Sooo much snow!

Hey all! It has been some time since David’s last update to the blog. Hopefully you haven’t lost interest with us yet. I’m going to try and get you updated on what we’ve been up to here at camp for the past month or so. I almost don’t even know where to start. The weather here the past few days has been snowy. We got about a foot of snow on Monday. As a New England girl myself I’m not used to seeing snow in October. Actually I’ve never seen snow in October…until now. The snow puts a damper on any projects we were hoping to complete before winter. But even so we were able to accomplish a lot in the past few months since summer camp ended, at least from my perspective. A lot of our projects had to do with improvements on the Hawethorne’s house, such as building a new deck, putting in a mud room, finishing the siding, and finishing a new room in the basement. Other projects included building and finishing benches for the new tables in the dining hall. Those were completed in most part by Josh Vinson. Josh, his wife Lauren, and there baby girl Ruth joined us on staff this summer and were invaluable to the camp. Since summer Josh has worked to complete a few projects for us, the benches being a big one. They look amazing and I can’t wait for you all to see them!

As we’ve entered our retreat season we have already welcomed over 8 groups onto the grounds. Many church groups and a few school groups. It has been fun to interact with them. I hosted my first group just last week. Which basically means I make announcements to the group and see to anything they might need. Now for a person who has a hard time with public speaking like me this can be very nerve racking. But the group was very gracious with me and it went very well. A great help with this has been watching Cathy do her thing. And by her thing I mean host other groups and being able to watch how she interacts with people. She is highly relational and very good at seeing to a groups needs. She’s an all star when it comes to her job.

Some of my favorite moments so far this fall have been in the kitchen. When we host a group at camp we often cook for them. Which entails the actual cooking of the food (done by our lovely cook Hannah Wolinsky), serve it and do the dishes afterwards. You know, the normal kitchen stuff. But this is also a great time for us as a staff. We’re not usually all working in the same place on any given day, so for us to all be together serving a group is just fun. Fun to interact with the group and with each other. More often than not we joke around and enjoy the opportunity to all work together. The kitchen has been a very joyful place for me this fall.

Well I’m sure that’s enough to get you up to speed for now. May God bless you in your every day interactions!

TessaCoates Intern Yellowstone Yellowstone Alliance Adventures

Labor Day Family Camp and reflections

Its very rewarding for me to see all the people at our Labor Day Family Camp. It always amazes me to see all the ways people are connected to the camp. People that used to be campers in years past that now send their kids here now. People that come here because they consider it one of the few places that they can retreat from everyday life and relax. We even had two women bring their families that were YAA counselors more than a decade ago. These are just a few of the ways that people have been impacted by and impacted the camp itself.

Considering that I have been here for only a year, Family Camps help me truly realize the impact that YAA has and the long history it already has. When you are in the midst of running around while directing a summer camp, you are not allotted much time to see how each individual camper is effected. By the reports of our summer counselors, I can say that 22 campers dedicated their lives to Christ for the first time ever this summer as well as numerous other rededications and the like. I always appreciate parents coming up to me and other staff thanking us for the change that goes on in their children's lives, and I appreciate the God that allows us to be a part of that change.

As I reflect on this summer season, I am at peace that God is in control of every outcome of this summer. We as a staff have poured ourselves out in the hopes that God will use our actions and means in order to "Direct people to Jesus Christ and develop them to reflect His Character." There's a reason why that is our camp motto, and we intend to continue with that as our mission.

Thanks to all of you who made this Family Camp a memorable one. It was a time to relax and connect with old and new friends. It was a time for you to recharge and disconnect from the possible troubles and responsibility of everyday life. It was a time to hang out with the family while shooting an arrow or playing carpet ball. As you already know, its not the events that are important here at YAA. It is the relationships that are formed and grow during the events that we try to encourage.

Now it is time to transition into retreat season. We have various groups come and rent out our facilities to them, usually on weekends. Though our interactions are not as direct as they are during our programs, it is always good to see people up here. Though next summer is still a long ways away, it is time to start thinking about it nonetheless. Thinking of ways to build upon and improve an already outstanding program. Thinking of ways to get the word out about our camp to even more people to attract more campers and summer staff.

I am now finishing up my one year internship at YAA, but don't worry. I'm not leaving anytime soon. I am staying on as staff for the next year. My role will basically be the Program Director. So, I still get to have the pleasure of creating all the fun schedules and lessons we have here. I look forward to continuing here at YAA with a year of experience here under my belt. I look even forward more to continuing to form more relationships with all the people that are connected to YAA. I love working at a place that I can contribute to an already rich history.

For all of those reading these blog entries, you can see this one takes on a little different flavor than the past ones. I want you to get a better understanding of the heart of the camp here as well as know some of the actual events that go on. I hope to get the rest of the staff to do entries as well. I don't want you to get tired of just hearing from me. We each bring our own passion and character to explaining why we are here.

So, as we transition into retreat season, I hope you also enjoy our blog transition as well. Thank you for all the ways that you are connected to this awesome camp. I look forward to seeing you soon.

David Denny
current intern, future Program Coordinator

THURSDAY!!!!! RAFTING!!!!

Hello all, my name is Aaron Devine, and I am a counselor for seven of the guys at camp this week. Today was a full day indeed! Waking up, I prepared for the day, and, arriving in front of the office, I was cordially greeted by 11 campers, all bright-eyed and rearing to go hiking. Actually I don't think that the sleep was out of their eyes until lunch:)

God blessed us with a beautiful day, and as we hiked over a ridge we were greeted by the sun shining boldly through the crisp air.

Breakfast, again was wonderful, and we were fully satisfied as chapel began. We praised the Lord, Jesus, and then we listened to a good message from Mr. B.

After chapel we went to skill builders, and as I am the teacher of Camp Craft, I can tell you what we did. For the last day I have been trying to set up a compass course in the woods near the Square Fire pit, and finally this morning, I had it finished. So, when our skill builder began, I handed the kids a compass and sent them off to find the treasure! (With an accompanying staff member of course) The treasure was marshmallows, which we cooked over a fire that the campers built.

After skill builders we rushed down to lunch and ate quickly and then loaded onto the bus and were on our way to the Madison River for an afternoon of floating. Much fun, sun, and water was shared by all. Let me tell you, a raft loaded with twenty people in a shallow river is hard to move! But the strapping staff members that manned the paddles were well up to the task.

We finished the trip, and made the drive back, with many laughs, at least on the bus. I can see why sports teams take buses on trips. A good trip in a loud bus just serves to unify a group in a way that few other things in this world do. Dinner was delicious, and after I cleaned our table of the water that mysteriously appears (I believe there is a natural spring in the middle of our table!) we were released to half an hour of free time before fireside begins.

We all thank God for the day, and for the opportunity of serving your children. Please drive safely tomorrow, and we'll see you then!

May God bless you with the knowledge of Himself.

Aaron Devine

This is a day that the Lord has made

Hey All,

Wednesday already!!! The week always goes fast when the days are filled with fun.

My name is Anna Kirtley and I am on program support. This means that I'm not a counselor (bummer) but it also means I get to observe and interact with the campers in a different way.

The morning was started by filling water guns for the alkaseltzer fight. Each kid received an alkaseltzer tab tied to their forehead. Then they all received water guns. The point of the game was to spray the other opponents alkaseltzer tab off while keeping yours from being sprayed. The winner was the last person with their tab still in place. I was proud of the kids in the contest; the weather was not hot like July usually is here in Montana.

