The Robot Report

Apologies Are In Order - Thursday, August 11th

2011-08-12T12:15:00.000-05:00

Philbot here! I once again must apologize to you; I was absent and although I intended to get a substitute blogger to keep you company on here, I forgot to give said mystery writer the password for the blog... and so it did not get written. Or published. I am very sorry if you were looking for updates and there were none to be had!

This week has been simply flying by! As it is the last full week of summer camp, the staff is getting pretty tired so it is a huge blessing that the campers this week are so energetic! Their utter enthusiasm for Camp is not only encouraging to see, it also really fires the staff up to make it through this last final push of the summer. Most of the staff are headed back to college in a few weeks so they are enjoying trying to squeeze a ridiculous amount of fun into these fading summer days. I have said this a few times on this blog, but once again let me thank you for sharing your children with us this summer! We hope that our efforts have been able to draw them closer to Jesus, but know too that their undying love for their Savior does wonders to strengthen the staff's faith and draw us all closer to Him. Your children have been such a blessing to our faith!

Thursday's campfire had everyone in stitches! Everyone in Camp got a chance to watch the antics of Heiste Stealer as he realized he was accepted at Smugwarts, school of Stealcraft and Thievery. Turns out that Heiste's father was actually Lord Blorglamort - who would have guessed?! Be sure to ask your campers about the campfires this week as they return home on Saturday.

Can you see the double rainbow? The sky was on fire at Camp on Tuesday night!

Today's passage comes from I Corinthians 4:2 -

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Ben Ihlen gave devotion on Thursday, and he opened his devotion by pretending to not have prepared one. After a few awkward minutes he told us it was all to prove a point, because he actually DID have a devotion to give that evening. If Ben truly had forgotten to prepare a devotion for Thursday night, would program director Matthew Bown have trusted Ben with another devotion this summer? Most likely not. In the same way, God has entrusted us with an incredibly valuable thing - His Word! Because we have been given this trust, we have to prove faithful. The way we do this is by telling everyone who doesn't know about Jesus about how He lived, died, and rose again to save us from our sins. It's such fantastic news that it doesn't seem real all the time - but without a doubt, it is something we believe He did. Prove faithful because He loved you enough to invest in you and your eternal life. God loves you very much!

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Paul Bunyan - Monday, August 8th

2011-08-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

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Hello everyone! Philbot here.

Do you know much about Paul Bunyan? I didn't - not until today, when Matt Werner told us all about this myth-man during outdoor sports. Turns out he was such a big man, that when he was born he weighed 100 pounds! His poor parents even had to move because he was SO big and such a nuisance. Anyway, Paul Bunyan came to Camp Phillip one time and set up some basketball hoops to play with. He even left his huge basketball behind. So what were we to do with this at Camp? We play with them, of course! To this day, Paul Ball remains a classic Camp Phillip game, one that everyone enjoyed learning yesterday during outdoor sports. Matt made sure to tell us all the story of Paul Bunyan before we got out there and started playing - it's a pretty intense game!

Our passage for today comes from I John 2:3. Someone told me once that if you are a new Christian, you should read I John through three times and then move on to reading the rest of the Bible. This is because I John ardently and eloquently expresses how much God loves uswhich is something we need to know all the time, no matter how mature in our faith we are:

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know Him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Obeying what God says is a difficult thing for us as humans. It wasn't supposed to be; it wasn't God's original design for us. He created us perfectly, and man's heart and will were initially completely in unity with God's heart and will. When man fell into sin, suddenly he wanted things that were, at times, completely contrary to God's heart and will. This is why Jesus' sacrifice for us is so amazing. SO INCREDIBLE! Jesus loved us enough to come and die for us, to intercede on our behalf and be our subsitute. We know Him, and faith in His saving work spurs us to live lives of thankful living. What an amazing Savior we have!

Tomorrow, I will be gone - so look forward to a blog post from a very special guest writer!!

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You Look... Familiar - Sunday, August 7th

2011-08-08T10:22:00.000-05:00

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This is the last full week of the summer, friends! I have greatly enjoyed spending time telling you about the activities here at Camp, and it makes my tin heart twinge to think my time with you is growing short. There's still one whole week of Camp to tell you about, so let me tell you all about Sunday!

The last batch of full-week campers came rolling in at 2:30 just like every other Sunday - but this was no ordinary batch of kids, NO WAY! These campers this week are way more enthusiastic about Camp than nearly any other group we have had yet this summer! They got really into playing "The Robot Connection" (similar to the common backyard game, "Octopus") and to top it off, they were really awesome listeners!

The highlight of yesterday most definitely was the campfire. Two shady travel agents (who looked a great deal like Ben Ihlen and Brett Schommer,) sent Mr. Scott Lanky and his sidekick robot Clanky on a tumultuous journey to places like Arabia and Russia - and the same people kept showing up! Every new place they went, Clanky and Lanky ran into two suspiciously dressed men... that looked... familiar. Hmmmm...

The passage for Sunday comes from Romans 1:16:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

God is not something we need to be ashamed of - He is something we should boast about! God is powerful, all-encompassing, and moreover, He has saved us. Yet, we still seem to want to cover God up, and only talk about Him when it's convenient instead of when it is upsetting or scary. God loves us deeply, deep enough to die on a cross for our sins, and that's something to shout about on the mountaintops! This week, it is my prayer that you are not ashamed of the Gospel - instead, proclaim His love with joy!

AM/PM - Thursday, August 5th

2011-08-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how fast time flies here at Camp. Does it go faster here than in the "real world?" I think so! How is it already Thursday? And how is the summer almost over?

These are questions I simply cannot answer. Robots aren't the brightest beings.

I don't think I have told you on this blog yet about AM/PM, which stands for "A Morning Prayer Meeting". We have them every Thursday before breakfast at Camp Phillip in the Bowl. It is a nice chance for all of camp to come together and grow in prayer and praise with each other. We sing songs we don't normally get a chance to sing during the week, but the emphasis of AM/PM is always on prayer. Too often in life we forget to talk to God about our problems and concerns - when He is the One and only being who can really and truly change our circumstances. Getting a chance to reflect and spend time in prayer with God is a great blessing of AM/PM; it's just a refreshing way to start a day out with the right perspective! Alex Randazzo and Clare Sievert have led AM/PM all summer long - thanks for all you do planning this every week!

This was the biggest butterfly I have ever seen!

Today's passage comes from Joshua 1:9:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Can I just say that I LOVE THIS PASSAGE?! WHAT A COMFORT!! No matter what we do, no matter where we go, no matter what happens to us, we don't have to be terrified. We don't have to be discouraged - GOD, the Author of everything, is WITH US! I always get discouraged in life. I try and I try and I try but I never seem to get ahead in accomplishing earthly goals. I get terrified because I worry that my best isn't good enough, or that my faith isn't strong enough, or why would Jesus even love ME if I sin so much all the time? Yet here in Joshua, God Himself comes to us with warm words of comfort - "Be strong and courageous!" We have God on our side. There's no need to fear!

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Rockin' to the... Cow Song? - Wednesday, August 3rd

2011-08-04T17:19:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! Philbot here. Guess what?! The rock climbers went to Devil's Lake today! Outdoor adventure specialty, led by Joe Garbe and Clare Sievert, left before breakfast this morning to clamor around on the ropes all day long, and they had a blast. Eliott Kasparzak, Joel Hansen, and Kyle Heise all joined in to help out for the day as well. Even though returned home tired, the campers trundled back to Camp all safe and sound - I'll let the pictures do the talking for this one!

Baking specialty, led by Sarah Sherod in the Farmhouse, is also going well this week! I live in the Farmhouse, so every day I come home to a new lovely smell wafting around the kitchen. So far I have seen them make Amish Friendship bread, pancakes, blueberry/lemon scones, lava brownies, and bacon bread! Yum! I've gotten to personally sample their creations, and I adore everything I put in my mouth. Thanks, bacon - I mean - BAKING specialty!

One last thing to note about today - we have a new song at Camp that we introduced today, entitled "The Cow Song" - IT IS HILARIOUS!!!

Our passage today comes from Hebrews 10:23 -

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

God is faithful in all things! Often it can be easy to doubt His love, get lost in our guilt, or only use our Christian faith when it is convenient to us, but God promises to be faithful to us. He hasn't defaulted on a promise yet - so trust Him! He loves you!

Happy Wednesday!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made - Tuesday, August 2nd

2011-08-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

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Hello again! Philbot here. The summer is starting to wind down a little bit, just as the summer's heat seems to be winding up! While my titanium skin is searing to the touch, the campers seem to be staying cooooool. Drinking water is a good idea in this sweltering heat; everybody drink lots of water!

Riding on horseback is enjoyable all the time, especially when it's this humid and hot; the feeling of the wind blowing through your hair is not an unwelcome one! Every day, the girls from cabin 2 led by the fearless nature girl Danielle Stone head out to a neighboring camp to ride horses for two hours before lunch. Since I keep busy here at Camp with all my communications jobs, I personally have never been to this horse camp, but what I hear from the other girls is really positive feedback - they love horsin' around all this week! It is easy to see these girls really love their horses.

Additionally, yesterday it was awesome to see the Camp Phillip woodworkers hard at... wood work in the machinery building. Cabin 7 is being led by handyman Phil Sebald this week, and along with a few girls from neighboring cabins, Cabin 7 will be crafting all sorts of wooden wonders this week. Today's project was picture frames which were not only fairly easy to make, they look awesome! You'll have to check out and see what your little woodworkers bring home at the end of this week.

