Getting Ready for Wednesday!

Like I said yesterday, today is a big day around camp. There's been some pretty big exploring going on from the Altitude Group and the Jr. High Core Group WILL be sleeping in tents tonight! Having lived up in the mountains of North Carolina myself for awhile, it definitely feels a lot cooler in the evenings, but it can still be pretty warm. Hopefully the kids and counselors will experience enough of a break in the evening to enjoy sleeping outside with the sounds of the frogs and bugs around them.

My background in camping ministry started with Girl Scout camp in platform tents. As I got older and became a counselor I completely appreciated the sounds of nature around me. I used to roll all the sides up to my tent stretch out under my mosquito net and just listen to the frogs all night. What a great way to spend the night. I hope the kids will find some enjoyment in God's creation tonight too.

Tomorrow night will be the big night in the worship life of the church. In past years, the model for evening worship is to build up to a big night on Thursday night. All the lessons, all the worship, all the devotions and teachings lead to giving the kids the opportunity to make any kind of life changing decisions they may want to make. It's also a time for reflecting on their week at camp. Some kids may not be ready to make any big decisions, and that's okay. But it's just an opportunity to reflect, pray with their counselors and Senior staff if they want. The kids would then be sent home the next day hopefully to be followed up with by their Pastor or Youth Pastor from their home church.

Now, the culminating event takes place on Wednesday. This is strategically done this way so the kids can have this experience and then celebrate it during the remaining days with their friends and counselors. It gives them a chance to process their evening and their worship experience. Instead of going home after a meaningful night and then thinking through their week and how God has been working in their lives before, during, and after camp, they now get to begin working through that a little bit before hand. Hopefully give them the tools to talk to you about it one the way home, or their Youth Director if they wanted to.

I always loved this night, because I found it interesting to watch the kids' faces. Some really felt God moving in their hearts. Others looked very shy, but curious. Some just wanted the worship time to be over. However, even those who were antsy to get back to their cabins were still interested in what was going on around them. And most of them were full of questions when they got back to their cabins. And their questions were not silly, but very thoughtful and engaging.

If you have a moment, shoot your camper a quick email tomorrow. Tell them about a worship experience that has been meaningful for you. Or perhaps you have seen God moving in their life in a certain way that you've always wanted to share with them, but didn't know how or felt like you couldn't. Don't hesitate to verbalize with your child what having a relationship with God can mean for them and what it's meant for you. Maybe it will help them be a little more thoughtful during their worship and/or reflection times. Kids find it pretty awesome when mom and dad or grandparents share something that is meaningful and special to them like that. You might be surprised what kind of conversations will open up for you!

Greetings Altitude and Jr. High Core Parents & Families!

Greetings to the parents of Altitude and Jr. High Core Campers! I am hoping that everyone had a smooth check in experience yesterday and is looking forward to seeing pictures of their campers on the website. I think your campers are in for a great week at Asbury Hills. If I can answer any questions, help check on your camper, or do anything to help your experience as a parent getting used to a week without children please let me know. That's why we're here! My children will be going for their week of camp next week and are more than thrilled about leaving their parents and siblings behind for a week!

According to the schedules, Tuesday is going to be a big night at Asbury Hills. The Altitude campers will be exploring Dupont State Forest for an exploration of high places and waterfalls. And in general, it's going to be a big camp out night. Hopefully you'll see some really great pictures.

If any of you have gone to camp as a kid you can certainly remember how important mail time is in the day of a camper. It hasn't changed. Take advantage of the emailing system they have. It's so easy just to go on line and send them an email. It's delivered to your camper the same way mail would. Keep in mind, however, not to make the letter too "mushy". It's been my experience as one of the people who gets to see the most homesick campers, that mail time is also a key time that kids start to feel a little sad for home. Make sure your messages to them are always up beat, tell them funny stories about their pets or siblings. Tell them you miss them but don't make it sound like you're pining for them to come home. It's amazing the responsibility kids take on themselves. If your child tends to get homesick, this might be a great excuse for them to feel they need to go home. "My parents need me." Also, on the crazy chance that their is a very serious, sad thing that happens while they're gone, i.e. a pet dies, or someone in the family get hurt pretty badly, if you want your camper to stay at camp, please don't tell them these kinds of things in your letters. This also will lead to some panic. Call the camp office if something like this happens and talk to the Camp Director. They can then personally relay any information the two of you decided appropriate.

Hopefully you find some of this info helpful. Let me know if you have any questions I can answer. I attempt to visit camp each week to give updates on the activities I observe going on in addition to blogging throughout the week.

Share your experiences here! I'd love to hear them!

