Rainbow Christian Camp and Conference Center

08-05-10 (Man Versus the World) Jared Kidwell

summerstaff — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:10:26 +0000

Today’s theme was lover/King for our mighty men, and since the first step to being a true king is learning how to love those around you and serve them, we started off the day with a service project to put the kids into the right mindset. After our morning lesson, which was about the stage of manhood referred to as lover/king, which discusses the way a man will learn to serve those around him out of love and how in the process of serving them he begins to lead them. So in light of this we spent the next two hours until lunch helping pick up branches that have fallen all over camp due to the recent wind we’ve had. Nobody was overly thrilled when they heard what they would be doing, but after our wise Dean explained that before you can lead people you have to serve people, and that service is an act of love, they understood why they were doing this project. Once we had concluded our service project it was time for us to head to the chow hall to get some grub, after we finished with our royal meal of tacos we headed back to the cave to suit up for a round of kick ball before went swimming, we played a different way then normal, where the entire order kicks and then we switch positions, getting someone out simply means less runs for the kicking team. After our game we headed to the pool to cool off and relax before we moved onto our next project, teaching the men how to take care of their cares down the road. We taught them how to check fluids, change oil, and change a tire. We also taught them how to use a cutting torch, because you never know when you may need this skill. We then moved onto our kingly dinner of lasagna and garlic bread, and from there we headed out to Little India for our missions time, where we got to have an authentic Indian experience, including Indian Tea and snacks which almost everyone enjoyed, after this we got a little free time before it was time for our night climb. At the night climb everybody tried at least thing even though most of them tried to do everything before time was up, but once time was up we headed to the conference center for our lesson with a special group speaker, who told us the importance of the final stage of manhood, the sage. After this we went back to prepare for our tribal council, in preparation for this we painted our face, like the warriors we all are deep inside. Once we got to the council we were initiated as men, since every other culture has an initiation ceremony for men we figured it was appropriate to have one for our young men this week. After the council, with hearts swelled with pride we headed back to the cave to reflect on what we had learned, and to see what the next day holds for us.

08-05-10 (Thai Huts) Leslie Echelbarger

summerstaff — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:58:54 +0000

Thursday morning began with breakfast of eggs and sausage links. As usual, the campers took their devotional time, went to class and had lunch. After lunch, Usha and Emrys met with the campers and discussed their stories. Usha is a converted Hindu. When her parents found out that she had converted to Christianity, they disowned her, and her father even tried to kill her. Emrys comes from a Canadian family and was raised in India, along with his missionary parents. Emrys’ parents actually started the hospital that the Rees’ now run. The afternoon activities included the wet-zipline, where the campers end up in the water. They also did some archery, and even had a competition to see who would do the dinner dishes. After some swimming, everyone headed back to the huts to cook dinner. Kit Miller came out to teach the evening lesson. The campers went from the lesson straight to discussion groups. The night’s activity was a night climb. The wall, catwalk and zipline were all open. After climbing, everyone headed inside for ice cream.

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08-04-10 (Hoofprints Horse Camp) Gary & Riann Creech

summerstaff — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:05:33 +0000

Today was a marvelous day at Horse Camp! Although it was a little rainy in the morning, the clouds soon cleared and it was bright and sunny for the rest of the day. The campers started off their morning feeding the animals at the barn before getting breakfast. After breakfast they headed back out to the barn to spend time out in the arena with the horses. The campers have chosen horses that they ride and they love getting to spend time with their favorite one and discussing mannerisms and riding experiences with the other campers. Riann and Gary love to have people out at the barn helping love on the animals, so horse camp week is one of their favorite times. The horses get lots of love and attention during camp. The campers met with Usha and Emerys, the missionaries, before lunch. They have enjoyed learning about the culture of South India and are never afraid to ask questions. After lunch, the campers spent some more time with the horses before going to the pool. After swimming, the campers took a ride down the cable swing and the mudslide. All of the campers loved getting muddy and they all had a great time. After showering, the campers then enjoyed dinner back at the campsite and then watched the movie ‘Spirit’. After some worship time, the campers drifted off to sleep and remembered the great day they had at camp.

