Ep. 23 - The One Where We Go To Camp (Part 3)

I'll eat every sardine in camp before I would get on the swing.

The final installment of The Leader Lounge's three-part camp series brings it home. Chris and Emily walk through the rest of camp — the club room, the cabins, cabin time, all-camp events, rides, and free time — with the same practical, leader-tested thoughts. Chris talks pranks, lights-out, and respecting the cabin next door. Emily shares the journal practice that's transformed her cabin times, why she'll eat every sardine before getting on the swing, and the moment a non-believer girl walked up while she was reading her Bible in a pavilion. They wrestle with competitive events (and leaders who take it a little too far), why the gospel landing on you again as a leader matters as much as kids hearing it for the first time, and how to handle free time when you can't find your kids. A must-listen wrap-up for any leader heading to camp this summer.

"Going to camp is a great way to remember."

SCRIPTURE REFERENCED

• Philippians 2 (referenced from last episode

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• Why the energy outside the club room matters as much as what happens inside
• Spread out as leaders in the club room. Don't sit with your leader friends
• It's okay to tell kids (and even other areas' kids) to be quiet during the talk
• Spiritual warfare stories: the mystery humming at Sharptop and the strobe lights that wouldn't quit at WildLife camp
• Why taking notes during the club talk models something kids may have never seen before
• Cabin ground rules: stay in your own cabin, respect other people's stuff, no pranks ever
• The water-fountain-vs-bathroom-sink debate (and the surprising truth about cabin sink water)
• Cabin time done well: everyone on the floor, fidget toys and journals that calm kids down
• Emily's confidentiality language: "We're gonna protect each other in here", with the safety caveat built in
• Giving second-time campers a real role: "Sit with the kid who's never heard this before"
• The Israelites kept forgetting, and so do we. Camp is a place to remember the gospel.
• Be all in at every event, wear the team color, scream for the kid being pulled across the field on a mattress
• The leader's job during competitive events: be the one who can dial it down
• Why no pranks, no sneaking out, and quiet-by-lights-out really matters (other cabins have morning rides)
• Rides as bonding: Gator Ball, the lake inflatables, bikes, the big swing
• Chris's black eye story — and Emily's hard "no" on the swing

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to the Leader Launch Podcast. I'm Emily Storms.

SPEAKER_01 0:03

And I'm Chris Storms. And we are in our third episode of a series that we're doing on camp this summer. And so if you haven't listened to episode, well, it's actually episode 21, 22, and then this is episode 23. Um, we'd encourage you to go back and listen to those, but we're gonna jump right in. And what we're doing is I'm naming something that's at camp or a place, a location, or a thing, and then we're gonna talk about that particular thing. And um, and so we've already talked about the bus, welcome, leader lounge, and dining hall. And the next thing we're gonna talk about is the club room. So, Em, how can you be an excellent leader in the club room?

SPEAKER_00 0:41

I think it starts with like getting excited before you go into club. So we stand outside the club room and just like build up the energy. There's always a circle of people playing little Sally Walker or Ride Bad Chicken or Ride the Pony. Um, so much fun. But jump in, play games, build the energy. Look for the kids from y'all's area like before you go in, because the goal is to sit close to them, sit with your kids. That's just helpful for everyone, but also it's fun, and you get to experience life and fun with them in the club room. I would say the first, it's just like club at home, but very energetic, more energy, more people. And so jump right in, like match the energy or exceed the energy, scream the songs with the kids, like just get fully into it. Do not just sit off to the side. Like jump all in with them, be in the middle of everything, jump up and down with them, have a blast, like make it so much fun. I also think we talked about being an O-boy leader. Get excited about doing anything, even if it's terrible on stage, like a funny game, embarrassing, disgusting. Be all in and bring your friends along with you.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

That's great that you said that. Do you remember? So you had to eat sardines.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

I did.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

And I saw the video and I cried.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

What?

