Busy as a Bee . . .

This past weekend was a busy one at the camp.  On Friday, we had the Whitesburg RAs in overnight. The group makes a regular appearance in both the spring and the fall, and we always enjoy hosting their campouts!  You can count on the group doing some kind of a craft:

And there's a lot of games, devotion time, hiking, and laughing going on! Plus food ... the grills are working overtime ... or in this case, the griddle . . .

And this year, they gifted us with a three-burner camp stove, which we really appreciate.

This will come in so handy at the next fish fry!

The guys stayed through Saturday morning ... they even got a good tour of the new cabin.  By noon the camp was quiet . . . for a little while.  Late Saturday afternoon, the camp played host to a special two-year-old's birthday party!

Everything was set up perfectly for this sweet little girl's "Busy as a Bee" themed party.

The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time.

The new deck is a real asset to the pavilion, and parents love to be able to let their kids 'go'!  The new permanent counter has also proved to be a tremendous asset, well-appreciated by all our guests.

And was a great place to receive lots of fun birthday presents, too!

After an afternoon of lots of good food, fun, and birthday cake, this group called it an evening and the camp was quiet once again.

That changed on Sunday afternoon, when Union Grove Baptist Church held their evening service up at the pavilion!

They had a terrific crowd show up, and enjoyed what was probably the best weather of the weekend.

We sure enjoyed having all three of these groups at Camp MACOBA and hope we'll see them all again SOON!

Whitesburg RAs Father-Son Campout

Talk about perfect camping out weather -- that's what the Whitesburg RAs had for their father-son campout this past weekend!

After a dinner of deluxe bacon-cheeseburgers, they took some time making a 'cabin' craft together.

While they worked, they also had a time of devotion, followed by flashlight tag!

A terrific group had a terrific time!

FBC Huntsville's RA Campout

The First Baptist Huntsville RA's have been coming up to the camp for a long time. I was able to spend a little time with Wesley Blake who was making his last trip. Wesley said that best he could recall this was his 14th year. 

Charles and some other guys I spoke with said they had not yet put together a plan for when he would not be with them....seeing how Wesley is not only the set-up man but also the cook. Things went well with a couple of tarps hanging up to block off the breeze. 

The boys made their way to the outdoor recreation area where they participated in some air rifle practice and a bout of archery. Nick Farrow from Willowbrook was kind enough to help the boys out with the bow and arrows.

They did have the Christian juggler and entertainer/missionary and his family with them again this year. There was a little late night flashlight tag and then folks made it to their tents.

Whitesburg RAs

The camp had the pleasure of hosting Whitesburg's annual Royal Ambassador Spring Father/ Son Cookout. Generally it's a overnight camp out, but the weather was not cooperating and so they settled for an evening of food, "capture the flag" and fun!

A pretty good sized group gathered for this shot after dinner was served. Then it was craft time . . .

And then the boys had a rousing game of capture the flag up in the big field. We were sure glad they were able to get in some time before wet weather dampened their fun!  Of course, with a leadership like the Whitesburg RAs have, fun is bound to happen!  We look forward to seeing them again in the fall -- along with Whitesburg's Missions Pastor, Rev. John Crocker, a terrific camp supporter!

Whitesburg RAs

Cold temps didn't stop the Whitesburg RAs from having a good time at their annual fall camp out! They came in late on Friday and settled in quickly. Because of the cold, they set up around (and under) the pavilion -- near the fire!

Saturday morning was a pancake morning and then they settled into crafts and activities and games.

One of the crafts involved stockings . . .

And this young man worked very diligently on his.

All in all, despite the cold, they had a great time! 

This is a great group of fellows, and we always enjoy their presence when they visit!

RAs from First Baptist Huntsville

You never know what kind of weather you're going to have in November in North Alabama - temps in the 70's or temps in the 30's - but either way, as long as the rain holds off, you've got a good set-up for a camping weekend, which is just what the RAs from FBC Huntsville enjoyed.

They came in on Saturday after lunch and spent some time setting up camp

Then the group spent some time under the tutelage of archery guru, Chris Hester! Chris volunteered to come up and spend some time going over safety and basic archery instructions with all the young guys.  

Then it was time to head up to the field to put arrow to bow (to target) . . .

We really appreciated Chris taking time to come out and share his love and passion for archery with these young guys!

The boys had a marvelous weekend.  Sunday morning they woke up to a chilly morning and had worship under the pavilion with a blazing fire going.

Minister of Missions Mike Pearce even picked up the guitar and led them in their praise time!

This group has been a great friend to the camp and we enjoy it when they stay with us!

Whitesburg RAs

For the last two springs, this annual meeting of the Whitesburg RAs has been rained out . . . and it looked like that might be the case for this past weekend, as well.  

But their fearless leader, John Crocker, rolled the dice and decided to go ahead with their plans.  And do you know, not a single drop of rain fell?

The boys (and dads/leaders) had a great weekend - the temps were mild and the skies were clear.  They setup up behind the pavilion and enjoyed a roaring fire on Friday night.  Then on Saturday, they hit the obstacle course:

Did a craft:

This particular craft centered around Psalm 27:1.  The Lord is my light and my salvation.  Whom shall I fear?  The theme of the weekend was about not being afraid (hence the pose on the rope climb).  They also took took the trails for some hiking.

This is such a great group of young guys.  It's always an pleasure to have them visit the camp.  Glad they were able to make it work (and the rain held for once)!

FBC Huntsville RAs - Fall Camp Out

Another glorious fall weekend--with crisp evening temps perfect for campfires and warm, sunny days--presented itself for the annual fall camp out of the RA's of FBC Huntsville!  Folks started to arrive about midday on Saturday and got right to the business of setting up tents.

A Saturday arrival meant they could get here early enough in the day to have good daylight hours in which to set up tents!  That's always a tough chore for campers in the late fall, when they start on Fridays.  By 5:30 (and now, since DST ended, 4:30) it's hard to see!

No worries for this group, though.  They had about forty dads and lads and they made quick work of getting their overnight accommodations ready and then getting a blazing fire going down at the pavilion camp fire circle.

The chow wagon crew got busy too, especially the evening's grillmaster.  Something about that cool, camp air really brings out the appetite in the fellows!

Their program that night was a *magician* -- we weren't able to stick around to see him, but the setup looked promising!

The guys had a great night and had the added benefit of an extra hour (since they were here when the time "fell" back).