Winter Fest Success!!

This past weekend was the annual Junior High Winter Fest. It was a little different than other years because we expanded it to include grades 6-10. We had over 50 kids there and had a great time!! Luke Leichty was the speaker for the weekend and the IMS Praise Band led us in worship. Here's a picture of the awesome band!

Over the course of the weekend, Luke challenged us to rethink our image of God. Is He just a big guy in a throne with a long flowing beard and white robes to match? Or is he more than that? Luke encouraged us to think of God as our Daddy, not just some father-figure far away, but Daddy. It was a great reminder that no matter how big we get, we are still God's little children and we can run and hide in Him when things get too rough.

In addition to worship times, we had all types of activities going on. There were times to choose between crafts and games outside. The craft people made candles, cookie creations and many other things. The outdoor game people played classic camp games like 23 Skidoo, Steal the Bacon and a new favorite, Flying Porkchop. They also went over to the Frog Pond to play Broom Ball. And when all else failed, we went tubing! We also had time to take advantage of new Activity Center and had a chance to climb and just run around playing all types of games.

On Saturday evening, we all gathered together to play Ultimate Capture the Flag. However, I underestimated the mad skills of the campers and both flags were found in less than 30 minutes. So we just went to the Activity Center to play other games.

Here are the Top Ten Favorite Things about Winter Fest

10. Broomball

9. Games

8. Seeing Old Friends

7. Music!

6. Free time

5. Activities

4. Food

3. Tube Run (on the way down . . . the way back up is one of the LEAST favorite things!)

2. Capture the Flag

and the number one favorite thing about Winter Fest . . . .

1. The Activity Center!!

My Job

After hearing that I'm a Program Director, the most common question asked is, "So what do you do all day at work?" My most common answer is just a smile. =) Either my job is still too new to have an 'average day of work' or there simply is no such thing. Some days I put up/take down Christmas trees, other days I sit at my computer and send emails all day. Today, I kicked up my feet, sipped my hot chocolate, watched the snow fall outside and read a book. To be fair, it was a book about using the Prayer Labyrinth and it was a very helpful resource for an upcoming program! Sometimes my work isn't even done at work! As every good activity leader knows, it's important to have actually done the activity before trying to lead it. Soooo, sometimes in the evening, I practice my programs! I've made Rice Krispy Monsters, Candles and others from the comfort of my own home. And this all is just the tip of the iceberg of my daily work.

Every now and then I'll work on weekends too. Sometimes that means belaying for a group that wants to use our climbing wall, sometimes it means greeting groups and making sure they have everything they need. On hosting weekends I get to make a welcome speech and carry my cell phone with me 24/7. But mostly I get to eat the meals. =)

And then there are Program Days/Weekends. These are my favorites. This is why I sit at my desk and email people all day long. This is why I plan, print, edit, daydream and practice. This is where the fun comes in. No matter what type of program it is, I enjoy it! I love seeing a group of people come together for a common reason and enjoy God's play ground, if even for the weekend. It's great fun. My most favorite types of programs are those for youth. Ok, I don't actually know that about me yet. I haven't had a youth event as a Program Director. But that's going to change on FRIDAY!! Friday begins Winter Fest and boy am I excited!!

Here's my prayer request of the week: snow! Ok, maybe a little more than just snow. But please pray for Winter Fest, for the speaker and musicians, for the sponsors who make this possible and for the staff who don't get nearly enough credit. But most importantly, pray for the youth that are coming. This is a great chance to get God into their hearts' and souls'. This is a great chance to give their spiritual lives a good kick in the pants. This is a big weekend!!

A wonderful change!

Greetings!

My name is Johanna Bontrager and I'm the Program Director at Crooked Creek Christian Camp. Did you see it? Did you see the change?! I'm no longer the new Program Director, I'm just the Program Director! It's such a wonderful upgrade in my life. I no longer feel like I'm just visiting the office, but rather I'm going to MY office! (Not to be confused with the TV show, "The Office".) For the first time in 8 months, I feel like I'm home and not just visiting. It's a good thing!

Last night I was driving around camp, locking up after hosting for the weekend, and I got to enjoy the most peaceful snow. It was well below freezing outside, but it didn't feel all that cold. The snow was floating down from the heavens with not a care in the world. Sometimes I imagine that camp looks like a snow globe from God's perspective. The neat thing about snow globes is that the residents of Snow Globe Land have everything they need, right in their little world. They may not have much, but they are more than content in their Snow Globe World. I might be a slow learner, but I think I'm starting to learn how to be content with what God has given me in my own Snow Globe World.

Personalized Paintings

Baby, it's COLD outside!!

The other morning I woke up to hear the radio DJ saying, "It's 1 degree on the square, clear skies and and a north, northwest wind." I was convinced it was just a bad dream until I heard him say that it was still only 1 degree outside. ONE DEGREE!! Baby, THAT's cold!!

The cold weather means warmer socks, sweaters and turtlenecks and electric blankets, but it also means that Jack Frost is busy at work. I've been treated to very detailed artwork all over the place in the last week! My south office window had a great pattern of snowflakes in the corner that lasted for 2 days. My west window was covered tiny little snowflakes that sparkled in the sunlight. This morning my sliding glass door was covered in what looked like an aerial view of a mighty mountain range covered in snow. I love finding beautiful artwork covering my windows every morning. Thanks God. :)