2Deep 2Night

If we aren't at a crazy party at night at Kivu we are probably in the Lantz for 2Deep. I love 2Deep at camp for a bunch of reasons. 1. It is my job at camp to run the show. 2. Campers get to relax and enjoy fun games, listen to our great worship band, and listen to someone on staff share a piece of their life. Tonight camp got to hear from our Doc Daddy, Michael Dilucchio. Michael challenged to students to think about where the come from in life...where they are now...and where they want to be in the future. With the intent for students to really reflect on their lives and having a bearing on what students want during their time at camp as well as when they go back home. Throughout the night we danced, laughed at a ridiculous game of pictionary, sang, and topped off the night with an awesome talk!

In other camp news, 18 backpackers ventured into the wilderness to enjoy three days in the backcountry. This is the largest group we have sent out this year so there are sure to be plenty of stories when they return. Here are some pictures of the backpackers before they left!

4th Term Begins!

      Yesterday we opened the gate to camp for the last time. There's lots of mixed emotions about this being the last term, but there is an overwhelming amount of excitement to have a great term. A good friend of mine told me that things are remembered by how they end, so we are investing all of our energy into making this best one we've had. This is my ninth summer here at KIVU and I have so many incredible memories for this place. I'm excited for the kids here to be able to have some of those same memories that I have! 

Tourney Day and Parent's Night

Hello Kivu Family!

Today was a wonderful final full day of camp. We kicked off the afternoon with a  spectacular afternoon of ultimate frisbee. The cabins faced each other in a friendly competition in which one cabin from boys and one cabin from the girls was victorious. Everyone played hard and had a good time, but in the end, both girls and boys summit dominated the tournament with a 5-0 game record.

After the games wrapped up, we opened our gates to welcome parents for the second half of the day. The parents were able to get glimpse of what life at camp has been like for the past two weeks. It's always great to talk to the parents and learn more about the families that the campers come from. We then enjoyed a delicious barbecue meal outdoors cooked by our fantastic head cook Abby and her cooks. It was a great time for fellowship and connecting both with old and new friends.

Finally, we celebrated the camper's accomplishments over these past two weeks with cabin awards and camp-wide awards. One member of each cabin was selected to represent someone who encompasses our "Love God, Love Others" motto during their time here. It's really inspiring to see the growth of the campers over the course of camp, but we will be sad to see them all go. Tomorrow will no doubt be full of tearful goodbyes, but the connections made here will surely last a lifetime.

 It has been a blessing to have all of these wonderful campers here. They really have pushed themselves in their faith and with their newfound friends, to become more well rounded individuals. We say goodbye to Term 3, but are excited to welcome the adventures that Term 4 will bring!

Monday FUNday!

Today was so much fun. One of the more fun day of the summer in fact. Sam and I led a mountain bike trip with six guys, four from cabin one. The drive into town is about 30 minutes and is usually spent playing a name game to get to know each other. This ride turned out to be a bit different, the cabin one guys launched into making jokes and asking everyone tons of questions. Their joy and energy made one of the parts of the day that is usually more mundane so awesome. Not only did we have a great trip in to town but we had a great day on the bikes as well.

This is typically the time of the summer that can be most challenging for those of us who've been here since early May. Today I received a needed boost in the form of some comedy from the youngest guys in camp. I'm really thankful for all the campers that are here this term, they've made it one of the best of the summer so far!

Here is a picture from the day!

The Institute "Muslims, Christians, and Jesus"

Hey Kivu family!

So today we had another successful activity day including rock climbing, lake, in-camp fun, and the Institute. A whopping 60 campers signed up for institute where Andy and Ra'd talked about Muslims, Christians, and Jesus, giving the campers a rare opportunity to hear more about each faith from both angles. This is one of the favorite days here at camp because of how much knowledge and perspective is gained in just a few short hours. Everyone leaves this discussion with a broadened mindset and a greater understanding of the similarities and differences between Muslims and Christians.