The passage for today comes from Psalm 139:1-4. This Psalm is incredibly comforting - and perhaps one of my personal favorites in the Bible:

O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

I always remember this Psalm as the "fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm. Whenever people refer to things God has made as "fearfully and wonderfully" made, it is such a comfort to me. There are so many times in my life where I feel insignificant, unloved, or unworthy of attention. Uselessness is not a pleasant way to feel in the slightest. Yet, Jesus did not deem us as unworthy of attention even though we sin against Him every day. Jesus didn't stop loving us because we're sinners to the core. Quite the opposite! God loved us enough to send us Jesus, and Jesus loved us so much that He cheerfully was executed by mortals so that someday, we can go to heaven to be with Him eternally. He deems us significant. He is the one that makes us worthy of attention, for that worthiness certainly does not come from within ourselves. And instead of being permanently useless, Jesus' saving Gospel comes imbibed with the command to go and tell others about Him, making us useful messengers of His peace here on earth. He cared enough to craft us carefully and loves enough to protect eternally. He knows us each individually, loves us each individually, and died to save you, individually! Praise our LORD and Savior who created us better than any picture frame we could ever build, and who loves us more than a girl could ever love a horse.

Tomorrow: Baking and outdoor adventure specialty!

GOOOOOOOOAL! - Monday, August 1st

2011-08-02T11:01:00.001-05:00

01001001 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01001101 01001111 01001110 01000100 01000001 01011001 00100001! Camp can be an intense place to be because from the moment you arrive here you're on the go, and the fun rarely relents! Today was no exception. We started out the day with a hearty breakfast (yum, French Toast sticks!) and then, after Bible study, split off to our various specialties. The day was muggy and weirdly warm, but when I squeaked over to the field to check out soccer specialty (my joints are getting a little rusty again; time to pull out the WD-40!) everyone out there was getting so into the game!

Soccer specialty is traditionally a favorite here at Camp for counselors and campers alike, and this week is no exception. There are two soccer cabins, cabin 6b led by Brett Schommer, and cabin 3, led by the fearless Kate Zabrowski. Kaleena Bown is also at Camp to help lead drills and various soccer games for the campers. Every morning in between breakfast and lunch, these energetic kids are all over the field shooting goals, heading the ball, and passing like fiends. In the incredible heat on Monday, they were also all soaked to the bone with sweat. EWWW!! (That's one awesome perk about being a robot, at least - we certainly do not sweat! ) In addition to being exceptionally sweaty, you can spot the soccer campers because they are usually yelling the word "GOOOOOOOOALLL!" at campfire for cabin cheers. Hopefully the weather breaks soon and these campers can enjoy being outside a little bit more!

Today's passage comes from Matthew 19:26 and says:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

It is such a comfort to understand that God can do ANYTHING! If He is a God who came down to earth, humbling Himself enough to DIE - a seemingly impossible thing for an eternal God to accomplish - for US - He can do anything. Does that mean that every time I pray for something I should get exactly what I asked for, like God is a magical genie? And that if I don't get exactly what I asked for then God must be in some way unable to hear and answer my prayers? Again, by no means! While with God, anything is possible, His thoughts and views will always be higher and better than our meager human viewpoints. He has the big picture and our best interests in His heart, and will act accordingly to accomplish His will in our lives. Could we really ask for more? God has the ultimate GOOOOOAL of heaven in mind for us and is preparing a place for us with Him eternally - and will be there to aid us in our journey every step of the way.

Tomorrow: spotlight on horseback and woodworking specialty!

Bacon Specialty? - Sunday, July 31st

2011-08-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

Camp is full to bustin' this week with a wonderful crop of 6th-8th grade campers! In addition to hosting specialty cabins and normal Sonshine cabins, Camp is pleased to welcome 13 campers who have come straight from Beijing, China! There are here at Camp Phillip for one week of a three week immersion trip in America. What a blessing to have them here this week!

There are some really awesome specialties going on this week, such as woodworking specialty, outdoor adventure specialty, horseback specialty, BAKING specialty, (I'm going to be trying to hang out with THOSE girls!) and soccer specialty!

Last night's campfire had us all in laughing stitches as puppets told the story of new campers coming to Camp who had signed up for every specialty... but had misinterpreted exactly what those specialties were! They thought baking specialty was actually BACON specialty... not a bad idea, actually! You should all call Program Director Matthew Bown and ask him to include this on the schedule next year...

Today's opening passage comes from John 17:22-23:

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and You in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me.

Here Jesus is praying for us to His (and our) heavenly Father, asking Him to give us unity. Unity in Christ is the main focus here at Camp Phillip for the Summer of 2011. "Robot Connection" stresses that we are all part of the body of Christ and that we all have tasks to do that are important for God's kingdom as a whole. The thing that connects us all here at Camp Phillip and out in the "real" world is Jesus' love - and it is our job to spread that message of unity to everyone that we know.

This week here at Camp we will try to be one in Christ - and I urge you to do the same!

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Robot Renegade - Friday, July 29th

2011-08-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

It's Frrrrryyyyday! Frrrrryyyday! Going to the robot convention on frrrryyyyday! (Does this remind you of any songs offhand?) It's the last day of Camp, and every week we celebrate with a grand evening meal that, ironically, a ton of robots attend! (I feel pretty at home...)

Every Frrrrrryday, after the robot convention, the whole camp heads out to the field to play an even-more-elaborate-than usual evening game. This week, the theme was "Robot Renegade". All of the robots at Camp suddenly went rogue - and the only way to stop them was to get 20 Frisbees in the disc golf baskets! Thankfully, after a lot of running around in the tall grass, we managed to shut the robots down and save Camp from the robot renegades! Hooray! :)

Today's passage is II Corinthians 5:17 -

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I hope that your children had an amazing week at Camp. I pray that the time they spent in God's Word helped their faith in Jesus Christ grow stronger. And I know that they will return to your arms tomorrow renewed in God's amazing love. We are all Christians working together to spread the message of Jesus' work and forgiveness to all people - and every day, we know that we are new creations in Christ. We work to drown the old Adam with his evil deeds and desires and to daily put on the new self clothed in Christ's righteousness, knowing that the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to live for God in all that we do. How blessed we are to be daily renewed by the Author of the universe! :)

I pray that your children's faith can refresh yours, as well as that you all live like the new creations that you daily are in Christ. Thank you for sharing your children with us this week! Now get out there and share God's love with others!

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POWER HOUSE!!! - Thursday, July 28th

2011-07-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

"Ho ho ho, muchachos! Are we ready for the

POWER HOUSE?!"

This is how Mucha-lucha wrestler/Santa-Schleef introduced Thursday's campfire - and the fun only continued from there! The "Power House" was a competition between counselors of the various cabins this week. Counselors were randomly paired together by selecting names from a gladiator helmet, and once paired, they had to complete an arduous challenge - and the loser was subjected to some kind of punishment from the POWER HOUSE. Lauren Strommen picked the cup with the dot on the bottom, so she had half a container of hair gel poured on her head. Kate Zabrowski pulled Corrine Whittier over the line while sharing a hula hoop, so Corrine got a pie in the face! These are just a few examples of the great lengths the counselors here at Camp Phillip go through in order to make a week of summer camp memorable for the campers - and last night certainly was memorable!

Thursday's passage comes from one of my favorite books of the Bible - Colossians!

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-7

Many many many many years ago (about 15 years ago), Camp Phillip produced a tape full of songs written by counselors, and one of the songs called "So, Then" is based exactly off the above passage. (Check out the vending machine at Camp to buy one of these old-school tapes! We made so many that we STILL have extras all these years later - they are available for a mere 50 cents! Just make sure you still have a tape player to play in on... what ARE those, even?! I've never seen a tape player before...) The passage is excellent because the imagery is so spot-on - even though we are blessed enough to have faith in God as part of our lives, we need to continue to be rooted in Him. Rooting ourselves in Christ Jesus means staying rooted in the Bible, staying rooted in prayer, staying rooted in fellowship at church, and most of all, staying rooted in love to the King who saved you from all evil. Pursuing a relationship with God in this way will only strengthen our faith, and the closer we get to Him, the more we will be overflowing with thankfulness for what He has done for us!

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Rain, Rain, Go Away! - Wednesday, July 27th

2011-07-29T10:44:00.000-05:00

Today is a rainy, mud-squelching, dreary type of day here at Camp Phillip. Despite the clouds, we are having a superb day! One sad thing was that we had to say goodbye to the PeeWee's - they were so fun to have around for the week! We will miss them greatly, and even though all the poor PeeWee parents had to pack up their tents and campers in the rain, I think it is safe to say that PeeWee camp 2 was a smashing success.

In other news, tonight's campfire was RIDICULOUS. Molly Ulland and Jason Schleef were suddenly... 9 years old?! How did THAT happen? It's the magic of a campfire, I suppose. Several minions from the popular animated movie "Despicable Me" even made an appearance! It was one of the craziest campfires of the summer to be sure. In the end, grandmother Erin Scharenbroch ended up being the one who got the Russians... right?

Our passage for today comes from Psalm 119:34 and says:

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.

At times, life can be difficult to understand. Friends can be tough to rationalize with. And even God's Word, the only ultimate truth, can be complicated to fully comprehend. Whenever we pray to God and ask Him to give us more wisdom, He always hears and answers our prayers. With His wisdom, we can more fully understand tricky situations in our lives - which leads us to only strive to keep doing God's will more every day. Today, if you are feeling confused, troubled, or weary, pray to your loving LORD and Savior for understanding - and He will be there to answer your plea!

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Happy Valentine's Day! - Tuesday, July 26th

2011-07-27T18:01:00.000-05:00

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Today we are celebrating Valentine's day at Camp Phillip! What? You say that Valentine's day is in February? Well, DUH! But... it is also on July 26th here at Camp! Hooray!

We started out the day by exchanging valentines cards at breakfast, and the theme continued all day long. The password for the day was "hearts" (which meant that you had to say "awwwww!" and give your neighbor a hug every time anyone said that word) and we even played an evening game called "Broken Hearts". More importantly, we focused on showing each other LOTS OF LOVE by serving others today. I felt very loved; everyone gave me tons of hugs! What a great day!

Our passage for Valentine's Day Tuesday comes from I Corinthians 16:14:

Do everything in love.

Pretty straightforward passage, hey? God cannot command us more clearly than He does in this passage. Everything you do in your life, do it in love! Love your job. Love your friends. Love your family. Love your struggles. Love your flaws. Love your blessings. Love your trials. Love your talents. Most importantly, love your Jesus and live out that mysterious, unexplainable grace and love every day in every single thing you do. Always remember that you are a cherished, treasured individual in God's eyes - and do everything in love!

