Eternity in the Human Heart

Last night at 2Deep, Emily Ronco, spoke about the weight of eternity. She spoke on the fact that we are citizens of heaven, not of this earth. Relating it to the end scene of Homeward Bound, Emily, described the joy of going home and what it mean to be visitors on this earth. 

First of all, because we were created for eternity, not numbered days, life is going to disappoint us but the God is Sovereign. 

Secondly, we have HOPE. We were made to share in the glory of the Lord in His perfect presence. 

Thirdly, since we were created for eternity, we are here on earth for a purpose. To be the hands and feet of Jesus by loving others and sharing the good news of our Savior. 

The idea of an eternal perspective is amazing to me. God created us to live in eternity with Him but gave us an opportunity to share in His glory here on earth. My favorite verse is Ecclesiastes 3:11 where it says: "God set eternity in the hearts of men, yet we cannot fathom what He has done from beginning to end." He has set eternity on our hearts and that is something we can celebrate!

Emily's talk last night has spurred so many incredible conversations in cabins and changes in the hearts of campers. Be sure to ask about it when your kids get home! 

Kivu Challenge

Today I had the pleasure of spending my morning on top of cub scout mountain greeting each of the kivu challenge participants. From the top you can see the lake five miles away as well as the beautiful Vallecito valley.  Here is a snapshot of each cabin once they reached me at the top.  

It's Christmas Again!

Merry Christmas! Today we are celebrating Christmas at Kivu! We have had a Duck Dynasty Christmas, use your imagination on that one. It all started with Christmas music at breakfast, snickerdoodle cookies after day trips, and gingerbread house decorating. Not only are we celebrating the worldly aspect of Christmas but the eternal glory of Christ's birth! And that is something to celebrate! Enjoy some pictures from today! 

2Deep

Happy Tuesday, friends! Just about every other night we have an evening program called 2Deep that involves some dancing, games, worship, and then a speaker. 2Deeps are a beautiful mixture of fun laughter and spiritual depth, and I feel like they represent the larger picture of what we do here at Kivu. We party and have tons of fun, but it's all because of the joy we can find in Jesus. 

2Deep represents the heartbeat of this place. Tonight we sang "Revolution Song', and a few of the lyrics really stood out to me as I heard the voices of these campers lifting up to heaven. 

"Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder

At the mention of your name

Jesus Your name is power, breath, and living water

Such a marvelous mystery"

What a beautiful thing it was to hear this camp praising Jesus. Because at the end of the day, that's why we do what we do here. We spend our days mountain biking, rock climbing, and ziplining, but it's all for and through Jesus. 

Thanks for sharing your kids with us. They are a joy and a treasure!

Barn Dance

Tonight is the famous Barn Dance at Kivu. Campers get to dance the night away with their new friends and brother/sister cabins, listen to the sound of sweet country music, and sip on a good ole' fashioned root beer. As I watch down on the barn dance, I am reminded (especially as a lady) how nice it is to be led in a dance, not only here on earth but in our walk with the Lord. His spirit continually leads us through this dance called life. And He is continually faithful to provide that guidance which I was reminded of tonight! Campers are loving the barn dance as always and we can't wait for your kids to tell you stories about it when they return home!

That crazy thing called petrichor

Petrichor, one of my favorite things. 

That’s right- the scent of rain on dry earth. The sweet, yet anticipatory wave of air that comes right before a big storm. 

The much loved afternoon storm, “Daphne”, has been a rather late visitor to camp so far this summer, however, for the last three days she has blessed us with her presence with a fury that almost makes it seem as though she never left. This wonderful smell before a huge downpour is actually an oil that is released from clay-based soils and rocks which compounds with another by-product of bacteria which is exuded from wet soil resulting in this particular aroma. 

Crazy, right? 

To me it is so cool that while the skies are getting ready to dump water from clouds, the earth is responding with a noticeable scent. 

So much of our life here at camp depends on water. Good ole’ fashioned agua. 

We serve water for the first few meals of every term to fight against altitude sickness. 

Because its refreshing.

Andddd, because its protocol. 

We note the river and lake water levels before heading out on pursuits. The water in camp is utilized in many different ways from watering the fields, flowing through faucets, or tonight, in which it was used to power the foam machine for the awesome island party. 

Comparing how something so essential, water, is something we will always be dependent on reminds me of how Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman. Jesus states in John 4:13-14, “ Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

Beginning the second week of the term, my hope is that we begin to feel the same thirst for the one who makes it rain. 

