FBH - Annual Lads and Dad Camp Out

The day started out grey and quite cool, but that didn't dampen the spirits of this group from First Baptist Huntsville, as they made their way up to the camp for their annual RA's Lads and Dads weekend.  This event is a tradition they've carried on at the camp for many years and it's always fun to be a part of their activities.

Tent got set up lickety-split, and soon the camp ground was filled with all shapes, sizes, and colors of nylon shelters.  

Wes Blake, the organizer, always sets up his tent at the pavilion, since he's the chief cook (and he likes to get up very early to start things off).

Once tents were up, fathers and sons headed up to Megiddo's Field for some planned activities, like archery:

And a little target practice:

Some threw around a little pigskin while waiting for their turn at the other stations:

This year, their speaking missionary came from Kentucky and brought his whole family (his wife and six children).  This was their little abode:

And I think our space is small for two people?  They housed two adults and six children in this setup!  That's true commitment to the Gospel cause!

I headed over to the pavilion after they'd finished up dinner and were settling in to watch/listen to the missionary, Nathan Dorrell (aka "The Crazy Tie Guy") who happened to be a juggler. 

He delivered up a fabulous program -- one that involved all of his family -- including his wife, who worked a Chinese yo-yo.  

He incorporated the Gospel message into his juggling act beautifully.  

The boys ... and their dads ... were totally captivated by his program and Nathan did a marvelous job including the audience in his program, too.

I couldn't help but take a couple of videos of Nathan doing his act and couldn't decide which ones to share, so here they all are:

Nathan juggling knives . . . that's his three year old on the ground beneath him!

As always, we enjoyed having the FBH RAs up here -- it's a wonderful group of dads and sons and we will look forward to their return visit.

Cornerstone (Fayetteville) Men and Boys Camp Out

It started out as a camp-out for Pastor Danny's SS Class of youth boys then expanded to any men who wanted to come.  I believe there ended up being 10 in all.  The weather had turned cold and windy so the decision was made to actually set up tents under the pavilion.  This is not the first time folks have gone this route and I am sure it's not the last time.  

Last year I had purchased some heavy duty tarps to hang on the sides for just such conditions, so I hung them up and they ended up being a huge blessing.  Tony was the first to set-up a tent and then quickly moved to getting a nice fire going in the fireplace.  

Brother Danny was the cook for the outing and did a great job on the burgers and dogs.  After supper Brandon and Adam got out the guitars for a little praise and worship music.  Brother Danny led us in a time of devotion talking about a "Band of Brothers".  Everyone then spent a little time making s'mores -- actually there were a couple of different ways they did this.  

By this time 9:00 rolled around so I went ahead and slipped back to the RV while they all stayed up for a couple more hours.  The next morning I headed to work before it was daylight while Brother Danny was about to cook up some breakfast.  Everyone had a good time and commented they should do this more frequently.  The boys especially seemed to enjoy hitting the trails and exploring the camp.

Lighthouse Families Return for a Fishing Day

Lighthouse Baptist is one of our favorite groups to have up at the camp.  We have a long history with them and consider the pastor, Brother Randy, and his wife, Miranda, our close and dear friends.  

On Saturday morning, Brian and Dena came on up early to get everything set-up for the group.  This turned out to be a perfect autumn day; cool in the morning and low 70's at mid-day.  Everyone ate lunch before getting started and Brian was the grillmaster for the day.  

Steve helped everyone with bait and fishing tackle.  Then, once lunch was over, everyone headed on down to the pond.  Not sure how many fish were actually caught but the scenery sure was beautiful.  After awhile folks made their way back to the pavilion for a scavenger hunt to end the days festivities.  We look forward to their return in the future!

Pack 228 and a Bonfire

It is rare we have folks up at the camp during the week but that is just what happened on Tuesday night.  It was quite a big group too -- my estimate put it around 100 scouts, leaders and parents. 

Pack 228 came up for about three hours to gather, drink some hot chocolate and eat a few s'mores around the campfire. 

