CampHappens

(This blog was written last July 2011…sorry for the delay but it was too good not to pass onto you!)

As I was attempting to write this, I struggled with how to word this excellent experience of camp properly. I knew that I must first introduce myself as Andrew Cano, a sophomore psychology student at California Lutheran University who originally is from Santa Clarita, CA.  After that however, I was stumped. I thought perhaps I should mention that I am a first year counselor at LRCC and how this new experience has changed my life already in just few short weeks. I also considered writing projections of what I expect in the weeks to come. These and many other ideas passed through my mind at one time or another, but never really came to fruition.

Ultimately I felt that I was being too idealistic and indirect in the way I was thinking and instead decided to make a list of the exact moments I felt the presence of God here at camp. So I present to you, the casual reader of LRCC blogs, that unfinished* list of moments:

1. Day 1 staff training – welcomed by an army of my eager future coworkers and leadership staff,
2. Week 2 staff training – led a song by myself for the first time,
3. Week 2 staff training – getting lost in the prayer labyrinth but finding my way by allowing myself to see it from a different perspective.
4. Day 1 Hope Lutheran Day Camp – seeing a kid smile while we taught Surely Goodness to the congregation during one of the Sunday services.
5. Day 1 Hope Lutheran Day Camp – brand new air mattresses left by a member of the congregation who didn’t want us to sleep on the ground at night.
6. Hope Lutheran Day Camp – dinner at each host home filled me up physically and spiritually as we all had rich discussions with our host families.
7. Hope Lutheran Day Camp – children reach to hold my hand in companionship.
8. Hope Lutheran Day Camp – children (grades k-4) want to actively help lead worship songs and prayers.
9. Hope Lutheran Day Camp – serving the families of our camper’s BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs cooked by the staff.
10. Beach Camp – middle school campers offer to help me move around and do things following an inconvenient ankle rolling in the first few hours of camp.
11. Beach Camp – female camper states openly “I love Beach Camp!”
12. Beach Camp – campers write personalized thank you notes to the counselors and staff.
13. Beach Camp – camper asks me to help him put music to the lyrics of a song he wrote for a family member.
14. Beach camp – campers enthusiastically play in the water and listen to me teach them body surfing (even though I’m not very good at body surfing myself).

*this list is an ongoing list and could include countless more moments of the weeks of camp that have already passed and will pass in the future. The list is abbreviated for the benefit of the reader.

Birds have been waking me up at 6:00am everyday since last month. I feel like a Disney princess, minus the prince and the amazing clothes. I love when the birds sing. When birds sing, they’re building nests, making baby birds, and flying through the sky without a care in the world. And all of this bird action leads to only one cause: SUMMER.

Summer! It’s my favorite season. The weather is hot. The birds sing (I said that already, I know). Everyone smiles and no one gets sick. And summer always means camp. Glorious, fun, roller coaster of emotion, camp. I am headed back to El Camino Pines and LRCC for one more summer of fun, faith, and (this time) facing giants.

We as the summer staff of LRCC 2012 are about to embark on an amazing experience. There is something old and magical about going out to the earth, leaving the world behind, and asking hard questions with a younger generation. And this summer we will be asking our campers about facing giants, facing hard times, facing obstacles some adults can’t even endure.

We all have giants. For David, it was an actual giant man standing in front of him. For Esther, it was saving a nation of people she called kin. For Thomas it was believing the man in front of him, was indeed his dearly departed friend and teacher. Facing a giant is hard. And outdoor ministry is hard. But it wouldn’t be worth it if it were easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it. And we aren’t everyone. We, the summer staff of 2012, have one thing in common: we were brought to outdoor ministry for a reason. The reasons may be different, but the action is all the same. And we will do great things with our actions.

And I know that somewhere between the ECP pool, the Yolijwa hill, and the Pacific Beach waves, we will all see our giants emerge this summer. And we will face them. We will look our giants square in the eyes and plant our feet firm in the ground. And won’t it be brilliant to face them, with a crowd of people, a group of friends and family, standing beside you?

