After a two-year hiatus, the adventure continued with Camp Ochoco! A total of 135 campers and staff came together at this new location in the midst of the Ochoco National Forest east of Prineville, Oregon for three fun-filled days and nights. The focus and theme of preteen camp this year was “Bible Explorers.” The younger children were given their very own Adventure Bible, while the older kids were given a Thomas Nelson NKJV reference Bible like many of their parents have. Throughout every camp activity the kids learned to use this vital tool in their exploration of life. Music class taught the books of the Bible song to help campers look up scriptures, and in each class those skills were enhanced as they discussed Bible heroes. Campers explored more activities than ever! There were old favorites like Christian living, arts and crafts (where they wrote cards for shut-ins and made tie-dye shirts to take home) and other favorites like archery, dance, swimming and sports. New activities included wilderness school, kickball, pickleball, gaga ball and our Bible Explorers class. Swimmers dove for books of the Bible that they had to bring up in order. Two classes taught the thread of the Bible, bringing the entire Bible into focus. In dance class campers enjoyed their favorite dances, and to prepare them for teen camp, the oldest two dorms learned swing dancing, which they practiced at a special evening dance activity where our staff taught the proper way to interact. Before each meal the facility lead would excitedly tell the kids the menu, which inevitably resulted in cheers. Pizza, hamburgers, and even the oatmeal was gone every day! The food was definitely a highlight. At campfire everyone sang, performed skits, received some awards and ended with a nighttime story by Mr. Mario Seiglie with examples of Old Testament Bible Explorers. At the end of camp, we handed out the John Cafourek Leadership Award to one camper in each dorm who showed true leadership and selflessness. The campers had a huge role in choosing this awardee as they definitely noticed when one of their own shined. The winners of the award were: Eleanor Creech G1, Chessa Wetmore G2, Aliya Wetmore G3, Mallory Light G4, Ellie Griswold G5, Ethan Pate B1, Riley Pate B2, and Liam Pendergast B3. We are looking forward to Camp Ochoco 2023!