Anticipating January!
December 19th, 2008I know what you’re thinking. Its pretty hard to look past December 25th right now. After all, if you’re like me, you still have 317 gifts to buy before packing up the bags and heading off to your annual all-desert smorgasbord. But for Marcus Corey and I, it’s hard not to look past Christmas to the exciting MRO events that will be happening this January, February and March. Of course, it all kicks off with the MRO reunion. I don’t want to give away any secrets, but this reunion is going to be something really special. Along with all the things I have already mentioned in blogs and emails, there will also be the first annual MRO broomball tournament, some huge MRO-style Christmas trees, and a bonfire big enough to… well… you know… keep you warm in Jackman Maine. If you still need to sign up, you can do so by clicking HERE.
The reunion isn’t the only thing to look forward to though. You will also have the opportunity to bump into Marcus and I in a number of other settings. Check out the events below to see where you might be able to get involved. Thanks to the kindness of our regional Camp Ambassadors, we will be bringing camp to you this winter with events at several homes across the Northeast. We will also be speaking in chapels at Christian schools, and hosting some special indoor climbing events with New England churches. There are lots of ways to get involved over the next few months, so take a look below and see what we are doing near you.
January 2-4th – MRO reunion!
January 15th – Chapel at The Master’s School: Simsbury, CT
January 31st – Regional Home event at the Lobel’s: East Greenbush, NY
February 4th – Chapel at Pioneer Valley Christian School: Springfield, MA
February 6th – Chapel at Laconia Christian School: Laconia, NH
February 7th – Bethany Covenant Church Jr. High Climbing Event: Manchester, NH
February 13th – Regional Home Event at the Parr’s: Tewksbury, MA
February 21st – Bethany Covenant Church Sr. High Climbing Event: Manchester, NH
February 28th – Calvary Church Climbing Event: Trumbull, CT
March 6th – Regional Home Event at the Boronow’s (Sr.), Trumbull, CT
March 7th – Regional Home Event at the Blount’s: Barrington, RI
Week of March 8th – Regional event with the Bonds: Charlton, MA
Date TBD – Climbing event with Grace Chapel: Lexington, MA
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Check back in on January 9th to hear about the retreat and about other MRO news.
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Camp Life Pulls a 360°
December 5th, 2008I’ve done a lot of adventurous things in my life. I’ve hiked the 46 High Peaks in New York State. I’ve been cliff diving, rock climbing, water skiing, backwoods snow skiing, I’ve been on survival hikes, and I’ve even run barefoot through the streets of Honduras (a story to be completed in another blog entry perhaps). One thing I have never done though, is a 360° spin on a snowboard. Actually, I’ve never snowboarded, so that pretty much limits my chances. Even on skis though, I have never made a full rotation to land face forward after intentionally spinning on a jump. You can guess what the result has been when I’ve tried. A partial rotation on a ski jump means a bruised body and a face-full of snow. Unless you make a full turn – 360° – you are going to fall… hard.
The theme for MRO’s first ever winter reunion will be “Camp life pulls a 360°.” It’s appropriate because for the first time, camp will be hosting our summer campers in the winter – making the extra effort to go the entire year round. All this talk of spins and full rotations though, has gotten me thinking about another reality in camping. When we come to camp, its usually for just a summer, a session, a week, or even as little as a weekend. When we are there, we are often inspired to work harder at being God’s child and his devoted disciple. We show all the traits of being stronger and more motivated people. The problem is that after leaving, some of us don’t complete the rotation. The result is that we fall flat on our faces.
Sometimes, campers remind me of the Israelites in the Egyptian wilderness. They saw the power of God as few had seen it before or have seen it since. Can you imagine looking across from the MRO dock toward Boundary Bald Mountain and seeing the pond rise up in watery walls on either side to leave a dry path across the pond floor? You would be absolutely floored by what you had seen (you also might be floored by the fishy smell of the muck on the bottom of the pond). The Israelites saw God do this with the Red Sea. There could be no greater spiritual high. The people, including Moses, were literally singing to God to express their joy that he had made a way for them.
Later though, they failed to complete the rotation. While Moses was away, they turned
from God and began worshiping idols! Had they been snowboarding or skiing, this fall would have been a yard sale (if you are not familiar with “yard sale” as a ski term, the picture to the right is worth a thousand words). Did they forget what God had shown them at the Red Sea? I doubt it. No one in modern times saw it, but we still know it as one of the most memorable stories in all of scripture.
More likely I think they were just searching for the feeling they had had at the Red Sea. They where trying to make that amazing spiritual feeling into a permanent reality. Unfortunately for them, God is not just the God of parting seas and burning mountains. He is the God of sunrises, sunsets, sock-drawer choices, and morning commutes. Not everything about life as God’s child gets our blood pumping with excitement. As you all know, some of it even makes us wonder at times if there isn’t an easier way to live.