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Yeah. Because I know how much you hate eating food that and like seafood. Yeah. But you did it, and I was like, oh my gosh, my daughter's being such a great leader right now. And uh, I I seriously, I I mean, I didn't like cry cry, like not sobbing cry, but it was not fun.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

It was great. It was an experience.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Uh, I would say even before club, you talked about playing games and stuff, but make sure all your kids are out of the cabin. Make sure you know where all your kids are. First of all, because you want them in club. Second of all, that helps the head leaders so they don't have to go round up your kids. It's not their responsibility to go find all of your kids, right?

SPEAKER_00 3:00

And it's hard to figure out that you're missing one once you're inside because they could be anywhere in the club room. And then you're like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

That's right. And then um spread out as leaders. Um, don't sit with all your leader friends. You want to sit, especially if you have a group of kids that you know could potentially be disruptive, like sit right in the middle of them and um and do not be afraid to tell them to be quiet. And don't be afraid to tell other areas' kids also to be quiet. Be nice about it, but um, there's nothing like um like discouraging like being a camp speaker and having a bunch of kids out there who are being disruptive and leaders not doing anything about it. Yeah, it's just disruptive and and it's keeping other kids from hearing the gospel. So don't be afraid to tell your kids to be quiet and to stay in the room too, you know. Um we don't want people going getting up and walking out in the middle of club. But and then during the club talk, um, I would encourage you be praying, be praying for the camp speaker, be praying for um the spiritual warfare. Um there was a time at Sharp Top when we were getting ready to start club, and the this humming noise started. And it was like the sound system, there was a humming noise, and we unplugged the sound system.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

We turned off everything.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Everything.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

We turned off the lights, we turned everything.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Yes, and this the humming still continued, and it was coming from a speaker. We could not figure out what was causing it. And as soon as the club talk was over, the humming stopped. Yeah, it was wild. But um, but yeah, be praying.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

There was another time at Wildlife Camp when the strobe lights went off, but the light system was down. Like we shut off all the lights, and the strobe lights kept going. It would go blackout, strobe light, blackout, strobe light, and we were like, the camp speaker just kept going. She was like, guys, we can't, we're just gonna go. Yeah, but it was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

So so be in prayer, be praying, they that God would open up hearts and minds.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Um I would say also write down notes during the club talk.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Good.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Um, to jog your memory during cabin time, but also to just a lot of these kids, they might not go to church and they might not just see that, I guess, like as an example. Like they might not have an example of someone listening to a sermon and taking notes and being in the word. And so, yeah, take notes.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Yeah, don't be afraid to jot down a few things, right? All right, so that's club. Um, let's talk about the cabins. We'll talk about cabin time, but also the cabins in general. So, how can you be an excellent let's talk about cabins first? How can you be an excellent leader in your cabin?

SPEAKER_00 5:31

I think it's a we've been saying this, but don't be afraid to say no. Set ground rules, night one. I don't think there's a lot of rules that are kind of just like, yeah, we all know that's a rule, and the head leaders also give some at the first dinner. So I don't think, I don't think it's a good idea to lay down every single rule you can think of in the first 10 minutes of them being there, but um, help everyone when immediately when you walk in, help everyone find a bed, let headleaders know if you need floor mattresses, always take the floor mattresses, unless some kid like it would make their day to sleep on the floor. Don't you mean the leader? Leader, leader, take them. Yes, sleep on the floor if you need a floor mattress. Yeah, make sure everybody has what they need.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

What are some of the you you said not to say every rule, which I agree with. Yeah. What are some of like the ones that you're like, okay, these are the top things that I need to communicate to my girls or you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

I feel like, I don't know, I've never had huge issues where, apart from like the head leader explaining at that first meal, I've really had to like say much. I talk about how cabin time is gonna work and what rules for cabin time are.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

But I don't really know we've had different experiences, but boys and girls are so different. So um I talk about the bell system, which we haven't talked about. I I talk about how when you hear about go where people are going and don't like we're all gonna go.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

