Camp Outreach 2019

For the past 5 years, I've been spending a week every summer serving at Camp Outreach. Here's a video of pictures taken this year. I even show up a time or two.



Camp Outreach is a missionary camp focused on improving the lives of those living in the inner-city neighborhood of Stingtown Indianapolis and working on the hearts of those young and old who volunteer to serve in the community. 2019 was a great year for Camp and we can't wait for next year!

Camp Outreach

I spent last week at a summer camp. It's not your ordinary summer camp. Instead of swimming and hiking and canoeing, and whatever other activities you regularly find at a summer camp, the campers at Camp Outreach spend their days painting, cleaning up overgrown lots, replacing roofs, and all kinds of other projects in a neighborhood in downtown Indianapolis. And they love it! Some of these young people (and not so young people) have returned year after year after year.

This was my third year. The first year I helped out in the VBS for the neighborhood kids in the mornings and then worked on various projects in the afternoons. The last couple years I helped out with VBS in the mornings and then was responsible for feeding all our hard-working people dinner every night. There's a lot of planning, a lot of shopping, and a lot of work involved, but it's all worth it. And I certainly could not do it without lots of help.

If you're interested in seeing a bit about Camp and hearing from some of the young people who were involved this year, be sure to check out this video and discussion of Camp Outreach 2017.

Perhaps it's something you'd like to get involved in next year?

The Stuff You Need to Get Outside

As Jeffrey and I were walking the other day we noticed that our neighbors had brought their camper out of winter storage. They have a nice trailer, and they do a lot of camping. We have a tent and some camping supplies, because we really don't do much camping. We enjoy it, but there's always something else going on, and it's hard to get away on the weekends. Maybe when the kids are grown and gone, things will slow down a little and we can find some time, and some people to camp with.

Of course, that means we'll have to dig out all the camping supplies, see what we have and see what else we need. Until I started browsing this site (Big T Sports) full of camping, fishing, hunting, and outdoor sporting goods, I didn't know we needed so many things. For instance, did you know you can buy a stainless steel margarita glass? Of course, I'm going to need one of those if I'm going to start camping.

I may not ever need marine electronics, because I don't see myself ever doing any fishing - regardless of what you all say. The Big T Sports website has them for those of you who like that kind of thing. They also have all the camping supplies I can imagine, lighting, tents, cookware, sleeping bags, etc. I can smell the campfire now, and taste that margarita.

Surf Camp

Some of my favorite memories from growing up are of the summers I spent at summer camp. The camp I went to offered all kinds of activities, from basketball to archery, cheerleading to water skiing. There are also summer camps that focus on a particular sport or activity. One of those is surf camp, where kids, teens, and even adults can learn to surf. Do you think I'm too old to learn to surf? I love the beach. I love the water. I could do it, right? I could take surf lessons.

It would certainly be an amazing experience for the kids. They have teen summer camps that completely immerse the teens in the surfing experience, taking them from beginners to the next level. Besides learning to surf, teens will learn some marine science and ocean safety, and have lots of fun on the beach with other teens from all over the world. The minimum student to instructor ratio is 3:1, so there is plenty of individual attention and a high emphasis on safety. These teen overnight camps are in some amazing places, too - Hawaii, Australia, Florida, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas, to name a few.

They also have Family Camps and a Women's Only overnight adventure camp. Ladies, anyone interested in leaving the husband and kids and taking advantage of some sun, sand and learning to surf? I have this thing for the beach. I'm pretty sure I'd be jealous if my kids got to go to surf camp, and I didn't.

brought to you by Surf Camp