Will your camp photo win you a free t-shirt?

Girls take a lot of pictures!  It’s great to see all the cameras out at Council of Progress or at Campfire, or even during a Village/Campwide Activity.  Well, why don’t we have a contest?  Here are the contest guidelines:

• There will be 3 categories: Best Picture with a Staffer, Best Picture in your Cabin, and Best Picture out in Camp (this could be during skills, activities, etc.)
• All pictures must be submitted through e-mail to sharon@ridgecrestcamps.com.  Please include your name, what cabin you were in, and the category of picture.
• You may enter multiple pictures in multiple categories.
• Please only submit photos from the summer of 2009.
• Staff may participate.
• The deadline to submit photos is Friday, October 30th.
• The best picture in each category will be posted in a blog after the deadline.
• The winner in each category will win a FREE camp T-shirt from a previous summer, 2009 or before.

So, will your camp photo win you a free T-Shirt?  Send it in and we’ll find out!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Crestridge Photo Contest, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Beginning the Renovations

Construction officially began today!  As I walked through Crestridge this morning, I could hear the sound of chain saws cutting and hammers pounding.  In order to start the demo inside the cabins, everything had to be moved out.  That includes 240 beds, 240 matresses, 200 night stands, 40 dressers, and several small tables.  So, we called in some guys to come help us out!  Wayne, the Ridgecrest intern, and eight other guys spent almost 3 days moving all the furniture to the gym.  Now our gym, as you can see below, is filled with furniture.

I don’t believe I have ever seen an older cabin completely empty before.  You can tell from the pictures below that they need some help.  They are just a little dirty.

We had a couple Alumni come in this past weekend to save some boards from Cherokee 25 that were going to be replaced.  Since that cabin is designed different than the others, we were able to salvage some of the signatures.

The next step in the renovation process is to remove the roofs, take out the toilets and sinks, and remove the bathroom walls.  By 10:30AM today, they had almost completed those tasks in Chippewa 1.

It’s an exciting time here at Crestridge!  We are so thankful for the ways God has and continues to bless and provide for us!

Posted in News | Tagged Cabin Restoration, Camp Crestridge, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Introducing the 2010 Crestridge Intern

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the 2010 Camp Crestridge Intern.  Coming all the way from Hernando, MS……..Kathleen Hobbs!  Kathleen has been coming to camp for the past 15 summers; 9 as a camper and 6 as a staffer.  While on staff, she has been a JET, Counselor, Village Director and served as OAP Assistant this past year.  Kathleen’s favorite thing about camp is the people and all the relationships she has built.  Oh, she “kind of” likes 4-square too!

She is currently attending Blue Mountain College in Mississippi majoring in Physical and Special Education.  After graduation (and the internship), she would like to work in camping specifically for kids with special needs.

Kathleen is most looking forward to “preparing camp physically through a little hardwork and spending a solid amount of time praying for all the staffers, campers, and parents heading our way this upcoming summer.”

We are so excited to have Kathleen coming to work in January!  I’m sure you’ll be hearing from her through blogs, videos, etc.  She may even challenge you to a game of 2 or 4-square this summer!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge Intern, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Off Season=Construction

This is our second year to do major construction at Crestridge.  During the off season, our goal is to renovate the existing cabins.  What a huge and exciting project!  Starting within the next couple weeks, there will be a construction crew coming in to clear some land behind the Cheyenne and Choctaw cabins so they can extend the cabins.  Then for every cabin they will replace all the floors, then the roofs, then onto moving the bathrooms, then building new decks and more.  Eventually, all the existing cabins will look like the new ones we had this past summer.  The cool thing is that we are not tearing the walls down but building around them.  Unfortunately you will not be able to sign on the new walls, but the heart of the cabin will remain. We will be sure to post videos and pictures of the construction to show you the progress.

Posted in Girls, News, Uncategorized | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge construction, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Looking back at Summer 2009

It’s hard to believe that our last camper left a month and a half ago.  Crestridge is much better when there are girls running around, playing four square, singing in the Dining Hall and Chapel, and sitting around the campfire.  I guess we’ll have to wait another nine months.

This past summer proved to be awesome by the comments we heard from you all.  Thank you for your feedback as we seek to improve and move forward for 2010.  God was definitely present and moving in campers’ lives this summer.  From the chapel messages to cabin devotions, campers were taught how to live a Transformed life here at camp and especially at home.  We are praying for you that you will be reminded of all that God taught you this summer!  We also have a devotion that is posted every Monday on our blog.  It’s there for you, so please take advantage of it!

Just a reminder, registration is open and going quickly.  If you haven’t signed up, please take some time to do it now!

