Smooth Sailing

The morning started with campers showing off their cabin pride. Cabin Pride breakfast featured cabins adorning face paint with their cabin numbers clearly displayed. Some wore Red, White and Blue to demonstrate their pride in their country. Finally, some dressed up as lions and came as a literal pride. Like breakfast, the days activities were action packed. Bible study had the kids, reading, thinking and laughing. Schleef encounters had one group drawing hillarious pictures and another running through the woods hunting and being hunted. The boy rock climbers go to do their thing and went to Devil's Lake to spend the day rock climbing. Kids played crazy games at outdoor sports and disc golfed. Soccer specialty played a crazy soccer game inside the Bula Ball ring and baking specialty filled up on Lemon Bars and home made ice cream. At the ropes course kids jumped off the leap of faith with the coolest adventure coordinator in the world, Justin Heise.

For the evening game, the evil Sector X came to camp and spread a mutation infection to the staff. Doctor Adam and Doctor Jason came in with a plan to have the campers find Sector X and cure him of the infection inside the Decontamination Station. Some campers seemed to enjoy being infected though and set out to infect the rest of camp. The game ended as serum that looked like water from the hose poured onto Sector X, the staff and pretty much the whole camp. Then at campfire Grandpa Joe and Grandma Molly went to Smooth Sailing retirement home and dealt with the crazy antics of Harold, Richard Nixon and the other people at the center.

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

For password, Clare let us into the mind of Adam as he struggled with what to do about a new neighbor. The good side of Adam that looked like Ben wanted to greet the neighbor and invite him to church. The evil side of Adam, that looked like Jason, wanted to steal the man's Ipad and then use it to take over the world. Clare used the funny skit to talk about how we struggle with sins and choices and as Christians we need to focus on the Spirit. Devotion leader Jim had the kids think about what their actions say about them and that as we are motivated by Christ we should focus on building others up.

Just another Manic Monday

But Monday is definitely a fun day here at camp! The kids excitedly entered the morning ready to really begin their week. Many seemed excited to find out whatever "Schleef Encounters" was. The diverstity of specialties really stood out on the opening day. Horseback riding, baking and soccer all did their things in the morning. Baking specialty made Irish Soda Bread and Mozzerella sticks which they were generous enough to share and they baked well. Sonshine campers got the full mix of activites, played some crazy olympic themed games with Jim and John and finally, for those of you still wondering, Schleef encounters consisted of Bula Ball variations, a hand cuff brain teaser, a spinning vortex of doom and stuffed animal dodgeball. Also, for archery, the campers got to shoot at teddy bears. I'm not sure what the teddy bears did to the kids but I saw more than a few campers excited to shoot the evil Teddies.

Song period had the kids rocking. Matthew even commented how enthusiastic the kids are this week. The evening game had the kids as either France or England battling in the woods and looking for frisbees. In this case the frisbees were parts of a fort. During an evening game, nothing is more versatile than a frisbee. Finally, campfire told the story of a farmer's crazy animals that tried to take over the world and ultimately failed both miserably and hillariously.

 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

During his password devotion, Brett told a story of a time when he randomly met two people from Milwaukee in a London train station. The idea of things happening at just the right time was paralleled as to Jesus arriving at just the right time. Ben had a similar theme in his devotion about how God works on his own time which we don't always understand but is always the best.

Getting a High Five

I'm excited to announce that our 5th week of Sonshine camp is starting out with a bang! The kids enthusiastically cheered for songs, for favorite counselors, for old friends and because they just like cheering. The kids packed to Bulla Ball pit to take each other out. They played a classic game flipped upside down in Australian Kickball and received an old fashioned explanation of the waterfront rules that was anything but old. During Campfire, the staff treated the kids to skits about a high school dance, a nervous girl longing after a foreign exchange student from Australia and a kid who showed up in a Kangaroo costume.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Jason had devotion tonight and used a story about a princess driven from home and waiting for her father to return. Just like that princess, we have to wait for our Heavenly Father to come back to us. In the mean time, we need to remember that God has given us the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts as we spread the joy of the risen Christ to others.

What a Week!

Hello Friends,

What a week we got to have at Camp Phillip. The last two days have had the kids save summer vacation by running a machine to stop the evil Johnny Snow. They battled evil evildoers to find the right vial to save Kristen. They went to bible studies, became and ran from werewolves in Schleef Encounters, hoola hooped and became Pall Ballers at outdoorsports. It was quite the week. They sang, they danced and moved around to have fun and in praise of their God. Tonight was especially great for that. The kids had their Walkabout  Barbecue and then had a rompous song period. The night closed with a campfire that reviewed the passwords for the week.