Each day at Kivu presents itself with the opportunity to learn more about the different facets of the Christian faith in our morning Institute, providing a stepping stone to becoming a "whole person". What do I mean by a whole person?... Well, here at Kivu we believe that faith is an integral part of every aspect of life. This includes marriage and family, physical, vocational, mental, spiritual, and relational sides of our life. Each day Andy unpacks what it means to live life in a way that emulates the motto "Love God and Love Others". Campers leave with a faith that has been challenged yet strengthened in so many ways. We will continue the good times as this term moves on to another day!

Speed Climbers

Yesterday we got the chance to go climbing at a classic Durango area called X-Rock. We set up two climbs and challenged ourselves to try and see who could make it up the fastest. Most people were able to make it up in under a blistering three minutes, however, Raya made it up just shy of 58 seconds! We were all so impressed at her fluid climbing skills and her determination to win. After she came down she confessed that she had grown up competing as a local climber and that although it had been some years since she had regularly put the discipline into practice, she still had it in her. It was so fun to get to see Raya show off her skills while also watching her cheer on the rest of her fellow campers as they pushed themselves to their limits as well. Fist bumps to Raya for being such a stud! 

Quick raft to beat the storm!

Hi Guys

Today has been a blast despite the questionable weather here in Durango (80% chance of rain at 2pm). We had a trial trip with the duckies (2 person inflatable kayaks) with the rafts on the river and it was a great success. Luke and Andy each had a full raft and Blake and myself had one ducky between us.

The trip started off with some pirating and Carlisle, Andrew, Austin, Andy and Myself all ending up in the water and the other campers having a blast just laughing at us. We then proceeded down the river to the big water where the rapids Smelter, Corner Pocket and Ponderosa awaited. The river is at 1400 CFS at the moment so the rapids are manageable but if hit wrong can still throw you out. On this occasion though we all made it through unscathed and carried on down to the take out where we got into the van to make our way to the park for a mid session break.

At the park we got the frisbee, soccer ball and gymnastics skills out to entertain the whole group. Lots of fun but my highlight was seeing Andrew's patience as he coached me on how to throw a frisbee forehand. I was a horrible student but because of his help I improved a lot!

Now for round two we put in just above the big rapids and paddled on in to them. Thunderclaps in the distance as we go through the rapids then massive hail storm just as we shut the van door to go back to camp.

Another successful day and now just Arabian Night to top off the fun!

Talk soon.

New Term Old Faces

Term 3 is underway here at Kivu and the energy is high! Every term brings a new feel to camp and term 3 has brought a high energy explosion into the gates. Already campers are dancing, their excited for trips, they love being with each other and loving each other well.

A big reason this term has started off so well is because of all the veteran campers that are here. I remember going to camp with people like Rankin, TJ, Trent, Chris, Lewis, Riley, and Noah, it is been crazy for me to watch them come through camp year after year with plenty of other campers. Since this is such an experienced group they have hit the ground running while including all the new campers into the whirlwind that is the first few days of camp. I am excited to see where this term goes and the stories that are sure to happen during the students two weeks in beautiful Colorado.

Here are some group pictures of all the cabins!!!

-Sam

 Cabin 3 Guys

 Cabin 3 Girls

 Cabin 4 Girls

 Cabin 4 Dudes

 Summit Gals

 Summit Dudes

 SUMMIT

 Cabin 1 Ladies

  Cabin 1

 Cabin 2 Girls

 Cabin 2 Men

Cabin 2

Term 3 is Here!

     Wow, crazy to think that summer 2015 is already halfway done. We've had an incredible summer so far. Kids are coming to Kivu and having so much fun, but more than that they fall in love with the community that is developed here. We consistently hear from students that Kivu is the place where they can be themselves and be comfortable in their own skin. I love that we are able to create a space for Jesus to enter our lives and see what he does from there. I'm looking forward to seeing how God will work in the lives of each of the campers here this term as well.

     

     Now we are into our first full day of term 3 and couldn't be more excited. There was more energy opening night yesterday than there were the other two terms so you know it's going to be a good term! Tonight we've got the 1974 Prom party so everyone will be dressed in their best 70's costume!

Pics from a great opening day:

    

The Last full day!