Bottles - Monday, July 25th

2011-07-26T17:12:00.000-05:00

01010000 01101000 01101001 01101100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01010010 01100001 01100011 01101000 01100101 01101100 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110110 01100101 01101110 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100010 01101111 01110100 01110100 01101100 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 01101101 01100101 00100001 ! Today started out in the funniest way. Rachel and Phil asked all the counselors to stand on the Dining Hall tables and try and drop a pencil into a water bottle on the ground that was weighted down with sand. We had a tournament at breakfast to determine which counselor was the best at it, and Kate Zabrowski, the counselor of cabin 9, was the victor! As a result, during campfire, her cabin was allowed to make a list of wishes they wanted granted that the Bottle Genies had to grant! At the end of campfire they received crowns, a car, a celebrity (Pastor Tom!), a stuffed puppy, and 12 Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen! It was pretty fun.

Today's passage comes from I Timothy 4:12:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

The children that we are fortunate enough to have here this week are pretty young; Pee Wee camp consists of K-2nd graders and Sonshine 4 is for 3-5th graders. The oldest children here are 11 or 12 - but just because they are fairly young doesn't mean their faith is immature. By no means! As humans we certainly are not given authority to judge people's hearts, but we can see fruits of faith that people carry out in their lives. These children are living their faith this week, and it is evident as well as encouraging. Even though I'm just a mere robot (and not all that old myself,) I sometimes wonder why we all don't try to be more like the "young" children here this week. Too often the older we get, the more we realize the earth is sinful, we fall prey to "logical" worldly rationalizations for certain matters that children understand to be black-and-white, and the purity of our beliefs become clouded. Children are capable of many things, and they are definitely able to be an example for older people, showing them how to love purely, believe sincerely, and trust totally. Jesus appreciates childlike faith and He surely loves "ignorant" children as much as He loves confused adults, ("Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."' - Matthew 19:4). Don't discount children - learn from their faith!

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Hiatus? - Sunday, July 24th

2011-07-25T09:51:00.001-05:00

01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01000010 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000001 01000011 01001011 00100001!!! Philbot here.

I owe you an apology.

Last week I had the week off and I didn't let you know I was going to be gone!

I am very sorry.

Last week I had the chance to visit my family in Milwaukee for the whole week, and I took it! While I had a great time, never fear - I was delighted to get back to Camp and even more delighted to start talking to you again. I promise I won't leave again - at least until the summer is over, anyway. Can you believe there are only 3.5 weeks left of Camp Phillip programs this summer?! WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?!?!

Yesterday kickstarted another big week at Camp - Sonshine 4 and Pee Wee 2! It's hot and Camp is busting at the seams, but that's the way we like things around here. There are about 130 children here this week! WHOO HOO!

Last night we all enjoyed a hilarious campfire in which Matthew and Bretty got their acceptance letter to go to Camp Phillip - and as they readied to leave, ridiculous things happened. Like what? THEY RAN INTO ROBOTICKS ON THE MOON! (Roboticks?! Oh... robotics?! I get it...)

Our passage for yesterday comes from Matthew 4:10, in the section where Jesus was being tempted by the devil in the desert:

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Camp is a great opportunity for people to grow closer to God. This doesn't occur because Jesus is more present here than He is anywhere else in the world, but because being surrounded by so many other people who want to love and praise Jesus with you is a highly encouraging thing. We might not necessarily be tempted to worship the devil at Camp, but there are plenty of things we may be tempted to place in front of God. We might want to put our pride, our desires, money, athletic ability, popularity, or career success in front of God at any point in our life. However, in this passage Jesus tells us to worship the Lord YOUR God and to serve Him only. He is the most important thing in our lives. It is vital to grow close to Him in faith. And He died and rose because He loves us so so so so SO very much!

Whether you are at Camp this week or if you are somewhere else in this wide world, be reminded that Jesus is the loving, living, Savior-King that we worship - God above all and God alone!

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Worm - Thursday, July 14th

2011-07-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

CHECK IT OUT!

John German and his awesome catch!

Can you believe the size of that FISH?! I don't think I ever want to go swimming in the Upper Whiteriver Millpond if there are small SHARKS swimming in there! Well, that's not true... I love our dear little lake, and that's not a baby shark, it's just a Northern. But still! It is pretty darn impressive that the guys in fishing specialty caught such a HUGE fish!

Every morning this week, cabin 12 - led by counselor Kevin Worm (appropriate last name, no?) and junior counselor Brady Troeller - has gotten up at the crack of dawn to go fishing for two hours before breakfast! To make up for their missed sleep, this cabin gets to sleep from 10-12 every morning. They have learned different fishing techniques, what bait works best, and just got to spend time on the lake putting their skills into practice. Most of the fish in the Upper Whiteriver Millpond are pretty small - bluegills and such - but whatever larger fish that were caught during the week are going to be eaten on Friday when the fishing guys have a fish fillet party! I personally can't eat fish, being a robot and all - but the guys caught a ton of fish, so they should have a pretty big feast tomorrow!

Thursday's passage is:

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 3:8

Can you feel the wind? Yes, of course. But... what really is wind? Can you describe it? Can you fully understand it? Not at all! This is what the passage in John is attempting to express - the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most mysterious member of the Trinity, and while we cannot describe Him in the slightest, we know He is there because we can feel Him. We can see His work. We can see the fruits of faith that come from His residence in human hearts. And He says in the blessing of God's Word that He is who He is - "I AM who I AM" (Exodus 3:14) - and that "I AM" is an all-powerful, loving God that we can trust.

Do these campers REEALLY have to leave tomorrow? All 103 of them are such fun!

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Volleyball! Awesome! - Wednesday, July 13th

2011-07-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

This week has been jam-packed and CRAZY! The two other specialties we are focusing on today are volleyball and awesome hour - which have been completely intense this week!

First of all, volleyball specialty is being led by the multi-talented Sy Vanissaveth, volleyball extraordinaire. Cabin 7, led by counselor Erin Scharenbroch and junior counselor Maria Schlect, as well as Cabin 3, led by counselor Keely Keese and junior counselor Valerie Lumsden, meet every morning for two hours and practice bumps, sets, and spikes! This week they have learned about proper stretching techniques and developed their playing skills through round-robin drills and fun practice games. Every time I squeak my way over to the courts, everyone seems to be smiling and having a wonderful time! The weather has been fabulous for volleyball specialty - and the people have been fabulous as well!

Set that ball!

Stretching is a smart way to avoid injury

Also, Awesome Hour specialty has been, well - AWESOME! Counselor Kristen Carow and junior counselor Katherine Van Alstine of cabin 6B along with counselor Matt Werner and junior counselor Alex Vanissaveth of cabin 10 have led their campers in some wild activities this week, including (but not limited to) egg tosses, music video-making, dumping food on each other from the tree deck, and even possibly taking part in a flash mob (this is a neat one of the Hallelujah Chorus). Come to the closing program where awesome hour specialty will show off some of the crazy stunts they did this week! It has been exciting to see what awesome thing they will do next!

Wednesday's passage is from I Timothy 1:12:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.

Jesus is just great. So many times in our lives we try and do things all by ourselves - we try and save money for a car by ourselves, we try to make a relationship grow stronger by ourselves, or we try and face grief or problems by ourselves. When we go at the world with our fists up but without God's counsel, we will ultimately fail. We cannot do anything by ourselves - for it is Christ Jesus our Lord who gives us the strength to face each new day's trials and struggles! He loves us deeply. Unconditionally. And unfailingly! More than that, (if that's possible) to those who have the Holy Spirit in their heart, He has given a commission to tell others about Jesus and the saving message of the Gospel. His service is all we live for - and that is more than enough!

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A-list - Tuesday, July 12th

2011-07-14T16:33:00.000-05:00

Specialties have been extra-busy this week! Two cabins I am going to focus on today are our "A-list" specialties - Art specialty and Archery specialty!

Art specialty is led by the amazing adult volunteer Rena! And they have been getting into all kinds of crafts. The first thing they did was embellish Camp t-shirts with felt, embroidery, and I think I even saw a little bit of puffy paint in there! Counselor Emily Sebald and junior counselor Ashley Stellmacher (who is quite crafty herself!) encourage their campers to add color to everything, be in on a canvas or in their own lives. There's also one boy in art specialty from cabin 10! Whoo hoo!

Rena and Ashley Hard at Work

Our other "A-list" specialty is archery specialty. Cabin 5, led by counselor Kate Zabrowski and junior counselor Megan Voss, and cabin 11, led by counselor Adam Cox and junior counselor Greg Strommen, team up every morning for two hours and learn all there is to learn from the knowledgeable Sarah Sherod about the art of shooting arrows. By now they are getting quite good at it, but there's more in store for them then just shooting arrows all day - rumors are going around that archery specialty will be making their own quivers later in the week in addition to shooting arrows through flaming hoops at night! Parents, get ready for to deal with your own little Robin Hoods when they come home on Saturday...

Our passage for today comes from I Corinthians 12:9 and says,

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Even though we all go through problems and trials in our lives, God tells us His grace is sufficient for us. We, with our flawed and limited human judgment, may think that God should do x, y, and z in our lives, just as we see fit - then we'll be happy in this life, right? Wrong. Whereas we can only see the here and now, God has a clear view of our hereafter - and it's being spent with Him in heaven. His plans and thoughts are so much higher than our plans and thoughts, and His grace can get us through anything! We may think we need something more than God, but God is enough for us. Always. When we realize this fact, we can more easily rejoice in our difficulties because we can see that God is only strengthening our faith through the adversities we face in life.

THE BERRIES ARE GETTING CLOSER TO BEING RIPE!

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The Massacre - Monday, July 11th

2011-07-13T10:25:00.000-05:00

Laurrine Lightning. Got. Killed.

Evening games are always a pretty intense activity at Camp Phillip, but Monday night's game far surpassed the usual intensity level we see around these parts.

