Worship with the MALITs!

On Sunday I had the pleasure of leading worship with the Music and Art Leader in Training participants at South Kinloss Presbyterian Church. The two point charge of Lucknow and South Kinloss welcomed the LITs and appreciated the great gifts of music that they brought to the service. Each LIT group is helping to lead worship at a local congregation to help learn about the parts of worship and the prepartation of a service. So the home congregations of the LITs should expect great things from them in the fall!

It was especially great to be in South Kinloss, as one of the founders of Kintail, Rev. Charles MacDonald, was the minister in Lucknow and South Kinloss. These are congregations that have a long history of connection to Kintail.

John's Especially Special Day!

Last Tuesday one of Kintail's favourite campers, John, celebrated his twentieth birthday! This year John became a volunteer for the first time. We were glad to share his special day with him. Welcome to the staff team John!

H1N1 Flu Precautions

The H1N1 virus has been in the news a lot this spring and summer, including several stories about camps. Camp Kintail is working very hard at keeping everyone healthy and well this summer. We have not had any cases of the virus. We have been in touch with our Health Unit and have recieved a lot of information from the Ministry of Health.

Here is what we are doing to keep everyone healthy:

• We screen all incoming campers to see if they have had the flu recently or come into contact with anyone who has had H1N1.
• We ask parents to send their child to a different week of the summer if they are not feeling 100%.
• We have a registered nurse or licensed paramedic on site at all times.
• We have hand sanitizer on our tables during meals and campers are encouraged to use it before and after meals.
• Campers wash their hands regularly.
• Campers sleep head to feet in the bunks, not head to head.
• Campers are instructed to cough or sneeze into their elbows or shoulders.

Here is a link to an information sheet for parents from the Ministry of Health:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/updates/archives/hu_09/swine_flu.html

July LITs

Tomorrow the July LITs will be heading home after an incredible month of learning, fun, leadership, out-tripping, cabin practice, and bonding. They have been a great group and we are going to miss them a lot!

This group went on a canoe trip in Algonquin Park but they practiced in the Lake Huron waves first.

They were lucky and saw a number of moose and even a large turtle!

Can't wait to see you on staff next year!

Bike for Bibles

On Sunday we welcomed a group of riders from the Bible Society. They are on a ride throughout mid-Western Ontario to raise money to purchase Bibles for the atheletes at the Vancouver Winter Games. Some of the riders were from a long time Family Camp family and they organized the ride to stay overnight at Kintail for the first night. They spoke at campfire to the K4 campers about their ride. We wish them well on their ride!

K3O Outdoor Adventure Wrap-Up

Last we had our very first Outdoor Adventure Camp at Kintail. Twenty excellent campers took part in this camp that was on our site but independant from the main camp. They lived on a site called Tir-Nan-Og (which is behind Feathers, the nurse's cabin). Most of the time they ate their meals out there, occassionally coming into the lodge for a meal. The week was very relaxed and campers were able to set their own schedule. The staff focused on teaching outdoor skills like archery, orienteering, shelter-building, fire-building, outdoor cooking, and canoeing. They also did all sorts of regular camp activities like arts & crafts, music & drama, and nature. It was an amazing camp and we are looking forward to our next Outdoor Adventure Camp in August. Archery was a favourite activity.

One of the shelters built by the group.

Tir-Nan-Og.

K3 Explorers Wrap-Up

K3 was a very busy, very fun, very energetic camp. All of the campers choose a stream to participate in - either music, dance, adventure or waterfront. All of the leaders enjoyed spending time with campers in the areas that they love the most!

Inferno brought the parachute out to play with during Adventure sessions.

On Special Day, campers enjoyed the slip and slide on Cabin Hill.

Each cabin designed a carnival activity for the rest of the the camp during Special Day.

A couple of Volunteers of Kintail (VOKs) took over Ocelot's job and did the announcements for a meal.

Campers having fun playing soccer.

Members of the music group using the "boomwhackers" to play a song.

A Sad Announcement

I have some difficult news to share. As some of you may be aware, the camp board has had an on-going dispute with our neighbours over some of our land. This land includes the chapel, the second glen, and the bottom of the canoe path. While this property was originally part of the Kintail property, a later deed gives the property to our neighbours. We had put in an offer to purchase the land in dispute but the offer was not accepted. At this time, our neighbours have asked us to stop using the property that belongs to them, and we have agreed. There has been a property committee working on resolving this issue for many years, along with the board, and we are very sorry we have arrived at this point.

We have stopped using the chapel and are not using the second glen or canoe path. For this summer, we will be having chapel around the site at different locations and then will build a new chapel next summer. If you have any suggestions, we would gladly listen!

We will be having a de-commissioning service in the chapel on August 3rd at 3pm. This is the Civic Holiday Monday. It is just after Family Camp so we are hopeful many alumni will be able to attend this service. Please pass the word along so that as many people as possible can attend.

