Camp Bighorn Day 48 8/6/2010

Camp Bighorn Day 48 8/6/2010

The adventure continues. I woke up at 7:15 am. We all gathered in the lodge for devotions at 7:30 am. We went through the reading in our devotional books for the day. The reading for the day was called “More Than Just Forgiven.” The main scripture for the day was 2 Samuel 11. The reading talked about the story of David and Bathsheba. It talked about David seeking Gods forgiveness for his sins. It is a comfort to know that God will always forgive our sins. All we have to do is ask. When we finished with devotions we gathered in our family groups. It was good to get caught up on what everyone in our group had been up to all week. We finished with a time of prayer for each other. Then it was time for announcements. The different team leaders announced meeting times. There were a few other announcements as well. After announcements I went back to my cabin to get ready for the day. When I was ready I got the mail out to the box and headed to the lodge to get some breakfast. We all enjoyed some great food and fellowship around the tables. It was fun to hear about what some of the campers and staff had been up to all week. Parents arrived all morning to pick up junior campers. At 10:00 am we all gathered upstairs in the lodge for a slideshow of junior camp. It was fun to watch the campers watch the show. After the slideshow and chapel most of the kids and parents headed over to the store to get some treats for the road. A few people from my church were here to pick up kids. It was good to see some friends from home. After chapel I sorted and distributed the mail. When I finished with the mail I met with the group working with the Achieve Camp this week. The Achieve Camp is a camp for kids with moderate to severe mental or physical disabilities. Mary Russell is running this camp. She is very excited to bring a camp like this to Bighorn. Mary asked me to be a photographer for the camp. I am excited to take pictures of the kids adventures during the week. At the meeting we talked about the kids who were coming. We cleaned up the cabin they would be staying in. It was a very interesting meeting. We met until lunchtime. All the junior campers were gone before lunch. Then it was time to head to the lodge to get some food. It was good to connect with people over lunch and hear about what they had planned for the next week. After lunch I went to my cabin to take a nap. I was so tired it was nice to take a rest in the afternoon. I got up at around 4:15 pm. I got my camera and headed over to the Lone Ram Ranch across the street from camp. The first activity the kids did was horse back riding. All the kids and staff had a lot of fun with the horses. It was really cool to see the kids interact with the horses. After I took pictures for a while I headed back to camp around 6:00 pm. I headed back to the office and sat in there for a while. I sat in front of the air conditioner for a little while to cool off after being outside in the heat of the day. I was in the office until dinner. We all gathered in the lodge for some great food and fellowship around the tables. We had barbeque chicken for dinner it was really great. After dinner I had a soda and some dessert. I came back to the office to type up and post my blog entry for the previous day. When I finished with my blog I got ready for our girls dorm party. I got this huge care package from my mom with lots of food in it. I had enough to share so the girls in the dorm had a party. We had a great time just eating junk food and talking. The party started in the library and ended up in my dorm. Everyone who came had a great time. After the party we cleaned up the dorm and talked for a while. I talked with some of the girls in my dorm until after 10:30 pm. We had a great talk. It was interesting to hear what they thought about the kids who are here for the Achieve Camp. I was able to tell them a little bit about having back surgery when I was nine years old to correct a major case of scoliosis. I got ready for bed at around 11:00 pm. I headed to my cabin to get some sleep. I talked with the girls in my dorm before going to sleep. We all got a case of the giggles around the time we were supposed to be going to sleep. We all fell asleep around midnight. I went to sleep thinking about the adventures that are in store for us in the next few days. More on that later…

Camp Bighorn Day 47 8/5/2010

Camp Bighorn Day 47 8/5/2010

My Camp Bighorn adventure continues. I woke up at 8:30 am. I was still not feeling very well so I slept through devotions in the morning. I got up in time for breakfast. We all gathered in the lodge for some great food and fellowship. It was fun to catch up with some people and hear about their plans for the day. After breakfast I got the mail out to the box before heading to the office for our administration team meeting. At the meeting we talked about what everyone would be doing during the day. I was still not feeling well so after our meeting I sorted and distributed the mail I went back to my cabin and slept until lunch. I woke up from my nap and went to the lodge to get something to eat. We all enjoyed some great food and fellowship around the tables. After lunch I came back to the office for a while and covered the phones. I type up a blog entry for the camp website. I read for a while. I went back to my cabin to do my devotions for the day. The reading for the day was called “Serving those you don’t like.” The main scripture for the day was 1 Samuel 19. The reading talked about the story of David and King Saul. It talked about how we can and should behave toward people we may not get along with very well. When I finished my devotions I came back to the office. I covered the phones and talked with people in the office. Then it was time for dinner. We all gathered in the lodge for some to eat and catch up with each other. It was fun to hear about what everyone had been up to all day. After dinner I wandered around camp for awhile. I had a soda. It tasted great on a hot day. I hung out in the staff lounge for a while. I headed back to my cabin to get cleaned up. It was a very hot day so it was nice to get clean before I headed for bed. When I was cleaned up headed over to the lodge and sat on the steps for a while talking with people and watching the junior campers playing a game. I came back to the office and typed up and posted my blog for the day. When I finished with my blog I shut down my computer and headed over to the lodge to see what was going on there. I talked with Beth and some others who were talking over there. When we finished talking I headed to my cabin to get some sleep. I talked with the girls in my cabin for a while. We all eventually went to sleep. I fell asleep thinking about the adventures that are in store for us in the next few days. More on that later…

