it's about 7:15 in the morning as the arkansas sky creeps through the cracks of the dark, warm cabin. you're awaken to birds chirping, trees swaying from the soft, serene wind. out your window you see a big sky and an opportunity. suddenly, music starts to play from the loudspeakers and you have ten kids start to stir for the morning. you and your co-counselor start to wake up your kids to prepare for the morning show and breakfast. you're usually met with the task of getting ten fifteen year old boys up and ready in only ten minutes. you see the usual cast of characters at the morning show. dave with his announcements and opportunities, patrick with sports and inspiration. you might even received a lesson in safety from none other than safety louise. depending on the day, breakfast can either be hit-or-miss. regardless, a healthy breakfast will go a long way for what's next.
all of a sudden, tribal music is streamed over the speakers and the children start to get excited and anxious for the morning competition. we all descend in the field house for the morning fire up. then, like two warriors running to battle, over 800 kids run to their respective fields of play. some of these kids leave their hearts and souls on the fields. they run, pass, throw, score, kick and swim. close games are common. overtimes usually happen. so much drama and it's only 9:15 in the morning. some games end with tears others end with broken wrists. regardless, we all come together at the end to evaluate the day and to pray.
perhaps one of the more chill times of the day are when the kids have their period where they participate in three different activities throughout camp. many of the babies struggle to get to their periods equipped with a large piece of duct tape on their dirty t-shirt. the older kids struggle with attendance and just like in high school, skip to participate in "cooler" events.
lunch follows this and the respective chow halls are rockin' with the sounds of booty shakin' and back achin'. just like breakfast, lunch can also be very hit-or-miss. after lunch, kids eagerly wait in line for the day's mail, each kid wary of what the other kid got from their parents. emails, letters, packages with silly putty, crazy hats and usually illegal items like candy are what filled the small post office each and everyday. then, a mad dash occurs to see who gets to read the d-tails first. we all return to the cabin and rest period begins. some kids are more enthusiastic about this time than others. the age depends on how much rest you actually receive.
what might be the most ridiculous part of the day occurs immediately following rest period. all of a sudden, a sound not registered on the regular scale of sound is heard from above. it's almost as if we are being attacked by another country and the warning sirens are going off. fortunately, we aren't being attacked and its just a lady who although small is stature packs a powerful punch of sound. it's a mad dash to the ropes course and/or the water front. children run as if they were being chased by a large monster with big teeth and poison shooting from it's eyes. this is camp and it's happening fast. you look out of the tall trees and canopies of the ropes course onto the waterfront where five massive creations filled with air are being jumped onto and off of into the chilly waterfront. some children do the same thing each and everyday for two hours straight and for 12 days straight. finally, the familiar music is played sounded the end of what we call mish mash.
after dinner which is similar to lunch and breakfast, certain age groups meet in a location to jump, scream, sing and dance. rocky top, all star and taylor swift will always be welcomed with shoes off and high jumps. we try our hardest to get the kids to calm down after such a high adrenaline day to sit and listen to the Word being spoken by one of the highly respected members of the permanent staff.
then, a party breaks out. dancing, games, snacks and red powerade are what fills this next part of camp. think of it as the biggest and most fun fraternity party you've ever been to without the obvious stuff that wouldn't be allowed at a christian summer camp. 800 of your closest friends are there and you have a blast. you can bash cars, dance til you drop, make foam pit angels or even ride thunder, a mean but large bull. nonetheless, we all come together at the end of the event to show off our dancing and singing skills.
as we head back to the cabins, the kids quickly call for order of the showers. children must be showered and ready to go for the most important time of the day. this is their time, this is God's time. some can last for 30 minutes. some might last for three hours. there might be tears but definitely laughter and joy. stories to be told and lessons to be learned. this is the most important time at camp. this is why the kids are here.
after this, you prepare the kids for bed and usually have to fight off temptations to go raid that one cabin where your camp crush is. after about an hour of last minute conversations and attempts to use the bathroom just one more time, all of your kids fall vast asleep with tomorrow on their minds. you have time to just sit there and look out the window at that southern sky with the stars flickering and shining so bright. suddenly you get this feeling in your stomach that everything is right and that everything is well. this is what i love. this is why i keep coming back every year. this is my passion. this is CAMP OZARK.
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