Sunday Fun Day

Monday, June 27, 2011

Here at K-Kountry, Sunday is a special day.  We sleep in a little bit, eat yummy coffee cake, go to church to learn about being I’m 3rd, write chicken letters, and of course…play in the water all afternoon. 

To celebrate Sunday Fun Day, we broke out the sprinklers, the slip-n-slide, water balloons, and even some snow cones.

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Life Lessons at Kamp

Sunday, June 26, 2011

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At the beginning of this kamper term we had our traditional Tribal Night.  The air was clouded with smoke from torches as the day slipped into night.   The sound of a drum beat is heard faintly in the distance as the Tribal Ceremonies begin and Indians emerge from the woods.  The new kampers are briefed that this moment holds great importance, as they are about to find out the destiny of what tribe they belong to.  Individually, each girl is called up by name to stand and look into the eyes of the Indian Maiden.  It is she that then declares either Kickappo or Kiowa.   The tribe is given, cheers ensue, and then the girl runs of to join her friends and new tribal sisters.  

During our tribal time this term there was was girl that had a little bit of a twist while receiving her tribe.   When she came before me to receive her tribe I declared that she belonged in the Kickapoo tribe.   Immediately her face dropped.  I noticed her reaction and asked her what was wrong.  She told me that her mother was a Kiowa and that she really wanted to be a Kiowa too.   Thinking we had made a mistake somewhere I let her know that she could definitely be a Kiowa because daughters always follow suit of their mothers in tribes.

Fast forward a few more days and I am sitting at a picnic table with a precious girl in front of me that is crying with a very heavy heart.  She explains to me that she lied.  The words came out of her mouth like a heavy brick.  I can tell that she had carried around this weight of conviction and guilt for the last few days.   She explains that her mother in fact was never in a tribe and that she lied to be with her friends.   She told me that she knew it wasn’t the right thing to do and that she felt so bad for it.  From there we got to have a special conversation about sin, conviction, and forgiveness.   She gave the whole thing to the Lord and I got to tell her how much I admired her courage for coming forward.  It is a lesson I pray she doesn’t forget for years to come.  I love that in a world where doing the right thing is rapidly fading, Kanakuk can be safe place that can encourages kids to have strong character.  I love that something as small as tribal night can teach such huge life lessons…even here at kamp. 

A Knight to Remember

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Once again, it was a magical night filled with sword fighting, chivalry, and princess dreams as the “Knight at the Faire” party came to life. 

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We started the evening with a fine meal at the King’s Table…

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And of course…the evening ended with the prince running off into the sunset with his princess!  It was definitely a knight to remember!

Track Meet

Friday, June 24, 2011

It was a “Wacky Wednesday” the other day.  We slept in, learned about character through our Character Kamp, and topped it off with the highly anticipated Track Meet.  The Choctaws, Cherokees, Kiowas, and Kickapoos were out in full force as the tribal spirit was alive and well.

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In the afternoon, the guys finished the day off with the Air-It-Out Football Tournament and the girls kept the tribal spirit going with the Swim Meet. 

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Smiles, Smiles, and More Smiles

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

We are having the time of our lives soaking in the sunshine and enjoying kamp.  The weather has been beautiful and the memories have been sweet.

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Tonight is our “Jamican Me Crazy” party and K-Kountry has the island fever.  The Jamaican dreadlocks are out in full force today.  We will be cruising the Lazy River and kicking back to the sweet sound of steel drums. 

We are changing it up tomorrow with our “Wacky Wednesday” schedule.  Sleeping in, Character Kamp, Track Meet, Air It Out Tournament (for the guys), Swim Meet (for the girls) and tons of other exciting activities await. 

The Excitement of Opening Day

At K-Kountry, you can feel the excitement in the air on Opening Day.  The thrill of walking in those big red gates and standing before the sea of enthusiastic counselors is like no other. 

It is always a fun day with lots of energy, lots of anticipation, and lots of smiles.  The start of Term 2 was no different.

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The reunion of old friends is so sweet…

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And of course, it wouldn’t be Opening Day without a pool party.

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Man Day / Chica Dia

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Every term, the guys and girls break up to celebrate…well, themselves.  The guys do what guys do and the girls do what girls do.  Man Day and Chica Dia is always one of the most fun days of kamp and hilarious to watch.

We started the day with Character Kamp.  Every Wednesday, we break all the kampers up by age and teach them a “character virtue.”  Here is a picture of the 6 and 7 year old boys flexing their muscles after learning about the virtue of “patience” with Sparky. 