While the kids were in chapel, I headed off to each cabin to inspect for cleanliness. Before the morning game all the kids have a time with their cabin mates and counselor to clean and dress up the cabin for inspection. The cleanest, and most creatively decorated cabin wins. Today, I chose the cabin that was the cleanest (of course) but also the one that showed creativity by writing verses on their name tags. They also had a lovely welcome sign made out of flowers outside of their cabin door. This special cabin was called "Cabin Deer".

During morning skill builders, I took a group of kids on an adventure in search of a geocache box. We all programed our G.P.S and headed out. Today was the longest and most strenuous of all the hikes we've taken. The kids did good! We were delighted to see that the huckleberries were ripe and big this time of year:)

Later on in the day, we all split up into activity areas. Some kids did paintball, while others went canoeing or hiking. The group I was with went hiking. We drove up Highlight Canyon with the canoers. After we dropped them off at Hyalite Lake, us hikers went further up the road and hiked up the Grotto Falls. It was so beautiful. We all had a good time; one of the campers said at the base of the Falls, "I could stay here forever".

After such a busy afternoon the dinner was well deserved, but it had to be eaten quickly seeing how we had a talent show scheduled for seven.

Most all the campers participated in the talent show. It is always a joy watching kids step out of their comfort zones and share some of their talents. We enjoyed skits, songs, interpretive dance...... It was a nice evening.

And once more all this fun was finished up by fireside.

Although sometimes it can seem overwhelming having so many kids in one place; it can also be so rewarding. It boggles my mind when I took at each one of them and see the unique characteristics and backgrounds that each of them have and to know that God holds each of them in His hand.

Well, sleep good; I know I will:)

YAA Great Race

Hello Everybody!
It's hard to believe that the second full day of camp is almost over already! Today started out with sunshine, which was definitely welcomed by all of the soggy campers and staff. Some of us celebrated by going on the optional early morning hike again. It was a muddy, but fun hike!

After breakfast, we got into our teams and had a bat and glove relay- but this game had nothing to do with baseball. Half the team spun around baseball bats and then ran dizzily across the field, and the other half of the team got to build strong lungs by blowing up a disposable glove using only their noses. It was fun to see all of your kids getting excited and being goofy together!

During chapel, Mr. B gave another compelling message about making Christ supreme in our lives- that He should be the center of every part of anything that we do.

For skill builders today, we got to practice what we learned yesterday while adding to our skill repertoire. I get to help with archery this week, and it was really fun to watch kids that had never held a bow before improve hugely today. It's possible that you might have some new archers in your family next week!

This afternoon, instead of activity areas, we played a game called The Great Race. We split into our teams, and each team got clues that directed us to a skill builder or other part of camp. Once we got there, we had a challenge to complete before we got the next clue. I really enjoyed watching people from other skill builders show off their new skills to their friends and counselors. The last clue led us down to the field, where there were water games and a huge slip and slide for us to go down. The slip and slide is always a favorite of many. In the end, I'm proud to say that my team, the Pandas, won the whole race. Nice work, team! We all had fun getting wet just in time for the sun to go under the clouds. After the race, anyone who could stand the cold stuck around and had fun with a water balloon fight. Throwing water balloons at new friends is always a good way to make some awesome camp memories!

After the water games, we had some extended free time to shower (hopefully) and get warmed up, and also to just hang out and get to know our cabin mates a little better. I know a few cabins are hard at work preparing for the talent show tomorrow night. I'm excited to see what your creative kids are coming up with!

Soon, it will be time to wrap up the day with another fireside time, then cabin devotions, and then it's time for some much needed sleep!

Thanks so much for letting us, as camp staff, have a part in your kids' lives this week! I'm having a blast getting to know each one of them, and I am excited for what the next few days hold. I'm sure you will be hearing lots of camp stories throughout the next few weeks and months, so get ready to wish that you could come to camp too!

In Christ,

Amy Heitz, counselor of the HERO cabin

Hey Everyone!!

My name is Keith Forkin, and I have the privilege of being a Counselor in Training, with Shawn, this week. I can already tell I have got some great guys in my cabin, and I am going to have some good times with these guys.

Well to start things off, it was Ah-mazing. The morning started off with a beautiful hike up the hill. When everyone got back we sang some songs, ate, and the games began: mattress surfing to be exact. For full details of that game you will have to ask your kids when they get home.

Then we moved on to chapel. This morning we talked about how not to waste our lives, and how to make choices that will please God. We referred back to the book of Ester and her braveness to save her people.

When chapel came to a close, skill builders began. Geo-caching, climbing wall, archery, camp craft, arts and craft, and riflery are the skill builders everyone had to choose from. I have the privilege of teaching riflery, and hopefully watching each and everyone of them improve throughout the week.

The bell rang and everyone headed to the dining hall for an absolutely amazing lunch, and then off for some T.I.E. (take it easy) time. But there were a few that decided to go on the eight mile History Rock Trail. This decision turned out to be a very soggy one, and muddy for a few who had troubles staying on their feet during the down-pour. Those who stayed at camp got to play some paintball, ride the zip line, play field games, and do some rock climbing, which turned out to be a little damp also.

When dinner rolled around the History Rock hikers showed up for some food before a spectacular game, and my personal favorite, Killer Ball. Now don't worry, no one actually dies, but everyone did get extremely soaked today. Killer Ball is an everyone vs everyone dodge ball game. Imagine, for me, about 50 middle schoolers, 15 counselors, and a lot of dodgeballs flying around, and there you have a game of Killer Ball. I don't think i have ever seen anyone win a game, but its still fun to try.

After the ingenues game was over it sounded like a good time to wrestle around in a mud puddle with all the dudes that felt like it, which turned out to be quite a few. Seeing as I was the only counselor, i was the main... maybe 'only' is a better word... target. I managed to escape with only a broken bill on my hat, but that's all right, it was all in good fun.

So now we are running off to fireside, and then into the cabins for a devotional before bed. Today was pretty awesome, and I am sure that all of your kids think so also!!

And that concludes the first day of camp!! What a day!!

Enjoying your children,

Keith Forkin
Counselor in Training

6th to 8th Grade Camp has Begun!!!

Its hard to think that the last camp of the summer has arrived. It has been a fun run, and we are certain to end on a high note. Its impossible to not have fun with this age group.

We started off camp with some icebreaker games and came up with cabin names. There was everything from "David's Mighty Men" to "Heroic Energetic Real Ostriches (HERO for short)". They were quite creative.

After going through some introductions, rules, and lowering our U.S. flag, we had an amazing dinner: chicken fajitas. Delicious! After having a meal like that, its only appropriate that we run around to get that full filling out. Right?

So, we proceeded to divide the cabins up into 6 competition teams. Throughout the week, we will have various competition games to determine a winning team by the end of the week. We first came up with yet another set up names. They seemed to get even more creative with these names. Maybe its because the best cheer was going to get points for it. Those point went to, "The Hillbilly Unicorns of Utter Despair." The cheer was amusing to say the least. I can't remember all the names at the moment, but just to name a few: "Gideon's Army," "Nuclear Narwhals," and "Fat Cats." Once we got that squared away, we got our newly-formed teams to play a little tug-o-war. They really have a competitive spirit.

