Christmas Magic - Seek Peek

Here's a few photos from behind the camera (of the camera).  It's always surreal (and a little sweaty) when we get together in the fall to create our Black-Top-Drawn Staff Christmas Photo.

I think we should add a remote control and viewing screen for our camera to the Camp Wish List.  That would make life a lot easier!

Merry Christmas from Shepherds Camp!

Campiversaries all around

It is a season of campiversaries.  For those of you who don't speak Camp-ese... it is the anniversary of being hired full time at camp.  

Back in October Tony, our head cook celebrated his 1st campiversary.  Today marks 15 years for me (Ben) and in just a few weeks Tyler, our program manager celebrates 3 years!

To say that we are blessed to live and work the camp life is a tremendous understatement.

Gathering for Christmas

What a great time at our annual Shepherds Camp Christmas Gathering.  It is the perfect reason to reconnect with campers, catch a movie and pretend it is summer camp... we ate snacks, made crafts and sang songs!

Missing Summer

It is cold and more than a foot of snow is on the ground.  But that is not why we are missing summer.  As we are busy preparing for our winter retreat season we are also getting ready to send out Shepherds Camp registration forms for Summer 2017. 

All the paperwork, photos and graphic design has us excited for this upcoming summer and missing our campers, staff and volunteers.

Turbine Time

It's that time of the year again.  Actually, we may be a few weeks behind.  The leaves are 95% off the trees, soaking wet and this is our first round of eradicating leaves.  Good thing we have a Turbine Blower!

The Fall Connection

This past weekend was our highly anticipated Shepherds Camp Fall Retreat.  We had a wonderful time reconnecting with campers and staff from the summer, welcoming back some alumni and introducing Shepherds Camp to a large group of new volunteers.

James Project Sighting

Looks like a James Project shirt made its way to the Grand Canyon!

Who do you Know?

What a great visit.  A trio of friends who served at Arrowhead alongside their parents back in the 50's and 60's recently stopped by to visit.

They were full of stories and historical information that connected many of the puzzle pieces from the early days of Arrowhead to the present.  I won't tell you any of the pranks and practical joke stories.  I don't want to give my current staff any ideas.  It was fun to see what names, labels and ideas have spanned the decades and are part of the heart and soul of the camp to this day.  My favorite part of the visit was sitting down to look at photos from their time at camp, watching them point, chuckle and rattle off dozens of names (even the names of the horses) like they were teenagers again.

What a blessing to be apart of a legacy that makes alumni want to visit.  Camp sure has changed over the years.  But as we stood out at the camp sign and agreed, the mission is the same.

Where Did the Time Go?

"Lights Out and Good Night" to quote one of our campers who loves praying to close out evening chapel.

We started with Staff Training back in May and tomorrow is the last day... 12 weeks summer!  This photo encapsulates that "Week 12" feeling...

ITS BUSY. We certainly weren't sitting on our hands the whole time.  Camp is hard work.  Shepherds Camp is very hard work.  And we like hard work.

ITS FUN.  Who else gets to have over 100 people staying at their place for 3 months.  To us, the 24/7 camp lifestyle is fun.  (Note the counselor dead center in the photo who looks like he's letting out a big yell)

IT'S BLURRY.  After three months of ministry and pushing hard to finish strong, the whole thing feels a little blurry.

IT'S COLORFUL.  Camp is one of the most dynamic ministries I have ever experienced (Yes, I am biased).  There is never a dull moment.

IT'S CRAZY.  It's crazy how fast 3 months flies by.  It's crazy how a group of 40 college students, high schoolers and twenty-somethings (I'll just lump myself in that group) can become a family.  It's crazy that God would be pleased to use a guy like me and people like us for His kingdom work.

Would you look at that!

"Wow, that is cool!"

"Thanks! We like our new Picnic & Recreation Pavilion too.  So do our friends over at Arctic Bear who stopped by to volunteer with Special Olympics for Bocce Night."

Water Games are Rigged

Well... I submitted to the chanting and joined my guys on the dock for water games.  I really thought the counselors and campers would be okay with one of us coming out of this dry.  In hopes that it would be me... I kept my socks, shoes and hat on.

And, I was the first to get it.  But, Tony and Tyler weren't far behind.

Bocce Night 2016

Had a few Special Olympics friends over the other night.  The only thing more perfect than the weather was all the people who made Bocce Night a fantastic sporting event for Shepherds Camp - Session 3.

Shepherds Camp UNIVERSITY

This summer we created Shepherds Camp University!  Our theme: To Know God More.  In Crafts campers made their very own graduation cap and received a group photo coloring page.  Bible & Music in the morning, Chapel at night and a sweet Shepherds Camp U t-shirt paved the way for a dynamite graduation ceremony where each camper received a personalized diploma.  And we topped off each ceremony with a big graduation dinner/party.  Check it out.

Ramped Up for Summer 2016

In addition to our new hay wagon ramp we have added several deck ramps to our bathhouse, kitchen, craft room and camper cabins.  Oh, and over 200' of sidewalk.  It has been a huge blessing... especially during our intensive 1:1 sessions.

CCK'16

Camper Counselor Kickball 2016

Having fun is a must.

It can get a little scary out there.

 See what I mean.

Safety is our top priority.

Rule #1 - Dress for success!

Happy Independence Day!

Thank You SLRGC!

A huge thank you to the Silver Lake Rod & Gun Club!  We received a grant from the club to purchase 3 brand new Rinehart archery targets.  Our archery range at Shepherds Camp is top notch.

Remember When? Nurse Berry does!

We have a habit around here... of measuring the impact of our camp staff in DECADES!  What a blessing to have Nurse Berry visit us this week.  She served as our camp nurse for more the 20 years!  We walked all over camp looking at how things have changed since her last summer as our head nurse.  It was fun to hear her talk about the not-new-stuff and say, "I remember when that was new.  I was here when they did that."

Wheelchairs & Baby Llamas

It's June 1:1 week and our all-access hay wagon was rock'n today.  We stopped by Ms. Linda's place to see her new arrival, Maxine... just 2 days old. 

 

Everybody Loves Tony

We're heading into week four of the summer.  Campers, staff, visitors, volunteers, alumni and James Project mission teams; it's great to have a full house.

Our James Project groups have been a huge blessing.  They love camp.  They love serving.  They love Tony.  Of course, everybody loves Tony.  (In fact, that's one of the reasons why we love Tony)

All Access Hayrides!

Thanks to the generosity of our friends - the Hursh family and Drama Ministry, our hayrides are even better.  With benches all around and a wheelchair ramp... the hay wagon is accessible to ALL of our campers.