Queen Bee Makes Rounds

Shmo, the Beehive's Queen Bee, delivers packages to cabins!There's a buzz on camp this morning - we're getting ready for more Res campers to arrive! Busses are picking campers up down south, last touches are being made to Cabin Impacts, cabins are being fluffed for new campers, and deliveries are being made by the Beehive's (camp store) very own Queen Bee, Shmo. 

Over the weekend, staff and high school campers enjoyed a little down time - games of volleyball and Frisbee were played. Trips into town for laundry and some ice cream were made. Hanging out in hammocks happened and (lots) of naps were taken to rest up. Advance Camp counselors will go to White Buck, a nearby lodge, this afternoon to take the next few days to rest, reflect, and renew for the new group of Advance Campers, coming July 21.

ACs were able to get into town and made sure to stop by thrift shops and the print store to buy Wilderness Wednesday screenprint t's and sweatshirts. 2:22 celebrated stories from wilderness trips, went white-water rafting on the Wolf River and played some large group games on camp. They're heading into the second half of their time at HoneyRock, and will be busy in activities this week. Next week, they'll split into work groups and serve both camp and the surrounding communities. After helping with Family Day, Service Team went back to rotations.

A short update for today - but you can follow the busses as they make the trip up north via our Facebook page. We update as they stop for lunch at Madison, pass through Wausau and Rhinelander, and a final update once they reach camp. Prayers for safe travels and a great session are appreciated - we couldn't do it without the support of those back home praying for our staff and campers!

Res, Advance, 2:22 and more!

We have five different camper programs going now, and today we have an update for them all! 

Res: Res campers just arrived yesterday, and they're charging ahead at full steam! After a night filled with name games, icebreakers, swim tests, skits and cabin reflections, they woke up this morning to cabin impacts, camper worship, and activities. At this point, they're just finishing up their second activity period and heading into OPA (optional play activitiy) where they have some structured free time with their cabin before dinner. 

Advance Camp Girls, ready to go on trip!Advance: While the boys got back Saturday afternoon, the girls left on trip right after lunch today. They'll be out on trip for the next few days, enjoying the beautiful Northwoods. Meanwhile, the boys will work on their activities on camp. When Sarah asked the girls how they wanted to caption this picture, they said, "Bugspray is the new perfume!" This year, that may be the case!

2:22: 2:22 is in camp today but will be gone tomorrow as they all split up and leave on their trips. There are a few pictures up on SmugMug, including their cabin photos. Stick tight through their wildnerness and service trips - while we would love to get pictures during these times, there isn't an opportunity. Our photographer is working hard to get as many takes of them as she can before they leave!

Service Team: Service Teamers are busy busy busy! They're split up all around camp as well as in town. Job rotations include housekeeping, Operations, Construction, town service, etc... If you were able to pop over to our photo site, you might notice some silly pictures in their gallery. We handed off the camera for them to take some pictures of their time setting up DTP tents, banquet, and their overnight trip - they had some fun with it!

AC's: This is a fun group to watch. They're all doing so well with their campers - leading them through bible studies, camper worship, activities...it's incredible to see the growth from Service Team to Assistant Counselor. The guys will soon be leading their Res campers on their overnights, while girls are prepping for Girls Night on camp. 

All SmugMug galleries were updated today, even Res Camp! The password was given out early this afternoon in a message sent to the email parents provided. If you can't find it, check your junk mail - somtimes it likes to sneak in there. If you're still having problems, let us know at media@honeyrockcamp.org. Thanks!

Res Girls Pack Out, Advance Camp Arrives

Our Res Camp girls are about to experience an essential part of HoneyRock Camp: the wilderness trip. We're excited to provide them with an opportunity to experience God through nature. Challenges will come along with the trip - from paddling a couple miles against the wind to hiking to wet-wood fire making. These purposeful challenges bring the group together, creating transformational outdoor experiences that campers grow from and apply to life back in their permanent communities. It's amazing to see the sometimes-anxious faces before they leave to the confident smiles upon return.

This morning, after Camper Worship, the girls took their activity period to pack up all of the necessaries: tents, sleeping bags, Doug the shovel, billy cans, and s'mores. It was so fun watching them pack up and get excited about their time out in the wilderness!

In Advance Camp news, our second session arrived safely today at 3:00! We're excited to see how God works through their counselors, activities, wilderness trips, "hot topic" discussion nights, and more.

Advance Campers, Get Pumped!