Congratulations Summer Staff 2012, you are about to have the most dazzling summer you’ll ever know. I am glad I will stand beside every one of you.

I am Brigette, and I am waiting for summer.

Joan and Huck

Oh the El Camino Pines dining hall!  There is so much that goes on before, during, and following a meal and all of it makes me smile!  Before every meal, upon entering the dining hall I am greeted with delicious smells, a warm, friendly smile from Mama Lynn and awesome tunes playing in the background.  As we work we end up singing our hearts out to the music while we set up the tables for the meal.  It doesn’t have to be pretty singing; in fact it is better if it’s not.  It just has to be fun and CRAZY singing!!  This of course leads to silly dancing and some good laughs.

During the meal, doing dishes has become one of my favorite things, especially when Huck and I are doing dishes at the same time.  Huck and I have a tendency to bring the singing from before the meal into the dish room.  However, we never seem to remember the lyrics so the songs turn in to Huck and Joan originals that range in topics from our love for chicken nuggets to water pitchers.  The only problem is, once again we can never remember how the songs go when people ask what we are laughing at; there goes our dream for a one hit wonder and making millions.

Basically I always end up leaving the dining hall with a stomachache and my eyes watering from laughing so hard.  Thank you camp for filling my days with silliness and smiles!! =)

What makes you smile?

- Joan

Middle school girls terrify most camp counselors. No joke. Maybe it’s some deep seeded memory from our own middle school experience, where mean girls reigned and determined our social status for 2-3 years. Maybe it’s just because no two middle school girls are alike, so it’s hard to adjust. More than likely it’s because we just don’t take the time to know them.

I had the opportunity to stay with 6 middle school girls one week at Outdoor School, because the school couldn’t find a female chaperone. I didn’t have to do much, just be in the cabin with them at night. It had been a while since I was in a cabin, so I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect. I remember texting my best friend (Brigette) and her responding with a solemn “Good luck with that…”

But, quite honestly, it was the most fun I’ve had with a group of kids in a while. From the time we left the Chapel after Last Word to the time they (finally) fell asleep, it was non-stop laughing; the good kind of belly laugh that works your abs and releases endorphins. We talked about how silly boys are, about how silly girls are, how good the food is, and what a great time in general they were having here at camp. Even our group prayers were filled with laughter. I know God speaks middle school girls and heard their heartfelt thankfulness and joy, even if I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.

I am thankful for the chance to get to know these girls, to laugh with them, to braid their hair and talk about boys with them, and to know that God is truly working in their lives. So next time you have a chance to hang out with middle school girls, don’t give into your instinct to run away. Just sit back and laugh with them.

What’s your favorite memory of middle school?

- Erin

Last year, in 1848, a man by the name of John Sutter discovered gold at his mill on The American River in California. Now, it seems the whole world is on their way to California to strike it rich. It’s a difficult journey, but that isn’t stopping people in the least.

That’s where I come in. My name is Adam Jensen and I’m a trail guide. I help families make it across the mountains, rivers and seemingly endless plains that they must traverse to make it to California. It’s quite an ordeal, but the victory is mostly in the preparation. Once our families are organized, they have to carefully choose what supplies they need to buy with their limited money. Do they want bacon or apples? Should they buy an expensive extra wagon axel? Or maybe they should purchase a deck of cards or a banjo to keep from getting bored? And of course, what kind of weaponry will they need for hunting and protection. The men always get very excited about that part. Then it’s time to hit the old dusty trail.

Our families have to face many trials along the trail. Someone might come down with cholera, requiring fresh water from a water cask and some fruit to help with the recovery. Or a hunting accident might require some whiskey to sanitize the wound. Hopefully the family bought some! Other challenges including hunting animals with a bow and arrow and negotiating for passage across a river by bartering with the ferryman.

The families have to learn to work together, how the 49-ers traveled and a bit about the history of California. I love it, and the families do to.

So how about you? Have you ever gone on a difficult journey? What did you learn from it?

More about our Outdoor School program here.

