Meandering Moose

Widji Traditions/Culture #3

Cabin Special – Every Thursday afternoon the cabin leaders have the opportunity to do something special with just their cabin. It ranges from our regular camp activities to cliff jumping, an afternoon at the beach, etc. It amazes me that the cabin leaders leave it to the last minute to plan on Thursday at lunch.

Guys/Girls Nights – On Monday nights the camp is divided into guys and girls and the staff run a special night activity for them. There are lots of options for them to choose from or they can make up their own event. Some programs include a trip to Widji Island, Ninja night, bigger and better, dance party, floor hockey, campfire, tribal night, 007 night, relay races, “break into” the Tuck shop or kitchen adventure, sock wars or pageant night to crown Miss Widjiitiwin. I will leave it to you figure out which ones are the guy’s verses girl’s activities.

Cabin Devotions – every day campers join their cabin leaders for cabin devotions. This takes place after cabin cleanup in the morning and just before first activity period. Cabin leaders help their campers learn about God, Jesus and the Bible. New this summer is Friday devos with the chiefs where the whole guys or girls end gather and the chief cabin leaders do the devo time.

Camp Pastors – we seem to be one of the last camps to have a camp pastor. Each week a different pastor is invited to teach at camp chapels. They are also available for the campers and staff to talk with and seek counsel from. Our camp pastors are quite involved at camp taking their meals here and being involved in program.

Campfires – Campfires are a big part of our program and we do two per week. On Wednesday night we do one for fun. This is the night that our day campers have the option to stay over. On Friday night we do a serious campfire with testimonies and worship. One of our favourite campfire traditions is an Elijah Fire. This involves a fishing line down from a large tree about 100 feet from the campfire. We tie it off to a stake in the ground on the far side of the campfire pit. A partial toilet paper roll is soaked in some Naptha gas and awaits its ride down the cable to the fire. The story of Elijah on Mount Carmel is read out loud and each time the prophets of Baal pour water o the sacrifice, we dump a small amount of Naptha on the camp fire. When the story get to Elijah calling down fire from heaven, then toilet paper roll is set on its way down the string and when it gets to the camp fire everything lights up. Go big or go home right?

Widji Traditions/Culture # 2

Fruit Social – Each week we have Blast or Sizzle camps we have a Fruit Social. After chapel the kitchen staff lays out large trays of fruit for Sunday night snack. While that happens the campers and staff go down to their cabins to get “ready”. The sound guys and program staff set up the lights and get the speakers humming because pretty soon there will be lots of loud music and planet of dancing campers and staff. It’s a little like grade eight dances, at least when I was younger. You know when almost no one is out at the beginning and then they all dance. Usually there is a group of energetic staff that get it all going.

NOPA– each Friday night at dinner for Blast and Sizzle we dress up and have a nice dinner together. Almost everyone dresses up in something nice. We’ve even had a few tuxes. I store a suit jacket behind my office door just so I’m ready, although it doesn’t always go well with the shorts and t-shirt I have on hand. This event used to be called Copa when it was important for campers and staff to have a date. Nopa is a “No Date” version of the old Copa. Campers can sit anywhere for this meal and enjoy the company of people they don’t usually get to sit with. We recently added to it that the cabin leaders serve the campers at their table.

Cabin Clean-up – Every morning after breakfast the campers and cabin leaders go from breakfast to clean up their cabins. The goal is to score as high as possible for the ultimate goal of winning the end of the week ice cream sundae party. They can get up to 10 points each day for the regular cleaning like beds made, lights off, windows open, floor swept, etc. There are also bonus points available if you can figure out what the camp medic likes as a treat. Some options for the bonus points are letters and poetry, pictures, videos, music playing, candy, chocolate or other Tuck items. Some cabins and leaders are very good at it, others not so much. New this year – any score under a “4” means the cabin loses dessert that night.

