Ladera Goes to Winter Camp

What a great crew... what a great weekend!

This weekend was Winter Camp! I can say that it was the best winter camp I have ever gone to, not only because the camp was great, the food was good, and the people running the program were amazing, but the kids and leaders we brought were the best! It was a weekend I won't soon forget!

Octoball got crazy!

Oakbridge is a very special place. It's not the typical semi-rugged youth camp... but more like "Club-med" for middle school kids! The place was built just for them, and everything, from the octoball court, to the skate-park, to the fields, to the room for club... everything was built just for them. 

The songs at club were awesome!!

For a lot of the kids, this was their first time at Oakbridge, and for some of them, it was their first time going to "club." Since we haven't been able to find a place big enough to host us in Ladera this year, we haven't been able to have "club," but we did at camp, and it was awesome! From the songs to the games, to the funny skit guys, to Sullivan teaching about Jesus' love, it was amazing! The program was seriously one of the best I have ever seen.

Taylor got to go mattress surfing!

Mackenzie and Jack chucking cheese puffs at a leader.

Club was awesome

The 6th graders got shacked

A part of what makes camp so special is that it gives kids a chance to get away from normal life, and out of their "comfort-zone" while making sure they are still safe, and even comfortable. They are treated like they matter, and they can tell that everyone at camp really cares about them.

Dog-pile Andy!!

Pic with Mrs Santa for scavenger hunt

The first night started with club, and then a pizza party at 10pm! After we got to go back to our cabins and talk about what Sullivan had shared in club about Jesus. These are called "cabin times" and they happen after every club. Its a time for leaders and kids to go back to their cabin and reflect on what they just heard at club. 

Group selfie at the archery range

The first night Sullivan talked about how we all come to camp with a picture of what Jesus is like. Some think of him as a Santa Jesus, others as a Police Jesus, others as their Homeboy Jesus, and others as a far away, distant Jesus. Sullivan talked about how Jesus was so much more than any of those, and how we can come and get to know him. She shared about Zacchaeus, and how even though everyone hated him because he was cheating them out of their money, Jesus sought him out and had dinner with him at his house. Jesus isn't like what we would expect, he is so much more, and when we have an encounter with him, it changes us... it makes us better us'.

Jail break... Brandon got into it!

Henry and Matthew thought the food was awesome!

The next club, Sullivan talked about the difference between "sins," or bad behavior, and "sin." So often this is something that people miss-understand, or as Sullivan talked about, miss-diagnose. Sin is separation from God. Its not trusting that God loves us and is taking care if us. Sins are a symptom of this, but if we just treat the behavior, or the symptoms, we don't get down to the root cause and nothing gets better.

Sullivan shared about getting diagnosed with Lyme Disease early this year, and how she had been sick for 8 years, but doctors kept treating her symptoms instead of looking for what was causing them and nothing got better... she just kept getting more sick. She compared this to the story of the "Bleeding Woman" in Mark 5:21-43. In this story Jesus is asked by a man who was extremely important to come and heal his daughter, as he was on his way to this guys house he got held up by a woman. This woman had been sick for 12 years, and spent all she had on doctors who were not able to figure out what was wrong with her. As soon as she touched Jesus, she was immediately healed. Jesus knew something happened and stopped to hear this woman's story. Even though he was on his way to do something important with someone important, he stopped for this woman that no one cared about and then took the time to listen to her story. That is what Jesus is like, and he does the same with us. He can heal the deep sickness that we have, and he can fill the longing that every human on earth has. We were created to long for a relationship with God, and we will never be completely satisfied until we are in it.

All camp tug-of-war!

The start of the messy games

It got crazy!

The next club Sullivan talked about God's rescue plan for us. It was awesome seeing kids respond to the fact that Jesus died on the cross for them because he loved them, and that he would have done it just for them. In the 6th grader cabin time that night, a few of the kids started talking about how they couldn't believe that Jesus loved them that much. They couldn't believe that Jesus stayed on the cross when he could have gotten off at any time.

Andy

Henry took some shaving creme to the face

Grace, Taylor and Natalie had a blast!

Aside from the club talks and cabin times, these kids got to be exposed to Jesus' love through their leaders, and the staff at Oakbridge. They got to do things, like through flour bombs and chicken feed at each other, and then watch their leaders be super silly.

Caitlin and Kailey got worked!

Tyler was into it

Matt and Riley came out clean as a whistle... or not.

Everyone had fun!

This pool looked so inviting... but it was about 50 degrees!

It didn't stop kids or Grant from going off the diving boards!

Mackenzie did a cannon ball off the high dive!

Frisbee golf was a huge hit

Hunting for rams.

Little sunset adventure

Sometime you just don't use your hands to eat dessert

At the end of the weekend they were given the chance to say "yes" to Jesus and begin a life-long relationship with him. Sullivan talked about how Jesus didn't stay dead, but came back to life. She also talked about how Jesus will love them no matter how they respond to him. Even if they say no, Jesus loves them the same and will never stop pursuing them.

Jade got to pie Grant in front of everyone!

Russian Ribbon Dancers... From Russia

This guy was awesome... especially when he would play Taylor Swift

Sullivan was amazing sharing Jesus with everyone

The girls' last cabin time

The 3 hour tour of San Clemente on the way back

Camp was such a blast this weekend. I can't wait for summer camp this year! Be sure to mark your calendars because we will be going back to Oakbridge this summer , June 24-29!

Can't wait for summer camp,  June 24-29