That is why camp can seem like an anomaly in Christian life. For those two or four weeks of the year, we can’t turn a corner without being struck by the beauty of God’s creation. For two weeks, most everyone around us is supportive of our efforts at discipleship. For those two weeks, God just seems more… accessible.
I hope that this year’s winter retreat will be a reminder of the promise God gave the Israelites just before they emerged from the wilderness. It’s a promise that while not addressed to us directly, certainly applies to our lives. God told Joshua, the leader of his people after Moses, “Do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” The next time we feel like camp and the spiritual growth that happened there is a distant memory, let’s remember that the God of Moose Hall, the God of our closing campfires, the God who parted the Red Sea, is right there with us through the Holy Spirit. The next time we feel like rushing into our day without first sharing with God in prayer or by reading his Word, let’s remember He is right there with us. He’s waiting for us to stop ignoring Him and acknowledge his presence.
I can’t wait to see you all up at MRO, this time in the SNOW! I hope you are all planning on coming, and are building up a tolerance for large quantities of hot chocolate. There will be cocoa aplenty at camp as well as snowmen to build, tubes to race, friends to see, and memories to share by a warm fire. I’ll see you there.
Remember to check back on December 19th for the next Moose Tracks Blog entry. If you want to read more about Moses and the Israelites, check out Exodus chapters 14-15 and chapter 32 as well. To read about God’s promise to Joshua, read Joshua chapter 1.
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8/2/08
August 2nd, 2008It’s hard to believe, but the last vans have now left camp. All that’s left here is a staff; tired, but sentimental about our memories as we clean up our cabins, put away our equipment, and prepare for the conference season. It seems like just last week that this staff arrived, eager to build their leadership skills and to build up the character of every camper who chose to spend time this summer at MRO. Each staff member here feels a healthy sense of accomplishment having served wholeheartedly for the last four weeks, but the real work this summer happened at that whim of God’s hands, not ours. Thank you to all those of you who read this blog and prayed along with the concerns of camp.
As our conference season begins, there are a number of things you can look forward to. For one, you can expect to hear from more than one writer on the Moose Tracks Blog. Marcus Corey, our conference director will be offering the occasional update as well as sharing some of his favorite memories of the summer. Likewise, MRO may be coming to you at some point this year. Between December and April, Marcus and I will be visiting homes and arranging MRO reunions across the country. If you would be interested in hosting one of these events, please contact me at (603) 875-3600. It is relationships that fuel our ministry here at MRO, and we are committed to building them up regardless of the season.
Thank you for “tracking” with the events of camp this summer. God is good and it is a joy to share stories of his goodness with each of you.
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7/29/08
July 29th, 2008Tuesday is here, and every cabin has returned safely and happily from their various trips. This session our staff seemed inclined to include water in each of their trips as two of our cabin groups went on canoe trips with only Penobscot going on a regular overland hike. Not to be outdone, Penobscot hiked to a waterfall and played in the cascading water.
Tonight here at camp we will be running one of our signature activities. It’s Mud Night! Campers will ride down our 30-foot slip-n-slide, then play in mud past their ankles for a few sloppy games. Finally, we’ll all jump in the lake, clean off, and head for some warm showers. There will be lots of mud, and lots of white smiles shining past dirty faces!
The Lord has given us another day to be together. We are grateful for it, and we hope to honor him with every hour of it – in our work, our play, and our praise.
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7/27/08
July 27th, 2008Its guys night tonight in camp, since all the girls are spending the evening on Attean Lake as part of their mid-session canoe trip. Saco and Kennebec are back from their three-day canoe trip, and are resting up today for another week of full-tilt action. As the oldest boys in camp, they drew the privilege of canoeing the Moose River Bow. Along the way they got to experience some white water canoeing, and got to camp out for two consecutive nights. This evening our girls are getting some of the best weather of the session for their trip – the sun has been shining all day and there has been very little wind. It’s perfect for canoeing. We all look forward to hearing their stories when they return.
For those in camp tonight, there is plenty to look forward to: The guys will be grilling steak, playing greased watermelon football, and tubing behind the boat. It should be a great opportunity to eat well and play hard.
Tomorrow our final hike leaves as Penobscot hits the trail headed for Slidedown Falls. It’s a beautiful spot where the waterfalls carve out perfect places to play in the falling water or slide with the flow of the river. The trip should be good, and having seen the menu of food they are bringing along, I know the meals will be a highlight as well.
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7/24/08
July 24th, 2008Today was a rainy Thursday, but as usual, it did not affect our pace here at camp. Our staff got us started on the right foot by singing a rousing (and frankly a little rowdy) rendition of “This is the Day That the Lord Has Made” at breakfast. Activities went on relatively unhindered – our wake boarders certainly did not mind the rain. The outdoor cooking activity group simply took their recipe du jour to the nearest indoor fireplace. As for our skeet-shooting group, their timing was perfect. They fit their session into a one-hour window of blue sky and dry weather.
