Tag Archives: camp

Spring Has Arrived

Posted on by
1

Spring Has Arrived

Spring has sprung here at Lakeside! The grass is green, the ice is gone, the geese are back, and there are even jet skis and boats on the lake. Not to mention the fact that it is about eighty-five degrees outside today!

It’s so gorgeous out right now, it makes me wonder why I’m sitting here writing this blog. (Because I haven’t posted an entry since February…opps!)

With summer just around the corner and staff training at the end of May I can hardly contain my excitement. We’ve even desiged and ordered stock for the canteen. (It’s pretty swanky stuff if you haven’t seen it yet you should check it out on our facebook page.)

It’s almost time for summer camp to start! Whoot! That means sailing, swimming, climbing, games, Bible study, campfire worship, sending staff all over the state for Day Camp and FUN, FUN, FUN!

Have you signed up for camp yet? If you haven’t you really should! And don’t forget you can also volunteer. We would love to see your face.

Shalom!
The Waves

Winter is Coming

Posted on by
Reply

Winter is Coming 2

“Winter is Coming.” ~ George R.R. Martin

Winter is Coming…

Not something you want to hear I’m sure, especially since we have yet to celebrate Thanksgiving. Nonetheless, winter is coming. You can feel it here at Lakeside. The mornings are colder, the daylight hours are shorter, and the wind can take your breath away.

One can especially spy the coming winter down on the shore of Okoboji Lake. The docks and boat lifts are out of the lake. The water is starting to freeze and you can hear all the geese flying over head. And despite the grey overcast sky and the dead leaves there is beauty all around us. The ice and the water and the naked branches have a wonder that is all their own.

Winter is coming…
Winter is Coming

Coming Home

Posted on by
Reply

This past week (October 27th and 28th), Stanek and I had the awesome privilege of getting to hang out with some of the former (and hopefully future) summer staff of LLC (Lutheran Lakeside Camp.) We spent Thursday morning and afternoon at the Luther Student Union; Thursday Night at “La Vida” near the UNI campus; and Friday morning on the UNI campus in the Schindler Education Center. It was so great to see all of them in their element! I love college campuses and how each one has a different vibe among their student body. (Plus, we ate at Famous Dave’s…ribs…yum!)

Friday night we rolled it late back to camp and I was so happy to be home. Yes, home. Nowhere in the world feels quite the same to me as LLC.  The Black Hills of South Dakota are a close second. But I have to say there was something missing when I went to sleep that night. Something I couldn’t put my finger on. Then I realized what it was when I picked up Otto (my mini-dachshund) from the kennel on Saturday morning. When we got home he ran all over the place like he’d never been here before…he’d only been gone three nights.

He was so excited!! I realized as I watched him runaround like a crazy person what I had been missing Friday night when I got home. I was missing the staff. I’d only been with them two nights…but camp isn’t the same without them. Watching Otto run around I was half expecting Stanek to yell out, “Mindy, you have a camper!” Just like he does each Sunday in the summers when the new kids arrive.  There was no yelling…there were no nervous campers…there were no staff…just my crazy dog…and he made me miss it all. Camp just isn’t the same without a community of people to share it with.

But…there is a community to share it with. Just like we tell campers on Friday mornings at closing worship, my camp experiences and camp “family” are with me wherever I go. Like this morning, when I led “Lord I Lift Your Name on High”…not as well I would have liked…but I led it all the same. Or last weekend when I taught the middle school youth at Bethany the “Superman Grace.” Oh, and did I mention that I get to tye-dye with my high school youth group this Wednesday? (For those of you who don’t know me that’s a huge deal. I helped tye-dye close to 500 shirts one summer and swore I never would tye-dye again! That’s what I get for swearing.)

The “feeling” of camp doesn’t have to be left at LLC.  Nor, are the things that we learn here meant to be left at the gate when we drive away on Friday morning. “Camp” is meant to be shared. When was the last time you shared with someone something you learned at camp? A song, a Bible study, a silly grace, a craft, a devotion? Tell us…tell someone…share your story. And remember, you are loved and are part of this community no matter where you are. Have a great week everybody!!

UP COMING EVENTS

October 31st-November 4th :  National Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Conference.  Honey Creek Lodge at Lake Rathbun in southern Iowa. Carolyn, Jerry, Stanek, and Z are among those attending.

