Week 10 – Imagination

We were excited to still have an average of 70 kids and youth joining us for the last week of City Camp 2013!  Staff, interns, and campers were all exhausted by the time we said goodbye to the summer and sent kids back into their schools.  The week was full of cheers, hugs, and sad goodbyes, but we are all excited to hear and see these campers grow in their communities.  Our memories will hold strong throughout the school year because we have had a summer full of living life with these wonderful students. 

In our last week hanging out with our campers, our younger kids enjoyed the 4H Fair in Johnson County and our older campers spent a good deal of time playing all of their favorite gym games.  Red and Orange Crews competed in a few events such as dodge ball, won by Orange Crew, and basketball, won by Red Crew.  These crews also learned about outlines in reading.  We did a good deal of hard work, but we also had a lot of fun. 

A special thanks to Rob from the Kansas City Public Library and to Priscilla Howe for joining us to give our camper an engaging reading experience.   Thanks to Stacy Boline for taking two afternoons off work to come and lead cooking and baking classes with our teenage girls. They learned a lot and got to taste some really awesome food! Thanks to our City Camp Summer Staff for investing long and tiring hours at work to make programs happen. 

Thanks to Sherwood Bible Church, the Vivian Road YMCA, and the Platte County YMCA for opening your pools to us all summer.  Thanks to Amanda and her amazing life guards for being SO welcoming to our kids and to working with our campers on swim lessons.  We saw more than one temporary tattoo and swim goggles given to students in swim lessons on at SuperSplash on Friday!  Also, a shout out to our boys Sauce Remix and Hizway for bringing the beats to our facilities and allowing our kids to rock out in a concert.  Sauce, thanks for being so generous with your new CD and posters.  I’m sure our campers, and staff, will be greatly enjoying your rhymes in the months to come. 

This summer, we accomplished a lot.  We had a lot of fun.  We learned a lot.  We read a lot.  We wrote a lot.  We learned about God a lot.  We learned about each other a lot.  If you can’t tell the summer was a lot about ‘we’.  We did a lot together.  The best part of our summer is that we, staff and campers, spent hours upon hours living life together.  We created memories that will last for years to come and our lives have been impacted by the stories of the campers that shared the summer with us.  So, we, the staff, have to say a huge thanks to the campers that brought smiles to our faces and joy to our hearts.  So, to our campers, thanks!

Week 9 - Legacy Camp & Explore KC

The ninth week of City Camp was as full as ever.  With the 12-17 year olds participating in a week long fine arts camp, the younger children got to spend the week exploring the city that they live in.  These children got to enjoy feeding the goats at Deanna Rose Farms, making their own money at the Money Museum, creating sculptures at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Fine Art, and playing at parks.

At Crown Center, students went through the Hallmark Museum and played at the Curious George Exhibit.  They also made fun and crazy craft creations, from cards to watercolor butterflies to puzzles, at the every so popular Kaleidoscope.  On Friday, the students explored the waters of CoCo Keys.  They spent the day swimming through the lazy river and chasing one another with lots of laughing and splashing.  They climbed the stairs to ride the slides time and time again and they played water basketball with their friends.  Explore KC was quite the adventure for our faithful young children.

While our younger children were out of the building most of the week, our 12 to 17 year olds were hanging out with a group that we like to call Legacy.  Legacy spends one week every summer hanging out with some of our students and invests hours and time teaching them all sorts of fine arts.  The group comes from a church in Wichita, Kansas and the camp they run is called Legacy Camp.  Our students have grown to love their staff and their camp over the past four years.  They look forward to seeing old friends and learning more of what Legacy brings with them. 

This year was special for Legacy.  Students get to sign up for the classes they want to take and for the first time ever, most of our students signed up for the same class, Step.  It turned in to one very large group learning three different parts to an impressive step routine. After Step, some students went to drama, some to music, some to flying things and some to baking.  Karate, spoken word, and painting were also part of the classes presented.

