OSAGE RAGE | Incomparable Camp Ozark

The summers during undergrad were always a time for me to serve in some capacity outside of Auburn and not by taking classes. I loved my time in college and was in no rush to speed things up by taking summer courses. Every summer throughout undergrad and while I was an intern at Wesley, I had incredible opportunities to serve both nationally and internationally; here’s a recap of those endeavors:

Summer after freshman year (2005)

1 week mission trip to Juarez, Mexico

Youth Caravan

Summer after sophomore year (2006)

Summer long ministry intern with SIFAT in Bolivia

Summer after junior year (2007)

Camp Counselor & Ropes Course Instructor at Camp Ozark

Summer after senior year (2008)

1 week mission trip to Yucatan, Mexico

Summer long ministry intern with SASHA Ministries in Russia & Latvia {posts coming soon!}

Summer after intern year (2009)

Top Staff over Female Relations at Camp Ozark

And then of course I went to grad school, did a year long intensive program, and that was the end to my summer days of freedom now being in the “real” world. But I have such fond memories of these summers that I can’t help sharing and I can’t wait until my children have some of these same opportunities to explore the world and serve others with Christ’s love and compassion.

So that leaves me with today’s topic: Camp Ozark! I never went to a summer camp growing up (honestly didn’t even really know they existed) as my childhood summers were spent at a variety of sports camps across the country. I mean, I had watched Salute Your Shorts, but never really thought of camp again until my junior year of undergrad when two staff from Ozark came to speak at Wesley one night. By this point, I had done lots of children’s & youth ministry through mission trips and working some with the youth group at a local church that I knew I was interested in working with kids. I applied, interviewed, and was offered a position as a ropes course instructor for the summer. And thus began a crazy two summers in Mt. Ida, Arkansas!

For those of you who don’t know much about Camp – here’s some basic information:

Mission Statement: To provide an incomparable camp environment and experience for kids through a commitment to excellence in all that we do, while seeking to establish and deepen relationships with Jesus Christ.

F.I.T. (First Is Third) is the overriding theme of Camp Ozark’s spiritual emphasis. Our belief is that in order to “win” in our lives, we must place God first, others second and ourselves third. By placing ourselves third, by being “F.I.T.”, we actually come in first in the “game of life.”

Check out the video from 2013 for just a brief example of what camp looks like!

Camp is crazy – let’s just get that out there. Each session is two weeks full of non stop action.

You live in the middle of no-where in a cabin with no AC, one GIANT fan and 12-14 campers and 2-3 counselors. As Top Staff we had the same kind of cabin- just all staff and no campers. The day begins with music blaring across camp to get everyone up & going. You have morning classes where there are hundreds of activities to choose from spanning sports, arts & crafts, outdoor activities and more. Then of course there is Tribal Competition, where each tribe competes all summer long to see who comes out victorious at Ultimate Solution. Each camper (and counselor) is initiated into one of the two tribes (the CADDO or the OSAGE) through a secret ceremony complete with headdresses and all sorts of ceremonial tradition. Chiefs are chosen each session to represent their tribes and lead them to victory. It’s rather a big deal, and such an important part of camp. {In case you were wondering, I’m an Osage & so is my husband 🙂 O-OS-OSAGE GO OSAGE!}

And no one wants to miss Mish Mash, two hours of freedom where everything at camp is open – countless sports, the lake front complete with blogs and slides galore, the ropes course with pamper role, tandem course, zip line and much much more. There are evening worship services for each age group, and small group devotions in the cabins each night. Of course meal times are a hoot as well, as there is never a dull moment at Camp. Then there are special events each night where dressing the part is only half the fun. This repeats every session for 6 sessions! 6th session is Ozark For All where the campers tend be be a bit younger, and are from underprivileged areas, and most of whom are on scholarship. All sessions are such a great opportunity to minister to these kids the love of Christ while having a blast! Here are a few pictures by year of my time at Camp Ozark

2007:

2009:

There is always an awards ceremony, slideshow, and banquet at the end of the year as well for the counselors which is a hilarious and always a wonderful time to relive the many memories of the summer.

Check out the full daily schedule of what camp looks like – it’s packed full of awesome!

{via}

Other important things about camp were days off at the Dairyette with a tasy milkshake or diet cherry limeaide & spending the day in “town”. These days are crucial to refill and be ready to go for the kiddos! Also, it was great bonding time to spend with other counselors who have become some incredible friends over the years. It’s crazy to think of how special these people are to me after several years, many states, and life journeys along the way! It’s hard to describe all of what camp was and how amazing, challenging, rewarding, difficult, life changing, exhausting, and simply incomparable it really was. Ozark will forever hold a special place in my heart!