MAN CAMP.

Tonight is MAN CAMP. The rest of the Res girls left on their trip this afternoon, leaving to places like Miller's Cove, Pleasant View, and Riverview. We passed this group of girls on the channel - they were having so much fun!

But now, it's MAN CAMP - where all of the guys - counselors and campers alike, go crazy with build your own pizza dinner, extreme finger jousting, and a classic HoneyRock game: Outpost (but that's it's own blog post!). Tomorrow, they worship together with MAN CAMP camper worship, where the song "Jesus Freak" can be heard from all parts of camp.

Here are some pictures of our Res guys in their activities earlier today:

Tomorrow we'll focus on Advance Camp and what they have been up to these past couple of days - girls back from trip, activities, worship, high ropes...they've been busy!

If you're interested in coming to Family Day this Thursday, remember that registration is still open! Questions? Click here for answers.

HoneyRock's New Hoops!

HoneyRock just added a brand new basketball court! It stands in a similar location to the old court, but has been enlarged and repaved. Scott and the Ops crew has been working to get this court up and functioning over the last few weeks - their hard work paid off on Wednesday as the inaugural basket was shot!

Over 150 Res campers gathered after their Olympic Fest to watch Dr. Ryken break in the new net and weren't disappointed. Captain Olympus (Res Camp Manager, Craig Miller) led the event, asking campers and staff to join to watch. Dr. Ryken warmed up, looked the basket up and down, and before we knew it sunk the shot! 

 The campers went crazy as Dr. Ryken ran ran to give high fives around the court. When asked if he wanted to make a few remarks, all he could muster was, "Now that's what you call a clutch shot!" We agree, Dr. Ryken. Nice job!

For those parents who have boys in Res camp and girls in Advance Camp - they safely made it back to camp from their wilderness trips this afternoon. They're ready to rest tomorrow and jump back into the regular schedule on Monday!

A Look Around Camp

Today we're just going to take a quick look around camp and see what everyone is up to. If you want to see more pictures, visit the Res Camp or the Advance Camp photo pages - Advance Camp was updated yesterday and Res Camp today!

Res Camp: The older Res Camp boys left yesterday on their two night wilderness trip, while the younger boys packed out this morning. They will all return tomorrow after lunch! The girls leave on their wilderness trip early next week, but tonight they celebrate "Women's Night", as all of the guys in Res Camp are out on trip. The girls will have a cake decorating contest as well as a time of fellowship in Chrouser. Pictures of this event to come Monday!

Advance Camp: Advance Camp women are still out on trip! We're excited to welcome them back into camp tomorrow. We just saw the Advance Camp men pull into camp after a long day rafting on the Wolf River. Tomorrow, they will make the much needed laundry run into Eagle River. This Monday and Tuesday Advance Camp groups will take turns at the High Ropes Course, working together to complete the elements.

2:22: We haven't heard much from 2:22, but that's a good thing! They have been doing well out on trip, working their way up and down trails and rivers. This was taken right before this group got in a van to get to their starting point. 

Service Team: Service Team spent last night in Three Lakes watching the fireworks. Today marks the last day of this week's job rotations, which vary from on camp to off camp kinds of work. We have seen them helping at out at the barn, putting on a new roof, chopping wood, starting kayak races at Olympic Fest...the list is endless! We're so thankful for how they serve camp.

Assistant Counselors: Week one of the first Res Camp session is almost done, and the Assistant Counselors are still going strong! The men are out on trip as the women prepare for "Women's Night" with their campers. They are all doing a great job leading their campers in Cabin Impacts, Camper Worship, Activities, and other aspects of HoneyRock. We're proud of the work and growth they are experiencing!

Visit the blog tomorrow to see a brand new addition to camp!

Olympic Fest, Parades, & Fireworks!

Yesterday, Service Team and Activity Staff put on Olympic Fest for all of our Res campers. With the gigantic slip-n-slide, 4-way tug of war, greasy watermelon and more it was a great time! Captain Olympus started off the Northwoods Olympics Fest with a parade, complete with costumes and candy. Everyone was so pumped to start the games, especially the "Bison", as you can see below. 

 The girls pictured below just came from the four way tug of war, where four ropes are tied together with intertubes on the ends. But, it gets trickier - the four way tug is on a tarp of water and soap, making it super slippery! The goal is to be the first to grab the little yellow ball on top of the cone, seen to the right.

We had so much fun playing in the sun with the Res campers! Service Teamers, who were a big help to make this day great, had fun as well. Olympic Fest is a break in their regular schedule, where they usually can be found working around camp or in the local area. 

This morning, Service Team went into Three Lakes to help represent HoneyRock with a couple of floats in the Fourth of July parade. They left early to get ready in town, and will stay after the parade has finished to walk the route and pick up trash. Tonight after dinner they will make their way back to town to watch fireworks (and maybe stop by Lick-a-dee Splitz?!) - we're convinced Three Lakes has the best fireworks show around!

In the Woods: 2:22

All of the 2:22 groups arrived on Monday and began to form their teams and get to know one another right off the bat. At this point, all teams have have packed out and left for their 7-9 day wilderness trip. Some will stay local for a couple of days and then head to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan while other teams have already safely arrived to their starting destination. While teams are in the wilderness, they spend their time hiking, canoeing, and/or sea kayaking.

Once the 2:22ers return to camp, they spend seven days on camp to work on activity areas. For many returning campers, completing their Masters in an activity will be a big goal. After one week in camp, teams will apply what they have learned through their experience in creation and camp to our local community, nearby ministries (including Camp Daniel), or the inner city of Minneapolis. 

We were able to snap this picture of a team quickly before they left, but because they will be on trip for a little over a week, we won't have pictures with which to update. Find rest in knowing they are enjoying creation, growing closer to one another and to God. And get excited for when they get back to camp!

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." - 2 Timothy 2:22

Boys & Buck-Buck

Let us introduce you to a classic HoneyRock game played only after church at Cathedral Pines. It's a game that requires skill, strength, and precision: Buck-Buck. The Advance Camp guys, with the help of Activity Staff, started up wild game of Buck-Buck in their Sunday best. People gathered on the lawn to watch them build their human pile higher. For those of you who are not familiar to the process, we'll explain.

Step One: Make a good base. Ben, Isaiah, and Kurt link to make a solid start.

Step Two: Stack 'em higher. Advance Camp guys take running leaps to launch themselves onto the pile. 

Step Three: Just keep stacking. Korey, Advance Camp counselor, tops the pile.

Advance Camp guys are in camp for the week and will be busy in activities, worship, large group games and Bible Studies. On Friday, they will take a trip to the Wolf River and go rafting.

Advance Camp girls are packing out at the Trip Locker to leave on trip this afternoon. They have all of their food, tents, tarps, sleeping bags, and other camping necessities packed and ready! Here we have a couple of cabins with their "before" pictures. We can't wait to hear the stories that come back with them from being in the wilderness for five days!

 

 We'll have the final pictures of Intro Camp and updated pictures of Res Camp, Advance Camp and 2:22 on our photo site later this afternoon - use the links to the right to find the page!

Update: Pictures will be posted tomorrow - we're editing and processing now. Thank you for your patience!