We started CILT reunions after the summer of 2008 to introduce the kids from different sessions, have a weekend of Day Camp interviews, reconnect with our faith and each other, and to return half way through the year to our favorite place on Earth. We hoped the idea of a Winter Reunion would become a tradition and here we are in our fourth year.
The very first hour of any reunion is one of my favorite parts. Kids sprint across the parking lot to attack their friends, often jumping on them or tackling them to the ground with so much built up love and excitement that they literally can't suppress it any longer.
Over and over again you hear eruptions of "I MISS YOU SO MUCH!" and "I'M SO EXCITED!" as everyone stands in clumps shaking with excitement, smiles cemented on their faces.
These are friends that really love one another. They've written letters, talked on the phone, typed in CILT groups, and sent texts but now they're real life, flesh and bones, face to face kind of friends for at least the next 25 hours.
If anyone needs convincing that camp changes kids lives, that camp facilitates friendships that last, that camp teaches you to find joy this weekend is the perfect evidence.
And this was just barely the beginning...
With almost everyone there right away we started with Where the Wind Blows. I love seeing all of our campers gathered together in one giant circle like this. They're laughing about things from the summer and running around diving for chairs and making new friends and getting so excited every time they get to sit next to someone from their session.
We played the Shapes game and I thought about how I love that here at camp anything goes. "Oh you want me to lie down and make the shape of a tepee? Sure, I'll do that. And I'll do you one better, we'll have an Indian doing yoga in that tepee too."
During every break the cameras would come out and we all snapped away like our lives depended on getting hundreds of pictures this weekend. My friend Coll said that normally she thinks it's crazy when people are so nuts about taking pictures but here she could understand it.
We had just this one day to be with people that mean the world to us and we wanted to document everything we possibly could, to take pictures, to record the funniest moments, to write it down so that when we go back home we can try to remember every single second.
For this weekend everyone was included, no one had to worry about fights on Twitter or studying for Finals, there weren't chores to finish or a job to show up for, no one had to try to PR in their sport or ace another test. For this weekend they could just be.
Be at peace. Be joyful. Be happy. Be loved. Be hopeful. Be loving. Be weird. Be unique. Be loud. Be themselves.
The next chunk of time we rotated through 4 different activities. With Coll and I the kids had to problem solve their way through a puzzle that included five blocks of wood and 65 nails. Creativity and past experience helped some groups be more successful than others. I love seeing the groups of mixed sessions--how the loud kids are always the loud kids, some kids always hang back, and some are always the encouragers.
When they finished early Colleen and I had them say their name and what clinic they wish they could create at camp. I can't wait to start a parade clinic and visit rollerblading, cupcake, and tree climbing clinics.
We braved the cold to go play Empire in the middle of the Lake Village. And by play, I mean I ran around and yelled a lot.
The kids wore war paint for their teams and planned attacks to get the Empire key from each other's kingdoms.
They're fierce. They ducked behind trees, dove past tagging counselors, hid keys and coins, and posed for pictures when I asked them too.
I'm not sure which team won after Mel counted everything up but I'd say it was a success.
We got ready for Would You Be My Friend If I Wore This? dinner with a wide range of both outfits and accessories. We got to wear all the things in our closets that we really do love but maybe aren't socially acceptable at home.
Session 3
Session 2
Session 1
We had pizza for dinner but I barely got to eat because I was having too much fun singing Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and dancing all over the room with everyone. I love watching these kids use forks as microphones, seeing the counselors dance with Shay and Bryn, jumping onto a chair at different table to sing with a new group of kids, making eye contact with someone across the room and singing The Climb to them, doing our week 7 hip hop dance with Kraft, and dancing through the middle of a crowd of campers busting out all the words to Lovesick.
After dinner all 100 campers and 8 counselors sat in a giant circle to say our name, where we're from, and one of our favorite things about camp with no repeats allowed. Colleen is the best and quickly grabbed a marker to write all of their answers down for me.