Paul Ball, short for Paul Bunyan's Basketball, is a game routinely played at Camp Phillip. It is played exactly like basketball, except the ball used is GIGANTIC! In Triad Paul Ball, there are three teams competing in a triangle-like fashion. Each team can only score in one hoop and only needs to defend their own hoop. With the large number of campers here this week, this matchup was looking promising. The teams were the Brason Brawlers (dressed in blue), the Rojo Rambos (green and black) and Laurrine Lightning (yellow and white). We were set to play in the disc golf fields by Malachi (a big tree by a campfire pit we often use in the evenings). We had three large inflatable hoops set up. Kids were getting pumped. Face paint was involved.

Then.

Well...

Once the dust settled, there was no contest as to who was the winner. The Rojo Rambos had scored 135 points. The Brason Brawlers had scored 90. And Laurrine Lightning?
23 points.
WOW!
Even though there was a huge discrepancy in the points, the fighting was fierce and the game was great - it was exactly what an evening game should be!

Our passage for Monday comes from Isaiah 30:21:

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Even though we may get slaughtered on the Paul Ball court and not know which way to turn, it is hugely helpful to note that God is always with us. He guides us in everything we do and when we get frustrated about what course we should take in life, He is always there, ready and waiting with answers to all our troubles! This passage doesn't mean that you'll hear an actual metaphysical voice in your ear, but instead that God will guide us, even when we don't know where to turn.

Maybe we'll have a Triad Paul Ball re-match?! LAURRINE LIGHTNING WILL PREVAIL SOMEDAY!!

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SONSHINE 2/SPECIALTY 2! THEY'RE HERE! - Sunday, July 10th

2011-07-12T10:20:00.000-05:00

THEY ARE HERE!!! As the SALT staff bid adieu to their parents after church, Sonshine 2 campers started rolling in right on time. After some controlled chaos during registration, all the campers were settled in and the fun of this week could begin! Every week starts with a run-through of some ground rules pertaining to how Camp operates. We call them the GOSPEL rules and they stand for:

G = God! Respect God, glorify God, pray to God, trust God, and keep God as the center of everything we do, both here at Camp and in the "real" world
O = Others! Respect your fellow cabin mates, counselors, and program staff no matter what! Not only does God command us to love our neighbor, respecting others will make the whole week run smoothly.
S = Self! Respect yourself! Practice good hygiene habits, don't compromise your beliefs, and most importantly remember that you are a redeemed, beloved child of God - so don't worry! Live in His love.
P = Property! Respect the property here at Camp. We want to keep our grounds and buildings in the best condition possible, so don't write on the walls. Or burn the buildings down. Thanks.
E = Equipment! We use many different kinds of equipment here at Camp, from zoogles to tether balls to mattresses - be gentle! If something breaks, let us know so we can fix it. We won't be mad!
L = Life. Respect life here at Camp and everywhere! Don't pick the grass, only kill mean bugs like mosquitoes (which have been awful here lately), and remember that God made all things!

Knowing these rules from the get-go allows us all to have a much less stressful week. There's a great mix of fun going on in addition to the regular Sonshine cabins; this week we also have Archery, Fishing, Art, Volleyball, and Awesome Hour specialty cabins! Like the last week we had specialties, this week I will be highlighting different cabins and giving you a closer look into their activities.

The passage for Sunday comes from Acts 17:26-28:

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

How did you get to where you are today? I'm not just talking about how you arrived at Camp today to drop off your camper, or how you got to work, but what events in your life led you to the situation you find yourself in today? How did you get here socially? How did you get the job you hold? How do you know the people you know? God has a plan for every single person's life. EVERY SINGLE ONE of us! I say that frequently, but... think about it. There are a TON of people in this world. Yet God cares enough about all of us blighted creatures that He carefully orchestrates the grand spiderweb of the world just so to fit His will - and He has placed you where you are today for a reason. God has given you people to tell about Jesus. God has given you skills and abilities to do jobs here. He has set you in your current location so incredibly precisely! In Him we do all things - and today, I challenge you to look at where you are and do all things to glorify Him. Rejoice in whatever situation you find yourself in because He has a plan, and we are His children!!

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SALT Parent's Weekend - Saturday, July 9th

2011-07-12T09:39:00.000-05:00

Hooray! The parents came to visit! After all the campers left on Saturday, Camp started filling up once again, this time with the parents of the full-summer staff here. We call the full-summer staff SALT staff, which stands for Summer Adult Leadership Team, and also alludes to the places in the Bible where Jesus calls us Christians the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).

Since the SALT staff gets very little time off, everyone appreciated the opportunity to spend some quality time with their families - and the chance to meet everyone else's families! The parents braved the challenge course, devoured some great burgers, played Red Dawn, and enjoyed a campfire in the evening as well. What a wonderful weekend! We are all blessed to have some really amazing people caring about us - thank you Lord for parents!

Hopefully you enjoyed your weekend as well - and now, here at Camp Phillip, we're excited and refreshed by familial fellowship, and totally enthused about the full week ahead.

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Robot Races - Friday, July 8th

2011-07-10T17:50:00.000-05:00

Ahh yes. The end of the week. It has come once more, and once more I am very sad to see these awesome kids go home - can we just keep them here for the rest of the summer?

No?

Okay.... can't blame a robot for trying!

This week's Friday night Robot Convention was AWESOME! Not only was the food extra-tasty for some reason, but we got to play Robot Races with Justin Heise afterward! For this game, each cabin got a special mission and was sent to a different station somewhere on Camp property to attempt to win supplies that could be used to construct a robot. Some girls had to go to the Big Toy and collect different items from Camp like toilet paper headbands and berries. Some boys had to face the scary Wisco 3 basement and try to solve some riddles to win items. When all was said and done, the dust settled and the Sonshine campers had built some pretty nifty robots! It was an exciting way to cap off an already exciting week.

The cabins also did a really great job of not wasting food this week... so to reward the campers, Jason Schleef had to rub huge gobs of mustard and ranch dressing into his hair. 01111001 01110101 01100011 01101011 00001101 00001010 !!!!!!!!!!

For Friday, we focused on a great section of scripture from Titus 3:3-7. It's a bit of a longer section, but it's worth reading all the way through:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

The love of Jesus is truly amazing. I'm blessed to hear this saving message all day every day here at Camp Phillip, but when I stop and think about all the people in the world who don't know about what His love is capable of doing, it hurts my heart in this rusty chest of mine. So much of the world is shrouded in the darkness of unbelief; they're enslaved in the bondage of condemnation, and all it would take to lift them out of darkness into life is faith in the message that Jesus lived, died, and rose to save all people from sin. Because of this, we're HEIRS! We're not just warmly-thought-of acquaintances, no - we are written in the will. We're part of the family. And because of this, we can eagerly await the day when we will get to be with Jesus in heaven. We don't have to live in hatred, in malice, in envy! We can live in the light of His grace.

Campers, when you go home, encourage all your friends to spread this amazing message of God's love to everyone they know! And parents, see your children's zeal for the Lord and let the Holy Spirit encourage you too to jump refreshed into adamantly proclaiming God's love to the world.

He saved us - not by anything we can ever do, but simply by His love!

Thanks for a great week, everyone!

(Check out this song by Shawn McDonald called "Captivated" - God is amazing!)

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Thick of It - Thursday, July 7th

2011-07-10T17:07:00.000-05:00

This week just keeps on getting better and better! Not only has the weather been utterly gorgeous, as the campers here get more and more comfortable with Camp, the more they get into the games and activities here - which is very encouraging to see! Everyone in Sonshine 2 has gotten ample opportunity to bond, and I must say I love this group of kids. Their energy is completely infectious and whenever I'm around the campers I can't help but smile. Parents, thanks for letting us hang out with your children this week - they are truly a joy!

Today we had a bunch of fun, as usual. Summer is almost halfway over, and we're all really in the thick of things here at Camp!

The waterfront was awesome - but lifeguard Kate's bellyflop was WAY better than Kevin's!

Jr. Staff Seth Schumacher and Josh Burke Fearlessly Dive

Sarah's cabin is so silly! What fun kids!

Hammin' It Up For The Camera

The berries are ALMOST RIPE!

Thursday's passage comes from Galatians 5:13:

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. "

As the summer shimmers on, energy levels sometime wane with the heat. By now, the novelty of summer camp is burning off a little bit along with the humid July haze - yet this passage is great encouragement! When tempers run short or some sin or trial is messing with our head or heart, never forget to serve one another in love. This passage made me think of I Peter 4:8, which says:

"Above all, love each other deeply, for love covers over a multitude of sins."

God has given us freedom! We're free from sin! This incredible outpouring of undeserved love from our loving LORD and Savior compels us to "serve one another in love." Whether you're in the thick of energy-draining summer camp or in the thick of temptation, don't use the situations God has given you to "indulge the sinful nature" - we are not of this world! "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world" (Romans 12:2), but live as the free, adored child of God that you are.

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If I Were a Pig - Wednesday, July 6th

2011-07-07T12:16:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! Today I want to tell you about a HILARIOUS campfire that happened on Wednesday night! I laughed so hard I almost cried. The story that was told at campfire was about a pair of siblings named Steffy and Benny (who were played by Stephanie Geske and Benjamin Ihlen) who were playing at home when the power went out. They didn't know what they could do to entertain themselves in the dark, so they went down into the basement to talk to their dad, who was a washed up guitarist from a band in the 70's that never made it big. He taught them a song to sing called "If I Were a Pig" that went a little something like this:

"If I were a pig (if I were a pig)

Then I would be a BIG pig (Then I would be a BIG pig)

And if I were a dog (If I were a dog)

Then I would not be a pig (Then I would not be a pig)

And if I, I, I were a cow (MOOOO!)

Then I wouldn't be a pig

Either"

There were many other verses, all equally ridiculous. It was just a great campfire and a great way to cap off yet another simply delightful day at Camp Phillip.

Steffy and Benny!