So many of us have significant memories based in the chapel. I remember many late night communion services, closing chapel services on Friday, morning chapels, and of course, our wedding in the chapel. It is a beautiful place that was set aside for campers and staff and retreats to reflect on God's nature and grace. However, what was most important was the fact that community was gathered worshipping God together. This can, will, and does happen all around the site when we sing, pray, laugh, share, and praise God together.

We are looking forward to creating a new sacred space where the whole community can gather. As summer progresses, we hope to have more details to share about where the new chapel will be built. We would love to have many hands in the spring come out to help build our new chapel.

A Letter From Hawthorn Cabin

Dear Mom,
How are you? We miss you. We are having a lot of fun at camp! We want to come back next year. We have had birthday cake two times since we got here on Sunday! We had chocolate cake on Jane's birthday and vanilla cake on Chloe's birthday. They were good. We played two games that were so fun! The mermaid game was exciting and the pirate game was hard.
Everyday we get to go to the beach, some of us more than others. At the beach we swim, canoe and play in the sand. We also play volleyball and pretend to have our own restaurant. There are tons of stairs to get to the beach though, and it's very tiring. At cabin optional we played BINGO, ate snack foods, fed the bunnies and drew with chalk.
Meals at camp are delicious! Our favourites were burgers, brownies and waffles! In the morning we go to sessions. We've gone on a bug hunt, made chalk, played with a parachute and planned a skit. After lunch we have down and out, we are pretty quiet, although it's not easy to be. We write letters, nap, read & sing quietly!
Before bedtime we go to campfire. We are learning new songs like Baby Bumblebee, Funky Chicken and 3 Blue Pigeons. On Tuesday night we had campfire on the beach, it was pretty to watch the sunset. After campfire it's time for bed, Amoeba & Pacific let us have 10 minutes before devotions to play and chat. We love to have fashion shows in our pjs. It's a great way to end our day. Time for bed, goodnight Mom!

Love Hawthorn

K2 Wrap-Up

We had an amazing K2 week that was very busy. Sorry for the lack of posting - we were all busy playing! Here are a few pictures of our great week. Trying out the archery range.

A cabin working on the A-frame adventure element.

This may look like an ordinary soccer ball...

But it really is a super huge fun soccer ball.

Every good evening ends is a camp fire!

K1 Earthseekers Wrap-up

Our campers for the second week are here now and having a great time. Just wanted to post a final word about K1 - our amazing first week of the summer. It rained everyday - but we made the most of all the great activities at camp. The counsellors were enthusiastic and the campers had a lot of fun. You can always go puddle jumping in the rain!

We still had some beautiful sunsets in spite of the rain.

Our last campfire of the week was outside in the Meadows - and everyone had a lot of fun singing the songs we had been learning all week and roasting marshmellows.

Monsoon's Annual Staff Poem

Every year, Monsoon writes a poem for staff training Kintail Players that incorporates all of the staff earth names. Enjoy! A Love Story for Joe
My friend’s name is Joe and he has a cat
He has a cat who wears a large hat.
Oh wait – there’s already a story like that.
Well Joe has a friend and his name is Sam,
Every morning for breakfast they eat green eggs and ham.
What? That’s been done? I’m sorry, I am.
Well, what about a tale about creatures so small
That barely anyone could hear them at all.
Or a story about a creature so horribly mean
It took a small girl to show him how mean he had been.
See, this is Joe’s problem, with a frown on his face,
He’s stuck in a spot called the Waiting Place.
Where the grass doesn’t grow and the sun doesn’t shine
And his life seems to move in repetitive rhyme.

Hey wait, I’m the writer, I can do what I wish.
Let’s get Joe away from these red and blue fish.
During the warm summer Solstice, to a magical land,
Where the Pebbles are plenty and the Grizzlies are grand.
To a land called Pangea where the evenings are Chill
Where you can eat so much Bacon, til you’ve have your fill.
The Slopes of the mountains are easy to climb
And the trees they have many a sweet Clementine.
Here, things are different. Here, things are new.
The world started one day and eventually grew.
Joe learned a Sonic boom had erupted from the sky
The air was full of Static, and Flames and Flares flew by.
Out of something bad, something new was beginning.
The world would Orbit its Axis, and the world started spinning.

Here, Joe crossed the Sahara and walked over a Dune
Til out of the sky rained a mighty Monsoon.
“Oh great,” Joe thought, “this place is as bad as before.
Now in this new place I’m drenched to the core.”
But don’t worry Joe, don’t worry or fret.
Things aren’t that bad here, it’s not over yet!
See, the water in this place flows into the Nile
And if you wait, but only a short while.
Some water turns to Vapour and enters the air,
And if you look up you can see Lua there.
The Quasar is glowing, you can’t help but grin,
This world is so great you can’t wait to get in.
More water enters the Pacific, where animals Marine
Like Guppies and Amoebas are sure to be seen.
The Tetras are swimming and the Oysters stay still.
And here every creature can do as they will.