It's hard to think that the first day of Term 2 was already 14 days ago.... but I guess as the old saying goes "time flies when you are having fun". The last two weeks were filled to the brim with activities, dances, 2 Deeps, friendship building, and many memorable experiences.

I was very blessed to build personal relationships with many of the campers, so I can definitively say that this was an awesome group of campers who made every day better than the last. I was able to have many deep conversations with campers as they were eager to soak in more knowledge and to investigate what they believe. I was amazed how many people truly embraced our mission of loving God and loving others, which I am sure with be taken back home.

Today was another successful tournament day and Parent's Night here at Camp Kivu. We welcomed in parents for a delicious meal of barbecue brisket, pasta salad, salad and fruit pizza followed by cabin awards and camper awards. It was a full day of fun but it has come to an end. Tomorrow we will say goodbye to our friends, but we will not forget the memories that were made and the lessons that were learned. It has been a great term.... goodbye and safe travels home!

Two-step and Tickling

Hi all,

Tonight I am sitting here inside the office, warm breeze flowing, fan spinning on the roof and country music in the background. I think I'm getting a little taste of what it feels like to grow up in the southern states and the chance to hear, see, and feel why people love it down there.

Life at camp is very fast paced and doesn't often give you much chance to breathe but tonight is a little bit different. There were storm clouds brewing at the head of the valley but history tells us that it never rains on barn dance night so at 6.45pm we all gathered at the flagpole for a picnic dinner. The last rays of sun were streaming over the hill and it was a beautiful night to share with our friends new and old here at Kivu. We had delicious fried chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, corn bread and delicious cobbler and sweet tea to wash it down. this meal was enjoyed on the lawn with many laughs and fun stories told about the day.

After this everyone went to brush their teeth and get ready for the dance part of the night. Would you believe that you could have 50 flannels being worn in southern Colorado? Everyone was looking the part exceptionally or faking it well as we all headed to the gymnasium for beginner lessons to dance the night away. Young ladies were taken by the hand by the young gentlemen for this time as they learnt the moves. One story I heard from this time was from Caroline Decker. She mentioned that while she was learning to dance she couldn't help but laugh as her partner Levon Tychoporyan tickled her through the two-step practice.

From practice we all headed back to the barn for the real thing. As you can imagine nerves get ahold of the guys as they contemplate asking a girl to dance. As they see their friends plucking up the courage though they start asking ladies to dance and the floor fills up. Throughout the night the campers gain confidence and we see some exceptional swing dancing and as the night gets darker the campfire also gains popularity. Root beers get drunk and true is found and lost as each song goes by.

It really is a fun night and it is a testament to the relationships that have been built over the last 11 days that the campers can have so much fun. I imagine if we did this on the first day both genders would still be thinking that the opposite had cooties. In the end though the fact that the warm breeze was still flowing and now the moon and stars had come out made the atmosphere even better. I think a final barn dance for these campers was turned into a memory that will stand the test of time.

Thanks for reading, and have a great night yourselves. Feel free to turn on the country music and join in wherever you are.

Good night friends, talk again soon.

Andy and cole in traditional Barn Dance attire

Erica, Meghan and Emily

Enter bryson and funny faces begin to happen...

Gray, Sadie and Lydia

Jessie, Rebekah and Emily

Saif, Bryson and George (The Lads)

Caroline (the tickled), Alison and Ellie

Andy fitting in with the beautiful group of Jordanians

Summit Girls Emma and Caroline

Ashlyn, Ryan, Gertrude and Rebekah

And of course its the guys hanging out at the fire!

Mountain Biking Adventures

Today we went on a great mountain bike trip! We were riding the usual route we take in Durango when we got to a turn off for a trail called Telegraph. The trail runs alongside a hill and climbs up between the top of two large hills. It's one of the hardest trails that we ever ride in Durango and only ride it several times a summer. I put out a challenge for anyone who wanted to ride it since we had a few extra staff and could split up the group. There were three guys in the group who rose to the task and climbed 500 vertical feet to get to the top. It was a challenge to say the least but everyone made it! I'm glad Will, Ryan, and Ryan aren't afraid to push themselves and earn the reward of a long long downhill ride after.

Here's the incredible view from the top!

Fun Photos from Sunday!