Q&A Part 4

Well, another Monday... Another Q&A. Enjoy.

What is your favorite time of day at camp?

My favorite time at camp has to be the early morning. It isn’t like the lower 48 with the sun rising. Instead, the sun is already up (like an early dawn, with the sun hiding behind some mountains). What makes it the best, is when it has rained overnight and there is a mist over everything. And if there is a breeze coming down the Matanuska Valley, the fog rolls through a gap in Teepee ridge, and pores onto Shallow Lake. It sometimes happens during a cool rainy day. But morning is the best. No one is really up. Moose are usually hanging out down by Shallow Lake and sometimes you get to see other wildlife there.

What is God sharing with you during this prep time before heading to AK?

God has been sharing a lot in during my time here in PA. The biggest has been God pointing out areas in my life that need some refocusing or restructuring. God has been reteaching me a lot. Its funny how someone may point you to a podcast or radio ministry, and you get encouraged through it. Lately, God has been using the ministry of “Telling The Truth” and the book “Experiencing God” to help me dig deeper into the Bible, and to really look into what it means to be a Christian and a man. It may sound funny, but there is so much that I am learning through digging into the Bible. 

The world has bombarded guys with what they say a man is. It is actually destroying our culture and future cultures to come. When looking into the Bible, it is sad to see how I have been mislead and how much growth there needs to be. Its been good. I’m glad I’ve had the time to wrestle with this and many other areas that God has been leading me. I’ve also been working on the surrendering a lot over to God. It isn’t just money, our time and jobs that I need to surrender... as we have all heard in church. But it’s my thoughts, my dreams, and everything about my being that also needs to be surrendered. It is only one verse, but there is a lot in it that I have been wrestling with...
Galatians 5:13 (ESV)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

There is so many freedoms we have as not just Christians, but as Americans, and as human beings. But it is sad to see all that we squander our freedoms on. I love the loose “defenition” of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.” How many times do we have to seek after things to make ourselves happy, only to be disappointed or depressed. This “INSANITY” is what is getting pushed on us daily. It’s something I struggle with,  and is something God is working on in me during my time here.

What is your favorite memory you've had at camp?

With this question, I am going to break it down into two answers. One will be this summer, and the other will be my overall memory.

THIS SUMMER: There was a crazy idea I came up with. Everyone (that likes coffee) likes it when I fire up the espresso machine and craft some drinks. Now, Kelly, Jaime and I thought the staff needed a little break. Plus, a lot of the staff had musical and lyrical talents. So why not showcase all of this with coffee and other various treats. With all of this came Victory Bible Camps first ever Coffee House. The event took some steam to get going. We were not sure how it was going to work. The event even got postponed. But the night before staff break, the event was a GO! We all rushed to get it all ready. The espresso machine took some time to heat up (it died a few weeks later... poor old machine. It was a dinosaur). The lobby of Miracle Lodge filled up. I got the night started with a re-enactment of Andy Kaufman’s “Might Mouse Sketch” (See the original here). The night just got better as the event went on. There were laughs, some tears, and just plain fun. You could see the tension and stress from the first half of the summer melt off the summer staff. It was a good start to a great staff break.

OVERALL MEMORY: During my first summer on the AV Team, I got recruited to go up to Ranch camp for a week or two. It wasn’t really planned. But with another staff member out with health issues, I was tapped to go fill-in the position. It wasn’t really what I had wanted to do. I was helping run the chapel services and working on the AV Team. My heart really wasn’t in the going to Ranch camp. I reluctantly moved myself out to Ranch camp and began my week. The campers were crazy. Trying every minute to pull pranks on me and being typical teen guys. A lot of patience and alone-time was needed during that week. It was a tough week. But it was the last night of camp that really showed the difference that was made. 

Now imagine, a guy with a buzzed haircut and a gnarly red beard as your counselor for camp. Kind of intimidating. (2nd from the right)

The few, the proud, the AV Team... who are we kidding?

If I wanted things to calm, I just needed to lower my voice, and the look backed up the talk. But I showed a more gentler side when I really wanted to make a point. And this is what made the difference. During the final campfire, “the worst camper” had a breakdown. Notorious for being the tough guy and the camper that no one wanted, a breakthrough was made. HE went on to say he was scared of me at first, but it was the “Teddy Bear side of me” (yes...Teddy Bear. His words, not mine) that showed him that I actually cared about his. We spent a lot of time throughout the week, and that night. I’m not sure what happened to him. Facebook and social media didn’t exist. I did give him my e-mail address. But no contact was made. A lot changed after that week. It took the tough kid that no one wanted to love to break me, and it took the tough looking guy with a “Teddy Bear” heart to break him.

What has been the ultimate prank you've ever done at camp?

Other than making a fellow AV member almost wet his pants and turning someones hot soaking bath into a vat of coffee (both awesome stories), I think the funniest ones are the classics. Like making someone think there was a prank, when there wasn’t. 

The best group one, was a kitchen raid scare. Campers used to be able to come into the kitchen for their snack, in a kitchen raid style approach. But there was always a catch. In our case, it was the AV Team waiting for them. As they came in, the lights come on... thus revealing a slew of masked people surrounding them. The best was watching a video of a camper scream, turn and scream again, then turn one more time to see someone come out of the trash can and scare them a third time. After a moment they were laughing so hard. Just priceless.

The best assist was helping the cook smuggle salted cookies into the AV room. One person was the target. The plate was 50/50 (good/salted). All but the one was told. We ate the good ones. He ate one good one, then he got a salted one. The video of it was priceless. We just broke out laughing. Just amazing.

Best solo prank... not sure if I have a “best” solo prank. Most of mine involved “The Resistance.” 

Well, there goes another Q&A sessions. There are a few more left. Dont forget, you can be a part of this too. Just send in your questions, and I will answer them. 

Also, I will be posting my "Why Alaska" answer soon. 

-Daryl