Thursday, August 21, 2008

Last Day of Camp 2008!

Thank you for praying for Camp Sagitawa this summer. God has answered:
Many campers have made the decision to follow Christ.
Over 700 campers came through the programs.
We had great, warm weather so all programs could run as scheduled.
We had the staff needed to run the programs, and a place for each of them to stay.
We had 3 staff in the kitchen all summer, along with helpers that were needed.
God gave safety, and those who were hurt are doing well.
God gave strength, encouragement, & enthusiasm, which came in many ways & from many sources.
God provided finances for staff so they could be here all summer.
Family Camp begins tomorrow. We are trying a new idea - a week-long family camp. Pray that it goes smoothly and that we have enough help.
PR3, the final SWAT trip of the year, begins tomorrow. Pray that they will have a good, safe trip.
Please pray for those of us who will be staying to carry on the programs after everyone else leaves.
Bursary...
Please continue to pray that God will provide for the Staff Bursary Fund. Since we did not get any student placement working grants this year, those students are also applying for bursaries. As a result, we are $15,000 short in comparison to the average of what each person received last year.
Flight expense for SWAT Staff...
Naomi had the opportunity to travel to Ottawa with family in July, but decided to stay several weeks longer to help with SWAT and other camp needs. I encouraged her to do this because of her first aid training, and felt that it would be cheaper to purchase a plane ticket than to pay a first aid attendant for half the SWAT trips. Our transportation expense policy falls short by $450. Maybe someone would like to send a cheque to assist. (Sorry, Camp cannot receipt it and it has to be addressed to her.)


See you next summer!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wednesday - Day 4 of S1 Camp

It has been drizzling fairly consistently today, so many activities have been altered to accommodate the rain. But while it may be a little wet out, that hasn't stopped the campers and staff from having the BEST WEDNESDAY EVER!


Since it has been raining, our media team has been forced to remain inside and work on the journal and DVD of memories from the week. The journal includes 8 pages of photos from the week, and the DVD is a 35 minute video of fun and wacky moments from this week. At Five ($5) dollars for each respectively, its a great deal to have some photo and video memories from the week. Its definitely been the best summer ever!! Pick up one of each tomorrow when camp ends!

(We've been having some difficulties with our internet, so unfortunately, we cannot post the picture of the day. Sorry!)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Monday, August 18, 2008

SWAT Returns!

Early this afternoon, the SWAT group returned from their hike that went over the weekend. You could barely notice the dirt on them due to their huge smiles! They had a great time!

Here was their group shot before they left:


When they got back, the group thought it was a good time to kick back and have some fun on the water trampoline on the lake!


Keith, the SWAT Director, was quite proud of his "hat hair" from the trip!


What a fun trip!

Monday - Day 2 of S1 Camp

Today cabin groups got to enjoy CIA (Cabin Interest Activity) where each cabin got to go do an activity somewhere in the camp.


Some set their sights on archery (pardon the pun), others stretched to make it to the climbing wall (again, excuse the pun), and some just hung out in the field playing various games.


This is the last week of campers this summer, and there is quite the buzz in the air. We are going to finish the summer with a bang!!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Monday - Day 2 of Y5 Camp

Well this morning the camp woke up to the continued sound of rain splattering on the rooftops and forming into big puddles. Instead of sitting around with nothing to do, staff and campers got creative!


When life rains on your parade, ... go puddle jumping!!

Monday - Y5 - Not going to dampen our spirits!

Well last night was a little rainy, and the rain is still trickling. But we didn't let it dampen our spirits!! Last night for wide game we played an intense game in the chapel where everyone had to work together to pass balls back and forth to throw them into buckets to get points!


The rain is still trickling down but we aren't stopping activities. Some skills this morning will be changed slightly due to weather, but camp isn't going to stop over a little precipitation!! We thank God for all the rain after the hot week we had last week!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Thursday - Day 5 of Y4 Camp

Today was the last full day of camp. Tomorrow campers are being picked up and are heading home. It was a good week and a lot of friendships have grown stronger, at the same time new friendships have been started.