Signing Cabins & T-shirts – Widji has a tradition of allowing our campers and staff to sign their bunk and even leave a word of encouragement for others. There are signatures going back many years and generations. We have had parents bring their children to camp who were able to show the kids where they signed their name at camp when they were campers. We have a great tradition of multi-generational family camping. We also sign the camper t-shirts they receive as part of being at Camp Widjiitiwin. Saturday mornings after we watch the weekly camp video, all the staff use sharpies to sign their camp names on the camper’s shirts. Parents tell me these become prized possessions once they get home. Campers wear them coming back the next summer as a badge of honour.

Mortal Combat – This event is for Sizzle only. It’s a rite of passage like the wake-boarding/water-skiing we also do just for Sizzle. Mortal Combat is a massive pillow fight competition that comes down to the last person to triumph over all comers. It happens late at night and is a long standing tradition at camp. Men have been made by their standing or achievements in Mortal Combat. Everyone starts out at the beginning and are eliminated round by round until one champion emerges and is crowned the winner.

Widji Traditions/Culture # 1

Named Meals – Sub Sunday, Taco Tuesday, Waffle Wednesday and French Toast Fridays, I tried to change some of these my first summer to great resistance. I did manage to add diced chicken to the Taco Tuesday meal, but the rest are well intact.

Morning Monkeys – each morning before breakfast 1 boy’s cabin and 1 girl’s cabin duel it out to determine who gets to go in first for breakfast. They need to demonstrate something to the rest of camp and have them play along. A lot of imaginary spandex gets put on during these demos. Sometimes it relates to the theme of the week, sometimes to an event that has happened. Many are good and creative, some are lame. It could be how to wrestle a dragon, how to be like Moose, how to be a superhero, how to properly have English tea time, etc. The SALTer cabins will also get involved with these and take a turn to win the right to go in first. Judging is done by the program and leadership staffs after the wise sayings have been delivered.

A wise man/woman once said… after the cabin leaders finish their Morning Monkeys demo, they head up to the top of the Longhouse tower to deliver their wise words. Once the wise words are delivered judgment is made and the winning side gets to go into breakfast first. Like so much at camp, some great advice comes from Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try”.

Dream Scream – happens on Friday nights after the campers have gone to bed. Cabin leaders hype it up to their campers that the girls/guys are going to get one over on the other end. Little do the campers know that both ends are planning the same activity for the same time. The boys “sneak” across the lower field while the girls “sneak” past the Longhouse to the boys end. When they get to the opposite ends they scream to wake up the other campers and then run all the way back to their cabins “knowing” that for sure they did a great prank.

The Longhouse is loud most of the time – you get used to it after a while, but it can be overwhelming at first. It ranges from excited voices trying to convince the leadership staff that their table should go first up to the buffet line to cheers for their cabin mates, to mail call antics and various rhythms being tapped/banged out on the tables. Sometimes it’s very good, sometimes it’s just loud.

Meal time freeze game – to determine who in the cabin has to wipe the table and clear the dishes, cabins play the freeze game. This usually happens after they have gotten into some difficult to hold pose and the cabin leaders yell “freeze”. Campers can then be maneuvered into even more uncomfortable positions by their cabin leaders, other staff and sometimes other campers. The object is to stay as still as possible and hope that someone else moves first. The first person to move cleans up. I’ve seen a group of campers go most of a meal time in the frozen position and keep going even when their food is getting cold. On Saturday morning, the last day of camp, the campers get to call freeze on their cabin leaders and turn the tables on them.

Widjiitiwin Basketball which I have already blogged about, so see an earlier post or our Widji Ball Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WidjiitiwinBasketball and view the new video

The Last Two Weeks

In the last two weeks at Camp Widjiitiwin we have welcomed 45 summer staff, 22 TNT campers, 21 SALTers (3-week camp leadership program), we’ve served 2,739 meals, made 5 trips to the Huntsville hospital for various injuries, had 14 chapel services with 8 different speakers, sung 100’s of songs, done 20 cabin devotion times, had 8 staff prayer meetings (usually at 7:00 am), done 5 rest periods (for some), had 1 sleep in morning, won Widjiitiwin Basketball (30-11) against the MBC summer staff, did 1 torch relay and a ceremonial Olympic flame lighting, sent our SALTers on a canoe trip to town and a rock climbing trip plus a service day of a free car wash at Canadian Tire in Huntsville.