Here your Calico cat, can run without being caught.
Just like a wild Cougar, Puma, or Ocelot.
The Giraffes gallop around, with Llamas by their feet.
And the Shrews live their life to their very own beat.
Sure, Magma flows and Avalanches happen too,
But they’re not always bad things, and in this world it’s true.
That when Tinder starts an Inferno, and burns down all the Trees.
Only good things can happen after these.

New plants grow to make Guavas, and Kamini grow too,
Out of the old, comes a great new.
Lilies, Lupins, and Echinacea sprout from the ground,
And Wolverines are seen running around.
Lemurs and Wombats go everywhere they wish
Eating Almonds out of a coconut dish.
The Zabrinis scurry and move all about.
They run through the Chicories that started to sprout.
In this world, Yetis walk around on the lawn
And Wooly Mammoths are something that aren’t yet quite gone.

In this land, the Trilliums are plenty and the babies run free.
And off in the sky you can see Mercury.
And while Joe is here he can make some friends
Cause when you’re here the fun never ends,
With people like Fin, Sturgeon and Dragon too,
You can meet new people who want to meet you.

Hey! I see a smile on my friend Joe’s face.
It seems to me he likes this place.
There you go Joe, are things quite new?
Because, Joe, I wrote this story for you.

Here you can dance, Joe, and here you can sing.
Because at Camp Kintail, Love, changes everything.

Dedications & Celebrations

On Saturday we dedicated a renovation, several trees, and Caitlyn's gazebo.
The remaining L-shaped (or double) cabin on Cabin Hill is called Tundra and Bonsai. In the last two years it has received a new roof, windows, doors, siding, and a porch fix-up. The funds for this renovation have been supplied by Mr. and Mrs. Jim & Helen Brisbin. Mrs. Brisbin is the daughter of the Rev. Charles MacDonald and a long time supporter of Kintail Thank you! Now these cabins have a second lease on life and are used by our Volunteers of Kintail.

The first tree dedicated was to the Rev. John Zondag who has completed twenty years of ministry at Knox Presbyterian Church in Listowel. John is also a long time Kintail Board member.

Knollwood Park Presbyterian Church in London is celebrating one hundred years of ministry in 2009. A tree was dedicated in the garden and 100 more trees will follow it in the new year. Congratulations Knollwood Park!

Tree has gotten a tree in the tree garden! After five years as a counsellor, Dan "Tree" Donohue, has earned a tree in the garden for his years of dedication and creativity as a Kintail staff member. Hopefully the tree grows and gets taller than Tree in a couple of years! Congratulations Tree!

Two trees were dedicated for members of the MacDonald family. One was dedicated in memory to the Rev. Dr. R. Douglas MacDonald and the other was in celebration of Mrs. Laura MacDonald. Their children bought to trees to celebrate their parents. Kintail was a great place to do this, as Rev. and Mrs. MacDonald met at camp!

We also dedicated Caitlyn's gazebo on Saturday. This beautiful gazebo is already much loved by campers and staff, and we were thrilled to have Caitlyn's family with us on this special day. It is now the first thing you see when you drive in the camp, and it is a welcoming place for everyone.

K1 - Earthseekers

Our first camps of the summer are now in session! We welcomed five different programs this week, K1 - Earthseekers, K1S - Sojourners, K1V - Volunteers of Kintail, K1C - Canoe Seekers, and KLIT1 - Out-tripping Leader in Training. It has been raining every day - but our counsellors and staff have been making the best of it and everyone is still having a great time.
When there is rain - there are always rainbows!

Ocelot, Wombat, Sonic, and David (an LIT) enjoying the rainbow.

Monsoon lead a music parade this morning with the Earthseekers campers. They made music all around the camp and entertained everyone at MacDonald Lodge.

Staff Commissioning 2009

On Saturday, we welcomed friends, family, campers, and alumni to the 80th Anniversary Celebrations, which included an Open House, Staff Commissioning, and Pig Roast. Throughout the day, close to 200 people came on site to enjoy the beautiful weather, see the changes on site, meet the staff, and eat a meal together. At the gate, Tinder, Guppy, and Pebbles welcomed everyone to Kintail!

The staff sang in the gazebo as cars were coming in.

The new entrances were a big hit!

Rosemary MacDonald had created new signs for around the site. This one is right as you enter Kintail.

The Celebration Tree Garden also received a new sign.

The staff sang throughout the service - including "All You Need is Love."

Tree reprised the role of Jesus for a skit during Commissioning.

The Rev. Dr. Hugh Jones is the Moderator of the Synod of Southwestern and commissioned all the staff. He individually blessed each staff member in a very moving service.

We had several dedications following the service, which I will write about tomorrow.