2018 SALTs

Posted by Ashley Genoble

The SALT program is a unique Service And Leadership Training experience for girls completing their junior year in high school. The SALTs serve in a variety of ways around camp including dishes, preparing for campwides, spending time with campers and so much more. We are so excited to have these girls join us this summer!

Session 1 & 2

Session 3 & 4

  


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Coffee and Convo with SCOUT

Posted by Karah

We finally got in touch with one of the biggest personalities at Camp Crestridge! He’s been hard to get a hold of due to his busy schedule, which includes, but is not limited to, chasing Indie, playing in the lake, and sleeping by Sharon’s desk. He’s one of the funnest guys to be around and is so excited to see all his camp friends again this summer! Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve been waiting for, it’s time for a coffee and convo with SCOUT AYLESTOCK!! *AIR HORN NOISES*

Me: So tell me Scout, what is your favorite part about being a dog?

Scout: Well, I love to run around and chase my friends! Camp is so big and there are so many places to explore and find good sticks! I’M A VERY LUCKY DOG!

Me: Where is your favorite place to play at Crestridge?

Scout: THE LAKE! I have so much fun jumping in and cooling off and hanging out with all the campers! I also love sleeping in my mommy’s office chair…it’s a good spot.

Me: What is your favorite campfire song?

Scout: I’m not usually at campfire because I get really tired after dinner and all the rocks distract me, but the times I have been there I really like that sheep song! “I just want to be a sheep BARK BARK BARK BARK!”

Me: How do you feel that people can buy a sticker of your face?

Scout: YOU CAN BUY A STICKER OF ME?! WHAT AN HONOR!

Me: What is your favorite thing to get at store?

Scout: My mom won’t let me eat store but I love creating new friendships with campers! OR PLAY TETHERBALL.

Me: What is your favorite part about camp?

Scout: That my mommy is there!! She’s the coolest person you’ll ever meet!

Me: What is your guilty pleasure?

Scout: I like fighting with rocks…but my mommy doesn’t like it…

Me: If you could only choose to play one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Scout: “Who Let the Dogs Out!” by Baha Men, it’s my jam!

Me: What is your Indian name?

Scout: TERRIFIC TERRIER. JUST KIDDING. I just like being called SCOUT, sometimes people call me Scoot, I answer to either.

Me: If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

Scout: Run a marathon! Become a famous Instagramer! Star in movies! Become the next dog superhero! Go to Disney World! Meet Snoopy or Pluto, they seem like cool guys! Rule the World! Mwahahahaha! Just kidding, I haven’t thought of that plan yet…

Me: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?

Scout: Watch TV on my mommy’s comfy coach! My favorite TV shows are Scooby Doo Where Are You, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Wishbone. I also like movies, some of my favorite are Secret Life of Pets, Air Bud, Beethoven, Bolt, Homeward Bound, Milo & Otis, 101 Dalmatians, Benji, All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Fox and the Hound, and Lady & the Tramp (for the times I’m feeling romantic).

Me: If you had to have a job what would it be?

Scout: I HAVE THE BEST JOB OUT THERE, BEING A CAMP DOG! I GET TO HANGOUT WITH ALL MY FRIENDS ALL THE TIME! I GET TO EXPLORE AND SPEND TIME WITH MY MOMMY! But I guess if I have to do something I’d want to be a Petrologists…they study rocks…

Me: What is your favorite skill to do at camp!

Scout: RUNNING SKILL! I LOVE CHASING ALL THE CAMPERS AROUND! I apologize to anyone I accidentally trip…

Me: Do you have an Instagram account?

Scout: Yes! It’s wheres_scout, FOLLOW ME AND SEE ALL THE FUN PLACES  I CAN BE FOUND.

Me: What is your…wait, oh no! Scout don’t go chase that squirrel!! Well I guess that’s all we have time for today folks! Thank you for tuning into another Coffee and Convo! Catch Scout this summer hanging out by the BearTrap with his mommy Sharon! He’s pumped to play around with you!!

