Finishing Strong

Bible Camp finished strong with a fantastic Junior High camp. The weather cooperated all week and our speaker, Randy Gay (from Abundant Life church in Portland) really connected with the campers.

Yesterday, all the campers returned home and today the staff leaves -- to be replaced by another Samaritan's Purse team which will continue work on the new dining hall/kitchen. Another team from Big Lake will come to work on other projects.

For the last time this "camping season" we want to thank you for praying. Thank you parents, for trusting us with your "treasures." We hope they got home with most of their clothes. You probably wouldn't want the dirty socks they left behind anyway!

It's an awesome responsibility and a great honor to work with your kids, many of whom are grandchildren of 1960's and 1970's campers! (Speaking of "old" check out these OLD pictures from KHBC many years ago. Who are those people?)

We'd love to hear from you. What did your kids like? What did they not like? What suggestions do you have for improving Bible Camp? Leave a comment on this blog, or email kokrinehills@gmail if you have something you'd rather not post publicly.

Thanks again. Have a great rest of the summer!

Celebration

Yesterday was a day of celebration. Blake graduated, Daniel Jones turned 16, and Roger and Carole Huntington celebrated 30 years of marriage. Carole organized a party for Blake and Daniel complete with speeches about them. Carole baked a birthday cake for Daniel and even acquired a cap and gown for Blake. It was fun for the kids to experience and we all got cake and ice cream too.

Great Weather!

We keep hearing that the weather is going to turn ugly here, but so far the Lord has given us exactly what we need. Two days ago Roger said the forcast called for 48 hours of rain, but we have been to the sandbar two days in a row! I don't have much to report about the sandbar. . . other than it is muddy, wet, and as you can tell from these pictures-- a lot of fun.

Boys will be. . . .

Boys. What is it about the young males of our species that every one of them has an intense facination with bugs. The junior high boys at camp this week are no different. They enjoy the big ugly bugs the most.

At camp we have large beetles called pincher bugs (also known as "moose lice" or "spruce beetles"). These beetles (pictured below) fly slowly, seemingly uncontrolled, then land in a clumsy way where a junior high boy will pick it up and chase a junior high girl. It is really an interesting ritual to watch. Another fun pasttime of the boys here at camp is to get two or more moose lice and make them fight to the death, these beetles can be vicious. I am fairly certain that God had 11 year old boys in mind when he created pincher bugs.

Junior High Camp: Day 2

I realize that this post is a day late, but things have been rather busy around here. Yesterday was a beautiful day filled with camp activities. In the morning we had the normal activities like archery, crafts, and canoeing. We spent the afternoon at the sandbar, playing in the mud and pulling the tube. Tubing is quite the popular attraction here at camp and we are on our third tube this summer (I think we might be a little rough on them). We had to have two more tubes sent up with Emily, my wife, last week and these seem to be much more sturdy. I wasn't able to get any pictures of yesterday's tubing (I was driving), but will post some in the next few days.

Junior High Camp: Day 1

57 campers arrived at camp today for the Junior High camp. This week Randy Gay is the speaker. This is Randy's second year at Kokrine Hills and the campers (and staff) absolutely love him. He is a gifted speaker and he connects with the campers in a way that not many can-- a big thank you to Rebecca, Joshua, Bethany, Andrew, and Rachel for allowing their husband/dad to leave for a week and share the Love of Christ with the campers here.

Randy is teaching using a workbook that he and Rebecca developed, it is called "Our Story For His Glory." The central theme is that "God has been a part of the camper's story, how He wants to be a part of their story right now, and how He longs to have them be a part of His story for all eternity."

Tonight Randy shared the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3), and explained how their story showed God's faithfulness and love for those who obey Him.

My favorite pictures are those of the campers with their Bibles open. Roger opens each camp by asking the campers, "What kind of camp is this?"
All the campers respond with a loud, "Bible camp!"

I love to hear the campers respond to that question because without God's word we would all be lost. Pray that the campers will continue to read their Bibles even after they go home.

Staff Gets A Break

The junior campers left on the 3rd of July and that gave the staff a couple days of much needed rest. In addition to catching up on many missed hours of sleep, the staff has the responsibility of cleaning up for the next camp.

You can see Carlee and Kat working hard cleaning the wash house.

The Greatest Day of Camp EVER!

This really was the Greatest Day -- at least of this week of camp! An absolutely gorgeous day that got better and better as it went along. Morning worship was awesome with Steve & Jordan Grace.

Canoeing, Archery (including "hit the Bug"), Face Painting, Crafts, Guitar Lessons, Basketball, etc.

Then. . . . . . . . Last day of SANDBAR! YAY!!!

Another scrumptious lunch courtesy of Roger & Carole - Salmon w/Rice!! Boy that disappeared fast....but then came the dinner- Pizza which disappeared even faster.

Evening session was capped off with a fantastic concert by Steve & Jordan Grace, featuring our very own Kokrine Hills SONG!!

All the Staff and Counselors will say good bye to their cute Junior Campers tomorrow morning, a sad parting. We will be praying for all these special gifts from God now and in the days to come.

Some of our memory verses were:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God: and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

as well as; Romans 6:23 Ephesians 2:8 John 10:10 Matthew 22:37

posted by; Gayle J.

Fun Fun and More Fun

It was a close call.... A beautiful sunny day, morning activities (archery, basketball, face painting, and all the rest) scrumptious bar b q, then a huge rainstorm rolled in, bummer.

The kids are so great, we just moved the afternoon activities indoors.

By 3:00 the weather was all clear and the boats started loading up for sandbar --- YAY!

Following supper we were belssed with a special time of worship with Steve & Jordan Grace from Australia.

THE BEST DAY AT CAMP YET!

posted by Gayle J

Junior Campers Keep on Keepin' on

Our 2nd full day of camp began with cold but clear skies warming to a nice sunny afternoon.

Yesterdays soggy clothing that Counselors tenderly hung to dry overnight in the heated shop was returned to use.

Campers have all chosen a name for their cabins... Here are all the Campers and their Counselors on their front porch, also the very valued Junior Staff.

The kids have enjoyed lots more games and activities with the counselors and staff. By far the favorite, by casual observation, was Biscuit in the Basket, followed closely by Fill the Can (on your counselor's head) or Drench the Counselor.

Please continue to keep all the Campers, their Counselors and the staff in your prayers as energy levels drain. Counselors have learned to sleep on their feet for a quick refresh and keep up with their "mob."

The campers evening prayers included prayer for a sunny day so they could hit the Sandbar! Looks like we're going regardless ;-)

Posted by Gayle Johanson, aka Mama Jo