Climb + summit = "The Harlem Shake"

Today marks the halfway point through the term and with that comes the Kivu challenge. It is a day where each cabin of campers competes in a diverse assortment of challenges ranging from climbing a mountain to rafting down a river. Bonds are made, leaders are formed. Here is a piece of Kivu challenge from the top of Cub Scout mountain. Despite the painful climb, we had some fun up there. Check out this highlight video to see how we celebrated the summit.

Community Service

Do you ever have those days when you're just struck by how much you love your job? That happens pretty frequently to me during the summer (let's face it...I have a dream job), but yesterday stood out as one of those "I really, really love my job" days. I headed out with 30 of our 2nd year campers to do some community service in Durango, and it was easily one of the best days I've had this summer!

We spent the afternoon at Manna Soup Kitchen, a ministry whose mission statement is "To provide, in the name and Spirit of Jesus Christ, nourishing meals and supportive services in an atmosphere of acceptance and caring for those in need". What a blessing for us to join hands with this group of people, even if just for a few hours! We helped with a simple task that usually takes the soup kitchen months to achieve: counting and rolling tokens for an annual fundraiser. It was an example of something tangible that we can do both here in Durango and in our home communities to give of ourselves, and it was such a joy to watch the campers serve alongside each other! The activity also allowed for great conversation, and I overheard at least a few girls sharing their stories as they counted tokens.

We left before dinner was served, but did have a quick opportunity to chat with some of the people waiting for the meal. That was a blessing, and the whole experience was a great reminder to look beyond ourselves. As followers of Jesus, we've been called to love and serve others. That's our motto here at Kivu: love God and love others (Matt 22:37-40). Philippians 2:3-5 says, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." Similarly, in Mark 10:45 Jesus says, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” If Jesus came to serve, shouldn't we be doing the same?

The day was topped off with a fun van ride home full of laughter and singing. I could not imagine a better way to wrap up our day together! Thanks, Term 4, for being a blast and making it so easy for us to love our jobs!

Merry Christmas!

Today is Christmas at Kivu! Sometimes the over-festiveness of camp parties truly tricks my mind into celebrating holidays. That is exactly the case today! From the Christmas sweaters at breakfast, the Christmas music during clean up, the snickerdoodle cookies for snack, a Christmas dinner, the carols, gingerbread house decorating, and lots of Christmas fun, we have created Christmas in July.

However, while my mind is tricked into the worldly celebration of Christmas, my heart is reminded of the eternal perspective of Christmas. God, our Father, sent His Son as a man to walk with His people on earth, bear our sins, defeat death, and rise from the dead to prepare a way for us to spend eternity with Him! What a celebration! We are blessed at Kivu to celebrate both the festivities and abundant beauty of Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

"Fireworks in their hearts"

With the fire ban in full effect for the local area, the Kivu community celebrated the freedom of our nation the entirety of the day-minus any flames. Morning wakeup included famously lauded patriotic tunes as we ate with the kitchen and dining hall awash with red, white and blue. 

After what may be the most festive of lunches I have ever witnessed here, which included salutes to the food, staff and general wellness, we battled it out on the field in a series of classic relay races. 

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO!!!

The phenomenal day was capped off with the beloved barn dance and sparklers. This video shows just a small bit of the happiness we experienced today as we capped off the phenomenal day dancing in the barn. While there were no fireworks in the skies, I do believe their were fireworks in their hearts...

Kivu's Got Talent: Open Mic Night

Tonight at Camp Kivu, campers, staff, and a special guest alike shared their talents on the open stage of the beautiful barn. The barn was lit with twinkle lights, chocolate cake, and good music. What else could you ask for on a Wednesday night? I wish I could say I was on the stage performing as well, but my talents are better used elsewhere, a.k.a. I can't sing so I will spare everyone. The performances ranged from a humorous interpretation of the Hunger Games, to a rhythm dance, to several beautiful singers, to a high school musical song and dance, to band ensembles, and an awesome violin piece! Wow this group of kids is talented.

Kids come from all over and have different stories, but all have been given special gifts by the Lord to perform and we are excited to celebrate that at camp tonight. Our special guest tonight was Annie Brooks, she is awesome, cute, and tells sweet stories through her music. Check out her website at http://www.anniebrooksmusic.com/!

Here is a picture from Open Mic Night in the Kivu Barn. Enjoy!