2011 Final Thoughts

It's been a week since camp ended and I am back to 100% health. Time to close out this blog with a few final thoughts.

Camp excelled my expectations - I learnt much more than I thought I would, kitchen work wasn't as hard as I was told and fellowship way surpassed my hopes. However, it's easy to be enthused after such an event and the hard part is keeping up the momentum in applying what I learnt and maintaining the friendships.

Likewise for the campers, my hope is that they too will keep the flame of PYC alive. I hope the counselors will keep in touch with each camper in their dorm throughout the year to encourage them to work on goals set during camp. I hope the campers will continue communicating with each other after camp and not let it die out after the Feast or even before. I hope to recognize some names of campers in those accepted to HWAC in 2012. I hope I do my part by continuing to pray for each camper by name during the year.

Grateful thanks to our Heavenly Father and Mr Flurry for making camp possible. To Mr & Mrs Turgeon and Mr & Mrs Burns for all their tremendous hard work and dedication to our teens and to all the other organizers.

I hope this blog has encouraged others to take some time out be a worker next year. You just might find it a life-changing experience.

Back home

After a fabulous camp experience I flew home on Tuesday 26th.  This time I remembered to remove my Swiss Army knife, but I forgot about the big bottle of Sea Aloe that I had in my backpack!  Well, I had sent my luggage back with Mr Nice via road and I wanted this opened bottle to take with me. Anyway, it was nice to see that Security noticed this time. Thankfully even though I was pulled over the lady just tested it with some strips, I guess to make sure it wasn't anything toxic and then she let me go.

Kenny met me in Atlanta with his new style...nice!

Having been in good health all through PYC, I the busyness finally caught up with me as I have been exhibiting cold-like symptoms since Wednesday evening (sneezing, migraine, tired). Yesterday I stayed in bed most of the day. Tonight I feel a lot better (hence writing this) so hopefully I'll be ok for services tomorrow.

Awards Ceremony and Speeches

Last night was final night of PYC activities and fittingly ended with an awards ceremony in the Field House gym. Many parents and visitors were there to enjoy the occasion.

To begin the evening we heard six speeches from campers who had excelled in Mr Michael Dattalo's Speech Class. The speeches were funny, informative and moving. The speakers were:

  Tim Warnsley
  Kaitlin Eames
  Nick Irwin
  Darby Carter
  Sam Livingston
  Jennifer Schlote

Speaker of the session were given to Sam Livingston and Kaitlin Eames.

Awards were given in many categories for each sport and also for the Teen talent contest. I had made a note of them but technology failed me so you'll have to check out Trueeducation Blog for the full list of awards. Individual Camper awards were:

Most improved - Kyle Amos and Kayla Glennon
Most enthusiastic - Dan Chaney and Rishanna Cheek
Camper of the Dorm:
1B/1G - Tyrel Cheek, Jennifer Schlote
2B/2G - Michael Cocomise, Kayla Taylor
3B/3G - Tim Warnsley, Joella Tolis
4B/4G - George Haddad, Lindsay Eagle
5B/5G - Justin Goodearl, Karleisha Lorenz
6B/6G - Addison Dahlke, Kaitlin Eames

Mr Turgeon concluded the awards section with a speech reviewing some of the key things they learned in bible class, sabbath messages. He admonished the campers that the work needs them but Satan will try to do everything he can to trip them up. He will try to get them to put anything and everything before God. He encouraged them to study their notes over summer and said that it was up to each one of them to prove that God's way works.

At the end their was a video review of the camp activities and then pizza and one last opportunity to fellowship before the final lights out.

Meet the Kitchen Staff - The Kruegers

Last but definitely not least in introducing the kitchen staff is Mr John and Mrs Dawn Krueger.  It has been an honor to work with them. They have been examples of service and the true Philadelphian spirit of warmth and love. It was not uncommon to see Mr Krueger picking up a dustpan and brush to clean up a spill. Mrs Krueger's smile and hugs greeted each one of us as we came on our shift and her abundant patience was evident daily with the myriad of questions she would field about the minutest detail.

Their dedication to providing the most nutritious and delicious meals for the campers was inspirational. I hope to get the opportunity to work with them again.


The Kruegers hail from Michigan and have been in the church since 1979. Mr Krueger was ordained a minister in the PCG and served in the Michigan area until they were moved to HQ 4 years ago. Now, in addition heading Food Services, Mr Krueger also heads the Bible classes at Imperial Academy. They also pastor two congregations in Oklaholma. Their daughter, Autumn is attending Herbert W Armstrong College.

During the awards ceremony Mark Schlote presented the Kruegers with a gift from the kitchen staff. We hope they can get the opportunity to get some rest after a hectic 3 weeks of camp!

Interview with the Camp Director

I spotted Mr Turgeon while he was watching softball and he graciously agreed to share some of his thoughts about camp. See below the paraphrased answers he gave to my questions.


What is the most rewarding aspect of PYC for you?
Being with the children of God's family. I literally go from 4 of my own kids to over 140 campers.

What changes do you see in campus over the duration of camp?
Campers come to PYC with varying degrees of nervousness, excitement and feeling insular. By the end they blossom and you can see the unity of everyone. What they actual experience is like the kingdom and that's why many do not want to leave at the end.

What can campers do to prevent homesickness?
I was homesick when I went to college at 18. One antidote is to quickly make friends. I notice that this tends to affect girls more than boys.

What do you enjoy most about camp?
Watching the spiritual growth and and development of the campers turning to God.  One camper told me that 2 weeks before camp she was cotemplating leaving the church but now she has turned around.All the effort and cost is worth it to save just one life.
I also love Softball!

