Robot Races - Friday, July 8th

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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