My Visit to Camp Thursday 6/24/10

I went and visited Asbury Hills today. It was a SUPER hot day! It seemed as if it was anything we could all do to just stay cool and hydrated. In fact many afternoon plans were starting to be changed to include water activities just to try and stay as cool as possible.

I brought my daughter with me today. She was anxious just for a look around as this will be her first summer at camp. It was fun walking around with her. We first watched a group of "Express" Campers climb the climbing tree. We watched them all get fitted for harnesses and began to watch them attempt to climb the 40 ft climb to the top of the tree. One actually made it to the top. Their counselors were very good about encouraging them when they started to struggle and when they made it to the top. Very important I think.

We hiked over to the lake and got there just in time for the Fusion Girls to be observing some interesting wildlife in the lake and finish up canoeing for the day. These girls were a lot of fun. They were really the only group that actually initiated having a conversation with us. They were pretty intrigued by my daughter. She small for her age and they were amazed she was going into the 5th grade and really encouraged her about camp. They kept telling her she was going to have an amazing time. Emma felt like she made some friends without even trying.

I did ask the girls what they had liked the best so far, and the majority of them honestly said they enjoyed the worship hands down. I believe their response was "The Band Rocks!" Of course, the band is comprised of all boys. That might have something to do with it.... However, kidding aside, I also got to hear the band rehearsing and they ARE pretty good!

I didn't find out what "banana slug" is. Hopefully I'll learn what that is before the end of the summer. And perhaps you'd be interested to know the hottest items being sold at the Camp Store are mood rings. Random fun fact, I know, but never the less, don't be surprised if you're camper comes home with one!

After tomorrow I'll have some more feedback straight from the counselors about their week with your campers and their experiences. Come back and take a look. You might see your camper mentioned.

If you get a moment, I would love to hear the stories you hear on the way home tomorrow. You'll probably not mutter a single word for your entire trip home unless your camper passes out in the car, and we'd love to hear what they had to share with you.

Stories from Express Camp

As promised, I have a report for you coming out of the first "Express Camp" that just ended yesterday. I think even the current Express Campers families will appreciate hearing these experiences as a look into the journey their campers are embarking on starting today!

Katie, one of the counselors, Katie was leading a discussion on finding and seeing examples of God's Love in their surroundings and experiences. One particular camper just wasn't sure she could understand how to do that. Apparently, this one girl had an "A-Ha!" moment. She just kind of "got it". And then started to talk about and point out all the ways she was seeing God's love around her. It's funny when things like this happen, because many times as meaningful as it is for the person it's happening to, it's that much more exciting and meaningful for the counselor/teacher. The counselors watched the authenticity of this camper and were touched. This was clearly not an example of a camper repeating "words", but truly experiencing God and His love. How powerful!

Some other side notes that came out of the first Express camp:

Things they learned or did for the first time at camp:
Banana Slugs (I don't have a clue! Ask your campers!)
Playing in the Creek
Zipline
And learning that God loves everyone no matter what!

If all this was accomplished in just 3 days imagine what a whole week of camp must be like!

I am venturing to camp tomorrow (Thursday) to check some things out. Perhaps I'll discover more about this Banana Slugs! I'll let you know.

Redefining "Cool"

I've been watching the schedules for this week and I have to say that I'm excited by some of the language they use to describe what's going on. For instance, before lunch they will have what's called a "Jam Fest" on the porch. During staff training I think I got to witness a little bit of this time.

Basically, they gather on the porch before lunch and sing together. The counselors lead all kinds of different songs to help pass the time while the helpers are finishing up getting the tables ready and the kitchen gives the cue that the doors can open. The songs I witness were of the silly nature. Now, I don't care how old or young the camper is, this can be such a fun part of camp. It's one more way the counselors can cut loose and really show the campers that this is not about looking "cool". It's about just having fun together, plain and simple.

To the campers the counselors are the coolest people on the planet. And to watch them be silly and not care really sets the tone that camp is a safe place to be. It's a place that kids can be who they are without fear of being judged and made fun of. Hopefully they learn pretty quickly that if they have any worries from the outside world, they can forget about them at least for this week. All campers are on equal ground around here.

The counselors are trained to be present in your camper's life this week. They're trained to be there for the fun and silly times and also to be aware and present during those serious moments of discovering God's plan in their lives. I don't think my kids are going to know what hit them. This will be their first Christian camping experience and the discovery time that will be available to them will be mind blowing I think. To hear the faith journeys of their counselors, to experience along side other campers that are like them and not like them, is a powerful moment for all involved. Camp is such a special place to discover a new image of God. The image that's not seen as much sitting in the pews at church.

