Assignment #19

We are going to visit Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp in Story City tomorrow and we each have to ask four questions.

My first question is about winter activities and how do they plan on attracting more people to the camp.  We personally have added a lot of different winter activities for people to do this year.  I have noticed that they don't have many retreats set up for December and January and I would like to know if that is just because they are usually slow or do they prefer not having groups out there due to their lack of activities. 

The second question I have for them  has to do with their summer staff.  Do they get enough applications or do they have to go out and look for summer councilors?  Also, being a Lutheran Camp do they only allow Lutherans to work on full time staff or summer staff?

Thirdly I was curious to know who comes up with their summer camp theme?  I didn't know if they all come together or if they have one or two people working on that.  Along with this question is the person(s) who do this also hire summer staff?

Finally, has the camp suffered from the economy having problems?  Have you seen a decrease in children coming out for summer camps?

These are the questions I will be asking tomorrow at Riverside.  I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Assignment #18

Give a SWOT analysis on Hidden Acres.  SWOT stands for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats. 

When looking at Hidden Acres and our strengths we are good at taking care of guests and their needs.  We all know that if our guests are not happy they could decide to not come back in the future.  Our food is always a high point for our guests. 

For weaknesses I think that our unity as a camp need a lot of work.  We tend to blame one another and not take responsibility for our own mistakes.  The teamwork here is almost non existent.  People are out for their own gain.  Some of our facilities could use some work.  Another weakness here at Hidden Acres is that some people are spread really thin that don't have the time to complete simple maintenance around the camp. 

I don't really know of any opportunities that we are missing out on.  We cover a lot and we allow just about anyone to come out to camp. 

The weather is a threat being in the Midwest we deal with tornadoes and flooding just about every year.  We also have to deal with the government and their policies.  We have to be very careful with our bookkeeping records just in case the government comes in wanting to look over things.  But we have an amazing financial director so I feel confident that we are good in that department.
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts.

Assignment #17

Name three measurable visions for Hidden Acres and explain how we will accomplish it with a timeline.

I have noticed that the horses are a big hit with younger people.  So I think that if we work on fixing up the fences and remodeling the barn it would really invite more people in.  This should be worked on over the winter and spring months to be ready by the Summer. 

Our food at camp is delicious.  However, I think if we had a remodel or a new building all together that would make us so much better.  With more room it makes us more capable of doing bigger retreats.  This could be accomplished by Summer 2013. 

I know I should have three but I can't really think of another one so I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Assignment #16

We are looking at a fictitious camp in class and it is getting a new director (me).  So being new to this camp I need to figure out my next steps. 

What are my next 3 decisions for Camp Pine Tree?

The first thing I would do is take a very detailed tour of the camp and see where buildings and grounds need to be improved or even taken down.  By looking over the camp it would set me up for the next steps that I want to do.  Having a better understanding of where the camp is stuck will make me more informed when it comes to the sit down meeting with the staff.  

The second step and maybe most critical step will be sitting down with the staff and see what they want for the camp.  Knowing how they want to see the camp continue on is very important.  I think hearing what they want to do will help me see if they should stay employed or not at Camp Pine Tree.  If they have no passion and are discouraged and giving up then I don’t think they should continue working at the camp.  But I would not just fire them I would work with them and see if I can find the passion that they once had when they first started working at the camp.  I would also be able to find out who really stands out as the leaders.  

With the third step I would take what I learned from the meeting and see where the finances are.  If they are good I would look into what needs improvement right away and get that project started.  However, if the camp is in a bad financial state I would start brainstorming about how to get backing and donations.  That’s about it.  I know that it would take a lot of steps to get this camp going great again but this is where I would start.  I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Assignment #15

Why am I here?

Well… I’m not going to lie some days I have no idea why I am here.  But then I go to the truth of the Bible for help and inspiration.  Psalm 23:3 says “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”  I know that the Lord has a plan and a path for me.  His timetable isn’t meshing with mine like I would like but I know he is right.  I need to stop pushing for what I want and just relax and see what the Lord is putting in front of me.  I also refer to James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I tend to find the bad in every situation and then I talk about people behind their backs and also to their faces and I have come to feel convicted that this is not only morally wrong but sinful.  Further in James 1 there is another wonderful verse that makes me look at how I communicate with people.  I am always saying that at this camp “there is no communication” but there is more to communicating then just talking.  “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19.  I am hoping that by working on this not only will I know more and understand more before I react but I will learn to communicate with those who anger me but in a mature way so feelings do not get hurt.

I like learning how to do new things and coming here I knew that I would be put into those situations.  I never imagined that I would put in water lines or fix broken water lines and that has really made me feel confident.  Also learning how to drive a backhoe was so much fun.  I love getting dirty and working outside with my hands.   Just don’t ask me to build anything; I am horrible with measurements.  I am still young in my relationship with the Lord.  I accepted him into my life just over a year ago and I have so much to learn.  This is why I am here.  I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Frustration

I'm to my breaking point yet again.  I just do not understand people.  How can some people be so inconsiderate  and do things that are only benefiting themselves.  I am trying to stay positive and work for the Lord but it becomes very hard when others know I will do the work and they try shoving other tasks they should be doing on me.  I also hate when people lie about the smallest little things although everyone knows they are being deceitful.  BLOWS MY MIND... I'm not say that I am perfect by any means but when people throw things onto others just because they are too LAZY to do them themselves even though it only takes 5-10 min. just makes me not care.  I also hate when people think they can walk all over others because they are easy to intimidate.  Then when I stand up for my friends I get yelled at. hmmmmm..... does that sound right to anyone??  I feel that certain people come to me not only to vent but because they know I will do something about the situation.  Trust is something that I don't come by often around here.  For those who truly know me know what I am talking about with all of this.  Who knows how much more of this I can take because obviously these people will not change their ways and I am to stubborn to change mine.  But I feel like I am right I was raised the right way.  Thanks Dad!
I hope you enjoyed my venting/thoughts.