The best part of Legacy Week comes on Friday evening at the Ice Cream Social, when our students invite their families to come watch them perform the activities that they have worked SO hard to learn.  There is lots of clapping and cheering from peers, parents and staff as the kids show the talents that they worked hard all week to learn and improve on. 

The music group performed a song, which they wrote every part to, from guitar chords, to drum beats, to lyrics.  The Karate group broke boards with their palms and elbows.  The Flying Things Class wowed us with their balsa wood planes that fly with the twisting and releasing of a propeller attached to a rubber band.  The baking group let everyone sample their fine desserts.  The drama group made us all laugh with their improv and our friend Taylor stole the show with his funny and quirky one liners.   The painting group had their work on display for each of us to view.  The Spoken Word class had us laughing hard, thinking deeply and understanding more of who they were through beautifully crafted words. With all of the amazing things that took place that evening, the best part of the entire night was watching a 45 person step group rock the gym with their routine. We ended our week eating ice cream and saying goodbye to our faithful friends from Legacy. 

Week 8 - Sports Week

Attention ladies and gentlemen:  City Camp has rounded third base and is heading for the home stretch!  Week eight, Sports week, sprung into action in a big way.  When we say big, we don’t mean in the sense of numbers.  All the younger students were away at Camp CUMCITO, leaving just the oldest of our bunch at City Camp. 

We kicked off the week with a tour of the most amazing stadium that any of us had ever seen -- Sporting KC Stadium.  Students learned about game suites, the pipes that run under the field, and the reasons that the builders chose to do various architectural ideas.  They learned about how the field is versatile and can be used for various sports as well as concerts.  It is amazing that KC has such a well thought out stadium. 

Throughout the week, the Blue Crew got to do many special activities.  They walked to parks, watched movies, and made T-Shirts using a basketball. Their gym time was full of sports games like Chinese Fire Drill Basketball and Four Corners Soccer.  They read about a baseball team made all of brothers and about other sporting events throughout history along with some fictional stories.  On Friday, during the memory verse challenge many Blue Crew members could be seen proudly wearing the shirts they had created earlier in the week. 

The Red and Orange Crews read about Jackie Robinson and the obstacles that he had to overcome.  They discussed values that Jackie used in his life and they all worked hard to present one of the nine values in a fun way.  They did skits, they rapped, and they worked hard to make their presentations fun and entertaining to watch.  At the same time, they informed each of us what their value was and how we can put it in to practice today.  They used the discussions on barriers and values from throughout the first three days to write essays about barriers that they face. From homelessness, to absent fathers, to fear, they poured their hearts into their writing and they thought creatively about how to overcome those obstacles both today and in the future. 

Sports week opens up some powerful opportunities to hear what God has to say to His children about training hard.  Our theme verse for the week was 1 Corinthians 9:25-27, which talks about training with purpose.  We discussed the weight of sin and how heavy things keep us from running well.  God has given us a path to follow through His word, and sin weighs us down and bring bondage, but the good news of the Gospel is that Christ died to relieve us of that burden of sin.  The Armor of God lead into a discussion about the spiritual war that is going on every day.  We also talked about uniforms and who’s team we are playing on.  Our crews were asked to think hard about which jersey they are wearing, Christ’s or the world’s?  They were asked to consider how they were representing Christ’s team if that’s the jersey they were wearing. 

The best part of the week, by far, was having a local hip-hop artist, SAUCE REMIX, join us to discuss rap as a positive influence.  It’s amazing to see him discuss the history of rapping and the ways in which it has changed over the years.  Sauce grew up in KC and had his life radically changed by the message of Christ’s redeeming love.  He knows what our students face each day because he’s been there and he’s very real with our students about where life in the streets can lead.  The best part of the entire week is watching him encouraged our students to write positive raps that could impact their city.  On Wednesday afternoon, we hooked up the sound system, cranked some beats and spit some rhymes to the sound of cheers from our fellow Crew members.  The messages of our students was to be understanding to people in hard situations, stop violence, stay in school, and represent Christ.  They left our hearts with hope for the future of Kansas City. 

