2-Week Camp Finale

Continuing the theme of Respect, Riley, the Sorrel line head and longtime Falling Creek Camp counselor shared his meaning of the word.

He reminded us of the Falling Creek mission statement, “We exist to shepherd the journey of personal growth through love and adventure.”

Riley expanded on the adventure part of the statement, “If you look around at all the faces sitting here today, you will see many different things. You may see JGB with his walking stick, Ian with his cowboy hat, or Zion with his bright orange Clemson jersey.” he went on to elaborate, “whatever you see, these are just physical symbols that are part of someone’s unique adventure.” He emphasized that we get to see parts of people’s journeys but what we don’t see is all the previous adventures that everyone around us has been through. Or the adventures they are currently going through, or may go on in the future.

“On the weekly theme of Respect, I would like to spread awareness on respecting the adventures we are all on as we navigate the journey of life.”

Riley pressed forward providing examples of what this could look like, “whether it is understanding a cabin mate who is homesick,supporting a friend who is capsizing a sailing boat (shoutout sailing!), or giving a helping hand when someone falls down, it is important that we are able to respect everybody’s adventure and help guide them through it.”

Riley left us with a final thought, allowing us to understand that no matter where we are in our adventure, to also have respect for the adventures that others are taking. By doing that, we will also be adding value to the adventure that we are on right now.

“Treat thy neighbor, as you treat yourself.” - Leviticus 19:18

Fun and Games

Although we had rainy weather visit us throughout the day, we still had a blast playing games together on our final full day at camp.

Before dinner, we had Betula and Robinia stay in the Dining Hall to enjoy a fun game of Bingo, while Sorrel and Tsuga enjoyed playing Yoshi Tag on the Turf Field.

Following dinner, the Lines split up again to enjoy games before we had our closing campfire ceremony. Sorrel and Tsuga went to the Thunder Dungeon to play a competitive game of dodgeball. Meanwhile, we had Betula and Robinia in the Lodge to watch a fascinating video that tells them all about Falling Creek and what it has to offer. This video is a great way to prepare campers for going to Main or June Camp and continue their FCC journey.

Yummy Food

For breakfast, we enjoyed a delicious option to make your own grits bowl. Toppings included eggs and bacon served with toast. The alternative option at the breakfast bar included the usual oatmeal, granola, plain yogurt and fruits.

Lunch we had a crowd favorite, a meal that comes with its own anthem: frito pie! It was served with toppings such as cheese and jalapenos, along with rice as a side. There was an option to have salad as well as the usual beans and rice. Dessert was a delicious vanilla cookie with rainbow sprinkles.

As for dinner, we enjoyed breaded chicken, mac n cheese, housemade bread rolls, and peas. The option to get salad as well as beans and rice was available. For dessert we had a camp favorite: homemade oreo cream pie.

Closing Campfire Ceremony

Due to weather conditions, we had our closing campfire ceremony in the Upper Gym. We took this opportunity to reflect on how the session went and what key takeaways we may have discovered. We shared some final thoughts on Respect and how we can carry these lessons with us in the future.

Mike Nuckles shared a lesson he learnt growing up. He reminisced about how he was a rather egotistical teenage boy, and it took him a while to learn respect for others. Furthermore, we reflected on how in that lesson, he learnt respect for himself as well as the world around him.

Concluding our thoughts on respect, we emphasize how important it is to respect both yourself and others.