After some free time, we ended our day with Fireside. Every night, we gather around our fire pit and have some fun. Our high school staff does a funny skit, followed by Joel leading us in some interactive worship songs and then its story time. Jerome and Harriet Jackson have been with us this whole story, and they share stories about different missionaries throughout the world. They get everybody on the edge of their sit.

Well, that is certainly the short version of what goes on at camp, but it is getting late. I don't want to be late for lights out, especially since I'm the one that scheduled it. I'm the Program Director at YAA, and it is a blast being able to program all the fun that your children will enjoy this week. Thank you for entrusting me and the YAA staff with your children. We look forward to the rest of the week and seeing you all this Friday.

God Bless,
David Denny

Day four: Wet watery wonder

Good evening to all, or as you may read this after the sun has risen, good morning. I am Aaron Devine, counselor of Taco Bell, otherwise known as cabin three. As I sit and listen to the thunder rumbling outside I have a short respite to reflect on the happenings of the day.

This is my first time being a camp counselor, and sometimes I think to myself that my twenty-two year old body is getting a little too old for hanging out with 40 eight-to-ten year olds for a week at a time. Just kidding:) This morning we started out with the ridge hike, and all thirteen of the kids who went had a bit of a drag in their step. I was sure proud to see how many are hanging in their!

So, today was a water day. And after we had the flag flying above our camp, we headed up to the water pit, for the morning team games. A large PVC pipe stretched across a span of water and the kids would scoot out to the middle from both sides and try to knock the other into the water. That's quite a wake-up call at eight in the morning!

After the pit, we returned, (some still dripping) to the dining hall for a wonderful breakfast of chocolate-chip pancakes and bacon. (Eating is always a joy here at camp)

A bit later on in the day we had skillbuilders, and I had the privilege of helping at the climbing wall. (The skillbuilder I usually teach is camp-craft and I teach that in the afternoon) John from my cabin belayed me. It was quite the thrill:)

After TIE time, we broke with the usual schedule and had "The Great Race" where each of the four teams got a clue and went to the specified skill-builder area to complete certain feats of skill and strength. There were arrows shot through milk jugs, fires built to burn strings, targets mercilessly hammered by twenty-two shells, and a certain rock-wall that was ascended.

After the kids made it through every skill-builder challenge, they were off to the playing field for water games, which involved large sling shots, water balloons, a hundred foot slip and slide, and of course a whole lot of water. The kids were really excited to be getting drenched on this scorcher of a day.

Tonight we have fireside approaching and more stories of the grace of God to be shared with us. After that, we will prepare for bed, do cabin devo's and once we have the kids quiet and ready for sleep, there will be a surprise party, where much fun will be had by all:)

Well, thank you for following camp, and I pray that safe travel is had by all tomorrow for the award ceremony and the bar-b-que.

May the God of all peace guard your hearts and minds.

Aaron Devine

Gotta Love Those 'Mallows

Hey everyone! It's the end of our third day of camp. Only one more full day to go! (And some surprises along with it.)

As always, my guys were practically jumping out of bed to get to the morning hike, which I'm sure is something you parents would love to do. ;) My whole cabin was practically empty...all gone except for one. But that's beside the point. I'll fast forward passed the return of the hikers and flag raising; all the way to our morning group game. Being a counselor, I got the opportunity to lie on my back while campers dumped water into a cup I was holding on my chin...and then passed that opportunity to Andy. It was a great time watching dizzy kids pour water over their counselors! Then we enjoyed a quick game of pair tag before breakfast...omeletes and fruit.

As my fellow CIT's have mentioned,getting ten 8 to 10 year old boys to clean a relatively small cabin in an hour is harder than you think. Once all the bunks were clean it was easier just to send them outside to work on the walkway, and boy what a walkway it was! We ended up winning the Grimmer Award (well, we tied with another cabin but y'know...)

Chapel was amazing. I hold fast to the belief that anything is amazing when you add fifty pieces of Dubble Bubble gum to it. ;) The campers had to make a sculpture of a super hero out of chewed bubble gum in three minutes. We ended up with a pink Hulk, Super Pickle, the Super Slug, ElasticGirl, and some sort of centaur-thingy. It was great fun and the kids had a blast.

My first skillbuilder of the day was climbing wall. We watched the kids shimmy all over that thing. They're all turning into first rate climbers and belayers (not to mention knot-tiers!)

Lunch was quick, and then on to TIE time. Not much to say here, except that getting ten 8 to 10 year old guys to be quiet is almost as hard as trying to get them to clean their cabin! They settled down eventually, and afterword we got a little bit of free time before skillbuilders.

Camp craft! The essential skills every kid needs to know to survive in the woods. Monday we learned how to use a compass and set up a tent (don't forget knots!); Tuesday we learned what makes good firewood and where to find it, and then built a fire (don't forget knots!); and today we applied all our knowledge. While Aaron took one of four teams on a compass course, the other three searched for firewood and built their fires, which turned out to be excellent for roasting marshmallows. Yum! Oh, and we tied knots. :)

Before dinner I enjoyed a game of ultimate kickball. Dinner itself was delicious barbecue chicken.

After dinner was a game (whew, lots of games in one day) of killer dodgeball, and then fireside. Jerome and Harriet had great stories to tell us about the missionary David Thompson. And then bed! All and all, we had a great third day of camp!

Christian Vosler

Counselor in Training

Cabin 2 (aka The Super Dudes)

Hey Hey!!

The second full day of Camp is comming to an end!! Everyone had an absolutly superb day running around camp!!

My whole cabin decided to start the early morning of 7:00 off with a hike. (If you cant tell i'm a 16 year old guy) Well after they dragged me out of bed we took off on a hike that turned out to be more of a run. Thats ok though, we all had a great cruising through the trees.

When we got back all of the kids got to play with a absolutly huge beach ball!!! the object of the game was to pull it to back over your line, with at least three other people trying to accomplish the same goal. They had a blast!! And i'll have to say it was funny to watch the concentration on their faces as they pulled as hard as they could.

After the game we went and enjoyed some breakfast, and after that I attemped to get my guys to clean the cabin. Ever tried to get eight 10 year old boys to clean, at the same time... with the tempetation on knocking on other peoples doors and run away against you? Its tough, but we got'er done, and won the Grimmer in the process!! I was stoked.

All the guys willingly ran down to chapel, (anything to get out of the cabin) and then got the chance to rub their face around in some katchup. You will have to ask them about that for full details.

So after everyone had a great time making a mess that i got to help clean up, i got to teach them how to shot with a .22 cal. rifle. It was a blast seeing the smile on their faces as they ran back to the benches with their targets after they had shot.

After all of the shooting fun we ran, (notice we do a lot more running than anything else) back down to the dinning hall for some amazing lunch, and then to the cabins for T.I.E. time. Again we run into the problem of trying to keep eight, 10 year old boys under our reins. It resulted in some fun games that didnt turn out as quiet as i had hoped.

When they were freed from their cabins again they had some free time, that led into the afternoon skill builders. Again I assisted in teaching multiple kids how to accuratly fire rifles, while others were shooting balloons with a bow and arrow, learning the proper ways to climb and belay up rock walls, learning to use a GPS to navigate their way around camp, and important skills that come with camping.

Then it was the boy's turn to take a whack at the zip line. Unfortunatly, I wasn't there but from the sounds of it everyone had a blast. Then we sat down in the dinning hall for the best time of the day, dinner!!!!

