the green spot blog

The title to this week's camp blog really is inspired by the thousands of yards (quite literally) of embroidery thread that our campers have gone through this week. Sometimes I think we likely keep the thread business going with how much we (and every camp) must go through in two months. The title doesn't just have to do with the bracelets that are made but something Dan talked about last night at campfire. He talked about our circles of friends who who we need to surround ourselves as we go home from camp. How we need to have friends around us that are holding us, centered in Jesus - helping us stand firm in the faith. We also talked about sin and the how God forgives us and how we can say yes to following Him. There was ice cream/brownie socials, night games, Pro Skills, Jug 'n' Jog, and more amazing superhero costumes than you can shake a stick at. It was SO much fun! Here are some of the testimonies from Campfire last night: I don't have ...

It's been an amazing week! Yes, yes - we say that every week but seriously - it's been a super week. And this week we had to enlarge our Fort Firering again . Isn't that awesome? Read about this really unique challenge we have here on our Reaching Higher Blog . Weather has been just perfect. No rain, not too smokey, and warm enough for our Creek Party and Field BBQ. Could you ask for anything more? Well - there was also horseback riding, ziplining, climbing, paintball, artsy awesomeness, and wide games galore! Jug 'n' Jog, Ketchup to the Flag, Human Sized Clue, Pandemic just to name a few. We had one last chance this morning to go on some wagon rides, play on the Balance Beam, Leap of Faith, and Climbing Wall. Brennan, our speaker for the week, from Dalhousie Church in Calgary shared stories from his own life and also about Moses throughout the week. Testimonies from this week were especially cool. Here are something of the things that were shared in th...

There you have it. We've closed out our sixth week at Evergreen and it was awesome. The weather was (mostly) cooperative and no matter what the sky handed us - we had a heap of fun. Before I get into Ignite 2 - I wanted to take a moment to talk about our Interns. We have two different "phases" to training up young leaders before they start working as staff. The first phase is Pit Crew. A two week, fully immersive program for kids in Grade 9-10. They learn the "behind-the-scenes" and what it means to have a Servant Heart for God. The second phase is a 6 week Internship. Thirteen young leaders joined us from our first week until the end of last week - each choosing an area of focus (cabin leading, barn, kitchen, A-Team, or A/V) to practice living out their passions and love for camp. It was amazing watching these young leaders grow in confidence and courage through the six weeks and we're very excited to see them back here next summer as full time staff...

  This really was the commitment this week by all staff and campers as we did not have much respite from the rain this week. If you looked at the smiles on the campers' faces and how crazy loud it got in the Dining Hall as the week went on - you would never know just how much rain actually fell at camp this week. We had some sun - and in the end only one or two activities got pushed. I'll give you something though - our Ignite 1 and Roughin' It Boys 1 kids are troopers. Rain or Shine - these kids were out to have fun this week. This week on Base Camp (Ignite 1), Tom Mulhern from Dalhousie Church in NW Calgary spoke to us about identity . He started the week off by showing us some pretty funny pictures of himself in Junior High and stories of where he grew up. He challenged each of us to start to answer the question of "Who am I?". The next night Tom posed the question... Who are you? What does the world say about you - how does the world define you? He had...

  This is the part where you would answer..."Wha'sup Jogee"! Wowzers! Was it hot this last week or what?!? The sun was out in an extreme way this week as temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday hit 30+. We're pretty thankful on those days to have the creek and lots of trees to keep us cool.  Our Ignite camp this week wsday night we talked about how our God isn't a little man-made idol but how God (big G - remember?) is the all-powerful invisible God who created the world, who sent His son to die on the cross for our sins and conquered deathas full of energy, tackling each game with enthusiasm and glee. I also have to say that the competition this week between the Caravans and for Cleanest Cabin was off the charts. Our Interns also celebrated their last week of their programs. Six weeks they've been here learning how to be Camp Evergreen Staff. Working as Cabin Leaders, Barn Staff, A/V Staff, or A Team - they have grown and been stretched throughout...

We're approaching the end of our second week of camp here and it's been a good one! Yes, it rained a bit but the sun was also out for a large part of the week.  As we close out today - the wind is blowing and the rain keeps falling (we're pretty okay with that so that the firefighters get a bit of help and we can keep having campfires in the evenings). Our Igniters were tough this week - playing when it was hot and playing when it poured rain. Right from the beginning - we knew it was going to be an exciting week. The Ignite campers sang loud in chapel and ran hard in games. As you saw on our Facebook Page - Wednesday's weather was perfect for the Party at the Creek and Field BBQ...followed by one of our favourite games, B3C. I have to say though, our Roughin' It Campers are the toughest. While all campers this week had to play through the rain at points - the Ignite Campers get to get inside heated, lit cabins at night. Those Roughin' Campers tough i...

Wow. Can I just say wow? Wow. 2014 has kicked into high gear and we're only 8 days in. Registrations for Summer Camp launched on Monday and we're already dozens AND dozens of registrations ahead of last year. Apparently we're not the only ones excited for camp this summer. And that only makes me more excited (if that's even possible). I LOVE camp. If you've never met me - well, here's the first things to know about me - I love Jesus and I love camp. I love the crazy games and dressing up for no reason other than to be goofy. I love wide games and singing. I love turning cabins into wild adventures for Cabin Cleaning. I love watching kids and staff be transformed by the power of Jesus. Did you know that's why we get up early and stay out late doing all those crazy things? So that we can see Lives Transformed by the Power of Jesus. I seriously have goosebumps right now just writing about it. So in amidst hunting dinosaurs (Jurassic Park), stealing re...

Hey Peeps! Summer might be fading with the colour on the trees but it's still very alive in our memories. Things like Bacon playing his bagpipes up to the Tuck Shop before he got pied and Sid Koop sharing the word each day with us. Here are some pictures to (jug 'n') jog your memory: And above all - do not forget that God loves you. Fiercely.