Buffalo Mountain Camp and Retreat Center News and Updates

What another incredible week of camp!  We had nearly 100 campers and they were truly ready for a great camping experience.  As you could imagine, the staff are starting to feel tired from seven weeks of working.  In reality, if you include two weeks of training before the summer started, it’s been almost 10 weeks for these gals and guys.

But thanks to God’s sustaining grace, each week is a new experience for the campers and staff alike and it is amazing to see how God is experienced in new ways.  I have an internal motto for the staff that I reinforce each week.  It basically consists of encouraging the counselors and other staff to be mindful that, although we are nearing the end of the summer, we need to treat each week as though it were week one.  It’s the first and only week these campers are coming for the summer.  So they deserve the very best of us.

This week, Chuck Griffin, pastor at Fairview UMC, was our MIR (Minister in Residence).  He did a great job and both the kids and staff really enjoyed having him here.  I continue to be blessed by the way God works each week.  Many campers have made commitments to Christ this summer, and that is what keeps me going!

Until next week!

Jason (Executive Director)

Well, week 6 definately turned out to be a wet week for us at camp!  But as the rain came pouring down, the spirits of both the campers and staff soared.  I don’t know that I’ve seen them have so much fun in the pouring rain.  For us, the rain was a time of celebration and we took delight in the water.

 With each week of camp there is a theme.  Our inpost director, Chelsea, has done a great job this year with creative themes.  Week 6 was “Space Week” and we ventured into all things outer space.  The staff really got into it and many of the skits performed on Thursday night revolved around that theme.

This summer has flown by and it is hard to believe there are only two more regular weeks of camp left.  Then there will be a week of our adult Celebration camp.  I pray that we have been able to make an impact in the lives of the children and youth that have come to camp.  I am happy with how God has been experienced this year and know that many lives have been changed.  And for me, that’s what it’s all about!

Jason (Executive Director)

Attendance for the 5th week of camp was a little low due to it being the week of the 4th of July.  We’ve had 58 campers this week.  But it’s been kind of nice and has let us focus on really good one to one time with the campers.

We had some special visitors this week.  For four days, we had the Hope for Africa Youth Choir stay with us as they performed around the area.  They were a young group with the youngest member being 5 years old.  It was so neat to see them playing around camp and interacting with the staffers and campers.

On Wednesday morning, they sang a couple songs for us after breakfast.  What a blessing it was!  This young choir touched our hearts and it was a joy to have them stay here.

Jason (Executive Director)

Hello folks!  I know that it has been quite some time since we have blogged about what has been going on with our Summer Camp Ministry.  In an effort to catch you up with everything that has been going on, I am attaching segments of our monthly newsletter.  Hope you enjoy!

Jason (Executive Director)

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 DIRECTOR’S POST FROM JUNE ISSUE 

The Summer Camp Ministry is in full swing!  This means numerous late nights, early wake up calls, but most importantly seeing lives impacted with the love of Christ!

I quickly forget about bug bites, sore muscles and hot summer days when I look in these kid’s eyes.  The call on my lifeto serve as Director of Buffalo Mountain is confirmed each summer.  I first felt led to help kids when I was 17 years old and was a summer staffer throughout college.

This year, 40 college-aged adults will work for eight weeks as summer staff.  They will serve as counselors, lifeguards and adventure leaders.  Each staffer brings to camp unique talents and abilities.  But each one comes here because they love kids from all walks of life, enjoy working and playing outside, and are excited about sharing God’s love.  For many, the call for Christian service is confirmed during their time here.  And that is also rewarding.

May I now ask you to pray for us in the weeks to come?  Some kids enter Buffalo Mountain with a firm foundation of faith, while others come and learn for the first time about God’s love.  I ask you to specifically pray for:

· The health and safety of all who come to camp

· Each child to learn more about God’s creation and how He wants them to live

· Summer staffers as they lead children through devotion, worship and activities

Finally, if you’re in our neck of the woods, feel free to drop by and see what camp is all about!  We’d love to show you around.

 DIRECTOR’S POST FROM JULY ISSUE

 We’ve completed the first four weeks of camp and have already seen 392 campers!  It is our goal that each of these campers will experience new things, meet new people and see the love that Christ has for them.

One of the most fun activities for me this year has been watching the Splash Party held each week for the day campers.  Each Tuesday, these 1st and 2nd  graders get to play all kinds of wacky, messy games that revolve around slip-n-slide, water balloons, sprinklers and shaving cream.  You would be surprised how quickly these little ones can get covered from head to toe and love every minute of it.  Thanks to Kayla Benner, our Day Camp Director, for doing such a great job.

On the other end of the camper spectrum, we had a group of older youth attend Leadership Camp.  This camp is for those interested in being a summer staffer next year.  They were taught the art of being a summer staffer through service and book study, but there was plenty of time for these young people to enjoy God’s Creation through games and activities.  These campers can now come back and volunteer for a week in a support staff role.  It’s always been neat to see how God can take those campers being served and turn them into summer staffers now serving others.

There are only a few weeks of camp to go and I know this is going to be over before I know it.  I try to take time each week to take it all in.  To see the joy in the eyes of these campers and know that God is working each and every day to show His love to all that come.  

I look forward to sharing more summer camp highlights with you in the next issue.  Thank you for your prayers.  God has blessed us with great staff, campers and supporters like you, and for that I am humbly blessed!

Well, the bulk of staff training is over. The staff have the weekend off, hopefully they will use the time to rest and prepare for the arrival of the campers. As I sit in the office and finish up some paperwork for the week ahead, I can’t help but feel the excitement growing.

Campers are coming!

Although staff training is a wonderful time of community, fun, and bonding; that’s not what we are ultimately here for. It’s the campers that make camp special. It’s the campers who make what we do important.

Will you pray for our first group of campers? Pray that they will leave camp at the end of the week knowing that they are special and that they are loved. Pray that God will impact their life through camp.

Just a few more days….

Jess
-Assistant Director-