And all of that equals 2 campers accepting Christ as Saviour. Equals TOTALLY worth it.

Grandpa’s Tools

Recently I was cutting down a few in the way and dead trees in my back yard. It was good hard work. At one point I went to the shed and grabbed a cant hook (a tool for rolling over logs). It belonged to my Grandpa Greenfield and reminds me of him every time I use it. I have a few more of his tools including his journeyman’s box he made to carry his tools as a journeyman carpenter in British Columbia in the 1920’s. I have a brace and bit that I think is from him (or Ray Crawford) and it takes me back to my days of tapping trees for making maple syrup in his sugar bush in Speyside. I used it to tap maple trees myself and I passed the love of making maple syrup to my girls and a number of friends and staff along the way.

I remember working in his shop, building one thing or another. It wasn’t always good, but it was a pleasure to spend time with him. He used to tell us stories about his life when he was younger. Sometimes we heard the stories repeatedly, but I loved them. Sure wish I could hear one now. I remember living at Camp Ambassador after high school before attending Ontario Bible College and going to visit him in the hospital every week. Those were special days for me. I also inherited a love for the game of cribbage and bridge, although grandpa usually insisted on playing cut-throat and I lost most of the time.

Grandpa’s tools remind me of him and what he has passed on to me along with my fond memories and the experiences I shared with him. I also remember summers spent at his house in Meaford, helping out with my cousin Ken, riding in great Uncle Bill’s truck and driving it once. In the end, it was time spent with him that made the time special. It’s all about relationships.

Elaine and I have passed good things down to our girls too including values, skills, and I trust a good godly example. My kids have a love for camp work and seeing kids and youth come into a relationship with Jesus. They also have an appreciate ion for maple syrup that came from a few generations back. I hope that one day my tools will bring back great memories for my family and one day my grand kids.

Twitter

I recently started being on Twitter, tweeting that is. I’m all the way up to 42 tweets. I’m pretty sure that’s not any kind of a record. I’m also not sure I understand all that it does, but people have started following me much to my own surprise; mostly people nice enough to follow me back after I follow them. I understand that’s a common courtesy though.

You can find or follow me on Twitter.com should you want to. Twitter is odd in that you only get 140 characters to say all that you can. Sometimes it’s too hard to find that many, but sometimes I want so many more. I don’t plan to tweet 20 times per day, so you won’t be overwhelmed by my proliferation of things to say. I also don’t want to tell you about my breakfast, drive to work or that I’m going to bed early.

Re-tweeting is odd too. It means I found someone else that can say what I want to say better and in 140 characters than I can. That said, I have retweeted and even retweeted a retweet. I’m not sure what to call that. And #hastags. Is it more than just another use for the # sign? That one still mystifies me a little. I saw one I liked by a staff member that was #remindsmeofwidji.

At the moment I cannot get my twitter account to connect with my Facebook, so I’m having to copy and paste a favourite quote twice instead of once. Technology works when it wants to it seems.

I do want to share about cool events, exciting things, wisdom, quotes, camp stories of course and more as I get it all figured out. You’ll likely only hear from me once a day or five times a week. If it gets out of hand just let me know. Now that I have posted this blog, I guess I should tweet that I blogged.

A Great Cloud of Witnesses

Hebrews 12:1-3 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Who is your great cloud of witnesses? Hebrews 11 has a great list of the Old Testament patriarchs including Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Plus there’s Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets. Then we have New Testament saints like the apostles, Paul, Timothy, Luke and more.

In more recent history we have examples like Martin Luther, St. Francis, D.L. Moody, Jonathan Edwards, Mother Teresa, John Wesley, Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll and others you can name those who have been meaningful for you.

