Alumni Spotlight...Carl Collins

Here we are. Another "Alumni Spotlight" post. One of the best things about this blog is that it is a way to help Deer Runners connect with people they developed relationships with during their time at Camp. One goal I have is to spread out the posts to include people from all 52 years of Camp. Last week we "spotlighted" someone from the 1990's-2000's, and this week we will learn about someone from the early 1970's.

Carl Collins was the Camp Director from 1970-1972.

CDR Alumni: What brought you to Camp Deer Run as a camper or staff member? How did you find out about camp?
Carl: Ward English, a coworker at Dallas Christian, "invited" us to work at the camp for a summer job.

CDR Alumni: Share a favorite memory from your time at CDR.
Carl: So many memories ... Billy Ray Dean as the "Masked Marvel", The "Hermit in the Woods" during Hoche campouts, John Richard and Jay being such enthusiastic leaders , Scott Homesley falling in love with "Brooks" ... most of all the incredible staff ... wonderful christian young men and women. We loved them all.

CDR Alumni: How did your time at CDR impact your life?
Carl: The Phrase ... "you get to" , rather than you have to ... became a theme in my classrooms, on the sports field and in my parenting.

CDR Alumni: Tell us everything you would like people to know about your life since camp. What do you do for a living, are you married, do you have kids, etc.
Carl: We left Texas in 1975 to return to the northwest and help work in a new church and return to my old school district. I felt that God wanted me, as a science teacher, to work in the public school arena. I have enjoyed over 30 years working with wonderful teachers and great students. Some of my students have become my spiritual brother and sisters as well ... what a blessing. After we both retired in 2006, Kathy and I sold our home, said good bye to our grown sons and moved to Taiwan to serve as teaching missionaries for the Morrison Schools which educates children of Asian missionaries. We called our Dallas Christian and Camp Deer Run experiences as the Camelot of our lives. The Morrison experience has been our mountain top experience. We now live in Vancouver, Washington , and extend an open invitation to all of our CDR family.

Carl is just another example of the way God blesses the lives of all the people who get the chance to experience Camp Deer Run. There are so many people spread throughout the world who work for God's kingdom, and are happy to say that their time at Camp helped them to develop a great relationship with God.

Please continue to spread the word about this blog so that all Deer Runners are able to come here and be able to spend a few minutes "At Camp". If you haven't done so already, please fill out our "Alumni Spotlight" survey.

If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see on this post, just email me at cdralumni@gmail.com . Until next time, God Bless!

Group Time!!

One of the fun things about this blog is going to be showing how Camp has changed over the past 50 years. Even though things have changed, Camp is still the same place today that it was in the 1960's. Many of the people who read this blog have not been out to Camp in many years. I want to be able to show those people that if they showed up at Camp today, it would be the same place that they remember, but with a few changes. The first change that I want to share is the way the groups have changed.

For many, many years each Camp session was split into two groups, Cheukawakas, and Hoches. The Cheuks were the younger group while the Hoches were the oldest campers. These two groups were mainstays at Camp. As Camp started to grow and prosper, there started to be a few sessions with more campers than other sessions. This created a need for a third group, the Nashamies. The Cheuks were still the youngest group and the Hoches were the oldest group, so this new group became the middle aged group. There was not always a need for a third group, but the schedule was tweaked to allow a third group when necessary. During the late 1980's and early 1990's Camp went through a very rough period with few campers and small sessions. Several sessions during this time were so small that every camper at Camp was in the same group. They were all Nashamies. The last time this happened was 2nd Session 1994. Starting in the middle 1990's Camp Deer Run began to see unprecedented growth. The last time there was a Camp session with only 2 groups was 3rd session 1998.

From that point on Camp needed three groups, and very soon after that was completely full for every session. God has always blessed Camp, but the past 10 years has seen Him fill each session of Camp to the max. There are 8 boys cabins and 8 girls cabins. A full session of Camp is 160 campers and about 45 staff members. When there were only three groups during full sessions, there would be two groups with 60 campers each, and another group with 40 campers. The split was done this way to keep an equal number of boys and girls cabins in each group. It became obvious that having 60 campers in a group created several logistical problems. It was very difficult to serve 60 campers +15 staff members a meal in 30 minutes. The canteen was always very crowded, and the lines long. It was also a challenge to the group leaders to be able to lead groups of this size. After lots of thought and prayer, a fourth group came to be during 5th session of 2001. This group is known as the Wenachees. These are the 4 groups that run around Camp today. For most sessions, there are 2 boys cabins and 2 girls cabins in each group. This allows for no group to be bigger than 40 campers and around 12 staff members.

The Cheuks are the youngest group at Camp. The ages of this group vary from each session, but are generally 9-11 years old. Its always fun to see the campers in this group because many times it is their first time at Camp. The whistle for the Cheuks is short-short-short-short. The night devo song is "At Night As I Lay On My Pillow" Here is a Cheukawaka group picture from 1986.
The Wenachees are the newest group at Deer Run. The typical age for this group is 11-12. This group also produces many campers who are experiencing Camp for the first time. The whistle for the Wenachees goes something like short-short-short-long-short-short-short-long. The night devo song is "Jesus Let Us Come To Know You". This is a group picture from 2003.