Coming together as Outdoor School Staff has been so much fun. It seems as if we gelled instantly and have already formed bonds that will last a lifetime. Everyone has different strengths to bring to the table to create an amazing team. Staff training has so much to offer in a day’s time; good food, core classes, all camp games, community building, more good food, archery, work days, and of course HIKES!

As a staff we have completed many treks through the Los Padres National Forest. Coming to El Camino Pines from Chicago, hikes have become one of my favorite things to do! The mountains are quite the jaw dropping change from the prairie state or city life I would normally call home. Before last week, I had never gone on the Sunset Hike. So a group of us set out towards Frontier Pines on Saturday afternoon with hiking shoes and water bottles. Let me tell you, thank goodness I had that water bottle because my awesome coworkers failed to mention that the majority of this hike was UPHILL! After an hour of windy dirt paths, water breaks, positive “we are almost there” statements, and the last and worst uphill battle, we reach our final destination. Standing on top of this mountain, looking out onto the rest of the mountain range, was the most refreshing and breath-taking feeling. It felt as if the Earth could go on forever. We made it! I made it!

Camp is filled with these types of experiences every day. Whether it is adventures like the Sunset Hike, cutting firewood or singing camp songs, these opportunities are bringing our staff closer together, creating relationships with retreat groups and churches, and strengthening our relationship with God. Thank you LRCC! I need a nap!

- Joan, LRCC Year Round Staffer

Welcome to Camp! Day one, I arrived with a bit of nerves, anxious to see what it means to work at camp. After a two hour drive, and 45 minutes of traffic, I was greeted by gray and green A-frames, and the forest. Not a soul in site. Rumor had it I would be living in the front house, so I parked my car in front of the first A-frame I saw, a lucky guess. I walked around camp a bit to find someone, anyone who might be staff, to no avail. Then I checked the chapel and Lauri happened to be in there trying to fix the broken curtains. Perfect, I had met my boss. Funny thing was, she didn’t know where the rest of the staff had gone off to either, until a car came rolling down the road filled with Starbucks, and staff. This was my team.

Imagine working with 7 of your most outgoing, extroverted, high-energy friends… welcome to camp! As an adult, this is my first camp experience, and as a big kid, I have not been to camp since the fifth grade. We had been there going on a month, and are quite bonded as a staff, and as a camp family. The days are long, as I had expected, but ironically, when we are given time off maybe a few hours here or there in between training, none of us know what to do with it! It’s funny how quickly one’s body adjusts to a new lifestyle and the constant thread of activity. We are a loud group (thank you Lauri for pointing that out today), but I think we all already knew that. If breakfast and activities were not loud enough, just wait till lunch! The laughter could likely be heard at the Mil Potrero turn off. Outdoor school will not be easily forgotten this year, the group that is musically—well, disinclined save for three, and physically very capable. Lauri thanks the economy for the vast talents of our group.

When I wrote this in the Fall, we had one school come so far, and they were aware of their status as our first student group. We performed quite well, and the kids had a great time, splinters and all. One thing I can absolutely speak to is the leadership of this team. We are a low drama, no shenanigans group, and we take care of each other. We are complimentary in class teaching, and discipline to one another, and the students were quite responsive. We have had in addition to the students, two work parties, and a few retreats. So far, only men’s groups and a youth group, but the year is very young.

My favorite days thus far have consisted of the work projects. I would like to build my own house one day, and maybe by June I will have acquired some of the important skills necessary. So far after just under a month, I have done demolition on a wood shed, painted some furniture, tiled a floor, deconstructed an organ (for repurposing) cut a whole lot of fire wood, and eaten far too many flies for my liking. Don’t worry; they will die off come winter (I’m actually looking forward to the cold days for this reason). That’s about it! Dinner time is approaching, and I’d hate to be late for some of Mama Lynn’s good cooking, so I’ll leave you with this thought, how many people does it take to turn Chuchupate into a nurse’s station?

Come up and meet this amazing year round staff! We have winter retreats, family retreats and a women’s retreat coming up. We will welcome you and make you feel like part of the family!