Scout: “BARK BARK! SEE YOU THEN!”


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And Jesus Grew…

Posted by Karah

Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” Just as Jesus grew mentally, physically, spiritually and socially; at Crestridge we believe it is important for campers to grow in these areas as well! Throughout the summer, each camper has the opportunity to participate in a challenge. This challenge gives campers practical ways to grow in these four areas. We know that growth is possible even without a checklist and it is by grace alone that we are saved! But we do find value in giving each camper encouragement, accountability and guidance as we strive to grow in the ways that Jesus grew! While we want campers to grow throughout the summer, we also want to encourage them to grow during the year. Here are some ways that you and your family can grow spiritually, physically, mentally and socially this year:

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Spiritual:

___Memorize a new Bible verse every week

___Share your favorite Bible verse with your family and why you like it

___Have a daily quiet time

___Keep a prayer journal

___Do a devotion with your family weekly

 

Physical:

___Go walk your dog outside for 15 mins 3 times a week

___Go play a game of soccer with some friends once a week

___Try a new form of exercise once a week (biking, tennis, running, walking, yoga, dancing, weightlifting, etc.)

___Replace some unhealthy foods with your favorite fruits and veggies

 

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Mental:

___Write down a goal for each of your classes

___Limit time watching TV to 30 mins a day (or less)

___Read a book this month

___Learn how to do something you’ve always wanted to learn (knitting, baking, guitar, etc.)

 

 

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Social:

___Go sit with someone at lunch who you have never talked to

___Memorize the names of everyone in your class

___Organize a fun family outing

___Write a note of encouragement/ appreciation to someone

___Plan a fun activity with all of your friends


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On the Road Again

Posted by Ashley Genoble

On the road again is a phrase we’ve heard a lot over the past week. We have been traveling the southeast since Sunday visiting and recruiting for next summer.

The trip started Sunday morning with the first stop being in Greenville, SC where Scout started his vacation at his grandparents’ house. The rest of the crew then made our way to Birmingham, AL to meet up with former staff at Samford University. We had an incredible time catching up with former staff and meeting their friends who might be interested in working at camp next summer. We also had the chance to meet some potential new camp families at a home show while in Birmingham.

Next stop was a quick hug at the University of Alabama before continuing on to Starkville, MS. In Starkville we got to see former Assistant Director Katie Greenwell and a host of other former staff. We got to meet middle and high school students who are both interested in coming to camp as campers and also keeping us in mind once they graduate. We had the privilege of attending chapel at Starkville Christian School where Katie, Rachel Witbeck (former discipleship director), and Hayley Martin (former videographer) all teach. Elise had the opportunity to share with the students a powerful word on failure and how the Lord can use it in our lives.

After Starkville we made our way to Oxford, MS and the University of Mississippi. Ole Miss was another great experience of catching up with former staff and meeting potential new ones. It is exciting to think that some of the girls we have had the pleasure of meeting over the last week could spend the entire summer with us.

And that brings us to our current location, Linden, TN, where we will spend a couple of nights with our friends on the Camp Crestridge Alumnae and Friends board.

So what about you? Where are you at this week and who are you sharing your love for Camp Crestridge with? Camper registration and staff applications are in full swing! Join us as we continue to share the place we love with so many we come in contact with. We can’t wait to see who the Lord brings to camp this summer!


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Meet our soon-to-be Assistant Director!

Posted by Sharon

While we will miss Katie and know that God is leading her to teach in Mississippi, God is also leading someone else here to Crestridge.