Assignment #14

Character, Communion, Calling, Community.  Knowing myself. 

Who am I? 

I am a shy person who takes a long time to feel comfortable around new people.  I am very insecure about everything.  I hate feeling worthless.  I like to please others and that sometimes gets me burned out and then frustration begins.  I don’t know how to forgive and forget.  My friends definitely bring out the fun side of me and help me relax.  I am a very independent person.  I like coming up with ways to help others; most of the time they are not the greatest ideas.  I have come to find out that I am not very approachable and I would like to work on this.  

Whose am I? 

I am a child of the Lord.  I know that I can come to him with any problems that may come up in my life.  I want to come to a point where I don’t second guess what the Lord wants for me.  

Why am I here? 

I think I need to learn how to control my anger and learn to forgive and forget.  I know that I cannot become a true servant of the Lord until I conquer these issues.  I don’t know what my calling is yet; but I know it will become clear to me when the time is right.  

Where do I belong? 

I know where I want to belong but it’s the journey the Lord has for me is where I truly belong.  I want to belong in a church community that is a second family to me and I can go to them for help when I need to. 

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Assignment #13

Three things about myself and why I am the way I am?  How do I relate to people opposite from me?

        I tend to look for the bad in things that I do except the positive.  When I was being raised there was a  lot of animosity around and people were not very optimistic.  there fore I picked up this habit. 
        For people who are optimistic I don't think I have problems with them, I actually wish I could be more like them.  I also feel the for people who are more optimistic then have a greater relationship with the Lord and trust him more.  I find myself having to remind myself to hand things over to the Lord.


       I find it easy to kick people out of my life because I cant forgive easily.  Forgiveness is one of my greatest challenges I face everyday.  When people upset me I get so full of anger that I just want to leave.  This also come with how I was raised.  Someone near and dear to my heart holds on to things that happened over twenty years ago and even through they cant change it they still go on and on about it.  My family has also kicked other members out of for a period of time because they didn't like the choices they made and I believe those were justified both times because people cheated on their wives and husbands and had children involved.  This defiantly come from both sides of the family. 
        I want to work on this and when I see people get wronged and then not care just shocks me but I find myself mad with a person who hadn't even wronged me.  I envy people who can forgive.  


       I am very good with seeing something that needs to be done and getting it done without being told.  I was raised on  a farm and we raised animals from young ages so we had responsibilities  every day.  I am so happy I was raised this way because I see people who have to be told when to do something and it is just very frustrating.  Being a farm kid makes me very proud because I think people think I may know what I'm doing more of the time then others.  I tend to grasp ideas faster because to me its just logical. 
       When dealing with people who are opposite of me in this aspect is one of the most frustrating to me to deal with.  Quite honestly I dont know how to work with them without becoming upset so I can't answer this one. 

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts.  

Assignment #12

Myself and the other Launch students will be attending Twin Lake Bible Camp Tuesday and we are to ask the director questions.  Here are the questions I would like to be answered.  And I hope to put the answers up so people know what the responses were.  

 

When looking at Twin Lake Bible Camp what would I like to know?

What changes have you seen in your attendance in the last five years for summer camp?   Due to the economy have you seen increases, decreases or staying about the same?  

What have you seen as your biggest challenge in getting young people interested in getting away from worldly distractions?  Todays kids are so into technology that it is tough to get them into a different setting that takes them away from their norm.  For Twin Lakes I would really like to know if they embrace this or if they try keeping it out as much as possible. 

What is the next step in growing your camp?  All camps want to continue in growth whether it’s in raising funds, building new buildings, or buying new equipment.  

Do you like your camp location or would you prefer it to be more secluded?     The camp located next to North Twin Lake along with 300 other homes.    I would really like to know if this location hurts the camp in anyway. 

Assignment #11

How do I relate cross culturally on a local, national, and international basic?

Wow what a question right?  People are connected in a variety of different ways; living situations, sexual orientation, religion, race, sex, area of the world, or even area of town.    

On a local level I think I can relate to a lot of different backgrounds.  There are a lot of things I have gone through in my 22 years that others also went through.  It is most easy to reach the people in your local area just by taking the time to do so.  But the first step is to try and go outside your comfort zone.  

Nationally it gets a bit difficult because most people can’t travel and visit with people and get to know them.  However, Facebook makes this task doable.  Americans as a whole have a lot of similarities as well and if we just took the time to find them friends would be all over the U.S. 

Internationally the similarities are less because they way we live are different.  I would personally love to travel all over the world and just meet people and learn about their lives.  I think that I am very arrogant to their lifestyles though so it would be a great learning experience. 

I’m not sure how well I answered this question but I hope you enjoyed my thoughts.