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08-04-10 (Thai Huts) Leslie Echelbarger

summerstaff — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:25:38 +0000

The morning began with breakfast. The Thai Hutters helped make biscuits and gravy over the fire. Surprisingly, the biscuits turned out golden brown. Everyone thought that they were pretty good. After devotional time, the campers headed over to the conference center for their morning lesson. Jaime McConnell taught a short class about missions, and how each person should be involved in missions in some way. Lunch was followed by a trip to the mudslide. One of the campers had fun throwing mud at the counselors, or at least until they chased him all over the cave and threw him in the mud pit…. The campers went from the mudslide to the activity field to play kiddy pool kickball. KPK is played like normal kickball, except, the bases are kiddy pools, and you must be sitting in the pool to be safe. Next, everyone went out to the Indian Village to learn about life in India. Usha and Emrys were there to show off their dhaba, which is like an Indian rest station. The campers also got to experience a mock Indian church service. When the hutters got back to the huts, the got their swim gear and went to the pool for some swimmage. After swimming, the campers rushed to get dinner ready before a big storm rolled in, but alas, the rain forced everyone inside. Luckily, the huts were equipped with a propane stove, so dinner prep resumed inside the storage hut. When dinner was over, and the campers had played another game of Mafia, everyone went to the conference center to hear Russ speak again. After the lesson, everyone watched a movie (To Save a Life) and had popcorn.

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08-04-10 (Man Versus the World) Jared Kidwell

summerstaff — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:16:34 +0000

Today our men learned about the way of the warrior. We woke to a warrior’s breakfast of stale coffee, old biscuits and hard sausage, just kidding. W e actually had scrambled eggs, nice tender sausage and coffee cake, which was all prepared courtesy of the Rainbow Christian Camp cooks. After this we marched back to our barracks where we learned about the armor that God provides us with even before we ask him into our lives and how much stronger it becomes once we do ask him into our lives. We also learned abut the weapons He’s gave us and the perfect battle plan that’s he’s drawn up for us before we’ve even enlisted, before we’re even born!!! After this we went to try our hand with a bow, we had a little bit of a rocky start as it took them a little while to get acclimatized to how a bow actually works compared to how it’s shown in the movies. But after a few rounds we all got the hang of it, and just as we were getting’ good the chow bell rang. After some delicious Chicken n’ Noodles we headed back to the barracks for some time with the missionaries who informed us of the enemies movement and attacks on the people of India, but they also informed us of the guerilla warfare tactics that they have been using to thwart the enemy. After this it was time for our water warfare training, so we headed to the pool and then abandoned water warfare training for basketball and dunking each other. After this though it was time for a real war…well a paintball war, so we suited up, got our guns and headed out to the woods for 2 hours of war. The air was filled with paint as it zipped past and occasionally into our heads; the yells of the wounded promising revenge filled the air as we battled it out in a giant death match. After we finished this we headed back to the mess hall to grab a bite and show off our war bruises. We then just stayed in the conference center and decided to have our debriefing there in stead of the barracks. But we talked about how in life we have to learn to trust those around us but ultimately only God, our commanding general, is the one we need to listen to, not our fellow soldiers. After this we headed back to the barracks for a movie to watch and relax after a long day of training and war.

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08-04-10 (Extremes) Larry Lipps & Larry Phillips

summerstaff — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:11:34 +0000

Today was last day of camp. I think it was bittersweet for them. Although the kids were tired and ready for home they definitely had a great time at camp. All of them were full of smiles the whole week. Today’s schedule was a little different then the rest of the week. They started out the day with bible studies and rock climbing in the morning. This went on until lunch time. After lunch they had a rotation of the pool canteen and cleaning and packing. They did this all afternoon until 3:30 when they were back in the conference center for a last session time. They had their lesson and then had a special baptism before it was time to go home with the family. When they were finely all done it was time to go home. Parents and kids both were happy to see each other. It was another great week of camp.

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08-03-10 (Thai Huts) Leslie Echelbarger

summerstaff — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:42:28 +0000

Tuesday morning began with the preparation of eggs and sausage for breakfast. Just as the eggs finished cooking over the fire, a hard rainstorm rolled in. Everyone moved inside and partook of the food. After breakfast, the campers went off on their own to do their devotional time, which was followed by a lesson by Ginger Smith (Russ Smith’s wife). Lunch was followed by missions time with Usha and Emrys Rees, who are missionaries to southern India. They talked about their hospital work with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and Tuberculosis victims. They also discussed their church planting efforts amongst two local tribal groups. The afternoon’s games were team based initiatives designed to bring the group together and help them work better as a team. They did field games, and then they moved into the low ropes course. The campers first attempted the Spider’s Web, where they had to maneuver through a web made out of elastic cords. If they touched the web too many times, they had to start over. After successfully completing the web, they tackled the Meuse. The Meuse consists of seven stumps in the ground that the groups must traverse using 4×4 posts. The campers went swimming, after their afternoon of gaming, and then went back to the huts to make dinner. During dinner, Bruce Cameron (the camp director) arrived and taught a lesson that followed up on Russ’ lesson about Isaiah 40:3-4. The evening activity was a game of Mafia in the conference center.

