Pumpin' It Up for Ozark for All!

Hey, great day here at Camp Ozark for our Ozark For All campers. We started the day off with the Morning Show, a time for us to introduce the day to our campers, make some announcements, do some funny skits, and just have a good time getting things rolling. We also heard from Surfin' Sammy, our local Safety Expert. Sammy talked about some safety issues, such as lightning, and how we respond to such things. Of course, Sammy used his own surfer style to make it as interesting as possible. Hang loose, Sammy!

After breakfast, the campers began their first regular day of Tribal Competition. At Camp Ozark, all campers are divided into one of two tribes, the Caddo and the Osage. These two tribes are further divided into War Parties, teams of 7-10 kids who compete against another War Party of the same age. Each day these War Parties face off in a variety of games, and a running score is kept of who wins the games. Today, the Osage squeaked by with a close victory, winning 1 more game than the Caddo. This makes the score, after one day, 69-67, favor of the Osage. The main thing, however, during Tribal Competition is effort, enthusiasm and attitude. Winning is great, and we teach the kids to play to win, but winning is meaningless without the proper attitude and approach. Giving all you can, all the time...this is the main lesson we hope to teach during Tribal Competition.

Afterward, our campers enjoyed a brief down time, called Chill-Out, and then moved to their first of 3 Morning Activities. All cabins rotated through a selection of Ozark activities, and had a great time. Some of the activities our kids enjoyed today were Outdoor Skills (riflery, archery, skeet, laser tag and a trail ride on the horses), the Waterfront (including the Blobs and the waterslides!), the Ropes Course, Crafts, Game Day and Creative Skills (dance, gymnastics and cheerleading). The campers enjoyed all the activities and look forward to tomorrow when they get to try even more new activities.

After lunch, it was time for Rest Period, then Mish Mash! Mish Mash is a time of the day for the kids to do anything - anything at all - they want, as long as they do something. Almost all areas of camp were open, and the kids tried all sorts of activities: the waterfront, the waterslides, crafts, the ropes course, woodworking, Smashball, the Skatepark...it was ALL available. The kids certainly had a great time moving from one area to another, picking and choosing anything at all they wanted to do. No wonder Mish Mash is the campers' favorite time of the day!

Following dinner, it was time for Lifeline (for our younger kids) and Prime Time (for our older kids), our two worship services. The kids really enjoyed the skits and songs, and heard a great message from Ozark staff. Our worship times are very important, and we hope our kids learn a lot about God's love, his grace and his plans for us as His children.

After Mish Mash and dinner, we had our special event of the evening, Pump It Up. Featuring 11 inflatable games, like the Velcro Wall, the Moon Bounce, the Obstacle Course, Wrecking Ball and more, Pump It Up is a kid's dream. The Blobs were also open (since you must "pump them up" with air) and, of course, they were very popular. All during the event we played some fun music, ending with the Cupid Shuffle and some of the big hits for 2010, such as Ice Cream and Cake!

To end the day, the kids headed back to the cabin for showers and devotional, putting the perfect ending on a great day. Check back tomorrow!