Week 7 – Let’s Roll!

Campers got to learn about ways to get from one place to another during our Transportation Week. It was a fun week with all our campers and staff back in the city after time at Camp CUMCITO. From feet to trains, we packed the week with all kinds of activities and field trips. We started the week off with a visit from a pilot who helped the younger campers understand how things fly and answered questions for the older campers about what it takes to become a pilot and what it’s like to fly planes. Campers also got to enjoy watching “Happy Feet” at Cinemark Merriam.

It was a hot week, so it was a great blessing to be able to swim at Platte County Community Center North YMCA, Sherwood Bible Church Public Swimming Pool, and Vivion Road YMCA—thanks so much for letting us come play! We had two guest readers for our younger campers: Mr. Rob from the Kansas City Public Library Outreach Team, and Ms. Carrie who helps us out with so many parts of our youth programs. Thanks to both of them for encouraging our campers to read and grow their minds. In keeping with the theme, we took a field trip to Union Station to get an up close look at the trains. Finally, we toured the Kansas Speedway, which was an incredible experience for everyone who got to come. Thanks to the staff at the Speedway for being so generous with their time and for allowing us to see so many cool things.

We’re continuing to offer breakfast, a snack, and lunch to every camper. It’s good to know that during the summer when school is out, these kids are still getting nutritious meals twice a day. During the month of June alone, we served a total of 2,539 meals to our campers! It takes a lot of work to provide this part of City Camp. Thanks to Ms. Kalie and the other staff and volunteers who step in each week to make sure these meals run smoothly.

With the end of the summer drawing near, we’re starting to feel the long days take a toll on our energy level. Please pray for each of the staff to find rest and that God would be our strength when we are weary. Thanks to each of our interns and many volunteers who spend their days showing Jesus’ love to all of the campers! It takes so many people to make City Camp happen and we are grateful for everyone who lends a hand.

Week 6 – Go West!

During our Wild West week, July 8-12th, we had to make a difficult decision. Due to several factors, we didn’t have enough staff to provide City Camp to all of the campers. We were, however, able to run our program for a small group of campers whose parents were counting on us to care for their children during that time.

Though we had a small group, it was a great week! We found that we were able to have deeper discussions during devotions because of the smaller groups. Our staff had the opportunity to really get to know the campers that were here that week too. It was different, but good. God showed us that he could take the situation that we felt sad about and turn it into something special and use it for his glory. During one of the devotions, campers participated in a mock-auction selling off different talents, skills, and experiences. They were asked, “What would you pay to be the most popular kid at school? …to be an astronaut? …to go sky-diving?” and so on. In the end, we asked them how much they would be willing to give to save their soul. Campers were very engaged in the discussion and staff had a chance to clearly share the gospel to a receptive group. It was a blessing!

We also had a chance to have lots of fun making western crafts and playing cowboy games. We took the campers swimming at Platte County Community Center North YMCA and Sherwood Bible Church Public Swimming Pool—which was a great time, as usual. On the last day, campers were in for a surprise. We took them to the Truman Library Museum—thanks to the Truman Library for allowing us to bring all the kids for free because of their school supply drive during the month of July. After that we went for……… a COVERED WAGON RIDE!!!

It was so cool to experience a part of the Wild West that none of us had experienced before. Thanks to Pioneer Trails Covered Wagon Adventures (www.pioneertrailsadventures.com) for giving us all a taste of the West.

Week 5 - Party Time!

This past week was the week of the Fourth of July. So it was quite fitting for the theme to be “Party in the U.S.A.” It was a fun week that provided a lot of opportunities for the kids to learn more about our Country and the freedom we have been blessed with.

We also had the privilege to teach the kids about the freedom that is found in Christ and His forgiveness. It was a busy week full of activities: swimming, hiking at Cave Spring in Raytown, a Fourth of July Parade in Lenexa, a Royals win, and some jumping at Bump City.

