Camp Team Updates
Posted Aug 26, 2010 - 5:59 pm
Summer Camp Team 1—Updated August 25, 2010 by Robin Hellewell
Hello for the last time,
So our camps are over! It seems it wasn't that long ago that I was writing my first camp update. This last week we were at Camp Caroline, located shortly outside Caroline/Rocky Mountain House area. It was a teen camp. Christie and I were counsellors, John and Travis were on maintenance, Jared and Liz were kitchen help and Scott was dishwashing. The week was great overall. It was the largest camp that we've gone to. There were 190 campers and 26 cabins so there was about 7 campers per cabin. Therefore, there were alot of staff but it ran really smoothly. Each camper chose a specific activity beforehand (paintballing, water skiing, horseback riding, hiking, etc.) and was placed in a cabin based on which option they chose. During the week that is the activity they spend most of their time doing. My cabin was horseback riding so they got to go for trail rides 3 times. Christie's cabin was on day hiking so they spent one whole day hiking somewhere close by camp. At the camp they have an indoor pool, a new gymnasium, and all within the same building as the cabins and dining hall. It made transitions of activities really quick so not much time was wasted. Most of our time was spent with our cabins as opposed to some camps that do most activities in teams. We had 2 cabin devotion times everyday which I enjoy but at some times in was difficult to get the girls talking so sometimes we'd just spend the time journalling or listening to music. The theme this week was "Savour the Mystery" so the chapel speaker focused on that. I think some of the topics were sometimes a bit of a challenge for my cabin because they hadn't thought alot about some of the things. One of the chapels they showed the video "How Great is Our God" by Louie Giglio and my cabin loved it. They were amazed at how HUGE the universe and stars were so that was good to see.
The staff at Camp Caroline were very organized and very intentional with their volunteers. Sometimes as volunteers at camps with full time staff it can be easy to fly under the radar and not be involved with the camp very much. At this camp they made an extra effort to involve the maintenance team in with cabins at mealtimes or games which I'm sure John and Travis were thankful for. They were also good at making us feel very welcome and looking out for us--I really appreciated the staff there. As for Liz, Scott and Jared who were helping in the kitchen I think it was a bit of a different experience for them although they too had a lot of fun and were willing to take on there responsibilities in full force. From what I could gather from them it was a good week for them to rest. I'm so proud of all of the team.
On one of the last nights all of us met up after lights out and had a time of prayer and encouragement together. John and I said words of encouragement and things we had learned about each of the team and it was just a really good time to reflect on the summer. I feel like that was the final bonding moment for the team and it was bittersweet. We all knew that we were going to miss each other because we've grown really close but we were also very exhausted and ready to go home to prepare for whatever is to come in September (school, work, unknown for some, etc.). Thanks so much for all of your prayers over the summer. We are all so gratefull for all that you have done for us. Please feel free to email me any time or any of the team members. We'd love to share camp stories with you.
Blessings,
Robin Hellewell and the camp team
P.S. Look for a final update in the next Mount Carmel Short Report. A photo gallery is coming soon!
Summer Camp Team 1—Updated August 14, 2010 by Robin Hellewell
Hello everyone,
This past week our camp team was at Ross Haven Bible Camp located near Alberta Beach and Stony Plain for a teen camp. All of us were counseling this week. The first 4 days were super hot out which allowed us to really enjoy outdoor games and activities. The camp has a barge and a boat that they use on the lake so that was a lot of fun. John had the opportunity to go with the kids to the shooting range and shoot stuff all afternoon. Liz and Travis got to go golfing one afternoon as well. Each day they had a mega-activity like that so some of us were lucky to join. The theme of the chapels was "The Bible" and it evoked several questions from the campers which was good.
The last 2 days were completely rainy so we had some dry options like reading or movies and some wet options such as field tubing or slip n slide. We also experienced one of the loudest thunder storms I think any of us have ever heard in our lives! It shook the whole camp. That will definitely be remembered.
This week was kind of different from the other weeks because at this teen camp they split it into two. The campers have the option of staying for 5 days or 10 days. We only stayed for the first 5 days so it felt weird leaving in the middle of the week. We will continue to remember the campers while we head to our next camp.
This upcoming week we are heading to Camp Caroline’s teen camp for our final week. Please continue to pray for our team. Pray that we really don't give up this week and that we take every opportunity to speak into these kids lives. Only Christie and I are counseling this week so pray that the rest of the team feel useful doing their various jobs in the kitchen or maintenance. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support. I hope this finds all of you well.
Robin Hellewell and the camp team
Summer Camp Team 1—Updated August 8, 2010 by Robin Hellewell
Hello everyone,
This past week our camp team worked at a day camp in Ardrossan at Ross and Colleen Taylor's farm. We were there from 9 - 3 from Tuesday to Friday. There were about 36 kids registered, ages 5-10. Each of us were in charge of a team of 6 and then did most activities in teams. John was in charge of the Bible lessons and directing games, etc. and he did a great job. Many of the kids knew the stories and songs that we did so that made it a lot of fun. Each morning would start with a snack and some kind of activity like paper airplanes, kites, sidewalk chalk art or something before transitioning into games and then chapel. At chapel we'd sing songs and John would do a lesson in which he'd usually get the kids involved or play a game or something interactive to keep their attention. In the afternoon we'd have lunch then a craft time and games.