Too bad the week has to end. As one camper said today, "I wish I could live at camp!"

Wednesday - Day 4 of Y4 Camp

A lot of fun happened in the water today during swim time. Lots of laughs and tons of fun!


With the temperature hitting around 32 degrees (C) today, the time in the water was especially appreciated!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Tuesday - Day 3 of Y4 Camp

This morning we had a great start to the day with an amazing breakfast of pancakes, sausages, and oranges! Delicious!! And the day is only going to get better!

Then after breakfast, campers went back to their cabins to clean up their bunks and give the whole cabin a shine. It was then time to head to activities! These boys had a great time playing Lacrosse in the field with a couple staff members keeping them inside the boundaries!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Monday - Day 2 of Y4 Camp

Today we got to do different skills that the campers signed up for on the first night. Here, a bunch of girls got to go sailing! What a wild ride!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Sunday - First Day of Y4!

Tonight we got to know each other by getting into our cabin groups and doing a 'TDA' (Team Development Activity). These girls did the "Gordian Knot" where they get tangled up and must then work together to get untangled and end by all being in a complete circle without ever letting go of each other's hands.


We played a wide game, had some snack, and then had loads in fun in chapel. Then it was off to bed to make sure we all have energy for the fun activities we'll be doing tomorrow!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Thursday - Last day of K1 and K2

This morning we had a fun-filled exciting Carnival! With clowns, face-painting, water balloons, mock-fishing, the zip-line, and much much more!! What a great way to finish off the last day at camp!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Tuesday - Day 3 of K1 Camp

Tonight we had a talent show! Many campers and cabin groups went in front of the camp and performed various talents such as stand up comedy, singing, pillow dancing, and many more!


What a fun night! Lots of laughs!

Monday - Day 2 of K1 Camp

We had some computer glitches yesterday when trying to update the blog, so here is the Monday update!


We had a lot of fun learning new skills and making new friends throughout the day! Here a camper is learning the fine skill of wall climbing!

Stay tuned for a Promo Video for Camp Sagitawa that should be uploaded in the next day or two!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sunday - First Day of K1!

Right now the camp is bustling with tons of new campers and parents going through the process of registering and finalizing payments. There is a buzz in the air as campers get settled into their cabins, meet their cabin leaders, and learn about all the fun and exciting things they'll be doing this week!


Stay tuned for more updates!!

Friday, July 25, 2008

SWAT Trip Left Today

This morning our first SWAT outtrip left the camp to begin their three day trek where they will be canoing down the upper Moberly River which drains back into Moberly Lake which will lead them back to the camp on Sunday afternoon/evening.


Have fun kids!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wednesday - Day 4 of Y3 Camp

A very cool action shot of a camper enjoying his skill time at Archery!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Tuesday - Day 3 of Y1 Camp

Today during WACT time, many campers got the opportunity to go tubing! Our male head cabin leader, Jeff, really took them for a ride behind his boat!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Monday - Day 2 of Y3 Camp

Today, among all the exciting activities and events that camp has to offer, campers were able to partake in their chosen skills. Here's a picture from the Guitar class earlier this morning:

Friday, July 18, 2008

Thursday Night - Last night of Y2 Camp

Well tonight was a lot of fun! A couple cabin groups decided to end camp off with a bang by either sleeping outside in the field, doing wacky stuff in the cabins, or as the one picture below shows, one lucky cabin number 9 got to roast marshmallows and make smores by the lake!


The sky was clear tonight and the full moon really lit up the whole lake for a very beautiful scene. Campers leave tomorrow and the staff will be sad to see them go, but some are returning again next summer, so see you then!!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wednesday - Day 4 of Y2 Camp

What a day so far! Right now the sound of over a hundred kids running around laughing and yelling is consuming the camp. It is WACT time and campers have their choice of going water tubing, canoeing, kayaking, going down the zip line and climbing the wall. If those don't appeal to the campers, they can go spend a little money at our Tuck Confectionary shop to get a little snack and hang out on the beach with other campers and staff.


