Aaron Giesler
Aaron is the youth pastor at Grace Church in Abq, NM. He passionately loves Jesus and ministering to teens. Also, he has a couple of degrees from different schools that only means he is able to pass tests. Aaron has a lovely wife Heather and three great kids who put up with his crazy schedule. Sports, outdoors, guns, reading, and Applied Math are his other interests.
Ten Indications a Retreat/Camp Is NOT Going to be Awesome
- By Aaron Giesler
- Published 05/21/2008
My last few blogs have been long and taxing so here is something short and light...
There are ten things that have happened to me on retreats and camps which have made for some interesting moments. For comedic effect some of them have been exaggerated. (only slightly) Please feel free to add your not-so-awesome camp/retreat experiences in the comments.
10. Embarking on a 18 hour trip in a van and 30 minutes out both of the adults sponsors inform you that they, "can't read a map and won't drive." Thanks!
9. A sponsor tells the whole group they don't have to listen to you because you don't know what you are talking about. Nice!
8. On your way to Houston, TX in August (6 degrees cooler than Hades I think) your A/C goes out and parts will take 7 days to arrive because your van is so old.(Btw, you're only in Houston for 8 days)
7. Your first night at the camp the new kid (who might not be quite right) informs you that he has to rock himself violently for 30-40 minutes or he can't go to sleep. You find out later that night he has to go through the whole process again after he wakes to use the restroom.
6. While loading the trailer you feel something strange. You open the bag to discover 2 knives, 6 cans of shaving cream, some fireworks, and package of condoms. After you confiscate them the youth seem to be relieved you didn't find more?!?!?!
5. On the first day a kid climbs a tree and refuses to come down until his parents get there. Oh yeah, you are 4 hours from home. So you spend the rest of the day and night checking on him and trying to talk him down.
4. You stop to gas up 5 hours into the trip in 100+ degree weather and your cook asks you if you think he should buy ice for the food coolers here or at the next stop. Moreover, you and he put the food in the coolers the day before...
3. Before every meal your cook informs everyone that, "The food is OK if you flick-off, scrape-off, or eat-around the burnt part."
2. Upon arriving at the encampment the camp director informs you that he, "has the coon problem under control but the snakes and scorpions are still a work in progress" (he wasn't kidding)
1. With the kids in the van, the parents waving you off, and everything in the trailer you pull out and get the van stuck in the mud up to the axle. You have to call someone to pull the van out. Double awesome!
There are ten things that have happened to me on retreats and camps which have made for some interesting moments. For comedic effect some of them have been exaggerated. (only slightly) Please feel free to add your not-so-awesome camp/retreat experiences in the comments.
10. Embarking on a 18 hour trip in a van and 30 minutes out both of the adults sponsors inform you that they, "can't read a map and won't drive." Thanks!
9. A sponsor tells the whole group they don't have to listen to you because you don't know what you are talking about. Nice!
8. On your way to Houston, TX in August (6 degrees cooler than Hades I think) your A/C goes out and parts will take 7 days to arrive because your van is so old.(Btw, you're only in Houston for 8 days)
7. Your first night at the camp the new kid (who might not be quite right) informs you that he has to rock himself violently for 30-40 minutes or he can't go to sleep. You find out later that night he has to go through the whole process again after he wakes to use the restroom.
6. While loading the trailer you feel something strange. You open the bag to discover 2 knives, 6 cans of shaving cream, some fireworks, and package of condoms. After you confiscate them the youth seem to be relieved you didn't find more?!?!?!
5. On the first day a kid climbs a tree and refuses to come down until his parents get there. Oh yeah, you are 4 hours from home. So you spend the rest of the day and night checking on him and trying to talk him down.
4. You stop to gas up 5 hours into the trip in 100+ degree weather and your cook asks you if you think he should buy ice for the food coolers here or at the next stop. Moreover, you and he put the food in the coolers the day before...
3. Before every meal your cook informs everyone that, "The food is OK if you flick-off, scrape-off, or eat-around the burnt part."
2. Upon arriving at the encampment the camp director informs you that he, "has the coon problem under control but the snakes and scorpions are still a work in progress" (he wasn't kidding)
1. With the kids in the van, the parents waving you off, and everything in the trailer you pull out and get the van stuck in the mud up to the axle. You have to call someone to pull the van out. Double awesome!
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Will Penner)
Trying to be a true servant of the people and back the van as close as possible to the cabin so students don't have to walk as far when unloading their stuff, you dent the van in the tree that was in the blind spot. Then 30 minutes later, you drive around to the rec hall to unload some other things and back into another tree. Fortunately, though, the back door no longer stays closed since the hinges are all bent--and it's only going to cost about a thousand bucks to repair.