Here are a few pictures to show you the fun we had this summer:

To see more photos, you can visit our website or our Facebook fan page.  We’ll keep you updated on news that happens at Crestridge throughout the year, so check back soon!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

A Little Bit

A Little Bit
Read This Passage: Proverbs 15:15-18

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with turmoil. —Proverbs 15:16
 
IT NEVER CEASES to amaze me how relentless the media are when it comes to reporting on celebrities. You would be hard-pressed to find a news show that doesn’t devote at least a segment to the latest info-tainment story on the rich and famous. What’s the cause of this media focus? The answer unfortunately is supply and demand. Society wants to hear these stories. Did they break up? Are those two really together? How many times will she lose custody of her kids? We want to know!  Camp is great because you don’t have to worry what’s going in the media.  It’s your chance to get away from the “real world”.

As a youth leader, I asked one of the girls in my youth group if her friends get wrapped up in celebrity news and gossip. I expected (or hoped) the answer would be no. Much to my disappointment, her answer was “Oh, yeah!”

So why do we care? Society envies those who seem to have everything—money, fame, beauty. But “everything” without Christ is not everything it is cracked up to be.

Proverbs 15:16 has something to say about that. In God’s eyes, true prosperity doesn’t lie in things; instead, it lies in a focus on God and the things He values. The writer of Proverbs is quick to say that it’s much better to have a little and live in a way that honors God than to have all the treasures of the world and a life filled with turmoil. The treasures of the world simply can’t fill the holes in our lives. Only God can.

Think of the turmoil that these rich newsmakers—the ones in need of Christ—go through. Remember, there is nothing wrong with money, but it is no substitute for the fulfillment only found in Christ. You may have little by the world’s standards, but you’ll be rich in God’s eyes if He alone is your treasure.

Real Choices
Take stock of your life. Keep a log of the things you buy or the activities you devote your time to. After a few days, take a look at your findings. What does your life say you’re chasing: God’s treasures or the world’s? What changes do you need to make?

Digging Deeper
Take a look at Matthew 16:26 as you reflect on today’s message. How do these verses challenge you?

Pray
Lord, thank You for everything You have given me. I praise You for Your faithfulness.

Posted in Devotions, Girls | Tagged Proverbs, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Weekly Devotion | Leave a reply

Pigs in a Blanket: Crestridge Style

Here’s one final recipe from the Crestridge kitchen for this summer…Pigs in a blanket!

Ingredients:  

1 can original crescent rolls

1 package cocktail sausages

Pam cooking spray

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Cut each triangle into 4 smaller triangles.

3.  Roll sausage inside triangle from the base to the tip

4.  Cook about 12 minutes, depending on desired browness.

That’s all of the recipes for this summer.  The cooking skill was a favorite and will definitely be back on the agenda next summer.  With it will come new recipes for all you campers and camp friends to enjoy!!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge cooking skill, Crestridge recipes, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Hard Work

Hard Work
Read This Passage: Proverbs 13:8-11

Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it. —Proverbs 13:11

A FEW MONTHS ago, I went to work for a marketing firm. The job was much different than they let on during the interview process. As it turned out, the owner of the company was using unethical techniques to obtain employees. He did this because he was able to make money off of people working for him.

In today’s world, many people don’t want to work to earn their living. They’d rather do whatever is easiest, even if it’s fraud or something that’s not quite illegal, but not right either.

In today’s passage, God told us that wealth obtained by fraud will “dwindle.”  For months the owner of the company I worked for made a great deal of money through fraud and dishonesty. Then everything fell apart. The owner lost his business and his income.

In this world, there’s an obvious need for money to survive. But ask yourself just how important money and riches are. In terms of eternity, are they worth lying and cheating to obtain?
God has called us to earn our living, and sometimes that’s hard work. But He respects and blesses that. In the end, it’s worth it.

Pray
Father, help me make decisions in my life that reflect You. Keep me accountable for my actions.

Posted in Devotions, Girls | Tagged Proverbs, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Weekly Devotion | Leave a reply

Starter Camp Messy Games

Ever had mustard, relish, chocolate syrup, ranch dressing, flour and ketchup poured on you?  Well, the chippewa campers and staff sure have…and that’s not even all the ingredients used!!

When we say messy, we mean MESSY!!!

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge Vlog, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Starter camp | Leave a reply

A Crestridge Mudbath

The starter camp girls get to experience lots of the same things that would happen during a regular session.  One of those things is the mudpit!  The Chickasaws went over to boys this week to play in the mud and had a blast!  In the “real” world, people pay lots of money for a mudbath, but I wager they don’t have near as much fun as our girls do!  Watch the video and see for yourself.

Posted in News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge Vlog, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Starter camp | Leave a reply