We love the rock devotion by the River, night time water polo, love tanks, star gazing in Main Field, cup stacking clinic because it's so cool, when Mel announced that all of her best ideas involve painting children, theme dinners, mudhikes, when the boys got attacked by Brave cabins in the Nature Center during rest hour, Lounghouse dance parties, Hammock sleepouts, how much fun closing campfire is, little Brave and Blazer campers, counselors, chapel every morning, the oar door handle of the River Lodge, Yolf, midnight ice-cream, throwing rocks down the hill, making the best friends of your life, midnight chapel, watching storms from the Buffalo porch, making rafts in the shower, extended float trips, escaping the outside world, everyone acts like themselves, baked oatmeal when you get just the right amount of brown sugar, lake time after a good mudhike, session 3's feast in Hopi on the the last night, speaking in a Russian accent for two weeks, RFAJWD...
Being best friends with people after only knowing them a week, sardines in the dining hall, no judgement, flash mobbing, bus rides with the CILTs, songfest, doing the CILT cheer for the first time, singing Prince of Peace, being read to before bed, doing stomp the yard in the Main Lodge, attempting the Lake Challenge, dressing up at opening campfire, going to the nursing home, the feeling you get when you turn up the big hill, coming back every year, no technology, Evan Frick, getting closer with God, trading post time with my Braves, theme days like Wolf Shirt Wednesday, when things get rained out and you get to hang out in your cabin, Frick's mind games, making someone laugh, when someone tells you that you've made a difference in their life, coming up to the LV to put flies on them during lunch and doing the cheer, glowstick campfire, watching Krafty kill a whale and give birth to a camel...
Serenades, friendship bracelets, martial arts clinic, learning the step dance, making Mel mad, you don't have to look good, the 'I Love' lists, bead devotion on Friday, Braves and Blazers asking Junior Olympian Erin O'Farrell to race, when Brave girls don't wear pants aka downsizing, just being at camp because it's where I feel most at peace, when kids cry when they leave because you know they've had such a good time, looking out and seeing Braves at Flagpole trying to lead a song but really just their counselor is singing and they're all hugging the flagpole, the little experiences that stay with a person their whole life, walking out of closing campfire and seeing everyone crying and realizing they're from all over the world and all different ages but they're all so happy.
We asked representatives from each session up front to compete in a game to see who knew camp songs the best. I love seeing kids try to buzz in with washcloths and pool noodles and a dustbuster.
Here's the thing- you know these outfits that are supposed to be things we would never actually wear? The five of us really want to wear these outfits all the time now... We just look so dang cute.
I loved having this weekend to have (almost) all of the CILTs from the summer back together. After spending two weeks with them they each become such an important part of the counselors' hearts. I wish I could have even more time catching up and sitting down with each one.
All of these people are the real deal and I hope they're part of my life for years to come. And this girl Carolyn? Well she spent a good part of her night making sure that all of the cats on her shirt got names including Agatha, Tyrone, and Garbage.
We played some bubblegum pictionary...
and some Come On 6.
Getting to hear a room full of kids scream "SIX!!!!!" and watch them dive across the circle for a marker was better than getting to play myself.
This group of people is like a family. They understand us and know things about us that our friends from home don't even really get. Seriously, these kids didn't stop smiling the entire time they were here. I got more hugs than I could possibly keep track of.
We ate ice-cream together and then played the Newlywed Game to see which session knew each other the best. Arielle presented paper plate awards for things like "Best Personification of a Fictional Villain" and "Most Likely to Cry While Receiving This Award."
Kraft made a reunion video for us that compiled songs, videos, and pictures from all three sessions and last for 40 minutes. I've seen it a couple times now but it never gets old--this past summer was one of the very best. I wish we could go back to those weeks together in the Party Room and on the Longhouse porch but this weekend got pretty close to replicating the experience.
We split by gender for the rest of the night and the girls got to work doing what we do best--eating snacks, writing love tanks, and talking. For an hour we got to hang out in the Whitetail meeting room with no real agenda except to just be together and love each other well. It was a beautiful sight to look around the room and see all of these groups of girls gathered together in little circles with their heads bent down writing or laughing as one of them told a story.
We made the biggest devotion circle I've ever seen and started with our high of the semester. It took awhile to go all the way around but was more than worth it. We talked about the parable of the sower and the seed, a story that Jesus teaches in Matthew. The seed is the message of the kingdom and when we leave camp some of us have the seed snatched away because they don't understand, some have no root and they fall way because of trouble or persecution, some are chocked by wealth and the worries of this world, and some falls on good soil and produces a crop many times more than what was sown.