This Monday we will welcome nearly 60 Advance campers to HoneyRock! We're excited to have these high school freshmen on camp, living and learning in community. Our Advance Camp program exists to build meaningful relationships and provide challenging experiences that ultimatlely encourage students as they "advance" to make Christ the foundation of their lives.

We thought that today we could introduce you to five of our Advance Camp counseling staff, giving you a little idea of where they're from and why they're here. But, before you take a couple minutes to meet Korey, Tana, Nate, Emily, & Kathryn, visit this page to read about preparing for camp, packing list included.

To start off the introductions, say hi to Korey Gregornick! He's originally from Lake Geneva, but is now pursuing music and youth ministry at Wheaton College. While not in class, Korey loves longboarding, drumming, and sports. He participated in Passage before his freshman year and was ready to return for a full summer. We asked Korey about his favorite part of working at HoneyRock, and he replied, "The community and wilderness. Everywhere you go there are people to love and beautiful things to see...I love the outdoors and chillin with bros and doing adventurous things."

Tana Schendel, from Shoreview, Minnesota, shares Korey's love for adventures. When asked about her favorite part of HoneyRock, Tana answered, "incredible food and going on adventures!" She's excited to "hang out with high schoolers and grow in relationships with each other and Christ." Tana will return to Wheaton this Fall to study Psychology and Christian Ed.

Nate Mulder comes to us from Grand Rapids, Michigan where we lived and worked at a camp for nine years before coming to HoneyRock. He has really apprecaited HoneyRock as a place to "help others discover God's love for them through time out of their comfort zones and in his creation." Nate is an Education major who loves frisbee, juggling, and tall-bike riding.

Emily Korzeniewski, like Nate, sees HoneyRock as a place grow closer to God. Emily studies music composition at Wheaton and in her free time, loves creating. This includes crafting, sewing, and knitting, not to mention music. Emily has been up at HoneyRock for Wilderness Passage as well as her SLS winter retreat. She loves HoneyRock, saying, "The community here is so srong and it's a beautiful place to see God in people and nature." She is really excited to work with students going into high school and thinks HoneyRock is a great place to grow closer to God.

Finally, let us introduce you to Kathryn Brightly from Clinton, New Jersey. She's been up to HoneyRock a few times, first for Passage, then a work/play weekend, and finally the SLS winter retreat. Emily is a English/Secondary Education major who loves playing piano, reading, & writing. When asked about her favorite part of HoneyRock, Kathryn answered, "I love the community. We can be absolutely crazy together, but also vulnerable and open about our lives..." she continued "I wanted to challenge myself in my relationship with others and God as well as have an AMAZING time with incredible high schoolers! Get pumped!"

2:22, Back in Camp

Wednesday afternoon all of our 2:22ers arrived back to camp safe and sound! They returned canoeing and hiking, ready to unpack and shower – ASAP. While we haven’t had a lot of time to hear stories yet, the next week will be spent in camp…plenty of time to hear about some of their wilderness experiences. We overheard one group saying that their time was “almost like a vacation” – good long hikes, sandy beaches, and sunny skies. While some trips might have experienced other elements, we’re excited with what we have heard so far!

Thank you for your patience as we start to upload pictures of your 2:22ers! They haven’t been in camp for that long, but we’re working hard to make up for lost time. Today the women are in town doing laundry while the men are rafting at the Wolf River. Here at the office, we're in the process of rounding up trip pictures and posting them to our photo site. 

Update: 2:22 Wilderness Trip Pictures are posted!
Click here to visit their photo gallery.

MAN CAMP.

Tonight is MAN CAMP. The rest of the Res girls left on their trip this afternoon, leaving to places like Miller's Cove, Pleasant View, and Riverview. We passed this group of girls on the channel - they were having so much fun!

But now, it's MAN CAMP - where all of the guys - counselors and campers alike, go crazy with build your own pizza dinner, extreme finger jousting, and a classic HoneyRock game: Outpost (but that's it's own blog post!). Tomorrow, they worship together with MAN CAMP camper worship, where the song "Jesus Freak" can be heard from all parts of camp.

Here are some pictures of our Res guys in their activities earlier today:

Tomorrow we'll focus on Advance Camp and what they have been up to these past couple of days - girls back from trip, activities, worship, high ropes...they've been busy!

If you're interested in coming to Family Day this Thursday, remember that registration is still open! Questions? Click here for answers.