Nothing says good morning like Selena Gomez singing “Who Says” over the loud speaker. No doubt about it, it’s Wacky Wednesday and around here we like to do Wednesdays a little different. With a later wake up time and no classes we fill our morning with a different kind of learning and growing.
There are all different styles and ways of learning but if you’re a hands on person then today was definitely your day. After crib clean-up we put on our sneakers, heard some general dos and don’ts and headed off across the lake to the challenge course. The campers split into their teams and worked together to conquer each obstacle. We had a rope swing over “lava,” a whale watch balance board, a trust fall, an island that appeared to be too small, and a flat wall we had to overcome. We held hands, locked arms, lifted each other up, and mastered every challenge. One of the best parts about Wednesday is the amount of teamwork involved, no obstacle and be done by only one person and the bigger the group, the more fun it can be. The challenge course taught us to trust and listen to others.
The biggest and hardest obstacle on the course is the wall. The wall stands about 15 feet tall; there are two staff members at the top to pull you over, two staff members at the bottom to lift you up, and everyone standing behind you to support you and make sure you don’t fall. Going over the wall is never mandatory but for whoever decides to go over that wall, we’re all there to support them. After everyone who wants to go over has, it is then explained to the kids that while there is a physical wall in front of us it is a metaphor for the walls we have to overcome in life.
I love this wall because while we have fun we teaching the kids how to work together we are also letting them know that will be here to catch them if they fall. It’s a way for us to instill in them that we’re not only here for their physical life but to help boost them up in the spiritual life and when they need us we can pull together, balance things out, and give them something more to rely on.
I was really impressed with the teen week campers. I can’t remember seeing such serious God honoring kids. I’m sure the councellors had a lot to do with that. I wish I could go to camp with them.