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After sleeping in and waking up to a wonderful breakfast, the girls had “high heel races” to start off the day. 

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After a little competition, the girls spent the morning at the Chica Dia Carnival eating cupcakes, playing games, painting nails, and sitting around the pool just being girls!

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Meanwhile, on the other side of kamp…the boys were being boys.  Each cabin was competing in the “Mancathlon Challenge” with competitions such as Artillery Training with water balloons, the great Hot Dog Decorating Contest, the War Ball Combine, and of course, the Hygiene Relay. 

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The Last Few Days

It is hard to believe that Term 1 is coming to an end.  It has been so fun and a great start to the summer.  Here are a few things that we have been up to the last few days.

Getting ready to ride the zipline with friends…

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Our Boardwalk Mystery Party was on Monday night.  All of our favorite board games came to life including Connect Four, Dominos, Hungry Hippos, Battleship, Operation, and so many more.  The costumes were awesome!

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The girls of Barn 12 getting ready to go on their Unreal Deal Trip.

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The boys in “Adventure Class” getting ready to sneak up on the girls.

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Last night (Tuesday) was the final K-Life of Term 1.  The energy was awesome.  Below, the Barn 13 Crew is honoring the kids who completed the Champions Walk devotional program this past year. 

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Lastly (but most importantly), the bell has been ringing constantly here at K-Kountry.  Every day.  Every hour.  It is such a sweet sound to our ears…and hearts!  Praise God.

Best Role Models in the World

Here at Kanakuk, our vision is to equip and evangelize the next generation.  For the past 86 years, we  have accomplished this vision by placing godly college students in kids lives. These kampers get to see the Gospel lived out right before their eyes as these “role models” serve them, love them, care for them, and share with them.

Here at K-Kountry, we feel so blessed to have such incredible staff who run hard after Jesus so that kids would see Christ through them.  It is amazing to watch how the Lord uses these role models to impact kids lives forever!

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As I was down on the lower fields today, I came across two of our staff working with a kamper on his baseball swing after the period ended.  They worked with him, coached him, and encouraged him.  It wasn’t about the baseball swing.  It was about his confidence and finding a little success that  he can built upon.  It is so fun to watch these types of “confidence builders” every day and how the Lord uses them to encourage these little hearts.

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Honoring Champions

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Here at K-Kountry, we love to honor kids.  We try to find every opportunity to make kids feel like a Champion.  From Bumble Bee to Awards Ceremony, we love to brag on kids and make them feel special.

So…we held a “Night of Champions” last night here at K-Kountry.  We set out to break all sorts of records.  Most hole-in-ones at the putt putt course, fastest time down the new pool waterslide, most cannon balls off the diving board, and the list goes on.  It was so fun to watch kids gain a sense of accomplishment…even if it was for the most flips off the trapeze. 

It was a great night that ended with an awards ceremony for the “record holders” and of course, bomb pops for everybody!

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We continue to have the greatest time of our lives here at K-Kountry.  We know that the term is rapidly coming to and end…so we are soaking every minute in.

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A Day to Play

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Due to our 7-night changeover yesterday, we changed up the schedule a little bit.  Koffee cake and I’m 3rd Sunday in the morning and then we spent some time playing in the water and having a little fun in the sun.

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We also gave out some “fast track” passes to the zipline.

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Yesterday was also Opening Day for our Term 2 7-night kampers.  We are so excited to have them here.

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A Knight at the Faire

On Friday night, K-Kountry was transformed into a Kingdom full of knights, princesses, dragons, dukes, earls, and wonder!   I have seen lots of parties at kamp over the years, but this one was special. 

For the boys…the swords and shields were out in full force ready to conquer the world.  Meanwhile, the girls were dressed like princesses with hair up ready for the grand festivities.  It was so magical to watch these little knights and princess parade through the giant castle walls with a sense of wonder written all over their face.

We started the night at the Kings Table.  The K-Kountry Dining Hall was transformed into a medieval wonderland with chicken drumsticks, fried okra, and corn on the cob all on the menu.  Of course, we didn’t use any silverware.

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At the party, a slight haze filled the air as the sun set beautifully behind the trees.  The streets were alive with the hustle and bustle of chivalry and games as the kampers competed for silver coins and a chance to buy coke, candy, and popcorn. 

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The night ended just like any medieval party should end.  With a great sword fight between two knights and the princess being carried off into the sunset by her prince.  It was a wonderful end to a party that I will not forget.