They all loved slurping the spagetti, and afterwards everyone went down to the field for a group game (capture the flag)!! As councelers we were limited to taking people to jail, and guarding the jail and the flag, but the kids were all over the place. What a blast!!!

So then we went off to fire side and heard some powerful stories from Gerome and Harriet, and our speaker, Pastor Ron, even had a few things to share. And now we are all off to bed for the night, which is hopefully earlier than it was last night!

What a day!

Keith Forkin

First Day of Camp!!!

Hey All,

Today was our first full day of camp!!!!
Many of us started the morning off with a mountain hike. The hike was refreshing and beautiful. The kids finished the 1.5 mile hike in excellent time!

After flag raising, we headed to the playing field and did a round of relay games. All of this activity gave the kids a good appetite for the yummy breakfast provided by our awesome kitchen crew.

Next, we cleaned our cabins and did our best to impress the cabin inspectors. The motivation for the cleanest cabins is being able to go first for meals.

Chapel was amazing. We sang lots of action songs that involved lots of jumping. Then we listened to our speaker talk about faith and how we have to trust God in order to be a super hero. Most importantly we learned about Jesus and how He is the best super hero. An illustration of how Jesus took our sins was shown when our speaker drank dirty toilet water (well, maybe it wasn't toilet water) so that we wouldn't have to drink it. The dirty water represented sin. Then he showed how Jesus washed us clean with clean water.

After chapel we had our first round of skill builders, these included rock climbing, archery, rifle range and more.

Following lunch, we all had some T.I.E. (Take It Easy) time. The kids hung out in their beds and wrote home, notes to each other, took naps, etc. This was a good calming down for the excitement that comes with being at camp.

Later on we had another set of skill builders. I got to teach the geocaching. After we all learned how the use the GPS, we searched for our treasure. The kids were excited to find candy!!! But don't worry, we didn't give them gobs and gobs; we didn't want them to ruin their appetite for dinner!!!!

The activity area was a huge hit. The girls enjoyed the zip line and the boys played games in the field. For many of the girls their favorite part of the day was the zip line.

Dinner was ham, potatoes, corn, rolls, and brownies. This is good food, not your regular camp food. The kids got well fueled up for the rest of the evening which included group game, free time, fireside, devotions, and finally.... bedtime.

The campers will hopefully get a good rest after their first full day of camp. Well, have a good evening yourself and thank you for giving us a week with your kids. Each of their smiles is appreciated.

Anna Kirtley

The Heat Has Come

Well it was certainly a hot one and quite a different start compared to last week. Last week we had three days of hard rain. Now it looks like there will be sun for quite some time. No complaints here.

Camp started out great with some icebreaker games and getting to know one another in each cabin. Along with that they came up with some funny cabin names... everything from "Mushy Marshmallow Girls" to "The Super Dudes."

I then explained some rules and the awards we give out to camp. The Ridge Runner Award is for any camper that goes on our morning hike every morning. The hike starts at 7AM and is a mile long. That may not seem very long, but it is tough when you see how steep it is. Once you get to the top, you get a wonderful view of the Cottonwood Canyon and parts of the Gallatin Valley. Anyone that does that hike every morning is certainly worthy of being a part of the Ridge Runners' Club.

Another Award is the Grimmer. Grimmer is a wooden statue of a bear that we hand out to whichever cabin is the cleanest. We have campers clean their cabin every morning after breakfast. Once we examine them, we declare a winner at lunch. The cabin that gets Grimmer gets to eat first. Its definitely an award I want. Your kids can get pretty creative with their clean ups.

The greatest award that YAA gives to a camper is the Soaring Camper Award. At YAA, we strive to direct people to Jesus Christ and develop them to reflect his character. So, it is only natural that we reward those that resemble a quality of Jesus. The Soaring Camper goes out to one girl and guy each camp session. Every camper and counselor vote to see which one they think was the best servant and had the best attitude throughout the week. I am always amazed to see the caliber of kids that come to this camp. It is not a easy decision, to say the least, to pick just two campers for this award. I look forward to seeing who the two are for this week.

After dinner, we split up into our 4 competition teams. Throughout the week, we will have competitions to eventually declare one team the winner. There are a wide variety of games. Everything from tug-o-war (which we did today) to the Great Race. The four teams this week (which your kids came up with the names) are "Mythbusters," "Rock Hard for Jesus," "Kamikaze Cats," and "Flying Frogs." Make sure you ask your kids about the cheers.

After running around, we settled around the fire pit for Fireside. At Fireside, we get to have some fun watching the high school service team do a funny skit and then do some crazy worship songs. We then get to hear some stories from Jerome and Harriet Jackson. The Jacksons have been sharing about missionaries all over the world. There are some amazing things that God is doing throughout the world. Everything from aviation mission groups to the famous Jim Elliot story, the Jacksons know it all. They get everyone on the edge of their seats.

Well, it is getting close to lights out here. I better be going. I am the Program Director at YAA. I get to plan all the fun that your campers are having this week, and I don't think there is a better job here. Thank you so much for entrusting us with your kids. I look forward to seeing you later this week.

God Bless,
David Denny

Floating the River and Surprise Party!!

Hey Everyone!

Today was an amazing day at camp! The campers started off the day with The Nasty Bag Challenge. They had to dig through a bag of miscellaneous foods from pickled pigs feet to chocolate milk and eat sixteen of the items of food in the bag! It was a great time and the campers will remember what they ate for a long time to come.

In the afternoon we all loaded up to go floating on the Madison River. We had three large rafts and a whole bunch of tubes. There were campers all along the Madison River having a blast! Seaweed Wars and Tube Tipping were some of the day's fun experiences. We all made it to the landing spot eventually, although by the time we got back, we were all ready for a great dinner.

After the campers were all in bed, we surprised them with a Superhero themed party! Different staff members burst into the camper's cabins and excitedly announced the party. The campers were thrilled and were ready and eager to stay up later than they were normally allowed to. At the party we had a giant forty-foot ice cream sunday which everybody got to enjoy! The party was a great time for everyone!

The campers had a great, eventful day and I know everyone will be greatful for a good night's rest. We'll see you tomorrow!

Isaac King

"Nothing but Blue Skies Do I See"

My name is Elijah Scheidler and I'm a youth pastor from Billings, Montana. I have to be honest: I wasn't planning on being a camp counselor this year but I got roped into it. Myself and two of my youth group guys volunteered to come up to camp to do the worship and told Jim that we were willing to help wherever needed. I was thinking of work-crew or kitchen-crew...but Jim had other ideas. He needed counselors, I said I was willing to help wherever, so counselor I am.

I've never done camp counseling before but I have to say I'm loving it. I've got a cabin full of junior-highers, an awesome CIT (counselor in training), and we're having the time of our lives. No shortage of craziness, antics, and lots of...well...smelly, disgusting things.

We're boys and that's what we do.

Today was a stellar day. It was the first full day of sun we've had and we took full advantage of it. After breakfast the group headed off to play game with waterguns and Alkasetzer tablets. Each student has a tablet hung on a string around their neck and then they try to shoot it off with the waterguns. It's such great fun!