Camp Bighorn Day 46 8/4/2010

Camp Bighorn Day 46 8/4/2010

The adventure continues. I woke up at 7:00 am. We all gathered in the lodge for devotions at 7:15 am. We went through the reading in our devotional books for the day. The reading for the day was called “Wanted – Lifelong Friend.” The main scripture reading for the day was 1 Samuel 18:1-16. The reading talked about the lifelong friendship between David and Jonathan. It talked about what the Bible says about being friends for life with people. When we finished devotions we all gathered for announcements. After announcements I headed to my cabin to get cleaned up and ready for the day. When I was ready for the day I headed to the lodge for breakfast. We all enjoyed some great food and fellowship around the tables. It was fun to hear about what people had planned for the day. When I finished eating I got the mail out to the box and then headed to the office for the administration team meeting. In the meeting we talked about what everyone would be doing during the day. I was still feeling sick so I decided I should just be around the office for the day. After our meeting I sorted and distributed the mail. When I finished with the mail I came back to the office and worked on my computer for a while. I checked e-mail and facebook, I put some pictures on the camp hard drive. I covered the phones. I headed to my cabin to take a nap around noon. It was nice to get some extra rest. I woke up in time for lunch at 1:00 pm. We all gathered in the lodge to get something to eat. I enjoyed hearing about what people had been up to all morning. It is fun to hear the campers talk about their adventures. After lunch I headed back to the office for the afternoon. I covered the phones and talked with people in the office. I was in the office until dinner. We all headed to the lodge to eat at around 6:00 pm. We all enjoyed catching up with people over dinner. After dinner the campers gathered for chapel. They all had a great time singing and learning about the story of David. I had a soda and walked around camp for a while taking in everything that was going on around camp. I came back to the office to type up and post my blog for the day before. At around 9:00 pm the game for the evening began. The game was a summer staff hunt. During the staff hunt Janelle and I talked in the lodge. We had a good talk. I always enjoy talking with Janelle. She has become one of my good friends here at camp. After I talked with Janelle for a while I headed back to the office to call my parents. We had a great talk. It is always nice to talk with them. It is good to know that they are doing well at home. I have really missed being home since I have been sick the last few days. I am enjoying my time at camp but I am looking forward to heading back home in a few weeks. I talked with my parents until just before curfew. When I got off the phone with them I shut everything down for the night and headed to my cabin to get some sleep. I talked with the girls in my cabin for a while then went to sleep. I fell asleep thinking about the adventure that are in store for us the rest of the summer. More on that later…