We're all because the I have had girls who are like, I don't want to go to club or I don't want to do this, and nope, we're all going together, we're doing everything together. So when you hear about, we're gonna leave. That's basically all I say.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Okay, so here's the ones, these are the ones that I, the top ones. We only go in our cabins. We don't go in anybody else's cabin and we don't let anybody else come in our cabin. Like that's our space. The worst thing that can happen is for somebody to lose something, yeah, but think that it got stolen and then blame somebody for stealing it, and then it could cause a whole mess. So just everybody stays in their cabins. We respect everybody in the bathroom shower area. Um, we will have no, we're not pulling any pranks, we're not opening curtains, we're not, you know, none of that. Um, and we respect people's stuff as well. So there's cubbies that people have their stuff. We're not taking people's stuff, we're not messing with their soap or their shaving cream or whatever, whatever else. You don't deal with any of that? Oh my gosh. Okay. And then when the when the cabin bell rings, we are in the cabin.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

It's it is not a time to go get water when the cabin bell rings. And I love to point this out because not many people know this, but the same water that comes out of that water fountain is the water that comes out of the sink in your bathroom. And so you can fill your water bottle in the sink in your bathroom. It is not, there's no pea or anything in the sink water in the bathroom.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Really?

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Yeah, there's not. It's like fresh water.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

So you can fill your water bottle with that. So those are kind of the ground rules. Now let's talk about cabin time. So you talked about that a little bit in the first episode we did on camp. But you said you bring them in, you make sure they're all on the same level, you sit in a circle, and then you what did you say you you tell them that it whatever is set in there is we we don't say whatever's said in here stays in here.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

I I kind of just say something to the effect of like, we're gonna protect each other in here, so we're gonna keep everything in the cabin, and we're not going to go tell other people, but we may bring someone else in, is kind of what I say. So like, but it wouldn't be if someone says something that could be harmful to themselves or other people, I would tell them from the start, if that happens, we're going to bring someone else in, but we're not gonna go shot it from the rooftops. No one else in the cabin is going to say anything. I'm going to bring someone else in to talk with you and me. Like that's kind of how that would work. We might have to bring other people in, but we're not just gonna go share it with everyone. That's great, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

And if we're talking about being an excellent leader in cabin time, um, we've just started doing this kind of this new thing that they've been doing with Capernaum for a long time. Um, and they just started doing it with wildlife. And I think they're actually having they're even doing it with high school now where they provide some like manipulative type things.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Yeah, they have that at Sharp Top. We put them all together, so they have them in high school.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

And so one of the, you know, there's little fidget toys and stuff like that, which could be potentially distracting. You need to gauge your own kids. Yeah, but um, but the thing that I really loved when so for wildlife camp and and for high school, they have little journal things. And so it was so great for wildlife to give all of my guys a journal. So they would take them out at the beginning of Cabin Time, and I would give them a couple questions that I wanted them to write the answers in the journal. And what that does, number one, it gets them calm and they're sitting down. Um, number two, they have to answer their own questions without anybody else's input. It also keeps that one kid from the one kid that answers every question first all the time. Um it helps with that because now everybody has an answer. So you can literally, you know, ask a kid, like, hey Johnny, what did you get? Yeah, what was your your thoughts on that? And so one of the other things that we say is we're gonna respect if somebody's talking, we're not gonna talk, we're not gonna and we're not gonna laugh about anybody because somebody might say something that you know we're not gonna make fun of anything anybody says, and it could just be in good fun, but you never know if somebody's gonna get their feelings hurt, and so um, so that's kind of the the gist of cabin time. What about second timers? What do you do you have a conversation with them about cabin time at all?