These counselors will redefine for your camp what "cool" is really all about. Sometimes being a Christian kid is hard. To hear all those lessons in Sunday School, at church, or even from you and putting it into practice isn't always easy for any age. But for the campers to see the coolest people ever sharing their faith and putting their faith into action can have a phenomenal effect on a young person. Suddenly it can be a cool thing to enjoy learning about the person God wants you to be and acting on it.

As you're writing to your camper during their time this week, it might be interesting for them to hear about any camping experiences that you have had. Friends you made, counselors that made an impact on you, or maybe even an experience you always wished you had. Your camper may decide to give your dream a try and then share it with you when they see you. What a great conversation piece for the ride home!

Welcome Express & Fusion Parents!

Greetings! If you're reading this blog, it means you have a camper at Asbury Hills this week! How exciting! My name is Carroll and I am a former Camp Director and parent of 4 kids. The basic idea of this blog is to act as a support for you, the parent. It's a forum for you to check in with what's going on while your child is at camp. I will be blogging periodically through the week with updates on how things are going at camp. If I can answer any questions for you or be of any help to you during your week please feel free to respond to any of the entries, ask questions, and let me know if I can be of service to you.

I hope check in went smoothly today and you helped get your child settled in. I would love to hear about how excited your child was to be going to camp. Two of my children will be attending camp this year. In fact, they're going in a couple of weeks. They are very excited and can hardly wait. They're anxious to try out all the "stuff" there is to do at camp!

Being able to visit camp and write about what's going on has definitely helped my anxiety about letting them go. The irony is certainly not lost on me that as a former Camp Director, the one who very carefully trained camp staff, and comforted campers, I am now on the other side of things and worrying about sending my kids off to camp. I know they'll be fine and have a blast, but I also know that I will be checking pictures daily to make sure they're smiling and look happy.

I hope that this can be a resource for you. As the week concludes, I will also be sharing counselor stories about your children and their experiences through the week. Definitely keep checking during the week and don't forget to check back when the week is over as well!

Week One..

I chose Tuesday of this week to visit Asbury Hills and decided to bring my son with me. About one hour into the trip to camp I received a phone call explaining that as we were talking on the phone, the campers were all dispersing for their hikes and off grounds field trip. Obviously, it wasn't the best timing for a trip to check in on the kids and staff. However, I decided to keep heading that direction to let my son see the grounds and see what he thought.

It was interesting to watch his excitement grow as he heard about all the cool "stuff" he could possibly do while he was at camp. He was full of questions about "when", "how old do I have to be?", and "why?". When we arrived and was able to ask all those questions he chose to basically soak it all in at first. He explored the cabins and just took everything in.

We got to eat lunch with the Program Staff who were left behind. We sat with the Program Director, Caroline, the Recreation Director, Brian, and three band members. They were such a delight. My 8 year old son thought the band guys were "cool", and he later, with a little encouragement from the Camp Director himself, felt like he could sneak up on Caroline and sabotage her with a water gun! Needless to say this staff seems to be fantastic with kids. Isn't it great when people who work with kids actually LIKE kids?

It sounded as if they had a great start to camp. Check in seemed to run smoothly. And, I have a feeling that you should be hearing a lot of fantastic stories about a hike to the falls and group games after supper.

We were able to have a brief brainstorming session on how to make this blog more informational and more useful to you, the parent and family of the campers. One idea we had was to share with you the "stories" the counselors share at the end of the week. Each week the counselors share those special experiences they have with their campers. Perhaps there was a camper who made a life changing decision, or maybe a camper who was nervous to try something finally decided to give it a try the last day of camp. Those are the kinds of things that reinforce our calling into camping ministry. We want to share those with you. This means that you need to check back in with the blog even after your camper leaves for the week. There just might be a story about someone you just might know.

In the meantime, your input is always appreciated. Please let me know what kinds of things you'd like to know about. Is there an activity you're wondering if your kid is getting to do? Is there a question you're just wanting to get answered? Or better yet, you have a suggestion for the camp, staff, or me to make this entire experience better for you. We'd love to hear it.

Staff Training

I was invited last week to come to Staff Training and share some of my views with the staff. I want to share with you some of my first impressions of them. First, as I walked up to porch of the Dining Hall with Jody, a group of the counselors were sitting in a circle under an awning. They were all smiling, relaxed with one another, and laughing! They were somewhat humored that one of the Counselors was singing a song at the top of his lungs in a semi silly fashion not even realizing that a visitor was approaching let alone the Executive Director. They continued to let him sing while we stood silently by watching, trying not to interrupt him. At one point he finally opened his eyes and lifted his sunglasses to see Jody watching him. Of course, he jumped in surprise, laughed a little, and then continued.