We shared about where we are right now and where we want to be. I talked about living life to the full and taking ownership of your faith. Coll, Arielle, and Carolyn all shared their hearts with the girls and what they've learned about friends and taking camp home with them. We prayed together holding hands interdigitating and I read to everyone from Cold Tangerines as we fell asleep very late that night. I love that at camp you are constantly surrounded by people--even at night you fall asleep with all of your friends close to you.
The morning came quickly, about four hours later, and we woke up to 'This Side' just like we did every morning in Choctaw. We pulled on our sweatshirts and tied our hair up in ponytails before sleepily making our way to the lodge for a breakfast of baked oatmeal.
We had chapel together in Kampen Lodge. Molly and Arielle led us in singing Blessed Be Your Name, Days of Elijah, and Mighty to Save. Mel did an awesome job sharing with us about how while faith is what unites us we each have our own walk with Christ. He has blessed each of us with spiritual gifts and it is our responsibility and privilege to figure out how to best use those in the body of Christ and then to make sure we do it. It's easier when we can sit in devotions and go to chapel each morning but you've got to take ownership of your faith to make it a personal relationship with Christ.
Camp is such an incredible place that has changed our lives because we look for God when we're here. We can see him alive and at work in our lives. We act out God's love in tangible ways for other people. We speak kind words and we do things to lighten other people's loads. We put God first and it makes all the difference.
Our hope is that campers and counselors will always take this love and hope and peace and acceptance and joy back with them to the real world. That although we often think of camp as a bubble, all of this greatness doesn't have to stay here. We want to carry it out with us.
The bible says in Hebrews 12, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the creator and perfecter of faith." We have been blessed to be part of a cloud of witnesses and with everything we say and do we can bring heaven closer to Earth.
We played Running Charades and were crazy impressed by Team Stage and Team Rockwall at their domination every round.
Or dance party started with yoga led by Tom and Ryan. Nothing like mass stretching to We Found Love In A Hopeless Place.
I love dance parties at Camp and Young Life because everyone goes hard. It doesn't matter if you look like a fool, the crazier the better. We scream the words, act out the story, shake like jello, copy each other's moves, do the Kata and the Bernie, and leap through the room.
We took a dance break for Session group pictures before people started to leave early.
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Then it was right back to dancing to favorite songs like, "Hey Jimmy You're So Fine"...
"Tonight, Tonight"...
and "Wavin' Flag".
It was intense and I know I'll be sore for a couple days but it was absolutely worth it. My other favorite dance break was when we heard Kraft say over the wireless microphone, "Spontaneous game of Sardines! I'm hiding somewhere in Kampen" and everyone took off running to find him. He was in the cabinet room and soon we were packed into all of the cupboards.
We had a morning marathon of games with Norwegian Nose Dive, Ultimate Challenge and an M&M and straw race across Kampen.
This weekend we made history with 100 CILTs from the summer of 2011 in attendance. They drove for hours and two girls even took flights to get here. For 25 hours we were blissfully and insanely full of camp joy. This place just does something to you.
Inspired by our campaign to get TSwift to Camp T the girls brought "CT loves TSwift" posters and sang "You belong at Camp T" for the website. It's gonna happen, we're dreaming big.
Our last lunch was a party of CILT cheers, the Order of the Oar for Molly, groups hugs, and throwback camp cheers.
Then all too soon the weekend came to an end. I tried to soak it all in and not take a moment for granted. Most of the time it fell like I was living in a dream instead of just living the dream.
Did I mention the Friendship Bracelet Club sweatshirts have arrived?
Colleen, Evan, Kraft, Mel, Molly, Carolyn and Arielle helped make this weekend one these kids will never forget. Such a huge part of camp is the energy the counselors put into everything they do, their contagious positivity, and the way they desire to build relationships with every camper. I'm so lucky to get to work with these friends.
There is something really special about this group of CILTs.
Camp has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and I know it always will be. Camp isn't just an address or a schedule of activities. Camp is the people that have made an impact on your life. Camp is the way you look at the world around you. Camp is the feeling of joy and peace that sticks with you. Camp is knowing that there is always more fun to be had and more reunions to look forward too. Camp is an attitude of taking opportunities, making the most of what you've been given, and always trying to be the best version of yourself.
Wow! What an amazing group of people. What a GREAT group of counselors! What a tremendous Reunion. Unforgettable!
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