SPEAKER_00 11:19

I think it depends on the kids. I've brought kids who are definitely leaders just by nature, and they brought a lot of their friends, and we've just had conversations about like just like uh a lot of times they'll have a second-timer meeting and they'll get kind of the camp staff or hell, I don't honestly know who does a second time meeting, but they'll just talk briefly to the kids who've been before about like everything's a surprise, some of the events will be the same. Don't spoil it for people, kind of we're excited you're here, bring other people in. It's almost the same thing with Cabin's time of like you've heard the whole gospel presented. I want you to help be like a leader in that and sit with the kids who maybe have never heard this before, and um just really appreciate it, even though you've done it all before, if that makes sense. But yeah, almost like giving them a purpose and a little bit of leadership.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

You know, this is a little bit off topic, but the fact that you just said that one of the things I love about being able to go to camp is that I get to hear the gospel.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

Clearly explained again and again and again.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Simply explained, too.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

And and I think um as a leader, you know, if if you're going as a leader, like go in with that of just like asking the Lord to touch your heart again with the truth of the gospel. I think when I think back think about the Bible and I think about the Israelites, the biggest thing that they did was forget, right? Like they literally came out of Egypt, and then the next that they're forgetting and they make the golden calf, right? Like they it's just remember, remember, remember, and going to camp is a great way to remember. Um, okay, let's talk about events. So at camp, you're gonna have some some all camp events that are happening. Let's talk about them.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

No spoilers in this episode.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

Um events in general.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Events in general. I feel like I keep saying this, but be all in. Do whatever event is happening with the kids that you brought. Um encourage them to be all in. Sometimes events are messy, sometimes they're crazy, they're always fun. So get them excited. If have so much team spirit, it's even fun to like if you know you're on the red team for something and you have a red shirt, like wear it. Like, just be so fun over the top, excited, cheer for everyone. Even if you're the loudest voice, the only one screaming, like, cheer for that kid who's being pulled on a mattress across the field. Like, just scream your head off for them and get so excited.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Yeah, that's good. I would say though, as a caveat to that, there are some events that are competitive in nature. And if your cabin is competing against another cabin, be the one as a leader who has the ability to dial it down a notch. Like if it needs to be dialed down. Like I've seen situations where kids like they're so competitive and they want to win at this sport or whatever, and um, and maybe the referee makes a bad call and they start yelling at the referee. But I've also seen situations where the leaders are the ones who are yelling at the referee, or the leaders are the ones who are yelling at the other cabin. And just not a great look for it. Philippians too, right? We want to put others so it in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. I and I know I've been there because I I can remember remember being in high school and as a young leader, like I wanted to win this particular event, you know, and um and now I'm older and I'm just like it's it's not that's not the point of camp. No, it's just it's just fun and we're having a good time. We can compete, we can be competitive, and um, we can have a great time. Emily, I hate to do this. I have to go back to cabin. Okay. Okay, because I forgot a couple things that a couple rules that I didn't say that and so it's our podcast. We can do whatever we want with it, right? So can I go back? Okay. So I just want to talk about pranks, and I want to talk about at nighttime how to, you know, when it when it comes to and and I read last podcast, I read Philippians 2, where it talks about having humility, about putting others ahead of yourself. Um there is nothing worse than pranks that get out of hand from, you know, that they might start don't even start them. They might start small, but then they somebody retaliates and somebody else retaliates. And um, whether it's in your cabin or whether it's against other cabins, as a an excellent leader, communicate that we're not doing any pranks. And when you hear about something happening, you need to shut it down. Yeah. Like we're not doing any pranks. And that means that we're listening to the head leaders, we're following the rules of camp, um, we're not sneaking out of our cabins, we're not doing any of that kind of stuff, right? And um, and speaking of nighttime, keep in mind that you're living in a room, usually you're living in a dorm with other leaders and other kids, and they might have an early morning ride at seven o'clock in the morning, and you don't know that. And so if you let your kids stay up really late and be really loud, that could potentially keep those kids from sleeping. That could make their ride bad. It could also make them too tired to hear the club talk the next night, you know, and so so making sure that your kids are going to bed when they're supposed to go to bed and being respectful of other leaders. If a leader comes to your cabin and says, hey, you guys are being really loud, um, just apologize and get your kids quiet, you know. And if you need to call a head leader, call a head leader to come in and be the bad guy or the bad girl, right? So, yeah. All right, um, rides. Talk briefly about rides, Emily. Your favorite topic.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Mm-hmm. I think rides are a really fun way to bond with your cabin, especially the ones that are scheduled. I know specifically, I feel like I'm talking about Southwind this whole time, but you've talked a little bit about Sharp Top, but like at Southwind. In the past, we've had Gator Ball, which is like really fun dodgeball type event ride that you do as a cabin. Very fun, very good bonding. Um and then we also have everything on the lake, which is probably my favorite part of camp, is when we get to go on the inflatables as a group. And I think it really is, it just brings your whole cabin together. Girls are canoeing and jumping off inflatables with girls that they didn't know 24 hours ago.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