We are excited today for our WILD (Wilderness Intensive Leadership Development) campers. Our first year WILD group is getting their last rest tonight before tomorrow morning’s 23-mile mountain bike ride. The bike ride is only the beginning of their final trip together for the summer. After reaching a trailhead on bikes, they will pick up backpacks and complete a four-day Appalachian Trail trip together. We are proud of their development and confident that they will continue to succeed as a team.
Until next time, we’ll be here dancing between the rain drops and enjoying God’s Creation for all its worth.
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7/22/08
July 22nd, 2008An overcast day did not slow down the action here at MRO today. We did have a sprinkling of rain, but not enough to affect our activities. The main event today turned out to be moose-watching, as our friend the moose showed up again. We hadn’t seen him in nearly two weeks, but today he came out for all to see and crossed through camp in the middle of lunch. Nearly every camper was able to see him as he made his rounds. Its only Tuesday, but campers seem to be very comfortable already. Even as I write, there are shouts of “FREEEEEEEDOM!” coming from our front lawn as campers enjoy a wild game of Trench Dodge Ball (they can explain the nuances of the game to you when they return home). Judging by the volume, few campers are feeling inhibited in their enjoyment of camp activities at this point in the session.
In this morning’s Bible study we looked at the first chapter of James and discussed the pitfalls of uncontrolled anger. What I love about Bible study here at MRO is that questions — even the hard ones — are not only accepted, but are welcomed. Only the introductory phase of the study takes place with the whole camp in one place. As campers process each topic, they get to participate with their cabin mates and counselors in small group study, get answers to questions they have, and hopefully take more away for having dictated much of the content themselves.
The sun is sinking behind us now here at Heald Pond, but every indication is that we are witnessing the dawning of another great two weeks here at MRO.
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7/20/08
July 20th, 2008Sunday is here, and so will be a full group of new campers, each of them ready to enjoy the beauty and adventure of this place. Few things are more inspiring than experiencing this place for the first time. Today our staff will learn that watching 30 campers experience it for the fist time is even better. I love to look around and see that things are in order here. Today our staff will be in their fresh, clean, uniforms and all around us the buildings and grounds will be at their best – a showcase of the many blessings God has given this place. It will not be complete though, until cars begin rolling down our long driveway and campers begin pouring through the doors of each cabin. This place is as beautiful as God’s purpose for it. The campers who are even now loading into cars or packing a toothbrush represent that purpose, and so we eagerly await their arrival.
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7.17.08
July 17th, 2008It’s hard to believe, but this will be my final post for our first session of camp. All our hikes have returned safely, and all our campers are beginning to reach for the back corners of their suitcases to find clean clothes. Yesterday’s white-water rafting trip was as fun as it was wet. It was a perfect day to be on the Kennebec. The sun was shining, and the cold, river waters felt great during and after a hard paddle. Many of our campers showed some apprehensiveness as they approached the river, but after the first section of rapids we were all laughing, paddling, and laughing like we were raft guides ourselves. The bus ride back to camp was quiet as we all enjoyed the chance to sit after such an action-packed day.
Its always this time of the session that we begin to reflect on all that we have done and seen. I hope that every camper here has done something they have never done before or learned something they can take with them long after camp is just a fuzzy memory. If nothing else, I know each of us has appreciated God’s creation in all its beauty and breathtaking magnitude. It is a blessing for us to be together, and it is an irreplaceable life experience to be together in this place.
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7/15/08
July 15th, 2008Week two is here and the last of our mid-session hikes returns today! The girls from Penobscot and Androscoggin have all returned safely with stories, tired legs, and some wet gear. When the girls reached the summit of Boundary Bald Mountain, they arrived to see what all hikers hate to see at the top of a mountain. They were completely engulfed in clouds on all sides with no visibility whatsoever. Not to be undone, the girls simply noted how special it was to be so high up as to actually be inside a cloud. Once that novelty wore off, something really special happened: The clouds split apart right in front of them, revealing near perfect visibility for miles with views of camp to the south and Canada to the north! The view was so clear that the girls could easily see the camp ski boat circling the lake. Kennebec summits Boundary Bald today, and all indications are that their view will be just as majestic.
The end of our hikes does not signal the end of adventure however, since our rafting day is tomorrow. Each cabin will rise early tomorrow morning, eat a hearty breakfast, and ride a bus off to the Kennebec River, where every camper will get to ride the rapids in guided raft. Rafting day is always a highlight, and so the excitement is already building here among campers and staff alike. Otherwise, its business as usual here at camp: As long as that business includes waterskiing, rock climbing, outdoor cooking, and paintball!
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