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08-03-10 (Hoofprints Horse Camp) Gary & Riann Creech

summerstaff — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:04:11 +0000

Hoofprints Horse Camp is almost midway into the week. The campers are starting to get into the swing of the schedule. After feeding the animals in the morning, the campers head to breakfast to fuel up for the day. The morning horse lesson takes place at the barn. The campers learned how to get a horse ready for a show, how to care for the horse, and then took part in a devotion activity. The theme for the day was ‘patience’. At 11:30 the campers went to visit the missionaries, Usha and Emerys. The missionaries had a slideshow set up to teach the campers about their work in South India and what impact they make on people with AIDS and Leprosy. The campers enjoyed learning about what the missionaries do and how they make a difference in India. After lunch, the campers headed back to the barn to do some teamwork activities. Riann and Gary Creech let the miniature ponies out into the arena, and the campers had to get them to jump over obstacles without talking or touching the horses. This activity was a challenge and allowed the campers to come together as a team to accomplish a goal. At 3pm the campers headed to the pool to swim for an hour and then they ventured over to our high ropes course to try out the climbing wall. Most of the campers tried it and were surprised to see they could climb all the way to the top. They made it farther than they thought, only because they had the rest of their camp friends cheering them on. After everyone had a turn at the wall, the campers went back to enjoy a roasted chicken dinner and to enjoy some more devotions. After having a fun filled day of non-stop activities, the campers all headed off to bed to get a good nights rest for another exciting day at Horse Camp.

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08-03-10 (Jungle Huts) Deric Skinner

summerstaff — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:57:42 +0000

What a day we had! We started the day off by cooking breakfast over an open fire! We had eggs and hash browns, the hash browns did not turn out so good but that did not seem to both the kids. After breakfast a water noodle war broke out between the faculty and campers which ended with one girl getting thrown into the muddy creek! We then moved into mission time after everyone got cleaned up from the war. We met out missionaries from India, Usha and Emrys. They gave the kids a brief history of India. They learned that there are over 1 billion people in India and only about 1 out 200 people are true believers of Christ. Usha and Emrys explained what their mission is over there, they have a medical mission. They take care of people who have AIDS, TB and leprosy. In most India cultures people with these infections are the out cast of society. They want to show them the Love of Christ through treating them and giving them a place to live and to give them hope. After lunch we had free time at the pool and just took it easy till dinner because it was so HUMID! After dinner we came together for lesson time, which was from Exodus 13:17-22. The kids were asked to come together and talk about what the verses meant to them and to go over the question that the teacher had put together. It was nice to see that even 4th and 5 graders are willing to talk in front their peers about what they got from the verses and lesson. After lesson time, Amanda came out to lead us in some worship! She always does a great job. The rest of the night we just took it easy!

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08-03-10 (Man Versus the World) Jared Kidwell

summerstaff — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:24:10 +0000

Today our trip to manhood continued as we awoke early-ish to the sound of music blaring through the speakers of a stereo. From here we moved on to breakfast and everybody decided to eat as much as possible, from here it was on to our personal devo time, which in it we talked about the stage of the cowboy on the trip to manhood and from here we went to ride the giant swing since all the horse are being used by another camp. Everybody went at least once even though most of us rode the flying pony twice. From here it was time for everybody’s favorite activity, eating!!! After filling ourselves to the brim with food, we headed back to the cave to play a water games before pool time, the game was taking bacon, basically a really big wet version of tug o war, after this it was pool time, everybody enjoyed getting in the pool for a while goof around and have a huge basketball tournament. After this it was time to move to the swap for the wet zip. We found something out while doing the wet zip, nobody can resist the name chant when a lot of people do it, and because that everybody tried it at least once even though a lot of us went more then once and afterwards we got to canoe around and have duckweed fights fro the rest of the time we had here. Then we got to eat again, and after this it was time for our evening lesson, in which we talked more about the cowboy stage and what comes next. After this it was canteen time and then it was time for perhaps one of the manliest games ever…DODGEBALL. Everybody was dodging, ducking dipping, diving and dodging for all they were worth and then some. After this we trudged back to the man cave where we are staying and decided that we all loved sleeping more than anything else right about now, well except for God that is.

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