When I remember this week, I am going to remember the energy of the kids and how they had a great attitude throughout the week, even in the heat. The kids played games, even in the heat and tried their best and just never stopped laughing. They sang, sometimes yelled, the songs as loud as they could and goofed around and danced together. Some girls even had the treat of playing classic camp games such as Down by the Banks and Ninja with Pastor Tom. Thank you, parents, for blessing us with such wonderful children during the week. =)

Fun in the Sun (and shade if possible)

Hello Friends,

Today was another scorcher and another day that the kids faced the barrage of reminders and opportunities to drink water. They seemed to enjoy it. Despite the heat, the campers had a blast today. I heard many compliments about archery from the kids. Outdoor sports played some crazy games that involved this thing called "sitting in the shade." Campers and counselors alike appreciated those. When campers weren't "putting space helmets on" or "zoom mooz" they ran around and screamed during "Screaming Yellow Zonkers" and "Thread the Needle." Schleef Encounters had the kids in the dining hall near the bubler playing tellestrations to the laughter of all. Danielle led Creation Encounters and the kids got to hold a six foot long boa constrictor. Don't worry, no campers were eaten or strangled but many were frightened and excited to hold the snake.

Psalm 86:15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness

For password, Leah had the Schleef brothers act as conjoined twins trying to open up a jar of sugar. Jason tried to do it himself, but couldn't without the help of Jared. In the same way we need God's help for our forgiveness. It is impossible for us to save ourselves. For devotion, Joel demonstrated that he had the problem of wanting to juggle and drink coffee at the same time. He needed the help of Juggling master Erin to juggle for him. Similar to the password, he talked about how we need help to overcome life's problems and God provides the help we need.

Sunshine on Sonshine

Welcome to Camp Phillip, campers. I am hopping that this will be a great week for you. Today we started our week off with a blast! Campers had a day filled with the hilarious antics of the Schleef Brothers Jason, Jared and even Nathan. A special Shout-out goes to their mother who turned 29 today (again). The brothers taught campers how not to follow the rules around the camp and especially the waterfront while others played some Australian Kickball which is just like kickball but flipped upside down. The campfire featured Jason and Jared searching for their brother Nathan, who they thought was trapped in Australia by the crocodiles and kangaroos Little did they know, Australia has many big cities and has more than just an Outback. After some costume hi-jinks they ended up performing for a show in the Sydney Opera House. Nathan congratulated them on their performance from way back at camp making the two older brothers feel a bit sheepish.

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.


Justin had devotion tonight and used the illustration of leading David blindly past the fire. God gives us his word to guide us on the earth. We can pray to him and ask him for wisdom and strength. God guides us on this earth through his word. All we can do is trust that the one marked the boundaries of the earth knows how to guide us through our daily struggles.

When Prisoners Escape

Good morning from Camp Phillip. Yesterday, the campers had quite the adventure. Thursday skipped the traditional password and Bible Study routine so we could have our weekly Morning Praise. During Morning Praise we meet together at the bowl and start our day songs with songs of praise and worship. Afterward, the campers went back to their typical routine which, of course, led to atypical games and fun. Swim period had a pasta theme as the campers used noodles in all sorts of ways (the floaty, colorful noodlys, not spaghetti). Archery specialty tested their Robin Hood skills with balloons and during Outdoor sports, the campers played fruit baseball. It was sticky. The climax of the day was definitely the Campwide favorite evening game, Cellblock 7. Staff play the part of escaped criminals hiding in the woods and campers have to round them back up and put them back in jail. Finally, for campfire, the campers went to a Kung Fu Pop presentation by Sy and Alex.

Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

For devotion tonight, Justin used this passage to talk about repentance. He told a story about an evil prisoner who looked exactly like one of the guards. The guard lived a good and noble life. During a prison riot, other prisoners killed the guard which gave the look-alike prisoner the chance to put on the guard's clothes and walk away free. However, the prisoner couldn't go back to his old way of life. He had to live his life like the guard had done to avoid suspicion. Just like that prisoner, we too, have been given the chance at a new life in Christ. Let's live in him every day.

What a Wednesday!

Hello all from Camp Phillip. This past Wednesday featured a frustratingly funny password, an awesome hour beach party, Outbackers making bows and the biggest game of Paul Ball you can imagine.  The password for the morning was, "today" which led to lots of conversations that went along the lines of, "What was the password?"

"Today." (aww)

"Yes, I am talking about today's (aww) password. What was it?"

Abbot and Costello would have been proud. Furthermore awesome hour had a beach party where they had a relay in the water while they worked together to put on and take off sopping wet clothes over their suits. Outbackers made bows and arrows out of branches from the woods that worked surprisingly well. (I admit, I was a bit skeptical.) Finally for the evening game, the campers played Triad Paul Ball in the field. Triad Paul Ball is a basketball with Large exercise balls and three giant inflatable hoops. Just like how Paul Bunyan played it back in the day.