November 4th-5th: Western Iowa Synod LYO, Junior High Youth Gathering, with Eric Willits will be at Lakeside.

November 11th-12th: L.O.L. (Live Out Loud), Confirmation Campapalooza, at Lakeside, register with Becky by November 4th, call 712-336-2109..

 

 

Happy Friday

Posted on by
Reply

Here at Lakeside Camp we have a “tradition” of sharing very cheesy, silly, corny jokes on Sunday nights at Grand-Welcome. Thus, along that vein, from my desk to yours, I share with thee a camper-ific Halloween joke. Don’t blame me, I over heard it from Mr. and Mrs. Monster.

Mr. Monster: What did the boy ghost say to the girl ghost?

Mrs. Monster: I don’t know what?

Mr. Monster: You’re the most booooooooo-tiful thing I’ve ever seen!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!

Your Praise Goes On…

Posted on by
Reply

Hope that everyone’s week is off to a great start. I thought I’d share with you a favorite song of mine today, by Chris Rice.

 Enjoy.

Your Praise Goes On.. By Chirs Rice

The moon is high and the sunset fades

The lullabies have all been sung

We’re tucking in another day

And stars appear now one by one

But the stillness moves and the silence yields

And not a single beat is lost

You can hear the chorus in the fields

Taking up where we left off

And Your praise goes on, rising to Your throne

Where You guard us while we dream

Past the stars they fly, Your praises fill the sky

Til You wake us with the dawn

And Your praise goes on…

 

What will be our legacy?

Posted on by
Reply

 … he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22

Living at Lutheran Lakeside in the summer is strangely different than living here in the fall. In the summer things are noisy and magical and the air is warm and humid. In the fall there is much more quiet and the air is chilled and damp. In the summer, staff members tend to be so wrapped up in the fairytale and business of camp that at times we feel as if we lose touch with the outside world…and that’s okay. That’s part of the reason camp exists, so that people can get away.

Now that I’m living here in the fall, as the part-time program coordinator, I have time to “be.” Just “be.” To notice the beauty of camp in a way I never have before. The noise level is much different. I can actually hear the turkey when we cross paths and he doesn’t run away because there isn’t a gaggle of campers coming up the path behind me.

I also have time to enjoy the camp as a place of reflection and quiet. To meditate and to read. I’m not so tired when I go to bed at night that I don’t remember closing my eyes.

In these times of quiet and prayers I often think of the men and women who have worked and served at Lakeside. Recently Ranger Z’s father, Ray Zeman, who passed away Wednesday morning, has been on my mind. I never met Ray but I know three things about him. First of all, it’s difficult to spend time at camp and not run into his memory. He is talked about with great admiration by those who share their stories because of the many hours he spent volunteering at the camp. Secondly, he has left his mark, literally, there are buildings where he and others invested their time and sweat and love—I spent two summers managing  “Z’s Canteen.” Last but not least, he has left a legacy. He will be remembered not only in the stories that his loved ones tell about him but also in the lives of his family. The Zeman clan continue to love and support camp…often as volunteers.

I can’t help but think that I wouldn’t be here at Lakeside if it weren’t for people like Ray Zeman. I’m sure there are many stories, not only of Ray, but also of many other volunteers and past employees. So…thank you. I hope that one day I can pay it forward…and I wonder will my children go to camp here? Will my family volunteer? What will be my legacy…not only at camp but in this life?

When I graduated high school I boldly claimed I wanted to be like David, the great King from the Old Testament. I wanted to be a person who sought after God’s own heart. I pray that we all find a way to do that. That we will all find a way to leave a legacy that serves God’s people, despite any mistakes we make along the way. May we be a people after the heart of God.

This Week At Camp:

October 14th-17th: A volunteer group from Our Savior’s Lutheran in Wayne, Nebraska will be here helping the camp out for the second time this year. Thanks guys!!

October 16th-17th: The High School Students from Bethany Lutheran in Spencer, Iowa  (my youth group) will be hanging out, roasting marshmallows, staying up late, climbing the indoor wall and more.

If you would like to serve with us at camp  or if you would like to just stop by for a visit we would love to have you!

Come and  be a Lakeside Ranger today!