We are excited to announce that Ashley “Sutherland” Genoble has accepted the Assistant Director position and will be starting in July! Ashley grew up in Greenville, SC and graduated from Clemson University. She served as a Cherokee counselor in 2009-2010 and Cherokee Village Director in 2011-2012. After her last summer at camp, she participated in a year long discipleship program in Memphis, TN then moved back to SC. She worked on staff with the youth ministry at First Baptist Simpsonville and most recently with First Baptist Spartanburg. Her time at both of those church involved discipling the girls in the youth ministries. Her mission is to disciple and see people fall more in love with the Lord! Ashley married Josh Genoble just over a year ago and Josh is currently working at First Baptist Spartanburg as well. We are so excited to have Ashley back at camp serving in this position and to see how God will use her to continue His work here at Crestridge!

Here’s a note from Ashley…

“It all started in the spring of 2009 when I was a sophomore at Clemson University. I had grown up going to summer camps and knew one day I wanted to be a counselor. I began searching for the right camp to apply to when my roommate introduced me to Camp Crestridge. It was love at first sight. I spent the next four summers at camp and loved every minute. However, each summer I had to reevaluate if going back was the right decision. And each time the Lord gave a resounding YES! But then the day came when I needed full-time, year round employment and I had to say “see ya later” to camp. Fast forward to the spring of 2017. I can hardly contain my excitement with the opportunity to be back at camp full-time. It honestly feels like a dream come true. Even though I did not grow up as a camper at Crestridge, I genuinely feel like part of the camp family. I have seen how Crestridge has changed not only my life but hundreds of others over the years. To think that the Lord would be so sweet and gracious to allow me to come back is incredible. And to top it all off, I now get to introduce camp to my wonderful husband. I can’t wait to reconnect with families I knew in the past, get to know more families in the future, and meet all the incredible summer staff that make camp possible. I without a doubt have huge shoes to fill but am excited about this new adventure. I firmly believe the Lord has huge plans for Camp Crestridge and I am so thankful that I get to be a part of it!” – Ashley

Welcome back, Ashley!


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INSIDE SCOOP on YOUR 2017 STAFFERS!!!

Posted by Karah

Batch 2 of 2017 Staffers is UP! 2017 Staff Bios

Hang on. Wait a minute. Keep reading!

We just wanted to let you in on a little something about this summer’s staff. We have a top secret, staff facebook group, and we are already talking about this summer! We are getting to know each other. And let us tell YOU! They are FUN. They are EXCITED. And GOD is getting them ready for an incredible summer with you! They are looking forward to being silly with you. They are looking forward to sitting and talking about life with you. They are looking forward to sharing God’s word and Jesus with you. But that isn’t the best part…

Do you know what all of that means? That means that GOD is looking forward to making all of this happen because He loves you. Not because you’ve done anything to make Him love you, but because He just loves you because He loves you. Before He planned out this summer and got all of these counselors and staff to get ready for you this summer, He sent HIS ONLY SON for YOU so that you could KNOW HIM NOW!

Moms, Dads, and Campers. Camp and all of the things here and even your amazing counselors do not compare to how great Jesus is and how much He loves you and has sacrificed (If you don’t know what this word means, ask someone! It’s a beautiful word!) to love you. He loves you more than you know. And we can’t wait to share more of that with you! Sometimes life is great fun, and sometimes it’s pretty rough, but one thing is always true. If you know Jesus as your savior, HE IS ALWAYS WITH YOU.

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

See you so so so soon! Only 94 more days till Session 1!!


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What Makes Crestridge Special

Posted by Karah

What makes Crestridge so special? Who remembers the impactful poem Sharon always reads before the silence ban is lifted for the Belles? Ever wondered what that poem means or why we read it? Here is the poem incase you forgot:

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Hold high the torch!
You did not light its glow –
‘Twas given you by other hands, you know.
‘Tis yours to keep it burning bright,
Yours to pass on when you no more need light;

For there are other feet that we must guide,
And other forms go marching by our side;
Their eyes are watching every smile and tear
And efforts which we think are not worthwhile,
Are sometimes just the very helps they need,
Actions to which their souls would give most heed;

So that in turn they’ll hold it high and say,
“I watched someone else carry it this way.”
If brighter paths should beckon you to choose,
Would your small gain compare with all you’d lose?

