After months of planning and many hours of work…drum roll…(okay, that’s a little dramatic) here’s a little glimpse of the climbing wall! Special thanks to all of you have helped. (Dad, Don, Rick, Dave, Paul, Josh, Aaron, Jake, Alex, Brian, Ryan, Leah…and the many others who “tested it out.”) Here are some pics of the climbing wall. It will be sweet to use this as a summer program area for youth camp and family camp!
This weekend was bustling with excitement as families came for Memorial Day Family Camp. It is always fun to see families together…from fathers and sons fishing, kids laughing at Hairy (the puppet) in session, to Hayrides and campfires. I enjoyed helping with a voyager’s breakfast (paddling out to a campsite early in the morning to make breakfast over the fire and hang out together), as well as time in the nursery, and scooping plenty of ice-cream in Main Street Cafe. Larry was busy maintaining program areas and introducing new ones.
Perhaps one of the most meaningful aspects of the weekend was the dedication of the Mountain Boarding Program yesterday afternoon. Caleb, who had been a long-time camper and snowboard instructor and who planning to counsel here this summer, was involved in a very serious snowboarding accident in March. As many of you know, with no brain activity detected, he did not survive. Camp was a huge part of Caleb’s life, but more than that his relationship with Jesus was paramount. A memorial fund was established to underwrite the new Mountain Boarding Program this summer along with the camper scholarship fund. Yesterday the program was kicked off by remembering Caleb as his siblings were the first to go down the hill. We pray God will use this program to bring people closer to Himself. The key verse for this summer’s mountain board program, is Caleb’s favorite: “I strive to set the Lord continually before me; because when He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” -Psalm 16:8
Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Merrill School Forest. Mary, the Director of the School Forest, and I had found ourselves talking about the unique outlet of utilizing experiential education to teach students of all ages. Mary has a wealth of experience, and it was so great to be able to see all that she does with students! I worked along side first graders seeking to discover bugs, we searched high and low, under rocks, in creeks and ponds, and then checked out our finds under a microscope. Thanks Mary for taking the time to show me so much!
(Us at the Cordwood Building and then checking out the local Urt.)
For those who are following the High Ropes Course Progress, here’s more from the last few days…
(Ryan grinding) (Dan and Mike from Signature Research…they know their stuff!)
(And it continues to progress…)
I can’t think of a better title than that: Wow. When the crane operator picked up the fist pole to set, the excitement was evident!! The high ropes course construction began today!!!! This morning the site was set with some intense equipment, a team of amazingly skilled builders, our maintenance team, some fabulous volunteers, and an overall excitement as seven poles were set today along with eight cross beams. It’s pretty cool to watch a 70 foot pole be placed in the ground.
In all honesty the construction began in the hearts of many who have been praying for the development of this course for years. Countless others caught a vision for the way that this course could be utilized and gave financially to make it happen. I can’t express to you how cool it was to be a small part of this day! (We’ll continue to post photos of the progress—stay tuned!!!)
“Kids these days!” I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard that said. The statement alone puts an incredible rift between adults and kids. I’m realizing that this ambiguous, yet ever-present “rift” is doing far more damage than I can fully wrap my mind around. From my own experience in adolescence a few years ago, to teaching middle school kids in a suburb of St. Paul to working at an alternative school for “at-risk” kids of Philly, to the a high school class of Rib Lake students, to countless campers and youth groups—-I’ve watched a lot. My heart has been broken by what I have seen in the lives of so many adolescence. One thing is certain—I am reminded over and over again how challenging life is for today’s kids and teens. Our world and culture has changed dramatically; subsequently, today’s youth are not the same as they were 25, 10, or even 5 years ago. Today’s teens are a highly misunderstood and abandoned generation. This weekend, through hearing from and talking with Chap Clark, one of the leading researchers of adolescent development and youth culture, Larry and I were reminded of the hurt they carry and the implications for connecting with them. My heart is aching for kids, students, adolescence all over. So as I type this and step into the summer, I commit to a few things. I commit to approaching youth without an agenda. I commit to sitting on the steps of their world. Instead of creating a relationship fostering a need to perform and conform, I desire to know the story of students regardless of how messy it is. I’m not sure exactly what this will look like. But isn’t this what we all want?...a desire for others to approach us without an agenda, a desire to be understood, a longing to be loved no matter what? Somehow that’s the sweetness of the gospel.