The following are the ramblings and misspellings of a 15 year old who went to RFKC for the first time this summer. This is an abridged text from her blog. The full text is posted at: http://amongthethirty.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/rfkc/
27 07 2009
…a week ago I went to a camp called Royal Family Kid’s Camp that my dad had been raving on and on about. This was a camp specifically for abused children. My dad said that it was one of his favorite places on earth…
... So finally I was old enough to come, actually I wasn’t even old enough to come being only 15 but they made an exception this year. Along with me two other 15 year olds came. I was a bit iffy about going considering that my dad brought a huge bag of crap to camp every year for his lessons! =D
Well actually, camp was great! In fact it was one of the best experiences of my life. In fact, my dad’s lessons were amazing. He was creative and he really captured the kids attentions. It was truly amazing.
...As stated already its made specifically for abused children. Many were abused by their parents physically, but the greater percentage were abused in even worse ways. Most were abused in ways to graphic to write about. Honestly, how their parents did these things to these children is beyond me. A parent would have to be pretty sick minded to do such demonic things. RFKC seeks to help this kids forget all this in a week of fun, were they can just have a good time and learn about God.
On the bus ride back to the ranch were they would be saying I got to know a few of the kids. Already I was seeing how awesome these children were…
As we pulled into the ranch we were met by the children’s guides and my dad, the youth pastor. They were screaming and waving the signs that had the name of the children they would be looking after inscribed on them. My dad, always eager and truly excited about camp, had already gotten his grey hair painted with colorful polka-dots.
The rest of the week was insane! I mean donkey screaming, hair coloring, birthday throwing insane! Basically it was just really crazy, in a good way.
…Well so you get the drift, there was a lot of drama, but honestly none of that really mattered in the end. More importantly were the people and kids. As for the people I met a lot of great ones there. In fact, when I first got there my dad would be walking me around and then point at a guy and say that that was one of his favorite people in the entire world, and I would look at him and say, “Dad you’ve said that about everybody here!”. Seriously, my dad thought the people who volunteered here were great, and I saw that too. They really were awesome people.
When I thought about it and for a while I was confused about how these people were so great at RFKC, but at most other places the people their just weren’t. My dad explained it like this. Everyone that comes to RFKC to help the kids. They set aside their faults to help these kids. …Thats because we are all working towards one main goal…As my dad said, its one of the most beautiful things that you’ll ever see.
The best part of RFKC, is the whole reason that it was created, the kids. The kids top it all off, they are what makes the whole experience truly spectacular. I made friends with quite a lot of the kids, and just talking to them I knew that they were great kids. …I’ve heard some of these children’s stories, and they had to be some of the worst things I have ever heard. I’ve never heard anything as bad in movies, songs, stories, anything worse than what happened to some of these kids. I knew if I was one of these kids, I’d feel horrible, I’d be completely miserable. But when the children come to this camp, they forget all of that. They forget all of their suffering, and they have a blast! They smile all the time when their here, and its just so amazing that they could forget all the filth in their lives for a week and just have a fun.
There are so many great things that the camp did for these kids. For one, it teaches them about the bible, and thats probably its greatest purpose. If they believe what the camp is saying about God then they will find a friend that they will never lose, a friend that will always be with them. Also, these kids enjoy themselves for once and its just great.
For example, there was this one girl, a small little girl, and she would come up to my dad every day and say, “Pastor Mike, we have to do something for my birthday ok?”. Her birthday had been last week, and that hadn’t celebrated it. So she would ask, and ask, and ask. Then Thursday came, every Thursday at camp they would throw a party that was for every kid there, a birthday party for all of them because most of them didn’t get birthday parties and at the camp the workers want to let the kids know how special they really are. So we get the party set up, and then open the doors and let the kids in. As they ran in we’d all clap for them and then sing happy birthday. As you can imagine all the kids were ecstatic, but the one that was the happiest was that one small girl who had been asking and asking my dad for a party. She came up to him, weeping tears of joy, and said, “Thank you Pastor, thank you.” My dad was so touched that he couldn’t help himself from crying either. Practically, everyone that saw how happy she was ended up crying.
That being said, most of the kids effect the adults more than the adults effect them. As my dad explained during one of his sermons, helping to teach these children, and helping to give them such a good time helps those working for the children more than it actually helps the kids.
Sure, doing all this work is super hard, but its all worth it. Most of us would do anything to make these kids happy, I even colored my hair and let the girls mess around with it a little. Seeing these kids, who have suffered more than anyone should have to, enjoy our work is one of the best feelings ever. Seeing them smile brings an even bigger smile to our face, and seeing them leave causes us to weep thinking of how much were going to miss them, and thinking of the kind of life they have to go back to.
Finally, I understand why every week after Royal Family Kids Camp my dad would come back with pink colored hair and tears in his eyes.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
RFKC Overall Summer Training Experience
Here’s a brief recap of the summer training:
5 week-long training camps (3 Directors' Training camps, for new start up camps &
2 Passing the Scepter camps, for existing camps).
11 Trainers
5 Host Couples
3 Child Abuse Specialists
56 trainees
12 existing camps with new leadership
15 NEW camps
Our new camps average 30 campers their first few years. 15 new camps at 30 campers each, equals 450 additional campers!!!