Hold high the torch!
You did not light its glow –
‘Twas given you by other hands, you know.

I think it started down its pathway bright,
The day the Maker said, “Let there be light.”
And He once said, who hung on Calvary’s tree –
“Ye are the light of the world.
Go! Shine – for me.”

This is such a cool poem! And if you look really closely, you will see that Crestridge really lives up to these words. Our mission statement at Crestridge is, “Impacting Lives for God’s Glory through Discipleship and Adventure.” I think we can all think of someone at Crestridge who has impacted us. And those people don’t do it to seek our approval or get our attention, but to give God the glory. It’s not actually about Crestridge at all- it’s about God! Discipleship. Man, this is a really cool thing I have found at Crestridge. The poem says, “Hold high the torch! You did not light its glow- ’twas given you by other hands you know,” and I think this is a lot like the discipleship that happens at Crestridge. Whether you are a camper, counselor, central staffer, director, scout… someone is passing on the “torch” (light of Christ) to you. You don’t come to Crestridge and leave without hearing about Jesus and how much He loves you. Lastly, adventure. Crestridge is FUN! Having a relationship with Jesus is an ADVENTURE! The poem references the Bible and says, “I think it started down its pathway bright, the day the Maker said, “Let there be light.” Jesus said, “let there be light,” and there it was.

What makes Crestridge special is not Crestridge itself. It’s Christ. It’s that at Crestridge we each learn how to carry the torch and adventure with the God who made us. And for that, I am thankful.


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Countdown to Advent with Crestridge!

Posted by Karah

day-23

Have you ever done one of those fun Christmas countdown things where you open a little door on a calendar and you see a cool picture leading up to Christmas or sometimes if you’re lucky the little doors even have a little piece of chocolate behind them!?

Well, we thought it would be fun to make our way to Christmas WITH YOU this year! We hope you’ll join us! Stay tuned for your very own insert in the Bear Tracks coming soon, AND on social media! We’ll post the verse or thought of EACH day for you to follow along with.

We’ll go from the VERY Beginning of time as we know it, up to when Jesus was born to get a big picture of why Christmas day is so beautiful to us! So, “Come let us adore Him” together this Christmas season!

We even added a sneak peak for any one who is checking this out advent-calendar!


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Biggest Fear or New Found Wonder of the World?

Posted by Karah

Hi Everyone!

So, if someone were to ask me what my biggest fear was, although there are most definitely things that are far greater fears to me than this, I’d probably say SPIDERS!

They give me the heebie geebies. I can hardly thinking about or look at them without cringing. They are small, can hide, and are just straight up creepy. They have 8 creepy little legs that, when they get on you, make your skin crawl! I could go further but if you aren’t afraid of them, I don’t want to foster that fear.

Why bring this up? Well, because our friend Hayley Martin (2016, 2017 Videographer) just shared a video with me of this “greatest fear” of mine. And, as opposed to closing it right away, I couldn’t stop watching! And, I HAD to share it!

This “creepy” little fellow is amazing!

#1 He’s a climber.

#2 He knows exactly what he’s doing.

#3 Look how precise he is. He doesn’t even have a ruler or level!

#4 His body is literally making his climbing rope, his home, his safety net, his food catcher, and I’m sure more!

#5 Think about how creative, smart, and loving his Creator is to make him be able to do all of this! There’s no way that little guy could have just “happened”!

Check out this video…

God says He tells us about Himself thought His creation!

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Romans 1:20

So, challenge for the day, what does this little guy tell you about your amazing Creator!? What are YOUR #1-#5!? Same or different than mine??

Share your thoughts in a comment if you’d like, I promise I’ll talk back! Scout might too 😉

Whether or not you have a ton of thoughts, I hope you’ll enjoy this amazing like critter and think about his amazing Creator.

Much love,

KTG


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Dance Dare Anyone?!

Posted by Karah

When it’s a Friday and ya just need a little Dance Dare…

Come quickly Summer, come quickly!!


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