Camp Bighorn Day 45 8/3/2010

Camp Bighorn Day 45 8/3/2010

My Camp Bighorn adventure continues. I woke up at 7:00 am. We all gathered in the lodge for active devotions at 7:15 am. We went through the reading for the day in our devotional books. The reading for the day was called “David and Goliath.” The main scripture reading for the day was 1 Samuel 17. The reading talked about how the story of David and Goliath relates to our lives today. When we finished our devotions we headed out to the field to get some exercise. I walked out to the field with the group. When they started the activity I walked back to the lodge because I was not feeling very well. I have been fighting a cold for the last few days. I waited in the lodge for everyone to come back. When everyone was done with active devotions we all gathered in the lodge for announcements. After announcements I went back to my cabin to rest until breakfast. It was nice to get some extra rest. I got up and got ready for the day before heading to the lodge to get some food. We had pancakes for breakfast. They were great. After breakfast I got the mail out to the box. Then I headed back to the office for the administration team meeting at 9:30 am. In our meeting we talked about the events of the day and what everyone would be doing. After our meeting I got the mail sorted and distributed. I headed out to take pictures of the events going on around camp. I took pictures at the kiddy climbing and zip line area and at the archery and riflery ranges. It was fun to see the campers enjoying these events. I came back to the office for a while before heading down to the ropes course to take more pictures. I got lots of great pictures of the campers experiencing the adventures of Camp Bighorn. When I finished at the ropes course I came back to the office for a little while. Then it was time for lunch. We all gathered in the lodge for some food and fellowship around the tables. It was fun to hear about what people had been up to all morning. The store was open after lunch. The campers were excited about the possibility of stocking up on candy. I headed to the store to see how things were going. I talked with Garrett about the plan for the afternoon. We agreed that the rest of the administration team could cover taking pictures of the afternoon events. I headed to my cabin to take a nap. I was still not feeling very well. It was nice to get some extra rest. I slept from 2:15 pm until 4:45 pm. When I woke up I headed back to the office to see what was happening there. I wanted to go swimming but I was not feeling well so I decided to go a different day. I was in the office until dinner. We all gathered in the lodge to get something to eat. It was fun to catch up with some people and hear about what they had been doing all afternoon. After dinner the campers all gathered for chapel at 7:00 pm. The campers enjoyed the music and the story at chapel. The story for the week is about the life of David. After chapel I came back to the office and worked on my computer. I typed up a blog entry for the camp website. I talked with some people in the office. I listened to music on my IPod. I typed up my blog entry for the day before. When I finished typing and posting my blog entry I shut down my computer and was headed for bed. My mom called at around 10:30 pm. I talked to her for a few minutes. When I got off the phone I headed to my cabin to get some sleep. I talked with the girls in my cabin for a while. Then I went to sleep. I fell asleep thinking about the adventures that are in store for us in the next few days. More on that later…

Camp Bighorn Day 44 8/2/2010

Camp Bighorn Day 44 8/2/2010

The adventure continues. I woke up at 7:00 am. We all gathered in the lodge for devotions at 7:15 am. We went through the reading for the day in our devotional books. The reading for the day was called “God sees the inside.” The reading talked about the fact that man looks on the outward appearance of a person but God looks at the heart. The main scripture reading for the day was 1 Samuel 16:1-13. After devotions it was time for announcements. Luke announced what jobs everyone would be doing for junior camp this week. Everyone was very excited to find out what they would be doing during the week. After announcements I went back to my cabin to get cleaned up and ready for the day. When I finished getting ready I headed to the lodge for breakfast. We all gathered in the lodge for some great food and fellowship around the tables. After breakfast I went to the staff lounge and the office to get the mail out for the day. I discovered that someone had already taken care of getting the mail out for me. The administration team met at 10:00 am to talk about the week. We have several summer staff people on our administration team this week. We talked about what everyone would be doing during junior camp. After our meeting I got the mail sorted and distributed. When I finished with the mail I hung around in the office for a while. I used my computer to check my e-mail and facebook. I covered the phones. I talked with some people in the office. I was pretty much in the office until lunchtime. We all gathered in the lodge to get something to eat. It was fun to talk with some people over lunch and hear about their plans for the week. After lunch I went to my cabin to take a nap. I was not feeling very well so it was nice to get some extra rest. I got up from my nap around 4:00 pm. I headed back to the office to see what was going on in there. The first group of junior campers arrived early. Junior camp registration began at 5:00 pm. Most of the campers arrived by 6:00 pm. The group coming from Shiloh arrived at about 6:15 pm. My dad and my brother Terry drove some of the kids from Shiloh. It was good to see my dad and brother for a little while that evening. My dad brought me a huge care package my mom put together for me. I had a good time catching up with dad and Terry. They headed back home at around 8:00 pm. I was really home sick when they left. I wanted to go home with them. After they left I showed some people the care package my mom sent. There was so much stuff in it to share that we decided to have a party for all the girls in the dorm some time this week. That should be fun for everyone. I came back to the office to type up and post my blog entry for the previous day. When I finished with my blog I called my mom. We had a good talk. I thanked her for sending me an awesome care package. It is always good to talk with my mom. After we talked for a while I got of the phone and headed to my cabin to get some sleep. I got back to my cabin and talked with some of the girls in my dorm. After we talked awhile we all went to sleep. I went to sleep thinking about the adventures that are in store for us the rest of the summer. More on that later…