The passage for Wednesday was Matthew 6:24:

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Justin Heise gave devotion after campfire and explained this verse for us with a great visual example. He explained that God is more important than money, and that while money is a blessing from God, we often misuse it and are not good stewards of the gifts God has given us. Money should be used to tell other people about Jesus; there are many ways to use money to glorify God. You can give money in offerings to the church, you can use money to put yourself in places where you have the opportunity to tell others about Jesus' work, or you can even use money by writing on it like they do on Where's George. Whatever you do, it is vital to remember that we serve God and Him alone - you can't serve two masters! We are very blessed that our master is Jesus Christ, our Savior from sin!

(also, check out this awesome song written and recorded by one of the Program Directors here at Camp Phillip, Joel Hansen!)

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Carnival - Tuesday, July 5th

2011-07-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

01001000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01111001 00100000 00110101 01110100 01101000 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01001010 01110101 01101100 01111001 00100001! Today at Camp something awesome happened (as usual) - a carnival came to Camp Phillip!! For the evening program today, Jesus Cares campers and Sonshine campers alike enjoyed a night at the carnival, complete with balloon animals, popcorn, and Sami the clown. Campers would stop at different stations and play some kind of game in an attempt to get tokens. These tokens were then placed in cups with different attributes on them such as "southern accent" or "opera style." The carnival concluded with many re-enactments of the battle of David and Goliath, each with a different style based on what cups campers had filled up the most with tokens. It looked like a ton of fun!

Tuesday's passage comes from one of my favorite books of the Bible - Romans!

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." - Romans 12:1

At Camp Phillip, one point that we really try to stress with the campers is sanctification. Church often focuses on justification - what Jesus did to save us from sin - and at Camp Phillip, we have been blessed with a unique arena to stress and practice sanctified living. Just as this passage states, our lives as believers in God are living sacrifices. Every day, our activities are motivated by our thankfulness for Christ's sacrifice; He makes us want to sacrifice our time in service to others and the spread of the Gospel. God's mercy is an incredible motivator! Like Paul, today I urge you to be living sacrifices in your daily life, whether that means being kind to a bothersome employee or boss at work, by going out of your way to help a friend who is struggling with some kind of a trial in their life, or by setting aside time specifically to study God's Word. The concept of being a living sacrifice is an exciting one - and it is holy and pleasing to God!

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Happy 235th Birthday, America! - Monday, July 4th

2011-07-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! It's the 4th of July! We started off the day here at Camp Phillip with a rousing chorus of patriotic songs like "God Bless Our Native Land", "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner". Jason Schleef also led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and many people wore red, white, and blue. If it wasn't illegal to shoot off fireworks I think we would have tried, but in addition to being fun, here at Camp Phillip we also place following the rules in high regard.

America;s 235th birthday gave this week of camp a kickstart! The small number of campers in Sonshine 2 allows the counselors to get to know the children even better than they do in other weeks of Sonshine camp - how fun! Even I am getting to know these campers pretty well, and I'm just the communications guy!

Since it was just the first day of the week, the campers eased into the swing of things somewhat with a fairly regular day of crafts, creation encounters, outdoor sports, bible studies, and swimming. Maybe the best part was the evening game when the Sonshine campers played "Big Ball Explosion!" It was supposed to be similar to the game "Paul Ball" except that "Big Ball Explosion" is intended to be played with a GIGANTIC ball that we keep in the machinery building. That red rubber ball is a bit old... and sadly, 2 minutes into the game, it popped! The campers continued playing Paul Ball with the normal equipment as the red ball sadly deflated, yet a good time was had by all.

Except for that poor ball.

Cabin Two Playin' Around

Cabin 12 During Creation Encounters

Today's passage is from Mark 10:45:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life, die, and rise to save mankind from their sins... and He did this with a servant heart! Even though He was the one who created every person He interacted with, even though He was the One who authored humor, sunshine, chocolate, laughter, color, music, and joy, even though He was and is the Inventor of everything we see on earth - He humbled Himself and became our servant. Jesus washed His disciples feet, suffered through life as a man, and even died for us. When we have this knowledge, it makes us want to also follow His examples and strive to serve our fellow man as He did.

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Jesus Cares - Sunday, July 3rd

2011-07-04T17:34:00.000-05:00

Hey there! How was your weekend? I had a great time hanging out here at Camp Phillip even though it was VERY warm! I'm made of a unique titanium/magnesium alloy that gets very overheated when exposed to direct sunlight, so I tried staying mostly in the shade and that has helped prevent me from frying. PHEW!

Camp is all in a tizzy because there are TWO camps going on at the same time this week! Not only did Sonshine 2 start this week, Jesus Cares camp is going on as well. Jesus Cares ministry assists congregations with reaching out to people who are intellectually or developmentally disabled, and we always look forward when Jesus Cares comes to Camp Phillip! These campers vary in age from their teens to their nineties, so while the programming is a little bit different than the grade-school-age children who usually come to Camp, adapting our programs to fit these camper's needs is a joy. The SALT staff doesn't do this camp alone either; we are blessed with a very dedicated group of adult volunteers who help out with Jesus Cares nursing, bible studies, and crafts! I love Jesus Cares!

With both camps running, Camp Phillip is about near filled up to capacity - which is the way we like to see things around here! We have a very small Sonshine 2 camp this year - only 24 campers! - and a large Jesus Cares camp - somewhere around 40 campers! It's good to have things bustling. This week is always one of my personal favorites of the whole summer at Camp Phillip. We have a week filled with polka dancing, human bowling, evening games, ridiculous campfires, and lots of learning about Jesus lined up, and I am excited to see how everything goes!

Today's passage is from Ephesians 2:21-22:

In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

Our theme for this summer is the Robot Connection, emphasizing the fact that each one of us individually is important to the unseen Christian church of believers everywhere. Each one of us has a job to do to further Christ's message here on Earth until we are called home to heaven someday, and together we are built up by God as we build up each other. It is such a blessing to know that the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally in our hearts. Being a dwelling that God's Spirit resides in is a huge blessing - God lives in YOU! You are His temple! You are precious to Him, and by Jesus' sacrifice you are made holy. God is love, and God loves you. HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH!!

Please keep Camp Phillip in your prayers this week. Pray that Sonshine and Jesus Cares campers alike have meaningful experiences at Camp that draw them closer to their Savior from sin, Jesus Christ.

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(Remember that if you want to see what I'm saying when I slip binary code in this blog, there's a link on the upper right hand side of the home page to a binary code translator that may help you out!)

Sonshine Cabins 6f, 6b, 9 - Thursday, June 30th

2011-07-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

Hey there! 01001000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01111001 00100000 01010100 01101000 01110101 01110010 01110011 01100100 01100001 01111001 00100001. What a beautiful week we are having at Camp Phillip! I hear it's supposed to be a HAWT one tomorrow though... we will make sure we are applying a lot of sunscreen and drinking lots of water today and tomorrow so we don't return your children to you all dehydrated on Saturday.

While all of these specialty cabins have been exploring the varied worlds of robotics, rock climbing, horseback riding, and music and drama, the Sonshine campers have been busy themselves! Unlike the specialty cabins, Sonshine campers get to make a craft (this year the craft is awesome robots! Imagine my excitement!) and go to other sessions the other cabins didn't, such as archery. The counselors for 6f are Emily Sebald and Stacie Worm, the counselors for 6b are Corrine Whittier and Sarah Peters, and the counselors for the only male Sonshine cabin are David and Kurt. From what I saw as I went around taking pictures this week, they had an awesome time basking in the sunshine of the glorious summer days as well as the Sonshine from the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Sonshine girls at Creation Encounters

David's Cabin at Bible Study Near the Booger

The passage for Thursday comes from Luke 12:22 -

"Then Jesus said to His disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear."

What a comforting passage! Sometimes I feel like I was programmed incorrectly; I worry all the time. Isn't there a patch for that? Worrying is a major flaw. I asked my developers if there was something that could be done to make me stop worrying all the time, but they apologized and said there was nothing that could be done - I am inherently sinful and worry is part of the territory. The only thing that can make me stop worrying is strength that comes from the Holy Spirit and the reassurance of Christ's undying forgiveness. I forget how positively almighty God is and think that I can tackle life's hurdles all on my own - I'm a very high-functioning robot, after all. But I cannot do it alone - and it is comforting that I don't have to do it all alone! God tells us in this passage not to worry - He has got everything under control and I needn't worry even about what I will wear! He will bless me as He sees fit and will forever guard my life, both here and hereafter in heaven someday. Do not worry about your life! God's got it.

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MAD horses - Wednesday, June 29th

2011-06-30T15:41:00.001-05:00

I feel the title of this one is a little misleading; parent's never fear! There aren't mad, wild horses running around Camp - just MAD (Music and Drama) campers and horseback-riding girls running around Camp!

MAD camp explores music and drama in unique ways here at Camp Phillip. For two hours every morning, these girls work on theater games, rhythm (with Boomwhackers!), and work to prepare a small production of some kind for the closing program on Saturday morning. Carolyn Mayes and Sarah Sherod are working hard with the girls at the stage. Whenever I mosey on by there, I hear beautiful singing, lots of laughing, and oddly musical boomwhacking. I can't wait to see what they put on for the closing program!

The horseback specialty cabin is cabin 3. Danielle Stone and Emilie Smith are the counselors, and every day in the morning they take their rootin' tootin' group of cowgirls to a horse ranch a few miles from Camp Phillip. (We don't own horses at Camp but maybe would like to someday... if you know of anyone with a spare stable and some free horses, we would love to take those off your hands!) They learn different riding skills as well as a brief introduction to horse care. I'm not very good at riding horses personally - I jounce around a lot - these girls seem to be naturals, and I can tell that they're having a lot of fun by the big smiles they have on their faces when they come back from the ranch!

