the green spot blog

Nearly always - when I write about our little Sparks or Jr. Explorer campers - that's how I describe them: Little but Mighty. There are very good reasons that I do. These are campers who are generous, caring, truthful, excited, and energetic. Not at all to say that our other age groups aren't - but there is a little extra dose of all of that in these little ones. They can imagine the world as a better place and will act on it - one little act of kindness at a time. Sparks and Jr. Explorer camps are our slowest to fill - most often because parents are bidding their time, gently asking their young ones if they would like to come to camp. Put yourself in their shoes... Child (with big, giant doe eyes): What's camp?  What am I going to do there?  Are you (my parents) going to be there?  Do I know anybody? Will I like the food? I mean...I only like KD and hot dogs...Will I get KD and hot dogs? How long? Like how many sleeps? Can I stay with my sister or brother?...

This week may have been a short week for us but our Sparks might be the biggest gift. We love our littlest campers as they play the hardest, sing the loudest, and star jump the most enthusiastically. They are such amazing gifts from God and we sure do love everything about them...from their alligator house coats and princess PJs and more.   Some of the funnier things you would have seen or heard this week would have been along the lines of how this was the best week of their life (when they received TWO pieces of tuck) or how they are able to ANYTHING (after riding a horse). These campers know the magic of living in the moment and enjoying everything (right down to the sticks they collect all week long). Rather than sharing a bunch of testimonies - I just want to share this short story about something a camper shared with one of our staff. A camper asked about how God makes day and night and so I explained that it's really cool how God made the world t...

Heellllloooo! Sorry about this blog being a smidge tardy. It's been a busy couple of weeks for us and so a small breather was in order. We went from Explorers right into Family Camp with a day off, into Sparks and then right into Ignite 2. Wowzers - everybody take a breath with me. - Still breathing - Are we good? All right! Let's get into it. SPARKS! These are our youngest campers aging from going to grade 1 to 4. They have a TONNE of energy and our staff love chasing them around to all of the activities. Pony Rides, Climbing Walls, Archery, Canoeing, Crafts...you name it - these Sparkies conquered it. Our speaker, Catherine, from Chestermere told the Big God Story on Sunday night and then on another night - talked about how we can be PART OF THE BIG GOD STORY. What an amazing truth. On the last evening - she brought one of our favourite puppets, Rocky the Raccoon. Rocky taught us that God does not make junk. Catherine has used Rocky in previous years here an...

Sparks is one of the favourite weeks here. So many little people running around and having the time of their life. For me it's special because a couple years ago I knew a little boy that was the same age as our Sparks who kept asking his parents about this man Jesus that he was learning about and God, the Father who created the Earth. His parents, wanting to engage in conversation with their 5 year son decided each to take an Alpha Course to learn more themselves. Less than a year later - both parents became Christians and were baptized. I love the honesty and curiosity of the Sparks. How they say what they think and have such a keen mind for remembering. They love to adventure and play games. THAT'S what makes Sparks Week so cool. Our Speaker for the week was Brooke from Red Deer. She told exciting stories about Joshua, Gideon, Jonah, and finally Jesus who came to save us. Check out some of the shinanigans from the week:   We're about to start...