Sadly, I didn't get to participate. I was off in the chapel getting ready for worship. Let me tell you: your kids go crazy in worship. We have a rocking awesome time! Tons of jumping, yelling, fist-pumping, actions, and singing at the top of our lungs. I was losing my voice by day two and I was using a microphone! By the time we wrap up worship getting the campers to sit down isn't too hard--we're all pretty sweaty and out of breath by then.

Jason brought up a really relevant topic in chapel today. He asked us all how many of us felt like heros. It wasn't a rhetorical question--he asked for a show of hands.

Nobody raised their hand.

I have to admit, I was wrestling a little with raising my hand. I figured if I did it may be interpreted as being prideful or something. Jason went off of this thought and did an awesome job of challenging all of us to walk in our identity as God's kids. It doesn't matter what we've done, or haven't done; it doesn't matter how we feel or what others may try to tell us; the truth is, we are sons and daughters of God through Christ Jesus. In Christ we are more than conquers.

Not just conquerors--more than conquerors. That's pretty heroic, wouldn't you say? The kids really dug it. It sunk in.

After chapel we all split up for skill builders. I've been helping Joni teach the kids some folf skills. [For those of you who may not know, folf is frizbee golf.] The kids in our group are rocking awesome! I've had a few of them doing so well I'm not sure if I could compete with them. (That'll teach you some humility, let me tell you.) I love being able to encourage them in their growing skill and then watch them gain confidence. All of the campers I've gone out with really gather around each other and encourage each other with their new-found skills. In the group I had today, all four boys deliberated for at least two minutes on the best way to play a particular hole--no argument or ridicule. Just excited and thoughtful input. It was great to watch.

After lunch we again split up but this time for fun activities. We had it all today: volleyball, dodgeball, soccer, climbing, hiking, paintball, canoeing, and a bunch of other stuff. Jerome even got in on the action. He went on the zipline twice! The first time he just sat down and kind of slid off the platform. He said that on his way down he thought, "That wasn't so bad! Come on you've got to push yourself." The next time he went up he clipped in, took a deep breath and took a running jump off the platform! The kids were so pumped when he told them about it at fireside this evening!

Just as we were about to lower the flag before dinner we had a little bit of an emergency. (Deep breath, dear parent: no one was injured.) One of my campers came up to me smiling and told me, "I used the bathroom before I went paintballing and it was overflowing when I left. When I got back just before I came down here I checked it and, guess what? It's still overflowing. Isn't that crazy?" Then he walked off.

You know, "crazy" might not be the word I would use. Not in the, "Tee-hee, that's funny" way but more of the, "That's crazy! I'll bet our cabin is probably flooded by now" way. All is well. It wasn't too bad. We've got some rafts and can row out to our beds. The top bunks aren't submerged.

Trial by fire--I think I'm a real camp-counselor now.

It's been an awesome week and we're coming into the final turn for the finish line. One more full day before we have to head for home. It feels like we've been here for a month. Not in a bad way at all. It's just that there's so much stuff packed into each day that it feels like five. I'm glad I volunteered to do music and got roped into taking on a cabin. It really has been a great experience. My guys are awesome and I'm really going to miss them once I head home.

Now all of the strange and sundry noises that are almost a constant while I try to sleep....

...that I won't miss.

Hello there,

My name is Shawn Stenlund and this is my fourth summer as a counselor. This morning started off with more rain. It seems to be a common theme this summer, but despite the rain we had a great time on our morning hike. Mud sliding is one of my favorite activities here at YAA this summer.

Next on our schedule after breakfast of course was another team challenge that we named the scrambled egg game. What a game it is when we get to break eggs over our friend's shoulders, and it is also quite an exciting time as we watched they took pool noodles and tried to break the eggs that were on their friends shoulders.

We then heard from our speaker Jason who came all the way from Cheyenne Wyoming. He spoke about Abraham finally receiving the son God promised only to be tested by being asked to sacrifice his one and only son. Because of God's mercy and Abraham's faith, God spared his son from being sacrificed. I don't think I am ready to trust God to that level. Abraham was quite the man of faith.

Skill builders are next on our schedule of things to do. I got to lead six of our campers into the woods to do some geocaching with the five GPS units that the camp owns. We found to boxes that both had candy hidden in them, the candy was quite amazing. They also are learning how to orient themselves in the woods which an invaluable skill in this area of the country.

I and my cabin became quite excited at lunch today when Grimmer, which is the award for cleanest cabin was handed out and we tied with one of the girl cabins. Very impressive for a group of junior high boys.

In the afternoon activity area time thirty or so campers and I set out to play paintball. We played center flag football, two flag football, capture the flag, and defend the road. All great games as far as paintball is concerned.

We just finished our group game for the evening which was called Wells Fargo. There are two banks one that you withdraw money from which is on your side of the playing field and the other bank is the one that you get to deposit the money into. You carry the money in tube socks. If you get more money than the other team in the allotted time you win.

Right now I am headed to the chapel where Jerome and Harriet are telling your kids about all of the missionary work being done around the world through M.A.F.. M.A.F. stands for Mission Aviation Fellowship and they are a group of pilots who are using their skills to transport needed material to missionaries all around the world.

Have a good night and thank you for sending your kids to camp.

Still raining, but having fun!

Hello Parents!

The first full day of camp was filled with lots of fun that even a whole bunch of rain couldn't put a damper on!

Our days at camp start with an optional early morning hike. Your hikers today got to experience a muddy run down the big hill in the rain, which helped them finish in one of the quickest times of the whole summer.

After the hike, we were all ready for a good breakfast, and, as an added bonus, the sun came out! Later in the morning, we played our first group game, called the Water Pit Challenge. We got to see our new friends slide on a PVC pipe and try to fight each other into a big pit of cold water. I'm sure your campers will have a few stories to tell about their battles!

After everyone was dry again, we got to hear our speaker, Jason, give a message about faith and how all heroes have to have faith in something. Also in chapel, we got to worship with Elijah and his group from Billings. They definitely added some intenisity to our chapel services!

During skill builders this morning, we split into groups to learn about different areas like crafts, camp craft, archery, riflery, along with a few others. I was in camp craft today, and we learned about purifying water, how to dig a poop hole, and also how to tie a few different kinds of knots, but most importantly, we learned that God is always with us, even when we are camping.

In the afternoon, we got to sign up for different activity areas, like canoing, field games, climbing, zipline, hiking, and others. We had fun getting to experience different activities and learning new skills.

After supper tonight, we played a game called Trench Ball. By itself, it would have been a fun game, but playing in the rain made it a ton more fun! Slipping and sliding while throwing balls at each other are key ingredient to a fun night at camp!

Once everyone was dry again, we got to have fireside inside the chapel again. Even though there was no campfire, we still enjoyed hearing from Harriet and Jerome as they told us about the missions efforts going on around the world.

Now, it's time for cabin devotions, and then it's off to bed so we can wake up rested and ready for a new day at camp tomorrow!

Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your kids' lives this week- I'm having a lot of fun getting to know each of them, and I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the week!

God bless,

Amy

Counselor for Cabin 6 aka The Gangsta Hippies

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Yet another wonderful camp at YAA has begun, and the theme for this afternoon is rain! It seems like every time we went outside to start doing a game it began to rain which forced us to go into the gym. Good thing too because one of those times it began to hail quite a bit. We still had a fun time getting to know one another and see what there is to do around camp.