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

For the morning password, Allie used the example of a belayer on the high ropes course keeping the climber safe to teach us how God is with us and keeps us safe as we face trials. Then, for devotion, Joe explained to the camp that the T in "Today" is capitalized because it refers to our time of grace on this earth and that this is the time God has given us to have faith in him.

Unorthodox (even for camp)

What a day the Lord blessed us with today! The fishers started the day early at five in the morning and the Camp Phillip day stretched on until even now as kids are exploring the darkness with a night option. Dewey, the dewgong, hid in the wood pile and stayed hidden until the outback girls of cabin 3 found him and showed off their prize which also let them go first for dinner. Volley ball girls focused on fundamentals with bumping, setting, spiking and serving drills. Cabins completed the high ropes course. During Schleef Encounters campers took turns taking the roles of villagers, werewolves and little girls in a crazy game of lycopanthic confusion. Joe's outdoor sports groups focused on playing Camp Phillip classic Roccer. The crafts specialty made coasters (its cooler than it sounds). During the Evening Game campers went to an intergalactic saloon where alien scum, the staff, seemed to be smuggling moon rocks. The campers had to chase the staff before they transported their rocks while also figuring out who the head smugglers were. During Campfire two nerdy heroes made a return from the night before and tried to join a book club. The results were both tragic and hilarious.

Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.


During the morning Password, Leah talked about jobs. God gives us jobs to do on this earth and by his grace we should do them. For the evening devotion, Joel talked about how where we look is where we are going to go. If we look at and want to be like the popular kids who seem like they have an easy life, we will end up making the same mistakes they do. Instead, we should focus on God and his love for us as strive to love others.

Archers, Volleyballs and Fishers Oh My!

The campers arrived in their cabins and picked out their bunks. Counselors played games to get to know everyone's name and make sure everyone felt comfortable. Friendships began to form or reignite. A new week of summer camp at Camp Phillip began. The campers met by the "buttagizer" to play a game of Australian Kickball and then went down to the waterfront to watch their counselors make fools of themselves as they learned waterfront rules. Then the campers gathered for dinner, had free time to play soccer, bula ball or just chat. Eventually the campers made it to the nightly campfire to watch a skit of a Star Wars conventioner, played by Justin, share his screen play. Star Wars characters somehow ended up in Australia and ended with Yoda saving Princess Leia from Darth Maul.

Colossians 3:7 You used to walk in these ways, in the way you once lived.

The devotion for tonight focused on butterflies. When a butterfly goes into a cocoon, its stomach acids literally digest it from the inside out and then the bug transforms into a butterfly. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit creates faith in our hearts and transforms our lives so that we don't walk how we used to, in sin, but with Jesus our Savior. 

Out with a Splash

The last full day of Son Shine two has arrived and past. Like most of this week, the heat and mugginess threatened to damage the camper's skin, hydration level and overall attitude. Yet, today was a blast. Actually, today was better than a blast. Today was a splash! The campers ended their week with as much swimming and time at the waterfront as you can imagine. The kids had essentially a double swim period in the afternoon. During Schleef Encounters the boys played canoe dodge-ball and battled each other on the high seas of the Upper White River Mill Pond while the girls swam. After an hour the two groups switched. The campers headed up to enjoy the barbecued feast and enjoyed eating in the sunny weather with their friends. After the feast, the whole camp headed back down to the lake for a 2 part evening game held at the waterfront. First, the camp split into to and played dodge-ball in the shallow end. After that, the kids joined into smaller teams for the most ridiculous and soaking wet relay race you can imagine. Members of each team had to put on pants, shirt, jacket and orange safety vest in the water, run to the edge of the shallow end and then pass on their clothes to the next person in line. Needless to say, cheers, splashes and giggles filled the air. The camp ended with a closing service at the stage which had the kids singing songs about their faith that they learned throughout the week.

Freedom Seekers Assylum

Trapped in a country where Christianity is outlawed, you and your band of underground church members decide to make a break for it and escape the country before the crackdown gets worse. This premise for tonight's even game led to some scary chases, kids pretending to be hippies to justify secretly crowding under a tree and half the camp ending up in jail. The bible themed clues and kids not knowing who to trust, not even there counselors, made for a great game and some great discussion about persecution. Other highlights for today included the first round of craft sessions, more crazy games in outdoor sports and a barbarian learning to live without pillaging in campfire.

Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence Day every one! The campers at Camp Phillip celebrated the holiday with singing lots of patriotic songs, wearing red, white and blue and getting very wet. The heat continued and fireworks were no where to be seen, but the kids had a blast at a campfire with guests such as George Washington, Uncle Sam and Captain America and alien fireworks featuring Diet Pepsi and Mentos. The boys faced off against the Challenge Course and worked through activities such as Alaskan Pipeline. The girls had Schleef Encounters where they played Sardines in the woods and then explored the legendary King Kong's Booger. Today also featured the unveiling of Jugger Ball. The game involved lots of milk jugs, giant goals and, well, you'll just have to ask the kids about it.

Psalm 139:1-4 O Lord, you have searched me 
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all the my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.

Keely gave an excellent password this morning about how God knows us so well. The password, understandably was Know. Jason gave a devotion where he compared how God sees us to a puzzle. Right now, we aren't finished but God sees us as we are and when we are finished and still loves us.

Games Galore!

Sometimes all you need to do is to make it to Tuesday. Tuesdays are fun for counselors at Camp Phillip because the kids are familiar with the structure of the day, they've experienced the fun of a full day at camp and now are ready for more. And what a fun-packed day it was! The campers played crazy Outdoor Sports Games like Skin the Snake and Great Wall of China, Sardines and Predator-Prey in Schleef Encounters, the girls took on the Challenge Course and everyone splashed away at swimming.

One game that has caught the attention of all of the campers and staff is Bula Ball. Bula Ball is a game from down under that is similar to dodgeball. Players stand on the edge of the Bula Ball ring (a wooden octogon a little over two feet high) and wait for the soft, rubber ball to bounce twice, saying, "Bula," during each bounce. On the second bounce the fast and frantic action begins. Players try to hit the ball at their opponents' legs without their own legs getting hit or their hits getting caught. The last man, or woman, left in the ring is the winner. Games are fast and the winner of one game might just as easily be the first one out in the next. I'm sure your campers will have lots to say about Bula Ball on the trip home.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

The password skit this morning featured Joe playing the part of a lost camper being found; the password was Found. Instead of saying the usual, "awww," Patrick had the kids say, "Aha," as if they had just actually found something. Needless to say, ahas, rang across camp throughout the day. For devotion, Topher talked about 3 letter words you would want if you were lost such as a map, a GPS, and even a Wii. In the end, when you feel lost from sin or troubles, the best thing for your soul is always Jesus.

A Time to Share

The Jesus Cares campers have arrived. The Sonshine campers now have the opportunity to share Camp Phillip with special needs individuals from all over Wisconsin. The kids handled the new arrivals wonderfully. They greeted them with high fives and hellos and few showed any sign of trepidation. I'd like to thank the children for the positive attitude and wonderful greetings. I wish you could have seen it!

The staff  and campers drank lots of water today and will have to for the rest of the week in order to beat the heat. Counselors carried water jugs with them to every activity and many of the activities included campers throwing or shooting water at each other. Campfire gave all the campers a chance to show off their musical and whacking skills with Boomwhackers. The boys learned and performed Mary had a Little Lamb while the  girls did their best to whack out a rendition of The Chicken Dance. All this while Joe and Topher presented T-shirt ideas that may or may not be appearing in the store sometime soon.

Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.


During the morning password Steph demonstrated how taking care of a plant is like taking care of our faith. We need to continue to give it the nourishment it needs. During devotion, Ben built on this idea of nourishing our faith, by giving us an illustration about how distractions can pull us away from our Savior Jesus Christ. Thankfully, we have a God who knows all the distractions we face, but still loves us anyways and sent his son to die for us.

23 Questions

Sundays bring church services, the weekend to a close, and new campers to Camp Phillip. Today parents and caregivers blessed us with 23 wonderful third through fifth graders that we are excited to share zany memories mixed with the unchanging gospel with. The campers will be sharing the camp this week with 38 Jesus Cares campers. Jesus Cares campers are cognitively disabled adults who come up for a week of camp tailored just for them. The Son Shine campers have song period and a few other activities with the Jesus Cares campers and it is a joy to watch them sing songs of praise together. This unique week also includes the volunteer work of Pastor Christopher "Topher" Doerr from Grace Lutheran Church in Waupan, Wisconsin. Topher went to Camp Phillip as a child and worked here throughout his college days. People still talk about some of the crazy games and campfires that he came up with back then. This is certainly the start of a memorable week. :)

1 Corinthians 3:16,  "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"

For the devotion tonight, David talked about how we fulfill certain roles for God as we are a part of his temple. Even though we might not feel like we have the most important role, we still serve God as he wants us to and that makes our work important. We may not be a pulpit but we can still let God's light shine through us like a window or hold others up in the word like a pew.