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We were blessed to accept an invitation to speak at our local Summer Camp as their Chapel Speaker for this past week. The camp is Lake Ellen Bible Camp and it has been a mainstay for the Christian Community and North Dickinson churches for decades.
In fact Micah made his very first week at camp only 2 weeks ago and for the most part had just the best time! Some of the many attractions at camp include a canteen, slip and slide, octo-ball courts (we’ll talk more about that later), carpet ball, a blob, rope swing, canoes, paddle boards, soccer, volleyball, and much more! Almost makes it hard to imagine spending time in the chapel listening to the chapel speaker when there’s so much else exciting to do!
Octo-ball is a game where the children are contained in a 8 sided pit, and the object of the game is to hit a kickball towards your opponents (of any number) and hit them below the knee. If you do, then they’re out. Micah loved this game and even bested the camp counselors on a few occasions. I tried my hand at it, but found I wasn’t quite nimble enough, even though I have a strong swing.
The chapels were focusing on the fundamentals of our faith, by reciting the Apostle’s Creed, and examining each tenant in depth. The crux of the messages came on Wednesday night as we looked at the role of the Holy Spirit and I challenged the children to understand that intellectual belief isn’t enough, but it must be expressed in faith, which we learned is “belief in action.”
I found it challenging to speak to children and the 3 main tools I used were videos to keep their attention, lots of repetition, and as much shouting from them as I could conjure. It seemed to work as the kids and staff all seemed to enjoy our time together.
It was a fun week with the family, away from the normal routine, but I must admit its also nice to sleep back in our own bed and continue in the routine we’re comfortable with. I am thankful for the ministry at Lake Ellen, and hope to be able to continue to support their work in the future.