So, this is all about my week as summer camp! We were at Lost Canyon, which is located in Williams, AZ. We were up in the mountains and it was beautiful. The weather was fantastic.
This is my childcare team. We're all from the
Kansas City area-ish, even though I hadn't met them before!
This is the view of camp and the mountains. It was so pretty!
There were 150 teen moms, 50 leaders, 130 babies, and 95 childcare workers. Wow!
These are the mommies (and leaders) from my area
Our schedule was as follows:
Childcare after breakfast until almost lunch time. This was our "pod" and we had eight 3-6 month babies from all over the country!
We had childcare in the cabin at night (not our cabin, but our assigned cabin). This was the cabin for the girls from our area. There were nine kiddos ranging from 5 months to 2 years. Nighttime childcare was about 3-4ish hours while the mommies went to club (chapel), cabin (reflection) time, and had fun activities.
On most afternoons we had some form of childcare, mostly with the cabin group. We'd take the kids for walks, out to play, and of course we'd enjoy some cheerios on the patio.
This is my buddy. Well, she was *my* buddy. I was her worst nightmare. We would hang out and play while her Mama was gone; I was her BFF. But this little girl loves her mommy and never wanted her to leave. Whenever she would see me, even if it wasn't actually time for childcare, she would burst into tears and cling to her Mama. Every single time. It never failed. But once her mommy would leave, it'd only take a few minutes to settle down and then she was my shadow, 100%. Check out those dimples! Super cute.
I have been to camps of all shapes, sizes, and scenery. But to be at a camp with moms and their babies was a site unseen. Pack and plays next to bunk beds. Herds of strollers. High chairs at tables. Car seats stored under bathroom sinks. Baby gates guarding cabin doors. Camp literally changed overnight (really, a childless camp was taking place just the day before and began again the day after we left!) with an downpour of baby items EVERYWHERE.
And whose idea was it to serve dirt dessert to toddlers?! The clean-up crew worked extra, extra hard this week!
There were a few days when we were clocking almost 9 hours of childcare in one day. Whew! But there was still time for fun!
I ziplined with my camp buddy, Hannah. She landed so gracefully into the water; I did not. I was achy the next day.
*not pictured: the blob. I did actually do it, but it took me forever to jump off. But I did actually do it. And then, when I was the blob-ee, I had no warning and just went flying into the air and landed flat on my back. ooooouch! Not sure it was worth the hype!
The giant swing. Hannah, Kay, and I went on the big swing together. Super fun.
And then I rock-climbed. Austin was my buddy. He was my zip-line guy and my rock-climbing guy. Also, an interior designer. Never would have pegged that one! And just for my pride, let's pretend that there isn't an 8 year-old little guy way at the top while I'm still only half way up.
Going to camp was such a great experience, albeit very exhausting, but great nonetheless! I really enjoyed getting to know the moms from my area. They are such great girls, great moms! And really, it was so touching to be able to see the lives touched this week. Seriously, this week was life-changing
This is the New Believers walk- all of the girls who became new believers in Jesus Christ this week, got up early and walked around camp with people cheering them on all the way.
And the very last thing before everyone headed back on the buses to go home was the "Say so" when everyone who made a decision got in front of all of the campers, leaders, staff, and everyone crammed into the room to proclaim it. So, *so* touching to see them up there with their babies knowing those little lives were going to be changed too.
It's no surprise that I am so passionate about this ministry. You should totally check into seeing if you have a local chapter in your area. If not, start one! If so, contact for ways to get involved. You can become a mentor mom, provide childcare for monthly meetings, donate your used baby clothes, gear, or toys, help raise money for camp. The opportunities are endless. Above all else, we need to love on these girls. They have chosen life. They have so much going on in their lives. They are all great mommies. And they just need support- just like the rest of us mommies out there!