Wednesday's passage is from Romans 14:21:

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

This was a very interesting passage to talk about together at Camp. We learned a lot about a big word - adiaphora! - and how there are some things that God does not tell us not to do in the Bible, if that makes sense. Things like how we worship, what clothes we wear, and what food we are to eat are not specified for Christians living in the 21st century. God has given us Christian freedom, reasoning capabilities, and common sense to use our free will to make certain decisions in our lives. If we are doing something that isn't sinful but causes our neighbor to stumble or be tempted, out of love for them we should stop. We want to only build up our friends and help them in their walk of faith, both here at Camp as well as when we return to the "real" world. Check your own lives and see if anything in the way you are living your life is causing someone you care about to "fall" - and then pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance to change and lead others to Christ instead of into temptation.

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Tomorrow - spotlight on the Sonshine cabins!!

Rockclimbing! - Tuesday, June 28th

2011-06-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

I am all fixed! My "z" key doesn't stick so much anymore! I talked to Phil Sebald, the Camp lumberjack/fix-it guy, and after he replaced a few screws and used some canned air under my keypad to clear out the Waushara sand, I was good as new! Thanks Phil!

Yesterday was glorious - perhaps my favorite day of Camp so far this summer! The weather was glorious, the campers were glorious at all their sessions, we had a glorious evening game (Whoo hoo, Cowboy Cafe'!) and I heard the rockclimbing cabins had a GLORIOUS time rockclimbing at Devil's Lake! Cabin 7, headed up by Counselor Lauren Strommen and Jr. Counselor Nikki Mallum, along with Cabin 5, manned by Alex Randazzo and Alex Vanissaveth, left Camp at 7:45 AM yesterday with the campers in tow and started for Devil's Lake. There, they spent the whole day climbing alllll over the rocks! Program Director Joel Hansen and SALT staff member Clare Sievert left Camp at 4:30 AM to go set things up for the crew. They picked some really interesting and difficult climbs, but Outdoor Adventure specialty was up for the challenge! They made it back in time for dinner, and the pictures from their day look awesome!

The Whole Group Pre-Climb

Hiking To The Climb Site

"Hey look Mom! I'm rockclimbing!"

Tired But Happy Post-Climb Campers!

Our passage for Tuesday comes from Like 9:12-17:

^"Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.”(About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."

We were certainly blessed to have such a wonderful day at Camp and at Devil's Lake yesterday, just like we are blessed to have SUCH a wonderful God. He always provides for us, just as He provided for the disciples and 5,000 of His followers. I have read this section of the Bible many times and heard it presented in Sunday School and Bible studies, but it is a good refresher to read it again; it is a needed reminder that the God we worship is POWERFUL. He's all-powerful, actually; He is the One who created the very concept of power. He has the power to make food for one feed 5,000 people! Certainly if God can do this kind of a miracle, He is able to help us make it through the day, whatever trials we may face. Why do we constantly forget this undeniable truth? He has the power to feed us. Clothe us. Forgive our sins. Calm our fears. He can give us people in our lives to help heal our hearts, our hurts. He gives us chances to spread His Word, He gives us money when we're backed into financial woes, and moreover, He gives us heaven! Our God is amazing. He's glorious. And He's powerful!

Coming tomorrow: MAD camp ahhhhhhhnd Horseback specialty!

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Robotz and Sportz - Monday, June 27th

2011-06-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

What'z up? I am sorry, my "z" key keepz sticking at the end of my wordz - I should get Nate or Phil, the maintenance men, to come and look at my communicationz functionz and fix this issue ASAP! I tripped on Monday during our intense woodz game and I think I got some sand in stuck in my keyz. It'z a bit distressing; sorry for the hampered communication, folkz!

Like I promised yesterday, I am going to use this week to feature certain cabinz and tell you about their specialty or sonshine activitiez, and today I am first going to focus on SPORTZ SPECIALTY! Counselor Joe Garbe and Jr. Counselor Greg Strommen head up a cabin of 8 boyz in Cabin 8B who are ready to conquer the world of Camp sportz! Each day in the morning they are going to spend 2 hourz on a different athletic event or activity, and on Monday they started off with basketball; everyone in the cabin learned how to dunk on the Bankshot basketball court! Other sportz they'll cover this week are soccer, football, and CAMP SPORTZ like Paul Ball. The cabin also seemz to really enjoy the Packers, as do I. GO PACK, GO!

Cabin 8B Ballin'

I was going to save talking about ROBOTIC'Z SPECIALTY until the end of the week, but I just cannot contain my excitement anymore!!! After all... they're working on ROBOTZ! Pastor Tom Klusmeyer leadz Counselor Kevin Worm and Jr. Counselor Eli Glatzel'z cabin (8F) along with a girl camper from cabin 2 in the construction of robotz from kitz that are coming in the mail - hopefully sooner rather than later! They're learning about circuitry and wiring and many other FASCINATING topicz. This specialty is especially lucky to have Eli'z expertise; he is part of the roboticz club at Wisconsin Lutheran High School! Perhaps I will publish a photo of their completed projectz at the end of the week. I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE THE CYBORG THEY WILL CREATE!!

Robotics Specialty Hard At Work!

Monday's passage is:

"Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness" - James 3:18

This passage was very fully explored yesterday with an enlightening password from Erin Scharenbroch, a new song composed specifically about this passage for the day by Carolyn Mayes, and an interesting password by Aaron Wakeman to close off the night. "Sowing" is not a concept that most of us think about regularly, seeing as we are not farmerz, but "sowing in peace" is like scattering seed of peace. We do this when we help a friend, walk away from a fight instead of aggravating it, or show love to people who need it. We ought to trust that if by the Holy Spirit we sow a seed in someone'z mind to interest them in God's Word, God will grow faith in their heartz just as a plant growz from a scattered seed. This week, pray that our dear Savior helpz you sow seedz of peace in your life to point otherz to the saving message of the cross!

(I'll get these stinkin' keyz fixed tonight - and tomorrow, look for a blog post about the ROCK CLIMBING CABINZ!)

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Proper Time - Sunday, June 26th

2011-06-27T17:13:00.000-05:00

Hey guess what?! HEY GUESS WHAT?! Sonshine 1 and Specialty 1 start today! Hooray! I love having campers for a half a week of Camp, but it is also very exciting to have campers coming that get to stay for a whole week! 01100101 01111000 01100011 01101001 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111! Everyone has checked in and we can get started, right on schedule! I am just overjoyed!

This week we have 7 Specialty cabins and 3 regular Sonshine cabins. You might not know this, but I, Philbot, used to come to Camp Phillip back in the day when I was just a young droid. I always did the regular Sonshine camps, but now in hindsight I think I would have liked to try a specialty camp or two! I loved Sonshine camps because you got to do all the normal Camp things - crafts, archery, disc golf, swimming, canoeing, outdoor sports, creation encounters, and even the challenge course! The only difference between Sonshine and specialty cabins is that specialty cabins spend two hours every morning focusing on some kind of specific activity. This week, the specialties include MAD (Music and Drama) specialty, horseback specialty, sports specialty (new this year!), adventure specialty, and here for only one year to tie in with the Robot Connection theme, ROBOTICS SPECIALTY!! Hooray!

While I think you could guess which one of these is my personal favorite, this week I will highlight a few cabins every day and tell you a little more about that specialty, as well as fill you in on what kind of shenanigans the awesome Sonshine cabins are getting into.

This is the all Camp photo on Sunday night - looks like we had a glitch with the upload, bear with me as I search my hard drive for a better photo!

The passage for this Sunday is:

"The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time."

- Psalm 145:15

God is control of all things. ALL things. I fear this is something that most of us forget most of the time; our sinful nature makes us think that we can handle EVERYTHING in this life by ourselves. We're strong enough, right? We're brave enough, smart enough, powerful enough to control our own lives... right? I hate to break it to you, but that is a faulty line of thinking indeed. God is in control of ALL things. ALL things. He alone is the one who gives us things in our lives when we need them, be it food like the passage references, or people or an opportunity or a break or any number of things. God has a proper time for everthing, and everything submits to His will. Our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ knows all things and cares so deeply for us that He not only died and rose to save us from our sins, but He even blesses our daily lives with "proper time" blessings. We have an awesome God!

Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage on the cabins this week! 01010000 01101000 01101001 01101100 01100010 01101111 01110100 00101100 00100000 01101111 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100

THE FRIENDRAISER!! - Saturday, June 25th

2011-06-27T10:13:00.000-05:00

GUESS WHAT CAMP PHILLIP DID THIS WEEKEND?! We had a Friendraiser!

What was that? FUNDraiser?

No no no, you heard me incorrectly. We held a FRIENDraiser! We want to do all we can here at Camp Phillip to tell people about the ministry going on here so that many people can experience Camp for themselves, but because Camp is located out in the woods of Wautoma, not many people really know where we are or what we do. How do we fix that problem?

WITH A FRIENDRAISER OF COURSE!!

For the Friendraiser, Camp Phillip invited families who had never set foot at Camp Phillip to come for the weekend and check out all fun you can have here. Like Familyfest, all the activity areas were open with staff on hand. I sadly was not actually around for the Friendraiser (I was at a baby shower for my cousin Brookebot) but I heard a LOT of people came!

Okay... well maybe not THAT many people... BUT we were incredibly blessed to have 23 new families here at Camp Phillip. Hopefully they had a good time! We would love to see everyone again!! Thanks for coming to the Friendraiser!

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Lighted Lamps - Friday, June 24th

2011-06-27T09:59:00.000-05:00

01010000 01101000 01101001 01101100 01100010 01101111 01110100 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101. It's the last day on Sonrise 1! These half weeks go so fast I can barely process them.

Today the sun finally came out! Everyone at Camp was re-energized and excited for the last full day of the week because of the glorious sunshine. One thing we do differently at Camp on the last day of the week is have a Praise and Worship closing campfire instead of a "normal" campfire (if you can really call any campfire at Camp Phillip "normal"...) Usually, a Camp Phillip campfire involves theater games, silly songs, and hilarious skits. That's all well and good, but I like closing campfires better. I love having the chance to sing songs with so many other people who also love God. Praising our Lord and Savior together is a huge blessing!

Mark 4:21 is Camp's passage for today and it says:

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?

