Pine Cove Base Camp

Recently, our church hosted a Base Camp for Pine Cove.  I have heard so many good things about Pine Cove's summer camps, so I signed Russell and Randall up.  What a wonderful week they both had!  Each morning, they were up and dressed and ready to go and each afternoon, they had so many stories to share of their time.

Pine Cove counselors seem to be a cut above most summer camp counselors.  Pretty much anything Pine Cove does, they do well.  They plan well, prepare well and train well.  And it was no different with their counselors.  They are so in tune with the kids.  From the time the campers get there until the time they leave, the counselors are investing positively in their lives.  And I believe them when they said they were praying for the boys during the week, too.

I didn't get any pictures of the huge inflatables, of the rock wall, of the water slides, nothing.  But, I remembered my camera for the last day when we got to see some of what the kids had learned and meet their counselors.

Here is Randall (standing just behind his counselor in the turquoise shirt) doing a dance.  Randall was very serious as he tried to remember all the moves.   

As the counselors interacted with the kids all week, they chose character qualities that they saw in them and shared some sweet words about each kid with the group.

Randall's counselor, Say What, said this of Randall:

Randall is kind and is considerate of other people's feelings.

He is helpful and is respectful to others.

Randall is polite, showing regard for correct behavior.

Russ had a great time, too.  He tends to be a little quieter about how he's feeling, but he was just as enthusiastic as Randall.

Russell's counselor, Falla, had this to say of Russ:

Russell is authentic, comfortable with his personality and honest in his responses.

He is enthusiastic, genuinely thrilled by life.

Russell is optimistic which is encouraging to his peers.

Our Junior High kids love to go to Pine Cove for work weekends, something my mom started taking the youth on years and years ago when she was the Junior High director.  The students love it and it's a great chance for them to think about others and serve.  I think I enjoyed it as much as the youth did when we went at the beginning of the summer.  It was fun to be on the other end, too, and I look forward to more interactions with Pine Cove.