Sundays at Camp

I thought it would be fun to write some posts explaining what happens each day at Camp. I'm sure that it is fun to look at how things work at Camp today, especially if it has been many years since you spent time at Camp. This post is going to be about Sunday, the day that campers come out to spend a week or two at Camp Deer Run.



Sundays are always filled with excitement. For some campers, this is the very first time they have been to Camp. For others, they have spent all year looking forward to getting to go to Camp, and that day finally comes. Campers are usually brought to Camp by their family, sometime during the afternoon, and are instructed which cabin they will be spending the week in. So then all their luggage is hauled up to their cabin, which can be a long trek for the boys. Once in their cabin, the campers meet who their counselor is and try to get their bunk bed set up for the week. Then its time to say goodbye to mom and dad, and start to get to know their fellow campers. Around 5:00 most campers have arrived, and its time to get Camp started.

Sunday is a day spent introducing Camp to the campers. This includes how Camp runs. Camp Deer Run doesn't have any rules, which is awesome for kids. But Camp has "Guiding Principles". So the guiding principles are shared with the campers all throughout the day. The first time this is done is at the bathhouses. All the boys in Camp get together at the steps of the boys bathhouse, and the girls meet in Hoche Grove. This is when the bathhouse guiding principles are lined out. There is usually a competition to see which side can "HOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDD IT" the longest.

After bathhouse GPs its time to either eat or get to know your group. When its time for dinner, the campers line up in front of the Mess Hall and are given the Mess Hall GPs, such as go in the in door and don't get ice because of the Ice Snake. Dinner is always the traditional Sunday dinner of lasagna and garlic bread with ice cream for dessert. If your group isn't eating then it is gathered together playing get-to-know-you games. A couple of these games are the Shoe game, and Mingle. This is also the time when the some of the more general GPs are discussed with the group. Some of these include what to do if you see a snake, and why not to go into the ball closet.

Once everyone has eaten, its time for all of Camp to head to the Rec Hall for worship. Its such a wonderful time to have all the campers and staff together in the Rec Hall singing praises to God for the first time of the session. It really helps to set the tone for the purpose of coming to Camp.

Once worship is over, everyone stays in the Rec Hall and some of the more important GPs are discussed. Around this time every session, something strange happens; a meteor hits right near Camp and it sets all of the clocks and watches back an hour, or at least most of them. Campers are instructed to change their watches if they weren't automatically. Then the group leaders start to discuss the GPs Things like, "Don't wander into the woods without a counselor" and what happens if a boy and a girl hold hands at Camp. Here is a picture of a couple of group leaders giving a very accurate account of what happens if a Hoche stick is not used.
After the GPs are over, its time to move on to staff introductions and Silly Songs! This is always such a fun time for all of Camp. The staff from each group will get up in front of all the campers and introduce themselves in some crazy way. Silly Songs gives the campers an idea of some of the silly things that they will be participating in at Camp, and shows them how much fun being silly can be. Some of the favorite Silly Songs are "Swiss Boy", "C-O-C-O-N-U-T", "Baby Bubble Bee", "Little Bunny Foo Foo", "WeeWee", and many others. Here is a picture of the staff performing "The Conductor Song".

After Silly Songs are sung, its time to sing 4 very important songs. First the female staff gathers at the front and sings the "Chiquita Banana Song". After this, the men's staff goes to the front and sings the deeply powerful song "In The Pines". Next are the two songs that represent Camp Deer Run to the fullest. The first is the "Killi War Anthem". The last song of the night is "Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run!". Below is a picture of the staff singing "Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run!".

Once all of this is over, the campers get to go to Canteen for the first time, night games, and then night devo. Sundays really are fun days at Camp. Some campers may come to Camp nervous and worried about being away from home, but by the time the nights out whistle is blown, they are tired but happy to be at home. The go to sleep excited about what the rest of the session might bring their way. And they know that they are at a place that is truly special. A place where everything is done with a focus of pleasing God.

Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky