July Boys Camp Re-Cap

July was a big month for TRR. For the first time ever, we held a week-long day camp July 14-18. This was a huge step of faith for us as we knew God called us to do a week long camp, but we were not sure of all the details when we scheduled it in January.

Despite the uncertainty, God provided. We are so thankful for the people He has placed in our path who have been a gift to TRR and a blessing for these kids.

We were blessed to have our friend Chris help out for the entire week. Chris' testimony and story are powerful and really helped encourage the kids to open up and share their story. Also many thanks to Chris and his team at Hostetler Custom Cabinetry, Noah, Marea, Captain Jay at Cornerstone Charter, and MariElena for spending time with us.

Also, many thanks to Fort Johnson Baptist Church for providing daily lunches for the boys. We cannot state enough how big of a blessing this is. It frees us up to focus on the boys and camp activities and is such a gift. Thank you, Pastor Marty, and the Fort Johnson Family. You continue to be a blessing to TRR. We are grateful for your partnership.

One of the things a week long camp gave us more opportunity to do was to implement more consistent Daily devotional time and TBRI principles. This week, we implemented the TBRI Nurture Group into our daily schedules. Nurture Group provides the leaders and kids an opportunity to connect on a deeper level, sharing stories and helping kids to open up. This helps them process past trauma from their time in foster care and separation from their birth families. This is also a time to focus on behavior principles like self control, respect for others, and personal space. The opportunity to see the impact of our nuture group time through the week was amazing.

Day 1 - Gym Day

Day 1 started off with some ice breakers, a daily devotion and a trail walk. We also started the first of many games of baseball! Our nurture group time was highlighted by some learning in self control using silly string. This was a huge hit, a way for the kids to have fun work on self control. We ended the day at a local gym playing dodgeball and basketball, while enjoying some much need AC!

Day 2 - Woodworking Day

Day 2 started with a trip to Hostetler Custom Cabinetry where we got to learn how custom cabinets are designed and built. The kids got to make custom nameplates and had a contest to make paper airplanes to see whose plane could fly the farthest. We also got to watch wooden airplanes made with the cabinet machine and the kids got to take a wood airplane home! Many thanks to Chris and his team at Hostetler Custom Cabinetry for allowing us to see their shop and how cabinets are made, and also for setting up some fun activities for the kids. This was easily one of the highlights of the week.

We ended day 2 with Nurture Group, baseball, and some much needed pool time.

Day 3 - Water Recess

Day 3 started off a little slower. After our welcome and daily devotion, we took a slow trail walk, then hit the field for baseball, football, and some pool time.

In the afternoon, after lunch and nuture group, we were joined by Marea from Recess and Results, who led a water recess time with the boys. This involved relay races, water balloons, water shooters, tug of war, and lots of fun. The boys had a blast!

Day 4 - Boat Day

Day 4 was boat day! Boat days at TRR are always a hit and one of the highlights for the boys. Today was no different. The boys got turns driving the boat and tubing. We also got some time to jump off the boat and swim. It was a great day on the water. Thank you, Captain Jay at Cornerstone Charter! We are so grateful for your partnership and for these boat days!

Day 4 ended with nurture group, more baseball (these boys loved playing baseball), and pool time.

Day 5 - Cooking and Family Day

By Day 5, we could tell the boys were tired! We started the day with devotions and table games. Then we were joined by the super talented MariElena, who led the boys in baking home made pop tarts. The boys assembled their own pop tarts and we were able to bake them and enjoy them for lunch. There were also plenty to share with families in the afternoon. The boys enjoyed making the pop tarts and learning the process to how they are made from scratch. Thank you, MariElena, for spending time with the boys to teach some baking and providing a delicious treat to close out the week.

After lunch and nurture group, families joined us for the close of camp. We shared a slide show of the week's activities and talked about the week. It was such a gift to spend some time with the families who are stepping in the gap to care for these kids.

This week was truly a gift. We loved spending the week with these boys, pouring into them, watching them grow in relationships, watching them be vulnerable in sharing their stories, and encouraging them through the week.

We are so thankful for our volunteers and for all those mentioned above who came out to spend time with the boys. And we are also so thankful for our TRR family who has provided support through prayer and financial support. We could not do any of this without you.

We look forward to our fall camps coming up in September and October!