And so you know what a great way to bond with a guy on the inflatables is?

SPEAKER_00 18:06

No.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Let him give you a black eye.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Oh, yeah, that did happen to you.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

I was trying to throw my friend AJ off, and uh, he came at me. He didn't mean to, but man, he popped me right in the face. And uh I had a black eye the whole rest of the week.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

I also think like the bikes, that's very fun too. We have um that's a scheduled ride with your cabin, and a lot of kids are scared of it. And so just conquering that fear together.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

Yeah, and even even the high stuff, like if you're at a camp that has a big swing or a big or a ropes course or something like that, um it's kind of the same thing as you eating sardines, right? You hate sardines, you hate seafood, but you did it because your kids were you were being an excellent leader. Same thing with those types of rides, like being the O-boy leader is being like, all right, I'm afraid of heights. Even maybe even letting your kids know you're afraid of heights, but that you're gonna conquer it anyway, so that they can't.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

No, that's my won't be. I will not leave it. I've never been on the swing.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

Oh. Ever. All right.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

I'll leave every sardine in camp before I would get on this.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

Well, consider it. Consider it. Okay, and then lastly, is free time and talking about one-on-ones as well. So, how can you be an excellent leader during free time?

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Make the most of every minute. We've kind of talked about this the first episode we did, but take the time. If it was a very early morning and you were not in your word at all, take some time during free time and get in the Bible. Um, if you have girls who are believers in your cabin or girls who are curious, like that's really I've gotten to sit and read my Bible in one of the pavilions, and one of my girls in the cabin who wasn't even a believer at the time came up and just asked me what I was reading, and we got to talk about it during free time. But beyond that, I would say make free time about the kids in um your cabin. Jump in the lake with them, go down the slide 18 million times, just have so much fun with them, sit and talk. We talked about how every chair is with another chair, like they're set in pairs or more than that. So there's lots of beautiful spots around camp to sit and have conversations, treat a kid to ice cream, play them in the game room. Like just have so much fun and make the most, truly make the most about every moment.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

Yeah, and and don't beat yourself up at the same time. Like, there's been times where I've been at camp, especially Sharp Tot, where I can't find my kids.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

Oh, yeah, they scatter.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

I can't find them.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

We can Southwind. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

It's so small, and they just spend all afternoon looking for your kids, thinking, why don't they want to hang out with me? And um, no, they're just having fun. And so find those places where you can jump in. And and if you can't find them, you know, go go sit in an Adirondack chair and just kind of, you know, you can pray or um, you know, just be around. And so, yeah, I think that's it. We um this was great. This was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

This was fun.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Um, so again, this is the third episode, the final episode, I think, unless we think of something else. But um go back if you haven't listened to the previous ones, episode 21 and 22. Do that and um and share this. We'd love for you to share this with folks who are taking kids to camp with you. Um, hopefully it's helpful. Um yeah, that's all. Let me pray. We'll head out. Jesus, thank you so much um for this time. We thank you for camp. Thank you that you give us the ability to go and spend time with kids. And um, we just pray for all the camps that are happening across the country and across the world this summer, Lord, whether it's it's young life camps or church camps or whatever it is, Lord, we pray, God, for safety. We pray that your spirit would move in the hearts and minds of kids, Lord, and um and that many would come to know you for the first time. And um, we just lift all of this up to you in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Amen.