One of the things we did was come up with some team and cabin names. The cabin names were quite an array. I don't think I'll ever understand all the ways a junior high mind can go. There were things as tongue twisting as the "Incredible Orange Atomic Monkey Brigade" to something as minimalistic as "The Cabin." I couldn't even remember all 9 of the cabin names or hardly spell them either.

The team names were a little easier to follow. There were only 6 this time: "14 musketeers," "Crazy Kumquats," "Coldstone," "Thundering Roadsters," "Clan of Macleo," and "Deaf Squad (in honor of how hard it was to hear when the hail was crashing on the aluminum roof)." Make sure to ask your kids about the team cheers.

Once we got the names figured out, we had a good old fashioned competition of tug-o-war. We even got a little 4-way tug going on as well. Its amazing how much they get into a game once you mention the word 'competition.' The games will progressively get a little crazier as the week goes on. It'll be good.

We finished our day with a fireside talk. We had a funny skit done by our high school service team which was followed by some worship songs led by our staff. Then our in-house missionary couple, Jermone and Harriet Jackson, and they started to talk about some of the amazing things that are going on the missionary field throughout the world. They always come every night with an amazing story.

Well, campers are starting to settle down in their cabins and lights will be out shortly. Aside from the rain, it has been another successful start at YAA. I am the Program Director at YAA and have a blast working with your kids. I look forward to the rest of the week and all the fun we have planned. Thank you so much for entrusting your children to us for a week. I hope they have plenty of stories to share with you when you pick them up.

Blessings,
David Denny

The End of a Fun Week

Hello Parents!

I can't believe the last full day of camp is almost over! This week has been filled with lots of sun and lots of fun, and today was no exception.

The day started with a hike again, which your amazing hikers finished in their record time. After a water game relay, your kids' counselors were wet, and everyone was hungry and ready for another good breakfast.

We had some fun and used some creativity during cabin cleanup this morning. I'm guessing that cabins looked more like your kids rooms at home than the past few days' cleaning did. I was impressed with everyone's creativity, though!

In chapel this morning, Pastor Kevin talked about what being a hero looks like. We learned that heroes set an example in speech, love, life, faith, and purity. Pastor Kevin once again gave a powerful, passionate message that left everyone feeling convicted and inspired to truly make Jesus our hero.

Instead of afternoon skill builders, we played a game called The Great Race, which was a cummulation of climbing, riflery, archery, and camp craft. Teams got clues, which lead us to the different areas where the campers that were in each skill builder got to show their team what they learned, while competing against the other teams. My personal favorite was camp craft, where your campers had to build a fire, then roast a marshmallow for everyone on their team. I loved watching your kids show off their skills to their friends and counselors. They were so proud of everything they had learned this week, and their excitement was contagious!

At the end of the Great Race, the hot sun met its match on the soccer field with water balloons, hoses, and a giant slip and slide. This was many camper's favorite part of the week. We all enjoyed getting soaked, and the fun afternoon was a perfect fit for the tiredness that is starting to set in. All of the screams and laughter were sure signs of lots of fun camp memories being made.

Now, we are getting ready to enjoy our last fireside. We have enjoyed Jerome and Harriet's stories this week, and David Thompson's courage has left us inspired. Fireside is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love seeing your kids' faces as we sing, laugh, and listen together after a full day of camp. The conversations that spark because of the stories are a sweet way to end the day, too.

After fireside, we will go back to our cabins for cabin devotions and to prepare for a long, peaceful, uninterrupted night of sleep. Do you here me laughing? Let's just say, your campers could be in for a special surprise tonight!

Thanks you so much for letting me, and all the other staff, be a part of your kids' lives this week! It has truly been a joy working with them and learning from them. You are all raising some pretty special kids, and I've had a blast getting to know them this week! Thanks so much!

God Bless,

Amy (Super Silly Stallions Counselor)

Fun in the Sun

Hey Parents!

Today has been an action packed, fun filled day; jammed with zipline, paintball, skill builders and more. To start off the day a large group of the kids gathered together for the morning hike, a challenge today because we set off to hike the steepest way up the hill. Each and every kid amazed me as I watched them start off struggling through the hike on the first day and then flying up the hill today like nobody's business. Hungry and ready for fun the kids gathered together in the field after flag raising playing a rather intense team battle of "steel the bacon" with an oversized beachball. This was followed by a mad dash to the dining hall to be ready for breakfast.

As you know, cabin cleanup is a morning tradition involving the kids competing to win Grimer. Today was a tie between the Super Sonic Sunshine Girls, and the Fast Food Guys. Chapel with Pastor Kevin stressed the idea that you to can be a hero with God on your side, but the road is not always easy and it involves many challenges along the way. We did this by looking at biblical heroes who stood up for their faith like Esther, Shadrack, Meshak, and Abednigo, and many others. Pastor Kevin's messages have been powerful, leading many kids to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This is a powerful experience for both the campers and the counselors.

The skill builders have been a ton of fun, your kids are amazing an I enjoy watching them dive into learning a new skill. Each camper comes back to the cabin excited about hitting a bull's-eye or climbing a new route of the wall. Helping to run the climbing wall has been encouraging watching the campers encourage eachother and try new things. Your kids are truly amazing and have taught me a ton of new things through their attitudes and light spirits.

Today the campers also got a chance to experience paintball. A bunch of hooded kids with black masks on running throught the woods was quite the site. I had a blast playing with them and seeing the excitement on their faces when they hit someone or where showing off their bruises. It was a ton of fun. The girls also got to take a chance on the zipline.

Fireside consisted of "Lift Jesus Hiya!", Days of Elija, and Every Move I Make. Gerome, our camp missionary, continued the story of David Thompson and his mission work in Gabon, Africa.

Well the sun is setting and the kids are moving to their devotionals in their cabins. Thank you som much for letting me take part in your kids lives for this week!

In Christ,

Jessica Hawthorne (Super Sonic Sunshine Girls Assistant Counselor)

On the Second Day of Camp my Campers gave to me...

... an amazingly full day.

Our Campers were up bright and early this morning and a large number went on the Morning hike. I am always surprised at how quickly they seem to leave me in the dust. When the dust settled back at the flag pole their was a tremendous roar from the campers as they got ready for the whole day ahead of them.

After flag raising we went down to the playing fields and played a game Called "Dress up-Relay Race-Ring toss onto Counselors"... or something like that. I was ringed by 9 funnily dressed campers from the always trendy Pink Chickens(I Might be bias to my team). Unfortunately It was not time for Breakfast so we had a three-legged race which was also quite fun.

"Is it time for breakfast?" "Yes but we have to let the campers go first." "aww nuts." -overheard amongst tired staffers.

But What a breakfast it was. We had egg and sausage sandwiches, applesauce and cereal for the picky eaters.

After that we sent the campers back to do the daily Cabin clean up and its mandatory. I understand how hard it might be to get them to do this at home. We hope it rubs off on them... Just trying to help you parents out a little.

The morning chapel was all about how Jesus is The Perfect Hero and that we need him to be our hero every day. The Rev. Kev from Helena really knows how to get your kids going.

Then I had the chance to teach your kids riflry. we had a lot of new shooters and I was very impressed with the girls who shot scores higher than the boys.

After lunch we had some more skill builders and then the girls chance to go on the zip line got rained out (but they'll get a chance tomorrow) and we played some games. After dinner it was Killer ball, a monstrous version of Dodge ball that you can almost never win. I JUST KEEPS GOING!!!

