24 hours at the Wilds
At approximately 5:30 pm on a Friday afternoon, we arrived; at the same time Saturday, we packed up the van and headed home. During the ensuing 24 hours, we packed about as much activity as possible into the Father/Son Campout weekend at the Wilds.
I, along with two men from my church, brought our six-year old boys. While it was a new experience for J.D.’s two friends, he himself had been to the Wilds three previous times. He was already a veteran of the land trolley, the super slide, and the waterfall hikes. J.D. enjoyed doing these things again, as well as discovering the archery, slingshot, and rifle range. He even managed to hit a few of the targets at the rifle range – a feat that thrilled him to no end.
The Father/Son Campout provides a great opportunity for fathers to spend time with their sons. At the Wilds, there is, of course, the added benefit of doing this within the context of a God-glorifying atmosphere that emphasizes the public preaching of God’s Word and the private “God and I Time” meditation on that Word. I appreciated the chance to spend time in the Bible and in prayer with my son. We all wondered how John Bott, the camp speaker for that weekend, would deal with the wide range of age levels, but he did a great job and kept everyone engaged, including our young ones. His message on a divided heart was particularly penetrating.
For those interested, here are some pictures from our trip:
Here are the three of us with our sons. From left to right it is J.D. and me, Pastor Henderson with his son Drew, and David Szweda with his son Hudson.
J.D. on his way to the top of the land trolly. If you have Quicktime on your system, you can watch a movie of his trip down the land trolley HERE.
J.D. at the archery range
J.D. with his friend Drew at the 2nd falls
J.D. about ready to head down the superslide
posted by Andy Efting @ 8:53 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
As one of the other men on the trip, I would have to say it was a blast. JD was quite the pro around the activities. I was a little hesitant at the top of the land trolley, but I figured if JD could do it willingly, than I had nothing to fear (although it was quite a drop down to the creek bed below). Hudson and Drew were quite reserved on a few of the rides until they saw JD go down them. They figured they couldn't be "one-upped" by JD, so they had to try it as well.
I would have to say that I was a little worried on how John Bott would be able to speak for over half an hour to such a varied crowd consisting of Men, and children from 6 years to 18 years of age. But he pulled it off. All of the younger kids were quite still even for the 50+ minutes of sermon, and I found the speaking to be great and very valuable.
It was a wonderful weekend and I look forward to it next year.
The only thing JD was scared of was the deep water at the 2nd falls. I wanted to take him out there with me but he would have none of it. I
Post a Comment
<< Home