus staff. Egg residue stayed on camper and staff arms, legs, ears, neck and hair for the next activity rotation.

The day was packed with activities, from choir to crafts to jumping on the lake trampoline. With only a few minor obstacles, we had an great day. More than anything, we are excited about the opportunities we've had to share the Gospel with our campers. Late night devotions have been awesome and the girls are understanding more and more about our great God, which has been such a sweet reminder of why we are here!

Week 3 - Teen Girl's Camp - Monday

Teen Girl’s camp is under way! Two bus loads of girls arrived from the city yesterday and we could not be more excited for their arrival. Staff has been working really hard since Saturday to prepare for the week. We have a dynamite staff this year. We are excited to have 7 staff with us who have been campers, 3 of whom are counselors this year.

As girls arrived, we headed to the dining hall and started the day’s activities. Some swam for the first time while others showed off their mad diving board skills. In the evening we headed to the lake for a cookout and water activities. The night ended with girls in the chapel, learning about Jesus and how the Gospel sets us free. It was an exciting way to start the week off as we continue pouring the love God has given us into our campers.

Prayer requests from counselors:

• Wisdom and opportunities to speak to girls in meaningful conversations
• God to soften girls' hearts to the Truth
• Rest for the girls
• Healing and guidance with girls

Prayer requests from campers:

• For a good school
• For family situations to get better
• Illnesses in family
• Trouble sleeping at camp

Thank you all so much!

Week 1 - Camp CUMCITO is open for the summer!

The first day of camp has come and gone, and the staff members are as tired as always....but they are happy to be!

The counselors are already saying their campers are becoming best friends.  One counselor said while they were on the playground that a camper wanted to swing but was having trouble getting on them, so another camper helped him.  After that, although they had just met, those two were playing like best friends. Another counselor said that the as soon as devotions were done the kids went straight to bed and were out like a light! 

It is clear that so far their favorite part is swimming, whether in the pool or the lake. Craft time and canteen is what everyone looks forward to in the afternoon. All in all, the campers are always excited to do participate in all the activities scheduled.  We are seeing lots of bright smiles -- and that’s a really good thing!