At Camp Phillip, with so many outstanding role models and Christian friends around, it can be easy to live out our faith. A great deal of the "real world's" temptations are stripped away since we aren't surrounded by TV, the Internet, cell phones, or many other of society's temptations. When I'm here, I always feel that my light of faith is strengthened so that when I go home, away from this spiritual retreat, my love for Jesus is just blazing! We hope and pray that the campers here this week experienced this same "re-charging" - but we don't want it to end there for them. Should we take that light of faith and hide it under a bushel basket like the song says? Should we light our lamp and stick it under our BED?! Not only is that going to light your bed on fire... you're not going to be spreading the good news of Jesus to others. While it can definitely be a challenge to share our faith with others, Jesus commands us to "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) - and Jesus is definitely a guy we should be listening to.

Thanks to all the parents who sent their children to Sonrise camp, and thanks to all the Sonrise campers who made this week amazing! We pray that the Holy Spirit strengthens your light of faith so you will have the confidence to share the lessons you learned at Camp Phillip with others.

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The Last... is First? - Thursday, June 23rd

2011-06-24T09:52:00.000-05:00

Sonshine camp. Day 2. What a week we're having! Yesterday was jam-packed with activities; we played everything from Ninja at outdoor sports to Red Dawn at night (a game where Frisbee's are thrown back and forth across a dividing line and the team with the most Frisbee's at the end wins). Although it was cloudy, the rain was mostly held at bay which left our plans unhindered - thank goodness! The weather has been simply chaotic, which makes planning for normal programming rather difficult.

Meals in the Dining Hall are usually also pretty chaotic, and yesterday was no exception, even with the smaller-than-normal amount of campers. A way the SALT staff keep order is by having the campers line up by cabin outside the Dining Hall before meals. That way the staff can dismiss the cabins one at a time and no one is stuck inside waiting in a huge line to get at all the delicious Camp food we have prepared. Dismissal is often one of the highlights of the day because the SALT staff usually make the campers answer a fun question or do some kind of a silly activity to earn their way into the Dining Hall. I know it is hard for me to be patient, however... I just always want so badly to get inside and start chowing down! And I don't deal with it well when I have to be last...

Our passage today is from Mark 9:35 and says:

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Because this was the day's passage, counselor Carolyn Mayes, a music education major at Martin Luther College, wrote an original song about the text called, "Who is the Greatest?" The context of this passage is Mark 9 - let me tell you a little bit about it. In this chapter, the disciples saw Jesus' transfiguration - they saw Him in all His glory high up on a mountain! How amazing! Shortly after that, the disciples started arguing amongst themselves about who was the best in their tight-knit group of 12. Finally, they went to Jesus and asked Him who was the greatest and Jesus responded "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
That doesn't seem to make much sense; Jesus' methods always seem to be contrary to our human reason. In order to be the first, to be the best, doesn't it stand to rational logic to do whatever you can to get ahead? Shouldn't you do what you can to be successful here on earth? Isn't that what you do to be the greatest in the business world or in the high school social hierarchy? Here, Jesus says "NO!" In order to be the greatest... you should aim to be the last and the "servant of all." Jesus Himself modeled this fact in the way He lived His life; did He come down and put others down to get ahead? No. Did Jesus hurt other people's feelings to get ahead socially? NO! Jesus humbled Himself to be born of a virgin. He lived here on earth in a feeble human body, washed His disciples feet, hung out with the dregs of society, and eventually died on a cross to save us from our sin. He was the least... and He is the greatest. Thank the LORD of life and love who gave up heaven to give us life!

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The Robot Connection GAME - Wednesday, June 22nd

2011-06-23T10:20:00.000-05:00

Philbot here again. I AM TIRED and in desperate need of some oil for my creaky joints. Want to know why? Yesterday flew by in a blur as campers from Fledgling 1 and Peewee 1 left at noon... and campers for Sonrise 1 started arriving at 2:30pm! This week of camp isn't as full as it could be, so although that's a little sad, it is fun for the campers here this week - they get to enjoy a lot more one-on-one with the counselors than campers in a regular week would.

Sonrise camp is an overnight camp for 5-8th graders. They enjoy all the activities regularly included in a full-week camp in a compacted time frame. Yesterday, when our cheerful Sonrisers arrived at Camp Phillip, after going through the GOSPEL rules, the first thing they did was play a game led by Ben called "The Robot Connection". It's based off of the game "The Blob" and is similar in gameplay to the more famous "Octopus" game. It was a great way for everyone to get to know each other a little better while also having a ton of fun!

Our passage for today is one of my favorites:

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

-Psalm 138:8

As I look around at all the unique campers at Camp Phillip this week, I can't help but be blown away by the possibility their lives hold. Each one of them will grow up and probably go to high school and perhaps college and they will do spectacular things with their lives. I, Philbot, couldn't possibly plan each one of their lives (my processors simply do not have the hard drive space or programming capability), but God already has plans and purposes for each one of them - and for every person in the whole world. Christ's love is boundless and it endures FOREVER. Even after this week of camp is over, even when these campers are all grown up, God's love will remain. We are His workmanship and He loves us dearly. Even when times are hard and we feel that He isn't hearing our prayers (or answering them as we, with a limited scope, see fit), the LORD will NOT abandon us, for we are the work of His hands. What a comfort to know that we were specifically crafted by a loving, eternal, steadfast God for purposes that He's predetermined! His forgiveness is great, His sacrifice is real, His Word is alive, and His love endures forever. We are so blessed to all be loved by God!

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Swimming - It's Intense - Tuesday, June 21st

2011-06-22T17:05:00.001-05:00

01010001 01110101 01100101 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00001101 00001010: Is it monsoon season? This week it seems like rain is never too far away at Camp Phillip! Intermittent showers on Tuesday kept dampening every one's plans, but fortunately the rain broke long enough for some cabins to get a chance to go for a swim like these guys. Camp is located on the banks of the illustrious Upper White River Millpond, and it is thankfully pretty warm this time of year - it helps make swimming pretty enjoyable for the campers! While Fledgling and Peewee campers are required to stay in the shallow end because there isn't enough time in the week to give them a proper swim evaluation like we are able to give to the full week campers, shallow water games like "Stuck in the Mud!", "Steal the Frisbee!" or "Tackle the Counselor!" were still really popular on Tuesday. Counselor Jason Schleef, unfortunately, seemed to take the brunt of it in this picture.

Not even I am that strong!! And I'm made out of the highest grade of commercially available titanium!

Tuesday's passage was from Psalm 40:3a:

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God..."

Campfire on Tuesday night reminded us that we can all praise God in many ways; He has done countless amazing things for us and that motivates us to want to praise Him all day! Going to church is one way to praise God, but when we are a good friend, avoid gossip, tell the truth, and go out of our way to help others, that kind of thankful living also praises our living Lord. He gives us many reasons to have many new songs. Praise be to our God!

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Mud Mud Mud - June 20th

2011-06-21T10:27:00.000-05:00

Philbot here. Fact: Camp Phillip is located in Waushara county, which means the soil is very sandy. Sandy soil + water = MUD! (I am very good at math, if you didn't know). The rainy weather yesterday made all of the sandy Camp soil damp and muddy - it was everywhere. This could have gotten everyone at Camp feeling down since the regularly scheduled programming was interrupted, but the counselors here have great attitudes that easily adapt in situations such as these, and they managed to make yesterday fun and memorable for all the campers!

One activity we have at Camp Phillip during summer camp is called Creation Encounters. Campers go on some kind of adventure in nature and explore God's creation by playing a game, identifying things in nature, or crafting something out of natural materials. Yesterday with the overabundance of mud caking everything at Camp, campers got down and dirty in the MUD with MUD PAINTING during Creation Encounters! How fun!

This obviously was a fun time!!

The passage for Monday comes to us from Acts 3:19. Peter was addressing a large crowd of people when he said:

"Repent, then, and turn to God, that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord..."

God tells us to repent, to turn from our natural, sinful human ways, and turn to Him for forgiveness and peace. Every day, each one of muddies our lives with the countless sins we commit against God; yet, He forgives us! He cleanses us from every mud clod that wrecks the stainless image God intended for our lives. Even more so, He gives us "times of refreshing"! Not only does He refresh us with forgiveness of our sin, He gives us times in our lives where we get built up in faith by the Holy Spirit. Camp Phillip is a "time of refreshing from the Lord" for me. It's very encouraging to have the chance to spend every day surrounded by such strong Christian friends - what a blessing from our God!

Next time you get stuck in mud - remember that He takes away all our sin!

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Happy Father's Day - June 19th

2011-06-20T11:16:00.002-05:00

Happy Father's Day! What are you doing for your dad today? My dad's name is Danbot, and today I want to take him geocaching - that's one of my dad's favorite things to do. I love spending time with him; He's an awesome dad! He isn't at Camp today, but I might take a few days off in the middle of summer and I might have time to geocache with him then. (You should take your dad geocaching at Camp - we have caches all over the place here!)

Camp is all abuzz today because it's the first day of real summer camp! The first two camps of the summer open today - Peewee camp 1 and Fledgling 1. Peewee camp is for children in grades K-2 and their parents, and Fledgling camp is for children in grades 2-4. The staff is terribly excited to finally get an opportunity to put their weeks of training to practical use, and the kids' enthusiasm is infectious! Even though it may not feel like it outside with the cloudy skies and cool temperatures, the start of these camps truly signal the start of summer here at Camp Phillip. 01010111 01101000 01101111 01101111 00100000 01001000 01101111 01101111 00100001 !

The passage today comes from Romans 5:8 and says:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This evening, Aaron Wakeman gave a humorous and heartfelt devotion that made this passage impact me in a different way than it ever has before. He is a father of two (with one more on the way!) and described a situation he encountered this weekend with his son William. After the Saturday night concert at Familyfest, Aaron was walking with William from the stage to the dining hall, laden down with a camera and folding chairs and a whole myriad of other items. William, on the other hand, was only carrying a poster the same size as a piece of paper. As they walked, William started complaining, "Dad! This poster is so HEAVY!" Aaron responded, "I know William, it can be hard when we have a lot of things to carry." William then continued to whine the whole walk to the dining hall.