Now I have to get my campers to bed so we can do it all again tomorrow.

-Andy Thompson (Counselor of the Justice Burritos)

First Full Day of Camp!

The first day of 5th and 6th grade camp has come and gone, and what a fun day it has been! We have been blessed with 6 full cabins this week and lots of kids=lots of FUN!!

Each day we start with an optional hike and we had a multitude of campers come this morning, some cabins had all campers participate! This is always enjoyable for both campers and counselors, as we get to start our day with a beautiful view of the Cottonwood Canyon from the highest point of the hike. After the hike, the hikers were joined with the entire group for flag raising followed by a game of over-under and leap frog. And of course to top the beginning of our morning off we had an excellent breakfast of french toast and bacon. This week we are especially blessed by three extra cooks from Helena and they are good!

The cooks came with our speaker Kevin Schaeffer, youth pastor of Helena Alliance, and 6 highschool students. Each of his students dresses up as a super hero, we have Superman, Batman, Mr. Incredible (our very own Program Director David Denny who has a striking resemblence to the hero), Wonder Woman, Storm, Robin, Captain America and Cat Woman. They are interviewed and today Kevin stressed the importance of choosing the right hero.

The kids then go to 2 different skillbuilders through out the day. This week we are offering Climbing Wall, Canoeing, Archery, Riflery, Camp Craft, and Arts & Crafts. We alos have an activity area purely for the campers enjoyment. The boys all got to ride the zipline and the girls either went climbing or played folf. I got to lead the folf group and what a fun group. We had our very professional golf clap perfected by the end of our course.

Tonight at Fireside we sang some great songs and had a moving story about our missionary spotlight David Thompson. If you would like to learn more about him his personal testimony is on youtube, or his missionary support page is posted under the missionary link on the national Christian and Missionary Alliance webpage. We also got to hear the very endearing story of how Jerome and Harriet (our missionaries here in residence for the summer) met.

Well the beautiful colors of the sunset are starting to fade after our short thunder head earlier this evening. My name is Joni Weidenaar, I am an assistant Program Director, and have been very blessed to see returning faces this week.Thank you so much for entrusting us with your children. They are a joy and a blessing to us at YAA.

God Bless!!

-Joni

5th and 6th Grade Camp Has Begun!

Another camp has started at YAA and it couldn't have started better. As campers arrived there was plenty of games going on and everyone was getting to know one another. As people got more comfortable with each other, we got into each of our cabins and came up for our cabin names. Here they are:

Guys' cabins: The Titans, Fast Food Guys, and the Justice Burritos (yeah... they're definitely guys)
Gals' cabins: Team Extreme, Silly Stallions, and Supersonic Sunshine Girls (yeah... definitely girls)

After having dinner, we had some games to get the excitement up. Eventually, we divided the campers up again into teams for our competition games. They come up with some other creative names:
Nation of Domination, Laughing Llamas, Matrix, and Pink Chickens
Make sure to ask your kids about all the cheers they came up with.

After having fun with a lot of tug-o-war games, we had a little free time and then went to Fireside. Fireside is a time where we have the staff put on some silly skits and then do some interactive worship songs. We then have Jerome and Harriet Jackson, our mission spotlight couple, tell stories about amazing things that missionaries do throughout the world. This week Jerome is talking about David Thompson, a missionary who grew up in Cambodia and did work in Gabon. Jerome is a excellent story teller and gets everyone on the edge of their sit. I had a very hard time following him.

I followed Jerome by telling everyone about the mission organization that we are supporting this summer. Each summer, YAA chooses a missions group to raise money for. Since our summer theme involves heroes, we wanted to support a mission that dealt with fighting injustice. The obvious choice was the International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM deals with civil injustice throughout the world. Things that range from slavery to women's rights, IJM has dealt with. They fight for those that do not know how to fight for themselves. Each week we present campers the opportunity to save a portion of their store money to give towards IJM. Its a great way for them to feel a part of something bigger. I look forward to sharing more stories as the week progresses.

Well, campers are starting to go to bed, and I hope to follow suit real soon. My name is David Denny and I am the Program Director at YAA. I love being able to schedule all the fun that your kids will have this week. I will ask a different counselor to talk about their day so you can get different perspectives on what is going each day. I hope you enjoy what they have to say. God Bless and we look forward to seeing all you parents later this week.

David

YAA Day 4

Today was another fun packed day at YAA. Kicking it off with a hike to the top of a ridge and watching a beautiful sunrise! The morning hikes are a great way to get the campers up and ready for the day ahead of them. Although the number of hikers did dwindle as the week carried on and fatigue set in, we do have a couple persistant campers.

After finishing up breakfast, the campers were off to clean up their cabins in hope of winning the Grimmer Award. (The prize given to the cabin with the cleanist courters) Today was a special day, because we had a tie between The Fantastic Pink Squad and The Green Rubber Duckies.

Chapel followed the quick clean up and Pastor Jim talked to us about not leaving the straight and narrow path. Even though other routes look more appealing or safer, we have to remember to stick to what God has told us to do.

After that we went on to do our last morning skill builders. Campers went to either; arts and crafts, archery, or the climbing wall.

These were infact the last skill builders they have, because this afternoon when they usually would be at their second skill builder they were participating in the YAA Amazing Race! This race gave them opportunities to use the skills they were taught to perform different jobs. They did different things such as; building a fire, climbing to the top of the wall, or shooting a jug of water with a bow and arrow.

The games ended with a whole bunch of different water games. The soccer field had six different stations where campers would throw water balloons at eachother, and shoot water balloon sling shots throw hula hoops for points. The grand finally was an all camp water balloon fight and slip and slide.

In the end it was a water filled, fun packed day of camp! The kids worked and played hard all day, and with definitely be sleeping hard tonight! :)

Thank you for allowing me to counsel some of your children and get to run around with them having a blast!

Serving Him,

Benjamin Li King (Cabin Hulk's assistant counselor)

Zip line, Climbing, and Hikes

Well the day started out just like any other camp day, your children brushed their teeth and combed their hair. (don't worry they are clean) We started out with a little less excitement today...I think we wore them out a little. But don't worry, after lunch all the campers were back to their normal selves.

Today in skill builders some of the kids were at the climbing wall again and they are going to be world class climbers by Friday! Naomi and I have been able teach many of the kids some of the basic commands and knots for rock climbing. They are really getting the hang of belaying and are actually amazing climbers! On Monday most of them could not climb the easy wall at all and with a little practice they are running up and down the wall.

One of the other skill builders is a drawing class. This is a special opportunity for only this week. Our speaker, Jim Howard, is leading this class. He has been teaching the kids some of the basic drawing techniques and shading skills. They have been learning what things you can make out of your basic shapes.

During our activity time the girls took a hike through the woods to the highest point here on the camp. It was a time for the girls to do what they do best, TALK! We were able to play a good old fashion game of telephone once we got to the top. We had lots of fun bonding together and then we ran down the mountain before dinner.

While we were hiking the boys went on the zipline and had man bonding time! I am not really sure what they did, because, well...I'm not a boy.

Just before I wrote this blog we got done playing killerball...don't worry it's not as bad as it sounds. The game is just like dodgeball with a few minor exceptions. All the kids loved getting their counselors out and running around dodging balls. I think it might be the highlight of the the night.