Camp Bighorn Day 43 8/1/2010

Camp Bighorn Day 43 8/1/2010

The adventure continues. I slept in until 8:00 am. It was nice to get some extra rest. I got up in time for breakfast. We all gathered in the lodge for some food and fellowship. We had fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast. They were great. After breakfast I went back to my cabin to get cleaned up and ready to go to church. When I was ready to go I wandered over to the lodge and talked with some people sitting on the lodge steps. We headed to church at around 10:30 am. I got in my truck and headed to church. I left camp before the vans. I arrived at church at about 10:50 am. I really like the CMA church a lot. It is fun to go to the church that most of the camp staff attends. The service was really great. The music and the sermon were both really good. Some of the Camp Bighorn summer staff helped lead worship. The service ended at around noon. Mindy, Janelle and I all piled in my truck and went to Subway for lunch. It was fun to hang out with them for a while. We had a nice quiet lunch at Subway. Janelle and I had the day off so we did not have to rush to get back to camp. When we finished eating we headed back to camp. I dropped Janelle off at her house. Then Mindy and I headed back to camp. We got back to camp at around 1:30 pm. We thought we had missed lunch. It turns out that lunch was not until 2:00 pm. So when the lunch bell rang I headed in to the lodge and just sat and talked with people while they ate. It was fun to catch up with some people and hear about their plans for the week ahead. After lunch I came back to the office and used my computer for a while. I check e-mail and facebook. I talked with some people in the office. At around 5:00 pm I started my laundry. While I waited for my clothes to be finish I sat out side and listened to my Ipod for a while. At around 6:00 pm I put my clothes in the dryer. I was finished with all of my laundry just before dinner at 7:00. When I had all of my clothes all folded and put back in my dorm I headed to the lodge to get some food. We all enjoyed some great food and fellowship around the tables. It is always fun to hear about what people have been up to during the day. After dinner I had a soda and some ice cream for dessert. When I finished my ice cream I headed back to my cabin to put my clothes away and straighten up my room a bit. I get ready for bed and then headed back to the office to type up my blog for the previous day. When I finished typing and posting my blog I called my parents. My mom called me back and we had a good talk. I had a good talk with both of my parents. They just got new phones at our house so they are still figuring out how they work. It is always good to talk with my parents. We talked until it was almost time for me to get to bed. When I got off the phone I headed to my cabin to get some sleep. I went to sleep thinking about all the adventures that are in store for us in the following days. More on that later…

Camp Bighorn Day 42 7/31/2010

Camp Bighorn Day 42 7/31/2010

The adventure continues. I got up at 8:00 am. It was nice to sleep in a bit. I woke up in time for breakfast. We all gathered in the lodge for some great food and fellowship. The group that was here for camp this week left after breakfast. They headed out at around 9:00 am. I got the mail out to the box at around 9:15 am. Then I headed back to the office for a while. I worked at my computer, covered the phones, and talked with people in the office while I waited for the mail to arrive. When the mail arrived I got it sorted and distributed. When I finished with the mail I talked with some people in the lodge for a while. I headed back to my cabin to get ready for the day. When I was almost to my cabin Jeremy asked me to come back into the lodge and help get lunch ready. So I got some shoes out of my cabin and headed back to the lodge to help get set up for lunch. I helped set the tables and got the water for each table. When I finished helping set the tables it was almost time for lunch. So I sat for a few minutes and waited for lunch. My back was giving me trouble so it was nice to sit for a few minutes and rest my back. We all gathered for some great food and fellowship around the tables. It was fun to hear what people had been up to all morning. After lunch I helped clear the tables and clean up the lodge. When I was finished in the lodge I went to my cabin to lay down for a while to rest. My back was really bothering me by the time I finished in the lodge. So it was nice to rest a bit. When I woke up from my nap I got ready for the day. I came in to the office for a while and checked some things on the internet. I checked e-mail and facebook. I left the office and wandered around camp and talked with people for a while. I came back to the office and talked with Anna and Dianna for a while. I covered the phone for a while. Just before dinner I decided I wanted to go to Subway. So I got permission to leave camp for a while and headed to Subway to get some food. I had a nice quiet meal. It was good to get away from camp for a little while. When I was finished eating I headed back to camp. I got back to camp at around 7:30 pm. When I got back the lodge was being decorated for a retro themed dance party. The party was for Mike and Makalie Zdenek’s 16^th birthday. Before the party I sat on the lodge steps and talked with some people for a while. Everyone was getting dressed in retro costumes for the party. It was very amusing to watch them getting ready for the party. The party began at 8:30 pm. It was lots of fun. We all had a great time dancing and just having a good time together. I walked around and took some pictures of the party. I will post them on facebook when I get a chance. The party rapped up with a slideshow of Mike and Makalie. They are twins. There birthday is actually August 29^th, but they wanted to have a party while all the summer staff people were still here. After the slideshow we all danced a little bit more. Then it was time to get to bed. Jim announced that our new curfew of 10:30 pm was starting that night. He made this announcement at about 10:35 so we were all late for curfew that night. After the party I headed to my cabin to get ready and go to bed. I talked with some of the girls in my cabin and then went to sleep. I went to sleep thinking about the adventures that were in store for all of us in the coming days. More on that later…