Coming on the End

I have no idea where this summer has gone. We can hardly believe that we are already into Tuesday of our last week of camp for 2011. It has been an incredible summer filled with many blessings and once again we are amazed at how powerfully we see God at work in the lives of youth. There are some days where you can't stop smiling as you continue getting to know campers and hearing about God in their lives. Of course we have our rough days but knowing that God is in control surpasses all the rough times.

Last week we had such a fun group of campers. The 12-14 year-olds were here and we continually felt overwhelmed (in a good way) by the maturity and closeness of the campers. It was one of those weeks where you remember how much of a family we become here at camp. Keir is nothing like any other camp. Last week and this week we have had mostly returning campers and things like name games are pointless because all of the campers come back knowing each other. And I don't mean that they only recognize each other or sort of remember that girl that stayed in the bunk below, but they know each person's name. We have 25 campers this week, and only one camper is new but he has been quickly welcomed into the Keir family.

Man, God is faithful and so good! Last week we had a girls/guys night and we felt so encouraged. I can only speak for the girls but from what I heard, the boys night went great too. With the girls we played some teambuilding games where they really had to fully trust each other, there was a lot of cheering and smiles; there was no denying that God was so present and active in the hearts of those ladies. By the time Friday came, we were ready for a second week with the campers, guys and girls!

That's all for now! Chapel time!

Mario vs. Luigi

We have been very lucky to have two people from our childhood at camp this week. Very few camps around PEI - no Canada - are graced with the presence of Mario and Luigi in full human size. Oh, and Princess Peach. This is not a joke. Yesterday our second group of 9-11 year-olds arrived at camp ready and excited to see what Keir had for them. We took them to their rooms, introduced them to new friends, and played some fun games in the yard with them.

Then we had our usual Sunday night pizza meal and the campers were fueled for the rest of the evening and they really needed it. As one of the counsellors finished welcoming the campers, in came a beautiful princess in a frilly pink dress. She informed us that all weekend Mario and Luigi had been vying for her attention and were in a race to the lodge to see who would win her once and for all. 

A finish line was put in place and Mario and Luigi came running down the hall towards Princess Peach. At the same moment, they dove across the finish line. Now for the rest of the week, the campers are divided onto a Mario team and a Luigi team. The campers are helping them in the challenges to win the affections of Princess Peach.

As of right now, Luigi's team is ahead by two coins! On Monday both teams competed in the Koopa level where they found themselves diving wet flying sponges as they tried to get their items to the end of the splash pad without getting wet. In the end, Luigi's team won the Koopa level.

Yesterday was a packed day of Mario and thunderstorms! The teams competed in the star and mushroom levels and it was one of the closest challenges we have seen in a long time. Mario's team won the mushroom level while Luigi's team won the star level and in the end there was only a six minute difference between the two teams. Overall though, Luigi came through as the winning team with the best combined time. However, Mario's team deserves big recognition for never giving up or losing heart the whole afternoon.

What have we been up to with these campers and their Bible study? Well, this week, Superdarcy has shown up again to help the campers understand that God is much more powerful than any superpower she can ever find. Today we saw Joshua march around the walls of Jericho because that was the command that God gave him in order to win the city. Joshua was obedient and trusted in God's power; therefore, he was able to take the city! Darcy tried to break into the city with her own strength but struggled and was again unsuccessful. The campers are really learning about the power of God and how to trust him with every part of their lives.

Stay tuned for another update soon with some pictures and video! Keep praying for us here at Camp Keir. Pray for God's will to be done, that the staff will keep up their energy and enthusiasm, and that the campers this week will leave with great memories!

Keep following the blog! :) Take care!