The Nashamies are the oldest middle group at Camp. They usually range in age from 13-14. These campers have usually been to Camp before and think they know how everything is supposed to go, and generally think they should be Hoches. The Nashamie whistle is short-long-short-long-short-long. Their night devo song is "Father God". This is a Nashamie group picture from this past year.

The oldest, and proudest group is the Hoches. The Hoches range in age from 14-17 years old and are the leaders of Camp. Most of these campers have been to Camp several years. Their whistle is one long whistle. The Hoche night devo song is "Savior Breathe an Evening Blessing". This is a Hoche group picture from 1986.

Some of you may find it hard to believe that there are now four groups at Camp. But if you were to come out to Deer Run you would see that it is for the most part the same place you remember. Hopefully as this blog continues to grow I will be able to introduce you to other new things at Camp. Although some things may be different than in years past, the goal is still the same...to show children the glory of God. All changes made at Camp are made to help that goal. Until next time, God Bless!!

First Ever Alumni Spotlight!!

Sorry, but its been too long since our last post. There have been a few things worked out, and hopefully the posts will start picking up. This post is going to be our very first "Alumni Spotlight" post. Tim Campbell get's the distinction of being the very first Camp Deer Run Alumni to be spotlighted on the Camp Deer Run Alumni Blog. The reason Tim was picked to be first is pretty simple...he is the only one who has sent in pictures. Blogs are always so much better with pictures. On to spotlighting Tim.

Tim Campbell, aka Peppermint, camped from 1995-2003 and was on staff in 2004 and 2005.

CDR Alumni: What brought you to Camp Deer Run as a camper or staff member? How did you find out about camp?
Tim: Some of my best friends from the youth group had already been campers and told me that I should give it a try. I used one of them as a cabin buddy for that year and went every year after that.

CDR Alumni: Share a favorite memory from your time at CDR.
Tim: Any of the times that we had all night prayer.

CDR Alumni: How did your time at CDR impact your life?
Tim: From my time at I camp I knew that I wanted to serve God it some way. Camp was a huge motivating factor in becoming a preacher.

CDR Alumni: Tell us everything you would like people to know about your life since camp. What do you do for a living, are you married, do you have kids, etc?
Tim: I am married to Marci Nowlin. We met at the Johnson Street church of Christ and were married on October 28, 2006. We have two awesome boys; Riley and Jackson. I attended the Brown Trail School of Preaching for two years and graduated in June of 09. We currently live in Jefferson, TX, where I am the preacher at the Jefferson church of Christ. God has been good to me and has truly blessed my life.

CDR Alumni: Please tell us more about your family, names, ages, anything you would like to share.
Tim: Riley is 7 and I am looking forward to him being able to go to camp. Jackson is 7 months and has a while to wait before camp. If your ever in Jefferson, stop by the church and visit us. Camp is a wonderful place and it is my prayer that the Lord will keep using it, for years to come, to impact the lives of kids.
Tim is a perfect example of the impact that Camp Deer Run can have on its campers. His experiences at Camp helped in his decision to spend his life spreading the gospel as a preacher. Tim is only one of many who have stories like this. Hopefully we will be able share many more Alumni Spotlight Posts like this one. It would be wonderful to have all Alumni who see this blog to fill out the Alumni Survey so that we can spotlight as many Alumni as possible. I am going to try to spotlight at least one Alumni a week from now on. Also, please send pictures of yourself as a camper and present day so that everyone can put a face with a name. You can send your pictures to cdralumni@gmail.com .

Please tell anyone you know of that has had Camp Deer Run be a part of their life to check out this blog from time to time. It will be wonderful if we can get a little CDR community going that allows us to remember experiences from Camp together. If you are on Facebook, you can become a fan of Camp Deer Run. We have an amazing 675 fans right now, and have posted close to 1,000 pictures from the past 50 years. It will be used for announcements, and also will send out a daily thought about Camp. Its a great way to keep Camp at the front of everyone's minds.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email me at cdralumni@gmail.com .

Swim Time!!!

If you were ever a Cheuk camper, you probably asked one question more than any other. And if you were ever on staff in the Cheuk group, you heard this question more than any other..."When is swim time?" We can pretend that this was only a Cheuk obsession, but let's be honest, everybody loved spending time in the pool. The pool at Camp Deer Run has been around for a very long time, and has been a centerpiece to daily camp life. There was nothing better than running around in the hot Texas heat only to be able to cool off in the cool waters of the swimming pool.
One story that may not be well known is how the pool was filled when the it was first built. If you were at the 50th Anniversary Reunion, you heard that the original water in the pool came from the rushing waters of Killi Creek.

Its always a great time to see what kinds of crazy activities take place at the pool. During swim time the campers could be playing sharks and minnows, having diving contests, or making up games to play. The pool was also a popular place to just hang out and relax. Chairs were added over the years for campers or staff to use to just sit and watch the fun in the pool.

Every Thursday after the camper/staff softball game, all of camp would head to the pool and watch as the staff punished themselves by doing bellyflops into the pool. Not sure who came up with this idea, but what a painful tradition! After the bellyflops, all kinds of controlled chaos would break out. The following pictures show some of the craziness that went on at the pool over the years.