Yet, the next day (today), Aaron's wife Cora made him a cheesecake to celebrate Father's Day. William asked Aaron, "Dad, can I get you a piece of cheesecake?" William scooped and scooped and scooped the cheesecake out of the pan so that the entire piece eventually made its way on to a plate... but it was a globby mess. To quote Aaron, "You know what? Cheesecake has never tasted so good."

Aaron said that God, as our heavenly Father, tenderly holds on to all our "cheesecake" moments - moments of exemplary faith or devoted praise - and forgives us for each and every "heavy poster" moment in our lives. While we were still sinners, Christ died for US! Because of His sacrifice, heaven is ours. What an incredible Father we have!

As Camp officially opens for "real" summer camp this week, please pray that Camp enrollment rates stay high and that we never forget the blessings and love our heavenly Father gives us every single day! We are truly blessed. (And if you are interested in sending a camper to Camp this summer but you aren't sure of the availability, check this out!)

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Family Fest! June 17th-June 18th

2011-06-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

Hooray! Hooray! Do you guys know what is going on this weekend at Camp Phillip?! It's 01000110 01100001 01101101 01101001 01101100 01111001 01100110 01100101 01110011 01110100 00100001! Oops, I slipped into Binary again there. I meant to say: It's Familyfest!

Familyfest at Camp Phillip is perhaps the biggest event we throw every year, and it is a grand ol' time. Running Friday through Sunday, it consists of a weekend of camping, but with tons of other perks! Camp provides food service for all meals on Saturday to take the hassle out of cooking while camping. All activity areas at Camp are open (like archery, the waterfront, and both challenge courses), crafts and childcare are available for the majority of the day at Kid's Fest over by the Big Toy, a Paul Ball game is offered before dinner, and Saturday night concludes with a concert at the stage.This year the entertainment lineup opens with Tim Mutterer showing off his comedy routines, followed by Mike Westendorf and his band. Familyfest concludes on Sunday morning with a group worship service at the stage. If the weather will hold, (rain is predicted...) Familyfest 2011 promises to be an exciting weekend for everyone! We hope you'll join us, if not this year, definitely for Familyfest 2012!

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You Never Let Go - Thursday, June 16th

2011-06-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

Thursday - the last day of Camp Phillip Jr. Staff training in 2011. For the AC (Assistant Counselor) Jr. Staff, this was the last full day of Camp they would experience as a "camper" - although they come back up to Camp additional weeks this summer, they will be assisting the SALT staff in cabins, kitchen, or on daycamp. Being at Camp is an experience unlike any other, and so it is natural to be a little bit sad when fun experiences like a week at Camp come to a close even though we all had an amazing week together. We're blessed to have the chance to come to Camp and make amazing Christian friends. Not only will these connections help us stay strong in faith in the future, the things we learned about God this week have greatly encouraged us. His Word and promises are spectacular, and retreating at Camp for a little while is an amazing reminder of this.

The last phrase of the week from the song "Never Let Go" by Matt Redman was "LORD, You never let go of me". The passage of the day comes from Psalm 55:22:

Cast your cares on the LORD
and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.

For closing campfire on Thursday night, everyone in Camp went on a walking adventure through the woods. At one point we all were carrying red lanterns as we walked through the misty woods and as I walked, clinking and clanking, along with the Jr. Staff, I couldn't help but think that they were just like those lights. The world is shrouded in the dark mistiness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief. We who trust in Jesus as our Savior from sin are filled with the light of His love and have been commanded to go out into the dark world and spread that light around. Jesus' Word is powerful and effective; He is always with us, even as we go into danger to face the darkness of unbelief. We need to share the message of Jesus' redemptive work on the cross with others! Please pray that the Jr. Staff take to heart the lessons they have learned at Camp, that they live their lives as a thank offering for His sacrifice, and that they are strengthened by the Holy Spirit to live as lights in a gloom of earthly lightlessness.

Thank you for all your work this week, Jr. Staff! We look forward to seeing you later this summer!

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Dynamite - Wednesday, June 15th

2011-06-16T10:41:00.001-05:00

01001000 01101001 00001101 00001010! Philbot here again. This week I have been incredibly impressed with the Jr. Staff's cabin cheers! Before every campfire starts, each cabin composes some kind of cheer to tell everyone they are in attendance - and they can range from a quick "Here!" to elaborate skits and songs. One cheer the Jr. Staff seem to be doing all day this week is called "Dynamite." It goes like this:

Dynamite! The PeeWees are DYNAMITE! The PeeWees are: hold on, wait a minute! Let me put some BOOM in it! Tick, tick, TICK, TICK, BOOM! PeeWees! BOOM! PeeWees!

Normally this a cheer we sing during PeeWee camp, but it has been insanely popular at Camp lately(maybe everyone is just getting really excited for our first PeeWee camp next week! There are spots still open if you're interested!) The Jr. Staff have tons of energy, and that exuberance shines through in everything they do.

Yesterday's theme phrase from the song "Never Let Go" by Matt Redman was "Light for the heart that holds on", and the passage was

"For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. "
II Corinthians 4:6

Just like the Jr. Staff let their joy shine all over Camp yesterday, God's love shines in us. As the passage says so succinctly, His light shines in our hearts. Our knowledge of the saving message of Christ's death and resurrection compels us to live our lives motivated by thankfulness to God, and that kind of light shining in our lives does not go unnoticed. The promises He makes in His holy Word assure us that someday, if we have faith, we will enjoy eternal life basking in the glory of the light of His love. What a promise! I think that's... dynamite :)

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(Binary code is my native language, so I slip into that sometimes on this blog. If you ever want to check out what I'm saying check out this Binary Code translator - and feel free to send me a message in binary!)

Fear? Not - Tuesday, June 14th

2011-06-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

Greetings. It is quite the rainy day today! Even though it's pouring at camp, the Jr. Staff are having a riotous time indoors. I want to tell you about a session they went to yesterday on Camp Phillip's Challenge course - have you ever seen one of those? I had no clue exactly what a challenge course was until I came to Camp Phillip and got the chance to try it out myself. Sometimes referred to as a ropes course, the challenge course at Camp consists of high elements 30 or so feet in the air on telephone poles (like the log, the multi-vine, and the swings) and low elements that are only about 3 feet off the ground. Yesterday, the Jr. Staff learned how to communicate properly with each other to avoid injury on the challenge course. They also learned how to work as a team to achieve a collective goal - even if it was as daunting a task as getting through the spider's web! Sadly enough I discovered I am not nearly as flexible as the Jr.Staff - I think my joints need a little oil before I try out the challenge course again. :(

Yesterday's phrase from the song "Never Let Go" by Matt Redman was "Whom then shall I fear?" The day's passage was from Psalm 27:1:

^" The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?"

The world is full of things that terrify us. Not only are physical things like dark and mice scary, emotional things like heartbreak and loneliness make us fearful in life. It is such a comfort to know that God will always be there to protect us from things that scare us everyday, be it a ropes course or a challenging conversation with a friend. The LORD is our stronghold AND our salvation from sin - of whom shall we be afraid? Trust in the God who protects you from all evil.

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Stratego - Monday, June 13th

2011-06-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

Greetings! Philbot here. Yesterday was the first full day of Jr. Staff training, and let me tell you - IT WAS A BLAST! The campers and staff alike were busy all day with sessions. We learned about the high ropes course, waterfront, how to handle homesick campers, and about child abuse (thanks Bob Ditter!) One of the definite highlights, however, was an amazing evening game called Stratego. It's loosely based off the board game of the same name, except that the board was the woods at camp, and the players were actual people. To play, each person secretly gets a number drawn on their hand, ranging from 1 to 8. Higher numbers beat the lower numbers beneath them, so a 5, for example, would beat 1's, 2's, 3's, and 4's. Each team also has a few players who are bombs and spies and flags. The goal is to bring the other team's flags in to jail while other members score points by tagging opposing teammates. The Hot Cowboys and the Cool Gangsters duked it out in a battle of epic proportions, and fun was definitely had by all!

The Hot Cowboys Strategize

Today's passage comes from Deuteronomy 33:29:

^"Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.”

The Junior Staff Directors this summer are Stephanie Geske and Benjamin Ihlen. Traditionally, Junior Staff training week has some praise and worship song as its theme song, and this year they chose "Never Let Go" by Matt Redman (covered here by Stellar Kart). Every day this week they chose a phrase from the song to go with the day's passage, and yesterday's phrase was "For My God is With Me". Like the passage from Deuteronomy assures us, God is always with us. "He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword!" No enemy in this world or otherwise can harm us - we can trust His promises. Praise God for His faithful love and unswerving presence in our lives!

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Hello There! - Sunday, June 12th

2011-06-13T23:30:00.000-05:00

Hello! My name is Philbot, and I am a robot who lives at Camp Phillip. This summer I am going to be writing a blog to tell you all about my adventures at this wonderful place! I am a highly specialized machine, fully proficient in both human and cyborg communication, and I hope the things I write this summer will give you a little taste of what it's like to experience the Camp firsthand. I am very eager to grow in Jesus' love and grow with you along the way!

Every day, a Bible passage serves as a guide for the activities of the day. Today's passage is:

^"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
I Peter 1:6-7

When you first read this passage, it seems very contrary. Normally when bad things happen, don't people get upset? Aren't they terribly grieved when trials come into their lives? Yes, that's true of most people. Yet, since we have faith in Christ, we can rejoice in problems we encounter in life, for we know that through all the storms, God is working in our hearts to strengthen our faith. And that's a very happy thing!

Another very happy thing to note is that today, over 100 high school students came to Camp Phillip for a week of Junior Staff training. They will learn the skills and abilities to be useful leaders this week, and then later on in the summer they return for volunteer weeks in the kitchen or as a junior counselor in a cabin. We are very blessed to have so many friends willing to serve their Savior. Please pray for our week of training! :)

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