What is the most challenging aspect of PYC?
It's a very demanding schedule. For the counselors it can become draining as you get through the first couple of weeks and I work to encourage them to stay upbeat .

What advice would you give to campers hoping to come to PYC for the first time next year?
Try to throw yourself into activities such as sports, academics, music and the spiritual. Develop your talents. Most of all get into the habit of regular pray and study before you come.

What can parents do for campers?
Encourage their returning campers to keep the momentum of what they learnt from PYC.

Tour of God's House

As I mentioned before, after the Sabbath Shane Granger kindly agreed to take some of us on a tour of the Auditorium. It was fascinating to learn the stories behind many of the  structures and decor and to see how God was so involved in every detail.

Swans in Flight
The swans sit in a 120x30ft pool of holding 40,000 gallons of water. As you may know it can get pretty windy at HQ, so the jets that flow on to the swans are controlled by wind meter. When the wind  gets too strong the water is automatically turned off to prevent the water spraying over visitors!

If you visit or see pictures of the swans you will notice that their is some green coloring on the top swan. This is due to oxidation of the metal. The lower swans are protected from this by additives in the water but since the water doesn't reach that high the top swan has been affected. This will be rectified soon when the swans are stripped and coatings applied which will protect it from future oxidation.

A fascinating detail is that the pool was size was designed before the we knew we would purchase the swans. When Mr Flurry visited Big Sandy they measured the pool there and found that our pool was almost exactly the same size - a perfect fit for the swans to be at HQ without any alteration to the existing plans.

Marble
When the Travertine marble outside the Auditorium was delivered the vendor was very excited when he realized that the church was name Philadelphia because apparently the marble came from a quarry very close the the ancient city of Philadelphia mentioned in Rev 3.

Another area where God granted us favor was in obtaining the Emperador marble that covers the internal pillars between the wood in the foyer of the Auditorium. Our requirement was for darker marble than is usually requested so it turned out that our supplier obtained a shipment of the darker which we were able to get at considerable less cost because most customers want a lighter color.

Gold Lettering
You can read the story of how we obtained the letters from the Ambassador Auditorium here. Another blessing was that we originally were planning to get the brass letters lacquered but since that process is time consuming the vendor offered us to gold plate them with 24ct instead for free - we just paid the cost of polishing.

Elevator Chandelier
There is a chandelier in the lobby in front of the elevator. This was another blessing. Along that area there are recessed lights in the ceiling however, they found that in that one spot it was too dark. As it happened, Mr Granger found out that we had received an extra chandelier that we did not order. When he inquired of the vendor he was informed that this was a prototype and that we could keep it for free. It was a perfect fit for the space being smaller than the main chandeliers.

Star Dressing Rooms
We were shown the area where the performers prepare before going on stage. When Mr Granger was visiting other performing arts venues he was surprised to find out that the backstage area is pretty spartan for the artists, not luxurious at all. At Armstrong Auditorium the facilities are of a very high standard which is surprises and delights artists. They have 5 star hotel-like accommodation with extra tall closet for long gowns, private shower and monitor so they can see what is happening on stage. This provides with with a relaxing, calm area to be able to give their best performance. From the kitchen, the performers are provided with a first class meal.

Auditorium Backstage
We were able to go backstage and see the high-tech equipment used to control all the logistics of a performance. Also the Mr Granger explained about the role of the varied panelling in the ceiling to generate the best acoustics. To keep the two Steinways in optimal condition, they are stored off stage in a special acclimated room. 

Campers - I'm going to miss you!

Oh well, only one day left of camp. I have so enjoyed being around the campers. That youthful vitality lifts us adults up too. It's been great to see many of them relax into camp, open up and let their personalities shine through. I hope some of these pics show their joy.  Outside the Field House is the main socializing area before breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as the dining hall during meals. The young men are getting leadership opportunities as each one gets a turn at blessing a meal. I'm sure it's nerve-wracking but they handle it very well.

Before each meal a dorm is responsible for setting out water etc. and afterwards another dorm (boy or girl) cleans up.

I was often serving the campers on the "line" - invariably the compulsory salad portion. After three weeks I would still get some campers asking me if salad is compulsory, ha ha.

The campers love lying on the ground to relax or get a nap! They are used to me pointing my camera at them or being surprised by the click when I catch them unawares. Some, however I have to chase - they just don't like taking pictures!!

I'm going to miss them all and will be praying that they will take the wonderful knowledge and experience received and stay the course  and encourage each other to a rewarding adulthood in God's truth and kingdom.

Meet the Kitchen Staff - Part 3

 Here are some other members of our stalwart Kitchen workers:

Mr Willie Coats worked at Big Sandy catering department for 10 years before he came into the PCG in 1994. When the Field House opened he was catering expertise was put to use at here. He has two children also employed at HQ. We enjoy his cheery good mornings and singing while he works.  

Delane Campbell has been attending since 1975 and is currently in the same congregation as myself in South Carolina.  She is also a veteran of PYC with 7 years experience. Usually Mrs Campbell has one or more grandchildren attending PYC.

Mrs Maggie Hilliker has been in the church over 40 years and lives in Edmond. This is her third PYC. She is the mother of Mr Joel Hilliker and Mrs Amy Flurry.

Beryl Wallace was born in Ireland, later moved to London, England and currently lives in New Jersey. She is third generation and attended many SEP camp now with her own son attending his second PYC.

Deaconess Ester Algiers has been employed part-time at HQ in Food services for 5 years. She as been in the church since 1979 and lives in Kansas

Marge Jakum hails from Michigan