Camp Ruta 2007
"Mes Esame
We shouted it day after day, and I think that by the end of the week we really felt it, believed it. We were truly one.
Although I'm home now, and it feels good, everything is still echoing in my brain. For instance, when Katie Foster had to sing, "you are my sunshine" on the first day of morning blast it was because she was late, of course. Or that silly cheer that Juozas did with his sports team every time they did anything right during a game. Then there are Scott Jordan's many outfits, the gunk in those boots, Oleg's devotional talk, Brett Murdoch's rock singer imitations. It goes on, y'know. The theme, "we are one" was evident throughout the week in everything we did.
· The daily Bible class themes reinforced the idea: One God, One Hope, One Faith, One Body, One Spirit.
· Our sports were centered around Olympics and each team was given points based not only on their victories, but also on their teamwork, participation, and sportsmanship
· Many of the daily and night activities included games that required groups to work together to achieve a goal.
This year's staff was especially good. Everyone worked very hard and rarely had to be told to do anything. Worship was led by David Pryor and Jonathan Colvin. Both of them led with a spirit that inspired the children and gave them energy. David's book was filled with several new songs, both in English and Lithuanian, the daily schedule, Bible class material, contact info, and lots more. David was also assistant camp director and assigned speakers for devotionals and worship each night.
An Activities team including Scott, Ilia, Katie, Tomas, & Donvina worked diligently to keep the kids involved and provide a fun atmosphere. Some of the games were just plain wild and came straight out of Scott's head and included such notables as Kama Kama Chee Chee, Dizzy Devil Derby, and Blind Pirate Battleship.
Our sports got a twist this year as we introduced sports Olympics to the camp. Our Olympics included dividing the children and some staff up into six teams. Each team was a nation that had to create an original name, a flag, and a motto or cheer. The Olympics began with opening ceremonies on Sunday night and different sports such as basketball, futboll, and steal the bacon were played all week long. A Bible bowl was held daily during class times. Weekly winners from the Bible bowl could add points to their team scores. Teams were also given points based on teamwork, total participation, and game victories. Closing ceremonies were held on Friday night and both teams and individuals were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. Sports were directed by a team of staff members including Chris Jones, Juozas, Christina Walmer, Jonathan, and Indre.
Sveta from
Our Bible class teachers were Bud Myer, Scott, Oleg, Stacy Humphries, Daiva, David,
As you can see, everyone worked and worked hard. I believe that this was the key to a hugely successful camp. We had very few, if any, problems of note. Even the rainy, cold weather didn't stick around forever. As the week moved on, the temperature steadily climbed and the sun peaked out. God is good all the time!! I want to thank everyone on "Team Ruta" for making camp what it was. My job as director was almost useless, because all of you did so well.