Well I would love to tell you more about our day but I think fireside is about to start and as you know camp is a busy place. So I better run. See you Friday!

Cassie ("Powerful Pink Panda Peace Peps" Cabin Counselor)

Archery, Fireside, and Good Food!!!

Howdy Everyone! We have had another exciting day here at YAA. Your kids have been keeping us busy as ever. We once again started our day off with an optional hike, which saw a few less participants than the hike yesterday morning. Those that did do the hike did a very good job on it. Pastor Jim came along and he talked to us about the different birds on the hike and the calls they make. It was quite interesting.

After the hike we lined up and watched as they rose our nations flag. Directly after that we went down to the field and had a relay race with our teams. Each member of the team had to put on some shorts, two shirts, and some sort of headgear and then proceed to run down the field and throw two hula hoops over one of the counselors. The "Jumping Jackalopes" soared into first place in this event.

We then went to the dining hall and got to partake in a delicious breakfast cooked by our awesome cooking staff, not without singing a song first of course. This is where "Cabin Hulk" relinquished the Grimmer they had carried for the past day. It was once again up for grabs. The cabins quickly went about furiously cleaning their cabins in hopes that they would win the Grimmer.

Chapel followed this cleaning where we got to hear Pastor Jim talk about Pilgrim and what happened when he reached the Shining Gate. We heard how Jesus died on the cross so that we could become part of his family. Overall it was a very good message.

After chapel had concluded it was off to our morning skill builders. I teach the archery skillbuilders. Your kids are learning all they need to become the next "Robin Hoods". It went very well. Others had fun making crafts and climbing on the climbing wall. From what I hear fun was had by all.

We then proceeded on to the dining for another amazing meal prepared by our cooks. This is where the Grimmer was awarded from the cabin clean-up. "The Pink Panda Peace Peeps" won it this time, but "Cabin Hulk" is looking to come back and regain the title.

Some quiet time in our cabins followed where we all got some much needed rest. Then they had some freetime. The last skillbuilder was next and I was once again teaching another group some archery. Some of the other were doing some camp crafts, which is about setting tents and building fires and such, while others went and learned how to draw with Pastor Jim.

After the skillbuilders the girls went on the zipline and judging by the screams they had a good time. The guys went on a hike and played some capture the flag.

Lowering our flag was our next task and then we went and had another amazing meal. Some of the kids, as well as staff recieved the letters you all wrote them and had to sing "I'm a Little Tea Pot" to get them. It was quite enjoyable for all of us, well except maybe for those that had to sing. Though they were all excited to hear from home and get some of the goodies you all sent.

We then played some capture the flag and had some free time. Right now your kids are over at fireside getting ready to hear some more about a missionary named Mary from Scotland. The kids have really enjoyed hearing this story and are always anticipating the next part.

I thank you all so much for allowing us to be a part of your kids lives for this week. They have definitely made an impact on my life. Well I better get to fireside.

Thanks again,

Nathan Brown
(Cabin Hulk counselor and the guy in the green sweatshirt in the photo)

sunshine, grimmers, dodgeball and rain!

We started out our day (June 22) at 7am with a voluntary hike up the ridge. I am so pleased to say that we had all 17 campers hike with us this morning! Parents, be proud because us staff are still struggling with the steepness of the hike, and your kids did it in a breeze! We will see how many we still have volunteering to hike at 7am on Friday morning as we go through out the week :o).

After the hike, we honored our country with the raising of our flag and reciting the pledge of allegiance. From there we moved on down to the field to play some intense tug-o-war. It was a great way to get our energy flowing, and our bellies ready for some delicious breakfast! Every meal we gather together outside of the dining hall and begin with a ridiculously hilarious camp song led by Joni (Assistant program director.) After our song we say a prayer for our food and then proceed with our meal.

After we all worked hard at cleaning up our cabins, we listened to Pastor Jim share in chapel. Pastor Jim is an amaing artist and is sharing with us the story of Pilgrim's Progress as he illustrates the story simultaneously.

Post chapel, we all scattered to our various skillbuilder activities. I (Naomi King-Counselor) head up the climbing wall with Cassie (counselor) and had the privilege of teaching 6 campers the basics on how to climb and belay safely. I believe the other skill builder activity was arts and crafts. Based on the beaded bracelets and necklaces I have seen around, I think they had a pretty rockin time! Encourage your kids to share with you what they have learned in their skill builders when you see them on Friday. They will be proud of the knowledge they have gained!

From there we enjoyed some time in the camp store, and headed up to the dining hall for lunch. At lunch they announced the winner of the grimmer (cleanest cabin) award. Cabin "Hulk" received the grimmer for the day with the "Peace Peeps" coming in a close second! This trophy awards the cabin first in line at breakfast tomorrow morning! After lunch we enjoyed some nice relaxation time on our bunks. Most of my girls spent their time writing letters to you all (parents) and asking me how soon they can write a second one after the first gets there! (See, they do miss you!!) We enjoyed some amazing sunshine and went to our second skill builder activities, and then played several variations of tag. Who knew there could be so many?! This was a great way to spend some of that bottled up energy that 9 and 10 year olds can so easily keep hidden.

After playing hard all afternoon, we saluted the flag as it was lowered and once more entered the dining hall for a delicious dinner! We studied a few Bible verses that Pastor Jim challenged us with, and then hit the field again for some more games. This time we played some intense dodgeball that came to be a big hit! The kids were so into it that it started raining on us and they barely even noticed!

So now we are enjoying the rest of our evening with some reoccuring Montana summer rain, and preparing for an indoor fireside tonight. Thank you all for entrusting us with your wonderful children for the week. We are doing everything in our power to care for them in a safe, Christ-like manor. Keep checking back for more posts from other staff members throughout the week! Blessings be with you all!

Naomi King

"Powerful Panda Peace Peeps" Counselor

Fun first day of camp!

3rd and 4th grade camp has begin!!!

Yet another fun camp has begun at YAA. When everyone arrived, we started off with a few games to get to know people's names. Everyone was excited to start running around and enjoy the sunny day. Along with learning everyone's name, each cabin created their own name.
The two guys cabins are "The Green Rubber Duckies" and "Cabin Hulk."
The two girl cabins are "The Pink Panda Peace Peps" and "The Fantastic Pink Squad."

After running around for awhile and having fun, we gathered at the fire pit to hear from Seth, the Assisstant Director, about some of the rules of camp. Seth also shared about a couple of awards. The Ridge Runner award is for anyone who does the morning hike every day of camp. The Grimmer award is for the cabin who has the cleanest cabin each day, and the Soaring Camper award is given to the camper(s) who shows a servant heart and models Jesus throughout the week. The Soaring Camper award is voted on by all the campers and staff. I'm excited to see who gets each one.

After having a delicious meal, we played another game. This time, we split up everyone, including counselors, into three teams for alittle competition. These teams will last throughout the whole week and a winner will be announced at the end. The three teams are called "The Squirrels," "The Jumping Jackalopes," and "The Killer Whales." Make sure to ask your kids about their team cheers. They are a creative group.

I am David Denny, the Program Director at YAA, and I am very excited to get things started on this summer's blog. Throughout the week, I will select a different staff member to talk about their day at camp at the end of everyday. I hope you enjoy the updates just as much as we enjoyed living them out thoughout this week. Thanks for reading. Look forward to seeing you all on Friday.