Surf City 2014 Day 5

I can't believe it's already Friday and in just a few short hours we will be packing up and heading home. It was an incredible week and I'm sure these students will come home with lots of stories to tell.

Yesterday started out like all the others with Bible study, breakfast and then our morning seminar. After that we headed out to compete in the longest standing tradition in the history of Surf City...the Regatta! Teams come together to design and build a boat. Teams then plan out a parade to show off their creation and finally we compete in a race. It was a great time and we had FUN! It doesn't matter that we came in last place...because we had FUN! :) Although I will say...I did see some cheating...but it doesn't matter because we had FUN!

After a break for lunch, some of our group went horseback riding and the rest spent some time at the waterfront playing some full-contact water basketball or getting a final ride on the tubes. After a long day in the sun, we had a delicious dinner at the dining hall that was interrupted by the announcement that it was Justin's birthday and the group proceeded to pick him up, take him outside and then throw him in the lake. It was especially hilarious watching Justin run out of the lake after everyone to give wet hugs.

Later that evening we went to club. We were all excited to see that Putt and Putt were able to rescue their caddy, Cups from the gopher and in front of the x-games commissioner...they were able to sink the most incredible and extreme trick shot any of us had ever seen! Mark also shared with the students last night the fact that Jesus didn't just die, but rose again so that we could experience the life He wants for us...and because of that we can choose whether or not we let things get in the way. We have the ability to live an extraordinary life because we have been rescued. What great news!

The evening ended with an over-the-top lip-syncing competition where a lot of our students took the stage and rocked it! Austin got up in front of camp and did his own lip-sync version of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Gone" and Corey did a killer version of Fall Out Boy's, "Light'em Up."
I had no idea that so many of our students had the nerves to get on stage and act as ridiculous as they did. It was quite a sight to see.

That's all for now, we will be headed home to all of you this evening. Thanks for your prayers and support. It was an amazing week.

Surf City 2014 Day 4

Good morning from Surf City! It's 7 o'clock in the morning here at camp and it's absolutely silent. Students are wrapped up in their bunks, virtually passed out from yesterdays shenanigans. The day started out like all the others, Bible study, breakfast and seminars. We were greeted after seminars by the mighty Surf City Gladiators who were willing and ready to train us to join their ranks as epic mercenaries. Think old school television show American Gladiators meets Wipeout! Our Yellow team competed in rigorous tasks like running a gauntlet lined with Gladiators who have come before them and competing in a hard-fought tug of war. We did well...but only time will tell if he have what it takes to be Surf City Champions.

After lunch and some free time at the waterfront, it was our turn to take our crew out on the Waverunners...or affectionately called the "Boatercycles." We spent a few hours out on the lake zooming around on the water and giving students a thrilling ride. I've always prided myself in being very responsible on the Waverunners and making sure I don't toss any students off during the ride... well, I guess in my old age I'm beginning to loose my ability to hold on tight. Only a few rides in, both Hannah Steffey and Madi Doty took a swim...and took me along with them. Didn't count on that!

After Dinner and a few power naps, we went to club. Unfortunately our worst fears came true last night because that pesky gopher officially kidnapped Putt and Putt's caddy named Cups. And when I say "kidnapped" I mean that animal literally pulled him into it's gopher hole. It was very traumatic for the two rising stars. I really have no clue as to what they are going to do now. Maybe their passion for mini-golf will finally be extinguished. I guess we will find out tonight.

Last night at club Mark talked to the students about the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for each and everyone of the students. Mark shared with them the truth that Jesus came to this earth not just to show us how to live, but to die on a cross so that each and every one of us can experience true life. We then sent students out to be on their own for 20 minutes in silence to think about the sacrifice their  Savior made and give them the opportunity to talk to God. It's always a powerful tradition and it's always interesting to see how students respond to it. We ended the evening with a campfire and snacks. It really was a great day.

I can't believe it's already Thursday and we will be packing up to leave tomorrow. I can't wait for our students to share with you all the great moments from the week. Check back tomorrow for our final update!

Surf City 2014 Day 3

In case you haven't noticed,...these posts get updated later and later as the week at Surf City goes on. There's something about sleeping on a plastic camp mattress that's only as thick as my pinky finger that ages you quickly. The older I get, the more Advil I have to survive on. The posts also get updated later because our days are so jam packed with fun and excitement...it just takes more sleep to recover!

Day 3 started with our normal routine of Bible study, breakfast and morning seminars. After Seminars we found out that it was going to be a camp beach day! So, everyone at camp loaded up on school buses and traveled about 10 minutes down the road to Lake Michigan. I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you how many times we heard the question, "Is this the ocean?" I always enjoy trying to convince the students that it is indeed the ocean and their geography teachers lied to them. :) At the beach we competed in the annual sand-sculpture contest. Our crew, the Yellow Batman Gobstoppers, decided that it only made sense to create a sand Batman and a massive box of Gobstoppers. The judges were impressed with our teams sculpting abilities. We will find out today if we won the coveted first place title.