This is an example of how at ease these college students are with their surroundings, each other, and what they will be expected to do while at camp this summer. Their morale is high, their excitement is high, and they're ready to play! What a great first impression.

While I was speaking with them and giving them a parent's perspective on sending their kids off to camp, almost all of the staff looked at me the entire time! They listened, smiled, and gave a lot of non verbal feedback that was great! If you've ever had to speak to a group of people, then you know how hard it is to stand and talk to a group who is half asleep and wondering why the heck you're talking to them in the first place. It was honestly a little disconcerting how intently they listened. I found myself wondering why they were looking at me!

I have to say that I didn't expect a whole lot of feedback based on what I was talking to them about. However, I think some of them probably will think about things a little differently when you drop your children off with them. I found myself feeling very reassured that my kids were going to have a blast with the staff this summer. I even found myself looking at each one wondering which one would be my kid's counselor.

The diversity, the positive attitude, the optimism they feel about their calling to serve God this summer is very apparent. I saw nothing but smiles and interest in each other and anyone who walked through the door. My first impressions of this staff were pretty high. I'm anxious to hear from the rest of you what your first impressions are tomorrow after you check in and meet your kids' counselors for the first week of camp!

Introduction & Welcome to the Blog!

Greetings! My name is Carroll. I am a former Camp Director. Not only am I former Camp Director, but I am also a mother of 4 young children. Emma, who is 10, Nathan, who is 8, Josh is 6, and Cooper is 4. My two oldest have decided they want to go to camp this year. We chose Camp Asbury Hills because the Executive Director , Jody Oates, and I have worked together in the past and I trust him. Trusting Jody is a very important part of why I am here blogging today. You would think that as a former Camp Director, I would not have any problems letting my kids go to camp. I shouldn’t be worried about them having a good time. I shouldn’t be worried about how the counselors will be taking care of my kids. I shouldn’t worry because I already know the ins and outs of summer camp and that should give me some relief. I’m here to tell you…. “Not Really”.

This blog is a test. It’s a test that comes from my own insecurities as a mother sending my “babies” off to camp to be cared for by counselors who I do not know and are not influenced by me. It’s a test to see if I can use my experiences, knowledge, and relationship with the Executive Director to help support other parents who might also be even the slightest bit anxious about their kids going off to camp.

This blog started from an email conversation I had with Jody a few months ago. Basically asking him how I was going to let my kids go to camp? I knew I had to let them go, every parent must let their child go at some point. And it’s a very unreasonable feeling for me to have considering I have NEVER had trouble leaving my kids in nurseries or with baby sitters. I look forward a lot of times to having space and time away from my kids. But for some reason sending them off to camp is something altogether different.

I started having these unfamiliar feelings as a Camp Director beginning to relate to parents on a different level now that I had my own kids. I could only imagine how difficult it would be to drop your kids off for a week and trust ME and the counselors not only for the physical well being of your child, but their mental well being as well. I took that very seriously. I started to impress upon my staff those very thoughts. These children are someone’s “babies” that you’re being trusted with!

Emma went to Girl Scout Camp a couple years ago and it was hard to leave her. I wasn’t allowed to take her to her cabin and help her settle in. I literally handed her over to a strange counselor with an eager smile across her face. It was a very unsettling feeling that I did not have a hand in training these counselors on how to take care of my kid and the other campers as well. She came home, of course, having had a great time. But, I spent the week anxiously scanning picture after picture to see her smiling face. It was a very odd thing for me, this feeling of anxiety over camp. I LOVE camp and think every child needs to experience it multiple times.

Jody, after snickering at my anxiety, made a statement something to the effect of… “You know too much about Camp which is a gift. What can we do with this gift?” This, of course, leading to conversations about how to support other parents going through similar feelings. We came up with the idea of this blog to serve several purposes.

1. Gives parents a different insight to camp through a former Camp Director who has worked with Jody Oates in the past, trained camp staff, planned and implemented programming with children like yours in mind, and just as a mom.

2. Gives another avenue for parents to comment and give feedback. I’m here to answer questions and/or find the answers to the questions I can’t answer. I will be in direct contact with Jody during the course of the summer. I will be visiting camp each week to see how things are going. I can even give you some feedback on your child if you’d like. Just ask.

3. Gives the counselors and staff at Asbury Hills a unique perspective to the” parent experience” that other camp facilities do not have. How many other camps will give you, the parent, the opportunity to ask questions, give feedback, and let us know how things are going from your end?

It is my pleasure to be blogging. I look forward to hearing from you as your child got to Camp Asbury Hills and has the experience God intends for him/her to have. And who knows, maybe your child will become great friends with one of my two as well!