Camp Mennoscah

On Thursday afternoon, I dropped Caiden off for his first camp experience at Camp Mennoscah - our church camp.  I found myself quite excited for him because I knew he was going to have a great time and come back home with new memories made, just like I did when I was a camper there.  In fact, he couldn't push me out the cabin door fast enough!

The awesome thing about Camp Mennoscah is that very little has changed over the years.  And in this era where everything changes by the minute, it's good to have something stay constant.  There have been improvements like a new swimming pool, some extra buildings, and a campaign for new mattresses, but overall, the general feeling of the camp is still the same.  Here are some examples:

-There is still no electricity in the cabins (awesome!)
-Chores are still done every day with cabin-mates
-When your cabin sets the table for dinner, you get to choose who the runner will be for each table (the person in charge of getting pitcher refills and such).
-There is still swimming time, craft time, quiet time, music, river play, campfire, and late night swims
-There is still kettle-popped popcorn for snack on the first night, cinnamon rolls for breakfast on the last morning, a pop break every afternoon
-Campers still wear a wooden nametag with their favorite color of yarn - all week!
-Campers still bring markers and write their names in their cabin - Caiden said that at night, they would shine their flashlights on the names to try and find the earliest one!  :)

I know camp experiences are not the same for everyone, but for our first-time camper, his two nights away were just what he needed!  I asked him if he is ready to go back next year and he said, "Mom, do you even need to ask?"  If only it would be that easy for Cambry in a few years - I have a feeling it might be a different story!

Lucky Caiden - he was in the same cabin as his cousin, Ty.  They
could request one cabin-mate each, and for their first year,
that was a good idea!  What a great way for cousins to
spend time together!

Neal Brubaker was one of Caiden's counselors.
He's from our church, too, and he was in my 3rd grade
class my first year of teaching!  What a great kid!

Making the long trek to the swimming pool!