After lunch on the beach and some swimming we headed back to camp for an afternoon of more swimming, sand volleyball and some napping. Dinner was next on the agenda and then we headed to another installment of club. Last night Mark talked to the students about how even though we were all created good and in God's image... along the way things got messed up. Humanity rebelled and as a result, sin entered the world. Because of this sin, we are messed up...we distance ourselves from God. Students were left to talk in their groups about their own experiences of how they may have distanced themselves from God. It's never easy to talk about sin...but it's necessary if we are to have an understanding of how significant grace is. I can't wait for our students to hear that message.

We ended the night with a "Night at the Oscars!" Students were chosen to act out improv games on stage with the program team. They also showed a few funny videos where they did voice-overs from the Hunger Games movies and they even made their own "Let it Go" music video involving a port-o-potty. I'm sure it won't take much for you to figure out what that was all about! The enchanted evening ended with a surprise engagement of some Surf City staff. It was a great way to end the day!

That's all we've got for today! Check back tomorrow for more pictures and updates! We are having a great time!

Surf City 2014 Day 2

Is it really only Tuesday? We’ve been having so much fun that it seems like the past 24 hours have just flown by! The day started out with Bible study and then breakfast. Every day after breakfast we have seminars. Seminars take place in an outdoor amphitheater and groups gather to discuss topics and partake in different group building activities. This week we are talking about Identity and we are helping students think about how they get their Identity and who has the right to give them theirs.

After seminars, a team of very infamous astronauts put our team through some very rigorous astronaut training.  Our team, the “Yellow Batman Gobstoppers” had to search the entire camp looking for puzzle pieces that gave them a map for their next directions. Unfortunately, we didn’t think through how we split up our teams and one group we sent out had never been to Surf City before. So needless to say, searching a camp they didn’t know much about created a problem. The astronauts finally let us continue with an incomplete puzzle. Yeah,…we finished last.

Our afternoon was exciting because our crew tested their strength and abilities on the mighty tubes. Just think about how you’d feel being whipped around and skipping across the water behind a speedboat. It’s so much fun watching the faces of our students as they bounce back and forth. My favorite ride to watch was the one with Taryn and Abeni. I’ve never heard two middle schoolers scream like that before at such a high pitch and for such a long amount of time. Very impressive vocal chords!

In the evening we had another session at club where we jumped around singing, watched Putt and Putt get harassed by an oversized gopher and listened to Mark talk to us about how God, our Creator, sent His son to earth to teach us and to be in relationship with us. A truth that I hope becomes a reality to all of the students here at camp. Often times, students, and even adults for that matter, can’t fathom a God who loves them so much that He actually desires to be in relationship with them.

We ended the evening with an event that most of the guys talk about all year long…DUNE WARS. The camp splits us up into two teams with glow necklaces and we play a huge game of capture the flag in the dark on the sand dunes. It’s always a fun time.  One of our students, Timmy was pretty excited because he got to keep a memento of one flag he captured.  We fought long and hard and it was a close battle, but our team was defeated.

That’s all for now! Everyone is having a great time. Check back tomorrow for some new updates!

Surf City 2014 Day 1

Good Morning from the soft sands of Michigan. We traveled for what seemed to be forever on a bus full of loud screams, small bladders and our own versions of the hit songs from the movie Frozen...but we made it! I can't believe I am up here celebrating my 20th year of this amazing camp. I've seen so much over the years and I can't help but be excited about what this group is going to experience this week.

When we arrived we were ambushed by the Surf City "Hillbillies" who took us on an adventure complete with their own hillbilly firework show in an attempt to cook hot dogs. Many of us were glad they weren't actually our dinner after our long day of Arby's and Burger King. After the animated greeting we got our room assignments and unpacked our bags to get ready for the swim test. Let me just put the rumors to rest now... there were no sightings of the infamous Lake Monster.

After drying off we ate dinner and had our first Club of Surf City 2014. Club happens every evening around 8:00 and it's a time for the entire camp to gather to sing, watch a hilarious run-on skit and hear a message that we hope will greatly impact the lives of these students. This year our skit stars two famous mini-golfers who are looking to get their sport into the X-Games. Putt and Putt are their names and their "Mini-Father" created the great game of Mini-Golf. Unfortunately, there is an evil gopher on the loose looking to foil their ambitious efforts. Only time will tell if they have what it takes to elevate their dreams into reality.

This entire week we will be hearing from Surf City Veteran, Mark Steffey. Mark and his family are also part of our NorthBridge family! Last night, Mark shared with the students that the Creator of all of the world created each and every one of them...not only that but when God created them He said they were fearfully and wonderfully made. Mark challenged the students this week to think about what it means to be God's creation and know that when He created us, He saw us and said that we are good! What a great reminder of despite all the things we think we lack or all the the things about us that we think aren't good enough...our Creator says...no, you are good! I can't wait to hear how our students wrestle with this truth, that they are valued but God.

We ended the night with a run through Surf City Boot Camp. Don't worry...we all made it through basic training. It involved mud, obstacle courses, war paint and a giant slip n slide!

Well, that's all for now...I smelled bacon in the air as I walked passed the kitchen this morning in search for caffeine....so, we will see if I can get Caden Price to do anything else today in view of his obsession with the magical breakfast meat. Today is going to be a great day! Check back tomorrow for more updates!