Although it was the holiday, we decided to have camp the whole week. The holiday cut our attendance down on Thursday and Friday but we had some unique activities for the kids who did attend on the holiday. Campers who attended were not short of any patriotic experience between the parade and the Royals game. Thanks so much to the Royals for letting us come out for free! The kids had a great time and enjoyed getting to be seen on the jumbo-tron and the grand slam. What a game!

         

This week presented its challenges like every week does. It was a bit of a challenge to get back into the swing of City Camp after having the volunteer group run it for a week. It was also hard because Camp CUMCITO is running and we constantly have to adjust to the staff and campers that are gone for the week. Flexibility is a lesson with which we are becoming well-acquainted. We are so thankful that we serve a God who is in control of all this and gives us the wisdom and patience to be flexible in times of change.

Week 4 - Texas Week

This week looked different than most weeks because we had a volunteer group from Tyler, Texas lead City Camp. High schoolers and staff from One-Ten Student Ministries at Green Acres Baptist Church(http://www.gabc.org/students) came and sponsored the entire week. They planned the activities, provided all the supplies, and arranged the field trips. The theme was Noah’s Ark. The kids learned all about how Noah obeyed the Lord even when it meant that he had to ignore what everyone else was telling him. This was a good reminder when we had to change the schedule a bit for the week. When things are not always going the way we plan them the important thing is that we are serving the Lord and doing His work.

We were privileged to go on three field trips during the week. On Monday afternoon we went to River Roll and enjoyed roller skating, Wednesday afternoon we went to the movies and saw “Monsters University,” and Friday we enjoyed a full day at Super Splash water park. On Thursday, our friends from One-Ten threw a big carnival for City Camp kids and the community. Everyone who came had a blast! The kids really enjoyed making some new friends with the volunteers and had a great time learning and playing with them.

It was a less intense week for our City Camp staff since there were enough volunteers to lead the activities and each crew. Although we still helped with the crews, we also had a chance to organize curriculum for the coming weeks, and have some time off. It was a great encouragement to have some time to recharge for the following weeks of City Camp.

You can watch the video from One-Ten Student Ministries

at Green Acres Baptist Church HERE!

Week 3 - Animal Sounds

Last week’s theme was animal week. It was really fun to see the creativity the kids have when making animals masks out of detergent bottles and making animals to hang on the wall in the class room. The animal theme allowed the kids to learn more about the awesome creation that God has surrounded us with and how Christ is the Lamb that was slain for us. What an amazing reminder that Christ, the Lamb of God laid down His life for us! Our week was busy with the zoo mobile visiting and presenting about the food chain while showing us some animals, we did our usual swimming twice a week, and on Friday we took a field trip to Deanna Rose Farmstead to see some more animals and feed the goats.

           

Field trips are one of my favorite activities because it is one of the biggest opportunities to have conversational evangelism. So far there has been a moment on every field trip to reinforce the gospel with the kids in our groups. It is such an encouragement to see how God presents opportunities to share His love to these kids in different ways and environments. These are the moments that make the struggle and stress of city camp worth it. No matter how many trials and challenges present themselves, it is a great reminder that we are here to show the kids that Christ is the solid foundation that will never shake.

           

We are so thankful for your prayers and support. We ask for continued prayers for our intern Jessyca who had surgery on her foot. She is doing well and is starting to participate a little at a time at city camp. Continue praying for the staff to have energy and health to continuing building relationships with the kids and that the kids hearts would be open to the gospel.

Week 2 - Stuff happens, but God is bigger than 'stuff'!

It’s fitting that last week was survivor week because we were forced to deal with crisis after crisis this week. We found out that one of our busses was going to be out of commission for the week. Our food order for lunches came in late one day leaving us with no food for the campers to eat that day. One of our vans got a flat tire on the way to a location. We had our first camper need a full restraint due to dangerous behavior. We lost the use of a pool facility on Thursdays, leaving us with 60 campers and no plan. One of our interns fractured her leg and ruptured her mortise while at the park, which put her in the hospital needing to have surgery. Another intern had their car broken into and attempted to get stolen. 

