Bell Manor

On the back side of the property, there is a large manor that was part of the Underground Railroad in the 19th century. It is rumored amongst the camp to be haunted by a woman who hung herself in front of the oval window and the slaves who died in hiding. It's an extraordinary building. I haven't been inside yet, but they are trying to renovate it to it's original look and I have heard that it is started to look really nice inside. People at the camp have claimed to see the "ghost" of the woman hanging in the window and have heard of eerie things happening in the basement, such as screaming or voices. I think the stories are pretty entertaining.



We walked to the house and looked around the outside. It was pretty creepy, but we all had a great time trying to retell the stories. Apparently there are also sub-basements on the property that lead to underground tunnels they used to move slaves through. I haven't seen them firsthand, but I would really like to. One of our trainers said that one tunnel is still in tact and there are multiple entrances/exits throughout the woods around camp. I'll take more pictures when I get a chance to go inside.



On the other side of the field, by the manor, there is a stone chimney that is free standing. It is also rumored to be haunted. The story goes that a woman, during the Civil War, saw soldiers coming in the distance and hid her children in the chimney. The soldiers came inside, took her out, and burned the house to the ground. Many claim to still hear the cries of the children "on moonlit nights". I sat inside the chimney and didn't hear anything...it's also really tall so I was curious about how they would have hidden up inside of it. It's a cool chimney and we had a lot of fun telling stories and taking pictures inside of it. While we were walking there, I rushed ahead of the group and hid in the woods. When they walked by, I jumped out and scared them. It was pretty funny...had to start the night off right, of course! There was also a message in a bottle a couple girls had found a few days earlier inside of the chimney, but when we went tonight it was missing. We joked that the baby took it, but we're pretty sure it was the guy who came and did our outdoor training. He was a firm believer in the ghost life of Camp Conowingo and claimed to be a part time ghost hunter. He also mentioned something about a hybrid snake, but that's a story for another time.

I'm off to my Yurt for bed. Goodnight!

Ticks, Torches, and Tannenbaums

After a 5 hour flight and a 3 hour drive, we got to camp on Saturday evening. It is SO much colder here than I thought it would be! I definitely didn't bring enough warm clothes or blankets, so I spent my first night freezing to death. Other than that, it has been great. Most of the staff here (about more than half) are international, so I've met some great friends from Germany, Scotland, the Ukraine and England! My friends from Germany taught me how to say, "Hi, my name is Kim. How are you? I'm hungry, let's eat spaghetti, now!" We also sang "Oh Christmas Tree" and everyone laughed. They are a lot of fun and everyone is always really excited to learn new things or try "American" foods. One of the girls "can't wait to go to Target and the Dairy Queen." It's really funny.




The camp is very rustic, so all of our "cabins" have no electricity or plumbing. The campsites here go by "units" and there are many different types. For the first two training weeks, I'm staying in a yurt! It's strange...but cool! There are also tepees, platform tents and cabins, so we will switch around every week depending on what age group we are with. The camp is on 600 acres and is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I could spend hours every night just watching all the fireflies or sitting by the river. During the day it's been around a high of 75 and down in the 50s at night and since I got another blanket it has been so wonderful.







We are currently going through small trainings and cleaning up the camp. Tomorrow we start Leave No Trace training where we learn more about living outdoors without making an impact and we are also trained to teach others. I also start my Level 1 Ropes training on Tuesday. Here we only have a zip series with a cargo net and Jacob's Ladder, in addition to a low course. I'm pretty excited about the training. I wouldn't normally be, but literally all the international staff here make everything so much more new and fun to me. Nothing seems repetitive because it is so new to them, so they are very excited and have a lot of questions. This has been the biggest blessing for me!




Here, they go a whole year without using the camp so there is A LOT more work and cleaning that needs to be done. It surprised me how many things got so dirty just sitting around. I couldn't help but think about Bill Hooks during our clean up...he would go insane here. There are only 2 rangers for the ENTIRE property and camp maintenance. Since the winter here was very warm, there are TONS of TICKS! I had one on my leg the first day and another girl had one as well. The rest of the international staff is convinced they will all die if they get a tick. They spent our hour off-time Googling pictures and facts on Lyme Disease...it was hilarious. They also randomly say, "quick, check! Is there a tick on my neck?!" I'm excited about getting to know even more about them as the summer goes on, they are so interesting! One of the girls needs a "torch" (flashlight) and most of us can't wait to go to WalMart so we can get things we forgot at home.




Thanks for taking the time to check up on my life. I'm going to go to dinner and then learn some more salsa dancing from our office assitant who is from Columbia. As they would say in Germany "Tschüss" (bye)!!




If you would like to write me:




Old Adventures and New Beginnings

I admit it...I have neglected my blog for more than a year! So much has happened...so many wonderful things that I would love to write about, but will only share a few:




College Retreat:




I had the privilege of leading the 2012 college retreat this year. What a blessing! It was the first time I had taken a program and started it from scratch. It was only a weekend retreat, but I literally planned for almost an entire year. It was fantastic. The staff, the participants, the response...it was beyond any expectation I had and one of the top experiences I have had as a college student. The Lord was so faithful to our planning and preparation and despite our shortcomings, still did even mightier things than we could have ever imagined or "planned" on our own. I am looking forward to attending next year and mentoring the new directors!

Summer Camp:




I ended my last summer as a Sr. Staffer at Camp Allen in August of 2011. I had such a wonderful summer...I learned so much about the Lord and what His desire for me is as I continue my walk with Him. I learned many things about myself, both good and bad, and managed to work through them with a group of about 27 other people who inspired me, challenged me, and supported me as I grew. I will never forget the experiences, community, love and fellowship I have experienced in that place...there is nothing anywhere that will ever replace it or compare. This coming summer will be the first summer in 13 years that I have not been at Camp Allen in some capacity...that's a scary thought for me. I had so many pivotal experiences there. When I was 8, I rode a horse for the first time. When I was 16 I did a front flip in front of a (very patient) crowd after trying and failing for 7 years before that. When I was 14, I walked into a room of strangers that all cheered for me and knew my name. When I was 15 I witnessed a miracle in cabin 8. When I was 10, Dave Rupert told me about Jesus and I believed it. So many things, too many to list. Things that have molded me, changed me, challenged me, inspired me. Things that showed me how much the Lord loves us all. Things that I will never forget.




Last night I had a dream that I was at camp again. I walked to every cabin and room in each campsite and there were people in every building from all of my past experiences there. People I love and cherish, people who inspired me, people who were inspired by me, campers, friends, cabin-mates, staffers...everyone was there. In every room each person gave me a hug and "sent me off" to this next chapter in my life. It was incredible. A very vivid and intentional dream that I will never be able to explain in the right words, but it was what I needed. I feel ready now, with the "dream" blessings of those who mean the most to me, to move on to my next adventure.




Guess what? It starts tomorrow.