In my life I have people like my father in law, Vera Carol and several saints who have gone to be with the Lord, three mentors (J, P & T), my pastor Darrell and some great seniors in the church that I look up to. I also have a lot of people connected with camps I have worked with.

In addition I have some young people who have become an inspiration to my faith. Some have taught me to worship more freely, express my faith in different terms and rediscover God’s Word. As in the song Hosanna by Brooke Fraser says, I see a generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith. They are indeed doing that.

Those who went before us paved the way for all who follow. We benefit from the sacrifices of our predecessors, and we all leave a legacy for those who come after us. Whose great cloud of witnesses am I part of? I hope I can be part of that cloud for my summer staff, SALTers and campers. I hope I’m part of a cloud for the youth at church and the young up and coming camping leaders. And for my girls and Tim too.

Whose great cloud of witnesses are you part of?

The SALT Program

Hey Widji Fans!!!

My name is Citavo and I love Camp Widjiitiwin!!! I’ve been coming here since I was 11 years old because I love it so much and that’s a long time! This summer, I am the director of an amazing program at Widjiitiwin called SALT. It’s short for “Skills and Leadership Training!” For those of you who haven’t heard of SALT, it’s three weeks that are filled with so much awesomeness, you can’t even begin to understand until you’ve experienced it for yourself!!!

SALT is for ages 14-17 and includes a range of activities such as a 4-day canoe trip, rock climbing trips, service days in town, Bronze Medallion training, ORCKA (canoe training), and much, much more! Of course, it also involves your favourite camp activities like swimming, Widjiitiwin Basketball, the BLOB, low ropes, high ropes, our new water slide, basketball, volleyball, Cabin Specials and even more. SALT is filled with surprises and jam-packed with fun! It is a great place to meet friends that will last a lifetime! I love the SALT program because I know first hand what an amazing and life changing experience it can be!!!

Come and join us this summer!

Widjiitiwin Basketball

Widjiitiwin Basketball is the signature game of Camp Widjiitiwin in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. Widji Ball is a combination of basketball, rugby, soccer and football.

The camp is divided into teams made up of staff and campers. The goal is to carry the ball down the field and score in the opposing basket (a person on a chair with their arms in a circle) to get as many points as possible.

There are five balls in play, so it’s like there are five games going on at the same time. There are balls for each of guy campers, girl campers, guy staff, girl staff and an all ball. Each group concentrates on their ball and not running into people smaller than they are. SALTers (our leadership campers) join in with staff or can have their own ball. Widji ball is played as two hand touch or with flags. It gets quite competitive as you can imagine.

We have an FB page for Widjiitiwin Basketball at www.facebook.com/WidjiitiwinBasketball.

A Camp for Generations

campfire By guest blogger Sue Wigston…

35 years. It’s incredible how much has changed and how much has stayed the same! 35 years ago, I spent my first week at Widjiitiwin as a camper. My parents would send me for one week, and I would save for the entire year to be able to stay for a second. Every year when I arrived, it was like a continuation of the year before. Great friends, great staff, silly songs, and crazy games.

I spent three summers on staff as both a cabin leader and Program team. I look back on those summers and am thankful for so many things; friendships that still exist today with campers and staff, an opportunity to grow in my own personal faith, and the skills required to share it with confidence.

When my kids each turned 7, I was so excited to sign them up and take them to Widjiitiwin. I remember being a little nervous, “What if they did not love it as much as I did? What if it has changed?” Their experiences at TNT, Blast, Sizzle and S.A.L.T have all reinforced their love for camp.

In 2 months, I will drop off my two oldest boys for 10 weeks. They will spend their summer cabin leading and washing dishes. They will make lifelong friends, have sleepless nights and do crazy things they would never normally do. They will leave the stress of ‘the real world’ and enjoy being young. They will be challenged in their faith and challenge others in their own.

The world has changed a lot in 35 years, I am so glad that some things have stayed the same.

Sue Wigston (Wiltse)

aka Schmoo