Varsity Camp Update for Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday :)

The week is just flying by! The camp as a whole has really shown an amazing amount of unity. Campers (along with counselors) have been having a blast! Monday started off with a nice late brunch, so as to give everyone a little more rest in preparation for the craziness that would ensue.. We then got to hear from Julie Barrett as she shared a little about what God has been doing in her life and about the love of God as a perfect Father. In the evening, campers were introduced to a new all-camp game called Bonkers, which involved nylons full of flour and a bunch of crazy stations that they had to complete. Keoni then spoke to us about the importance of community.

Tuesday was our day away, and we drove to the eastern part of Pictured Rocks to play on an enormous sand dune called The Log Slide. After that we packed up and bussed over to Miners Castle which was the starting point of a five mile hike to a place called Sand Point. Once everyone made it to Sand Point, which is a beautiful beach, a bunch of kids and counselors cooled off in Lake Superior and enjoyed some hearty pasties for dinner. Taking advantage of the incredible beauty surrounding us we had an amazing chapel time on the beach consisting of singing, hearing a message about God’s incredible love for us and time to just sit and reflect before heading back to camp.

Wednesday was another gorgeous day of sunny weather and the campers enjoyed hobo breakfast out on the train tracks.  We listened to two more thought-provoking messages from Keoni about submission and suffering. We finished the evening with a wild night game called Taken!

            Thank you again for all your prayers for campers and staff!

 - VARSITY Camp 2015

Varsity Camp Saturday / Sunday Update :)

Varsity camp is up and running! The campers all arrived Saturday and checked in... in record time! It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so most of camp was ready to hit the water for the swim test. After the swim test and going over some camp rules, everyone enjoyed a delicious cookout down by the lake, followed by some crazy games designed to help campers get to know each other. The games ended with everybody completely covered in mud… but thankfully a fire truck was nearby to hose everyone off before they jumped in the lake to cool down. After that, everyone was introduced to the staff members and headed back to their cabins.

Sunday was another beautiful day and campers enjoyed their first two chapel times and activity session. Our speaker Keoni began his talks on 1 Peter and our true Identity as God’s children. The campers also participated in their first team game and the whole camp had a wild time playing the varsity version of capture the flag, “The Yooper Games”.

As you pray for our time here, please pray that kids and counselors continue to build relationships and that everyone here really responds to what God places on each persons heart. Also, with the extremely warm temperatures, you can pray for camper/counselor safety and health. -Don’t worry, we’ll be making everybody drink as much water as we possibly can and lathering on the sun-block super thick ;)

Thank you all for your prayers for campers and staff, it’s looking like it’ll be an awesome week!

- VARSITY Camp 2015

WOLF Trails Friday / Saturday Update

Blog from the director

The group arrived safely back to camp around 10 o’clock Friday night after stopping for pizza in Houghton, MI. Upon arriving, they unpacked their gear from the trip, showered, and slept in the outdoor shelters for the night where the very warm evening cooled to a pleasant temperature with the rain that moved through.

Highlights from the trip include watching the sunset from Brockway Mountain, climbing the ranger station on Mt. Ishpeming, watching the sunset at Todd Harbor, exploring the Minong Mines, swimming to the island at East Chickenbone, cooking on the dock at Daisy Farm, and celebrating the completion of the hike in Rock Harbor with burgers. In total, the group hiked about 50 miles in just five days.

This experience gave them the opportunity to learn the importance of community with fellow believers, what it means to serve one another, what they can accomplish as a team, what God’s individual plan is for their lives, all while gaining a new perspective of God’s beautiful creation.

 - WOLF Trails 2015

Boys Camp - Day 7

Nothing like the Friday night of boys camp.  The momentum builds straight out of flag-raising at 8:15am. 

• There's the award for cleanest table of the week in the Longhouse. 

• The cabin cleanup award.

• A Grizball championship to win. The Griz won with his trademark "3-ball squall" move. 

• Best shot in camp trophies for riflery and archery.

• Camper vs Program/Summer Staff.

• Capture-the-Flag *no staff age 40+ played or were injured this go-round!

• The all-camp photo by the Lodge. 

• The week-in-review slideshow.

None of this compares to the power of the Good News of Jesus Christ going out in a mighty storm. Chief George held a Bible Q&A session this afternoon for boys still pondering eternal complexities. 90 deafening boys sung "10,000 Reasons" at the top of their lungs to close out worship. A final message comparing the broad road and the narrow road is being preached as this post is being written. 

We've done all we can to make sure every boy has heard the gospel, and many have. We've loved your boys as best we could. And we've had a rip-roaring blast at the same time. 

Lord willing and Farmers Lake don't rise, we'll see ya at BC16!

Boys Camp - Day 6

After dinner tonight (and to the dismay of many boys) an all-camp game of kickball, featuring campers (average age 11.5) vs. counselors (average age 42) was played. The campers had every right to loathe this change of plans. They lost 13-12. Ahhh, thrill of victory. 

The overnight campout is a longstanding tradition at UPBC which will not be dethroned. However, it does serve to dethrone the greatest of leaders who forget that jungle-capture-the-flag is the dominion of young men. All campers survived their respective trips, one counselor suffered a sprained ankle. Ohhhh, the agony of defeat. 

After returning to camp this morning, the vast majority of boys discovered mom packed a couple bonus items: soap and clean underwear. Some boys continue to live with their head in the sand, others continue to live with the sand covered about them. No worries mom - all boys who have not showered since returning from the trip (or all week for that matter) will be disinfected before lights out. 

After chapel tonight, the campers will be sharing their testimonies for all to hear. This is one of the best parts of Boys Camp. Many young men will share how they have come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ this week at UPBC...and praise God, there have been many!

Hard to believe in 36 short hours this exact group of campers and staff will never be assembled again until Glory. We're praying every single soul here will be at that reunion.