As you can imagine we found ourselves helpless and on our knees many times throughout the week. God is so faithful. In each of these moments of crisis God provided. We were able to borrow some vans from other departments who just happened to not need them and got all 130 people to all 4 fieldtrips planned for the week. The food order didn’t come, but we unexpectedly got one of the meals for the next week delivered to us giving us just enough food for the day. When the tire went flat a man just happened to be walking by who is a certified tire technician and had the flat changed in 10 minutes. Another YMCA pool stepped up and said we can swim at their facility once a week. The intern with the broken leg had a successful surgery that will make her ankle stronger than ever and we’ve had the chance to share about what we do at City Camp with many members of the hospital staff. The car that was broken into was a stick shift and the thief didn’t know how to drive a stick and couldn’t get it moving. The car was found still hot wired, windshield wipers on and everything, but still in park. God is so good. We were able to lean into His provision and his goodness. If you asked the campers about these situations they would know nothing of them because each of them was resolved in a way that was calm and seamless. Our staff didn’t get discouraged or give up but kept their joy rooted in God’s sovereignty and we rocked the week.

The theme for the week was Around the World. We had tons of fun learning about traditions from other cultures. A group of children from a Russian orphanage came and shared with us. The campers were full of questions about Russia and the children’s lives. On Wednesday we were able to celebrate a great American tradition and went to cheer on the Royals. On Friday we traveled all around the world thanks to the great exhibits at the Kansas City Zoo. Both the Royals and the Zoo donated tickets for our campers and staff to attend for free. We spent some more time in the sun on Tuesday at the pool and Thursday at Concourse Park.

Again, by the end of the week we were all worn out (campers included) but we had so much fun! We really are starting to feel like one big family and it’s fun to watch relationships grow.

Due to the injury of one of our interns we are having to shuffle our staffing. Please pray that God would help campers and staff adjust to the new roles. Also, please pray for Jessyca, the intern who just underwent surgery, and our bus who is undergoing a surgery of sorts as well! Our greatest need currently is snacks, so if you want to sponsor a day and provide 130 snacks we will put them to great use!

 

Week 1 - City Camp is Back!

Week one at City Camp was a ton of fun! We have 15 interns hanging with us this summer working to share the hope of the Gospel with the campers God has brought into our care. Many of the campers we have built ongoing relationships with don’t get out of school until next week so we had a slower start which gave us time to get all of the logistics worked out. We averaged about 85 campers per day and are looking forward to 100 coming on Monday!

We are so thankful to be partnering with Harvesters Kids Café this summer to reimburse us for breakfast and lunch meals. We are also excited to be partnering with the YMCA (Vivion Road and Platte County North) and Sherwood Bible Church to provide campers with the awesome opportunity to swim twice a week.

Each week of City Camp is characterized by a different theme. The theme for week 1 was “Survivor.” We spent time building team unity, competing in challenges, and learning about surviving. We had the opportunity to share with kids the ultimate survivor story of Jesus. He survived death and offers us the invitation to stand in His power so we too can survive our greatest enemy, death.

We also wanted to give campers the opportunity to learn about practical survival tips. We had several special guests come to help us with these activities. Chris Suchan, Chief Meteorologist at KCTV 5, came to teach us about surviving extreme weather. The campers loved getting to watch the footage of extreme weather situations and were even more excited about the chance to make the evening news!

Lucy Akins, from the Mission’s Medical Services team, came to teach us about surviving injury and helped each of the campers make their very own survival first aid kit. 

The Kansas City Fire Department sent 2 fire trucks and 8 firemen out to us to help us learn about surviving a fire. The campers had a great time on the trucks and hanging out with the firemen. We also had the opportunity to visit Clay County Parks and Rec to learn about surviving in the wilderness. Their park rangers taught us about mammals, snakes, archery, and took us on a nature hike.

Wow! Just remembering all that we did wears me out! It was a full week and we can’t wait for week 2 so we can build more memories and share the hope of the Gospel with the campers.