450 new lives being touched. 450 new experiences. 450 kids who have had few people in their lives come along side them and say “you are worth my time, because you are somebody special”. 450 more opportunities for caring adults to find out what the camper wants to do, and doing that! 450 opportunities for a “first time” experience, like “I caught my first fish”, “I sang in front of a crowd for the first time”, “I built my first bird house”, “I prayed for the first time”, “my first week without being called stupid”, “my first hike”, “my first time to hope”, “my first night without crying myself to sleep”, “my first time to hear about God”. RFKC creates lots of “first time” experiences, thanks to people like you.
Your prayers and financial support have made it possible to take 450 new kids to camp. You have made an eternal investment into their lives, and it’s a good investment!
Thank you for your support and help.
5 week-long training camps (3 Directors' Training camps, for new start up camps &
2 Passing the Scepter camps, for existing camps).
11 Trainers
5 Host Couples
3 Child Abuse Specialists
56 trainees
12 existing camps with new leadership
15 NEW camps
Our new camps average 30 campers their first few years. 15 new camps at 30 campers each, equals 450 additional campers!!!
450 new lives being touched. 450 new experiences. 450 kids who have had few people in their lives come along side them and say “you are worth my time, because you are somebody special”. 450 more opportunities for caring adults to find out what the camper wants to do, and doing that! 450 opportunities for a “first time” experience, like “I caught my first fish”, “I sang in front of a crowd for the first time”, “I built my first bird house”, “I prayed for the first time”, “my first week without being called stupid”, “my first hike”, “my first time to hope”, “my first night without crying myself to sleep”, “my first time to hear about God”. RFKC creates lots of “first time” experiences, thanks to people like you.
Your prayers and financial support have made it possible to take 450 new kids to camp. You have made an eternal investment into their lives, and it’s a good investment!
Thank you for your support and help.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Jeff's Training Days 2009
Directors Training Omaha NE. 2009
This summers training Schedule took me to Omaha NE. for a six day training camp. I was joined for the week by fellow trainers John and Gael Ostenson and our Host Couple Kent & Sharon Mutschler. Sara Swansen spoke our first day as our specialist on child abuse issues. We had 12 trainees from 5 different churches in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, and our first training group from Wyoming. It rained a little bit every day but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We were there to teach and inspire, rain or shine. It was really a great week getting to know the trainees and having a great experience with the host camp from Omaha, NE. The facility Directors are also RFKC Directors and have 5 different Royal Family Kids’ Camps at that facility during the summer. Great people, doing great work making a great difference in the lives of kids all across the county.
Here’s a short video clip showing some of the events of the week.
Passing the Scepter Training 2009 Costa Mesa CA
This summer I was able to train in my first “Passing the Scepter” class for RFKC. We have 2 different versions of camp training. Brand new camps with no experience go to “Directors Training”. When an existing camp needs a new Director or extra help they go to our “Passing the Scepter” training class designed for people who already have Royal Family experience, but now they need the in depth training to go with. So this year I had the honorable pleasure of training with my office mate, Glenn Garvin. Glenn and I have worked together for 3 years now and this was our first time to train together. We were assisted by our Host Couple Darryl & Linda Fisher. We had 11 trainees from 8 different camps learning how to direct a RFKC. The group was fabulous and funny. After laboriously training and observing all day we had some great social times in the evenings in the camps game center.
Here’s a short video clip showing some of the events of the week.
These 13 camps, represented by 13 churches, now have the potential to go back and take around 500 kids to camp. 500 kids!!! Your financial support and prayer support help make that possible. Thanks for your investment in the lives of these kids.
This summers training Schedule took me to Omaha NE. for a six day training camp. I was joined for the week by fellow trainers John and Gael Ostenson and our Host Couple Kent & Sharon Mutschler. Sara Swansen spoke our first day as our specialist on child abuse issues. We had 12 trainees from 5 different churches in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, and our first training group from Wyoming. It rained a little bit every day but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We were there to teach and inspire, rain or shine. It was really a great week getting to know the trainees and having a great experience with the host camp from Omaha, NE. The facility Directors are also RFKC Directors and have 5 different Royal Family Kids’ Camps at that facility during the summer. Great people, doing great work making a great difference in the lives of kids all across the county.
Here’s a short video clip showing some of the events of the week.
Passing the Scepter Training 2009 Costa Mesa CA
This summer I was able to train in my first “Passing the Scepter” class for RFKC. We have 2 different versions of camp training. Brand new camps with no experience go to “Directors Training”. When an existing camp needs a new Director or extra help they go to our “Passing the Scepter” training class designed for people who already have Royal Family experience, but now they need the in depth training to go with. So this year I had the honorable pleasure of training with my office mate, Glenn Garvin. Glenn and I have worked together for 3 years now and this was our first time to train together. We were assisted by our Host Couple Darryl & Linda Fisher. We had 11 trainees from 8 different camps learning how to direct a RFKC. The group was fabulous and funny. After laboriously training and observing all day we had some great social times in the evenings in the camps game center.
Here’s a short video clip showing some of the events of the week.
These 13 camps, represented by 13 churches, now have the potential to go back and take around 500 kids to camp. 500 kids!!! Your financial support and prayer support help make that possible. Thanks for your investment in the lives of these kids.
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