There is no denying that the pool was a very fun place to be during camp, and swim time was a highlight for many campers. But the most important duty that the pool served was as a place of birth for hundreds, and maybe thousands of new Christians. It was always such a special moment to be able to gather around the pool with everyone at Camp and watch as a camper take Christ on in baptism. Whether it was a Sunday afternoon, or after a Wednesday night worship, these baptisms represented what Camp is all about.

Maybe you have noticed, but I have been referring to the pool in the past tense. That's because the pool that has served Camp for somewhere close to 50 years is no more. There has been a need for a newer, bigger pool for several years now, and Camp is finally in position to build that new pool. The new pool is going to be a wonderful asset for CDR. Because of the size of this new pool, more than one group will be able to swim at a time and this will the daily schedule flow more smoothly. The new pool is going to be much bigger than the old one, but at the same time will not take up any more room that the previous pool and gated area took up. Here are a few pictures of the old pool in its final days followed by the construction of the new pool.

The new pool is being built in honor of David Ward, longtime staff member and Camp Director from 1995-2005. The Board of Directors decided that a new pool was a priority for the new summer and decided to take out a loan for $222,000 to cover the costs of the pool. Fundraising for the new pool started this summer and so far we have raised over $70,000.
In order to stay on track with other plans for the camp it is important that CDR pay off this loan within two years. Accomplishing these plans cannot happen without support from those who know and love the mission of this camp. You can help make this happen! Please prayerfully consider making a donation, large or small, towards this project as you will be blessing the lives of thousands of young people. You may send in a one-time donations by check, credit card online, or set up an automatic withdrawal through your bank account or by a monthly credit card charge. All donations are tax-deductible. If donating to this fund is something you are interested in, please click here.

The building of this new pool makes this offseason a very exciting time. We look forward to seeing the campers enjoying the pool this summer, and witnessing new brothers and sisters in Christ being born.

Fire

Is there anything greater than sitting around a camp fire? If you're reading this blog, chances are you were either a camper or a staff member at CDR. And if that's the case, chances are you enjoy a good cookout. There are so many great things about cookouts...the games, the songs, the stories, the hot dogs, and the devos. One thing is a necessity to make a cookout a true success. FIRE!!

The fire is the center of the cookout, both literally and figuratively. First things done at the cookout is sending the campers out to find wood while the fire gets started. Once the fire is built up enough to provide plenty of light, the games begin. Whether its Sunnyside, Honey if You Love Me Smile, or Encore games are always a highlight of the cookout. Then come the hot dogs. Is there a better way to cook a hot dog than over an open flame? After the dogs are cooked and seconds are called, its time for some good stories. Most of us can remember the very first time we heard the stories about Hatchet Man or the White Lady. By the time the stories have been told and everyone scared, the fire is all but out. Now its time for one of the best times at Camp...night devo.
If you have spent much time at Camp, chances are that you have seen the typical cookout night devo where the group leader talks about how dark the fire is. Then he starts to throw some fuel onto the fire, and slowly the fire comes back to life. No matter how many times you see this it is still a powerful experience. From just a small coal, a large fire is born. Its amazing how many people can say that this application applies to their experience at CDR. Thousands of kids have come through the gates at the beginning of a session with a little spark in their hearts, and by the end of their week or two weeks at Camp they are on fire for Christ!

When you're at Camp, your day starts and ends with a devotional, and every single activity in between is focused on being like Christ. So much time during the day is spent in study, prayer, and singing that it is impossible to not develop a glowing fire in your heart. Even in activities like swimming and ball games, campers are encouraged to interact in a way that glorifies God. It's so wonderful to be a staff member at Camp when you are able to spend time with campers and watch them grow throughout the session. You get to spend great quality time with them in study, and sometimes you are able to help them make the choice to take on Christ! What an amazing experience to be able to help those campers grow that fire deep inside themselves.

There are two special nights at Camp where fire helps to bring campers and staff together. On the second Sunday night of 2 week sessions All Night Prayer takes place. On this night the cabins take turns and spend the night in prayer. There is always a cabin praying at some point throughout the night, sometimes going into Monday morning. Cabins go down and sit around a fire, and each camper and staff member spends time praying about anything they want to take to God. Sitting around that fire in prayer with your friends is such a surreal experience. It is so very obvious that God is there listening to the prayers.

The last thing that is seen on Thursday night before the campers are sent home is Cross Devo. Although the staff members portraying the last days of before Christ's death are not professional actors, and the props are all homemade, the re-enactment is the perfect ending to Camp. The last image that the campers are left with is an empty cross silhouetted by a large bonfire. Hopefully this image parallels the feeling that the campers and the staff have inside them as they are preparing to head out into the real world.

For most of us, our years of spending a week or two at CDR are over. We are now challenged to find ways to keep that fire burning bright inside of us. Hopefully through this blog you are reminded about things that helped aid your walk with God. Its always great to be reminded about fun times at Camp, but its so important that the good memories we all hold about Camp are directly tied to the relationship we developed with God while at Camp.