The parents gave us a lot of thank-you cards and compliments thanking us for taking their kids for even just a few hours each day. It was really nice for our team to be able to do a camp still but to be able to go home at the end of the day and sleep in our own beds.
Over the past 6 weeks our team has really flourished. At the first camp a lot of the team members had never been a cabin leaders before or done very many camps and now they are "pros". They have all really gone out of their way to try new things and to go out of their comfort zone sometimes to try new things or to connect with certain campers. John and I, as the team leaders, couldn't have picked a more perfect team for this summer. I'm so thankful for each of them. We have all grown really close and I know I now have a bunch of new friends.
Today we are heading to Ross Haven, located near Alberta Beach just West of Edmonton. We will be there until Friday night for the first half of the teen camp. They split up the week into 5 day increments. Should be interesting to see how that works. Our team is quite refreshed and rested from this past week so just pray that we really love our campers this week and use our gifts to bring them closer to God in some ways. Thanks everyone.
-Robin H.
Summer Camp Team 1—Updated July 31, 2010 by Robin Hellewell
Hello everyone,
We are now done our fifth week of camps! I can't believe it. This past week we spent our time at Camp Rehoboth—a special needs camp near Lacombe, AB. We got there on Saturday afternoon and met up with the staff. There was 35 staff because it's a one to one ratio with staff and campers. We were fortunate to have more than one counselor per camper this week for the more needy campers. The day was spent getting to know the other staff and having orientation about the week and what to expect. They gave us files of each camper and any specific things we needed to know before they arrived.
The campers came on Sunday afternoon. There were 23 campers this week. Their ages ranged from 10-18. Most of them were physically capable of taking care of themselves, with 2 kids in wheelchairs. When I'm asked about what we did all week it was probably one of three following: coloring/puzzles, soccer or mini golf. We went swimming at the local pool twice and went to a ranch one morning where the kids got to ride horses and take a wagon ride. We were also able to go to the Lacombe corn maze one morning where we spent several hours playing the games there. This week was such a blast and I think all of us would go back there, although some of the team members had more challenging weeks than others.
It was really neat seeing everyone really take their job seriously and to spend a lot of time with their campers. I was so impressed with the team. They really put their all into their campers despite being tired from the previous weeks. During chapels the kids loved to sing and do actions to the songs (Jared and I played guitar) and there was a Bible teacher as well. It was a very short chapel and was usually a visual lesson with a skit or object so they could understand more. I'm not all too sure how much some of them understood but we can only trust that God will use what they heard for the good.
This weekend we have time off! Hurray. We are all definitely ready for a break and excited for next week which is a day camp in Ardrossan. Thanks so much for all of your continuous prayers and support. We all appreciate it very much.
Robin Hellewell and the camp team
Summer Camp Team 2—Updated August 3, 2010 by Jeremy Byrant
Hi everyone,
We were at Riverside Bible Camp just north of Peace River for our first week of camp team for their junior high camp. All of us enjoyed our time at Riverside-- we were welcomed by the full time and volunteer staff and felt very loved, appreciated and included. It was nice for all of us to ease into the summer with such a positive environment and a well running camp. We all really saw God at work in choosing Riverside first for us.
At Riverside we were each teamed up with a full time veteran staff member. Most of us had 6 or 7 kids in our cabins and they seemed to all be very well behaved which opened up the opportunity for more personal connections with the kids. All in all it was a great week that gave the team lots of time and space to prepare mentally, physically and spiritually for the following week at Eagles Nest Bible Camp.
On our way to Eagles Nest, the van suddenly lost power. We were all getting a little anxious when the van wouldn't start again so we said a quick prayer. It seems like from that moment on things just miraculously fell into place. We made a call to roadside assistance and planned to have the van towed back to the town of Manning. Then the operator mentioned we had up to 200 km of free towing and that from where we were to High Level was exactly 196 km. After spending the night at a motel in High Level we walked to church and after the service saw some people Jenn knew from previous years at Eagles Nest. They informed us they knew a great mechanic who could work on the van and would come and tow it to his shop and fix it over our week at camp. We went out for lunch and then caught a ride to Eagles Nest in tons of time. God is good.
At Eagles Nest it turned out only 28 kids ended up coming from Fox Lake, a relatively isolated reserve east of the camp. The kids have been amazing, are very well behaved and seem to love every different activity or game we play with them. Most of them seem to know very little of the Bible or God--so it is a huge challenge, but a great opportunity.
There is an amazing group of staff here at camp--it has been awesome to see how God has provided a seemingly perfect staff member for each need we have here, from counseling, to worship leaders, to dish help. Jenn and I are directing this week as well as speaking.
We could use prayer for energy, especially towards the end of the week when we will be having a late last night as well as a hectic two days of traveling over 15 hours in the van. We would also appreciate prayer for wisdom in teaching these very young campers the basics of our faith and that they would understand and want to pursue God in their lives.
Thank you for all the prayer and support,
Jeremy Bryant and the camp team