As usual, our media team is walking around taking many pictures and videos to capture the camp experience that will be compiled into camp journals and DVDs respectively to sell to campers and parents from the Tuck shop.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Monday - Day 2 of Y2 Camp

Well its been a little rainy, so our camp photographer has had a hard time getting some action shots of the last day's activities.

But while the rain spitted, we didn't let it dampen our spirits! Last night the cabin groups got together to do their TDA's (Team Development Activities) to build trust and relationship. All the groups got really creative and everyone had a blast!


Right now, its 1:23 on Monday afternoon and after a delicious lunch of Mexican wraps and salad, everyone is energized and headed out for WACT (Waterfront, Arts and Crafts, and Tuck) time! The sun is starting to poke it's head out from the clouds and the day looks very promising!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Thursday - Day 5 of Y1 Camp

Its been another busy day at camp and the media team (also fondly known as the J-Team) are busy working well into the night preparing and finalizing the weekly journal and DVD to sell to campers tomorrow when parents come and pick them up! A lot of work has been going into these projects and will definitely be an excellent keepsake for campers and parents.


It will be sad to see campers leave, but thankfully the journal and DVD will keep the memories from this past week alive until next summer's camp! These journals and DVD's are made unique for each individual camp and are great for showing friends and family what Camp Sagitawa is all about!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Wednesday - Day 4 of Y1 Camp

FUN IN THE SUN!!

Among all the exciting skills and activities that happened today at camp, many of the staff and campers enjoyed getting cooled off during a major water fight! Our SWAT First Aid nurse got quite the dousing!

Right after supper, about an hour previous to writing this blog, the Outdoor Challenge track packed up their things for an overnight trek to the top of the big hill close to the camp. On the agenda for tonight - outdoor living lessons, campfires, and banana-boats for snack! Have fun kids!

The end of camp is starting to draw near...but it's not over yet! Stay tuned for more stories tomorrow!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Tuesday - Day 3 of Y1 Camp

A new day at camp! Scripture tells us that the Lord's mercies are new everyday and today's weather reminded this writer of that. We had some hot shining sun, followed by some cloudy overcast which resulted in some light rain. But not too long after did the sun appear again and dry everything up for a lovely cool evening. It was a reminder that even through the dark seasons in life, God still remains and brings renewal and growth to those who love Him.


Today was another fun day of skills where campers got opportunities to learn things such as archery, riflery, canoeing, kayaking, singing, guitar, knot-tying, and tons of other fun skills!

Tonight we're playing a late night camp wide game of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE!! Its going to be WILD! See you tomorrow!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Monday - Day 2 of Y1 Camp

Tonight we played Sherwood - a game all across the whole camp where Robin Hood and his "merry men" went head to head with the Sheriff and his men to make the most intense camp-wide game ever!!

A lot of yelling, laughing, and prancing happened tonight! A cool breeze off the lake provided some fresh air and kept everyone cool during the game. Then some puffed wheat squares were brought out with some water and everyone got to fill the hole in their stomachs from all the exercise!

Yet another fun day at Camp Sagitawa! Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!!

Sunday - First Day of Y1!

Today we had tons of campers come and get settled in for the next week of Y1!


We got to learn about some rules to make sure everyone has the best time possible at camp and then everyone got together in their cabin groups and did a TDA (Team Development Activity). Each cabin group did a certain task that the cabin leader led to build trust and unity amongst the cabin members. From walking around a playground, blindfolded, and arms linked - to carrying a canoe with one cabin member inside across the field and back - every cabin was able to have a lot of fun and get to know each other on their first night!


To top off the night, we played a game called Jugs, had some snack, and headed to chapel to sing some fun songs and hear Gary (the director) talk. After that, it was bed time and everyone (eventually) got to bed after the first exciting day of the week!

Friday, July 4, 2008

YB-RO Last Day


Well the past week and a bit have been great...no, redonkulous! Good times were definitely had by all, and we are glad that all the campers came out and learned about The Door.

Thanks to all who came out and remember to check this blog regularly to see new pictures and stories from the camp every day!