One of the boys was given an award for placing third in a fishing rodeo that they had previously taken part in at the Madison County Lake.  It had rained the day before so it took awhile to get the fire going. 

I was able to meet Robert James, who is the pack's scoutmaster, for the first time. 

It was a lively group and we are always glad to have scout groups up at the camp.  We look forward to their return in the future!

Whitesburg RA's

Friday afternoon looked to be the perfect start for an overnighter at the camp.  The temps were cool and there was a nice breeze -- perfect for enjoying a roaring good fire!  We were so happy to have the RA's from Whitesburg Baptist Church up at the camp for their annual fall camp out. 

Unfortunately, the skies gave way to clouds some time in the night, and around 4 a.m., the rains moved in!

While it dampened the ground, it didn't appear to dampen their spirits!  The guys had a good time making pinecone 'critters' under the cover of the pavilion . . .

This one reminded me a bit of a pirate!

Up in the main campground, a group worked on taking down tents.

The main campfire circle looked like it had been the scene of a major battle!!  I overheard one leader comment that the scene would make a good anti-litter commercial -- all he needed was a tear running down his face!

I'm still not sure how it got that way, but when I came up and made rounds after the group had gone, there was nary a trace.  They did a *great* job picking up!

While leaders and dads were busy stowing gear and packing up . . . 

The boys were being boys . . . 

Something about sticks and a fire, to be sure!

We enjoyed having the group up and wish the rain hadn't cut their stay short!

Lakewood Baptist Returns . . .

Quite a few years have passed since the last time Lakewood Baptist Church made it up to the camp for a fellowship.  We were truly glad when Brother Terrell called and wanted to set up a time to come check things out.  After meeting with Todd, he was ready to put their date on the calendar!

Sunday evening the group started arriving at around four o'clock.  Their plans were to enjoy some recreation while the ladies got the food laid out on the table, eat, and then enjoy a time of worship together.

The food went down on the buffet tables fast!

And like any good church fellowship, the offerings were fabulous.

They seemed to enjoy their time together.  It was a fairly large group.  The man who was manning the drink table, Brother Larry, handed me a wooden cross when Brother Terrell introduced us.

This is his ministry -- he told me he's handed out thousands of crosses.  He even has a website -- littlewoodencross.com -- worth checking out!

The kids and the youth enjoyed the afternoon, too.

They had a great mix of ages, young and old.  We're so glad they rejuvenated their practice of fellowshipping up at the Camp!

Reunion

Saturday afternoon we had the pleasure of hosting a mini-reunion of Huntsville Christian Academy's high school classes of 2003-2006.  The rain from earlier in the day had cleared out and the weather was clear and nice.

There were lots of opportunities to chat and catch up ... and eat (of course)!

Before everyone left, they did manage to get a group shot.  First the nice pose:

And then of course, as was tradition, the goofy pose:

Brandon left before the group shots were taken, so he gets a loner shot:

It was a great afternoon!

CrossPointe Church - Father Son Overnighter

It's always a pleasure when we have the opportunity to host new groups up at the camp, and that's what happened this weekend.  On Friday and Saturday we had a Father/Son group from Cross Pointe Church.  Their organizer, Amy, had come up to the camp for a tour several weeks prior, and then had brought some of the leaders back with her for a second walk through -- just so everyone knew what to expect.  

The guys got up here around 4ish and got their tents all set up in the main campground.  They may have been newcomers to the camp, but they were certainly not new to camping.  Those tents look solid!

And it's a good thing -- a bit of rain moved in later that evening -- definitely want a secure tent when the rain starts falling!

Amy had planned their activities down to the core and had left them with a great schedule to keep track of things . . .

The rain may have dampened the schedule, but it sure didn't dampen their spirits!  They had a lot of fun stuff planned, including some group time up under the pavilion.

And then that night we heard lots of happy voices and shrieks of laughter.  They had headed up to the large field for a huge game of flashlight tag.  The leaders had asked us earlier how dark it got up here -- they were happy with our answer -- completely dark!

We hope to see them back again -- they were a fabulous and fun group!