“Hello World, it’s morning at Kaleo.
The Sun is shining bright!
The spirit’s moving this morning in Kaleo.
And I think I’m doing alright!
”
First week of my DPF summer camp experience started out great!
Kamp Kaleo is a beautiful campground in Burwell, Nebraska where I got to spend the week trying new tye-dye techniques, tubing, tanking, doing a scavenger hunt, and sharing my workshops with campers and staff! Growing up, I was not a camp kid. But after just one week at church camp, I now understand why it was so hard for my little sister to come home after a great camp week! I could float down the river in a tube at Kaleo forever!! It was so peaceful to feel the warm sun, and the cool water. All while letting the river take you to your final destination, and being able to look at the small waterfalls and laugh with fellow councilors along the way!
I was so excited to share my time with the youth at Kaleo! I was asked to lead multiple meditation sessions where I helped campers and counselors practice meditation in ways that they may have never tried before. I got to lead two workshop groups doing an activity that really engaged staff and youth to think about how the Israeli occupation in Palestine separates and labels Palestinians in the Holy Land. I also got the chance to collect signatures to support the Korean Peace Appeal and lead a vespers service on peace!!
During Peace Intern Training Week, we all discussed things we wanted to mention in each of our blog posts- where we had the best s’mores, where we had a memorable camp meal, an activity we got to experience for the first time. Well, I want to keep you all updated on the really tasty camp snacks I got to try at each camp! I also LOVE popcorn; especially the outrageous and creative flavors that are out there! So, I also make it a priority at the airports I travel through or the local shops near camp I visit, that I get some new tasty popcorn flavors to try! So keep an eye out for all the tasty things I get to eat this summer!
Camp snack at Kamp Kaleo:
Peanut butter Nasties!! These are cheerio bars mixed with peanut butter and a little corn syrup. YUM!Popcorn I tried in Indianapolis (during training week):
Dill Pickle popcornPopcorn I got at the Chicago Midway airport on the way to Nebraska:
Caramel popcorn with cashews
During the week, I learned and engaged with new camp traditions that Kaleo does. Before every meal, they sing a different grace (each written and created by campers and staff) and each grace is sung to a popular tune. We sang graces to the tune of Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off, to the tune of Johnny Appleseed, and even the Flintstones. One of the nights before vespers, Kamp Kaleo does skits that the campers come up with together, called “bag skits.” Every summer there is a mission that the camp focuses on and collects offerings for. The mission this summer was collecting offerings to help churches create natural disaster relief kits and send them to families in need of basic necessities. It was so much fun watching the campers create a skit with so many different props, while also raising money for a great cause they learned about.
At the end of the camp week, family group leaders had the campers write letters to their future selves, so I also wrote one. It was very calming to write a postcard to myself about the new things I got to experience at Kaleo! I can’t wait to get my letter back next year and see all of the little jokes and memories I wanted “future Marci” to remember!
Thank you to everyone who helped me get to Kamp Kaleo, and let me stay in your homes! Thank you to the staff at Kaleo for inviting a Peace Intern onto your holy ground for the week! It was truly an experience I will never forget.