Adopt-a-Staff Program
The following statements are true about your time at HFR serving as a Summer Staff Member.
You spent your summer in a dirty, dusty, sweaty place. You were surrounded by dirty, dusty, sweaty, and needy children. You were also surrounded by some dirty, dusty, sweaty, sometimes needy, sometimes annoying, and even sometimes bull headed staff members. You were asked to serve and to give and to serve some more. At some point you were incredibly tired! You were emotionally drained at some points. You more than likely experienced brokenness at some point. You ministered to some very difficult campers. Your body ached at times. You cleaned toilets, you washed dishes, and you swept out cabins. You certainly smelled bad and for some of you swim time might have even replaced a daily shower. In all this and through all this your Christ-likeness was being displayed. Hang with me and keep reading...
Here is the other side of it...
You spent your summer in dirty, dusty, sweaty place. You were surrounded by God’s beautiful creation. You joined with it in praising God and bringing Him glory. You had the opportunity to bond with fifty other people your age who were in the same struggles and had similar interests as you did. You had the opportunity to serve, to bless, and to encourage campers in Christ teaching them the story of Jesus. You were tired and drained at times but God filled you with all you needed so that you could continue to pour yourself out. You laughed, you made memories, you built deep relationships, and you encountered God in new ways. You definitely smelled bad and you probably did not look your best but I guarantee that your Christ-likeness was on display as you served, as you cared for others, as you placed others above yourself.
I love that camp offers Staff members the unique opportunity to discover and to display the heart, mind, and attitude of Jesus Christ. Your Christ-likeness was on display during your summers on Staff because you were living out God’s Word as you followed Christ’s example in ministering to the campers. The campers learned from you and your example. They saw Christ in you and they too wanted to follow Him. You also grew and benefited from your experience during the summer. You discovered Jesus, encountered Him in new ways and learned about his heart, mind and attitude as you tried to live as He would have among the campers.
2 Corinthians 4:10. “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” The life of Jesus was revealed through you during your summer on Staff. This summer our Staff will share in so many of the same experiences you did when you served here years ago. They will experience growing pains as they learn to die to self so that Christ can be revealed in them as well. Throughout the summer our Staff could benefit from your prayers, your encouragement, your wisdom and involvement. YOU CAN HELP, YOU CAN BLESS THE SUMMER’S STAFF BY BECOMING A PART OF THE ADOPT-A-STAFF PROGRAM!
Next summer will be our first summer of the ADOPT-A-STAFF program. We know our Summer Staff will all be blessed by the alumni who take part in this program. We are excited to offer this program!
I am asking Staff Alumni to adopt a Staff member for next summer. What do I mean adopt a Staff Member? What is involved in this adoption?
PRAYER
Prayer is the main purpose of starting this program. Your prayers lifted up on behalf of your Adopted Staff member are so precious. God hears your prayers and attends to them. So we ask that by taking part in this program you commit to pray daily for your Adopted Staff member.
ENCOURAGEMENT
You know because of your HFR Staff experience that encouragement is so important. As Staff become tired they will certainly be uplifted by encouraging emails, letters and who knows maybe even some cookies! That will be up to you, but we will give you your Adopted Staff’s email address so that you may correspond with them throughout the summer. You can always send mail which they will receive during mail call at lunch. So we ask that by taking part in this program you send a few encouragement notes to your Adopted Staff Member this summer.
WISDOM
Because of your experience at HFR you can share wisdom with your Adopted Staff Member. By sharing stories & lessons learned from your “day” you will be able to guide and mentor your Adopted Staff member.
INVOLVEMENT
We want to have our Staff Alumni involved with camp in any and every way possible. This is an obvious need! Our Staff will benefit so much from your prayers, encouragement, wisdom and involvement with them on an individual basis this summer.
How it will work...
Email me, Blake Henderson at bhenderson@hiddenfallsranch.com if you are interested in taking part in ADOPT-A-STAFF. I will send you the name of one of our Summer Staffers for you to adopt along with their age, school/college they attend and other information like that. You will also receive the Staff Member’s email address. I will need your email address so that you may be sent an occasional, possibly even daily reminder throughout the summer to be in prayer for your Adopted Staff member.
Please consider joining us in this Adopt-a-Staff effort! You can directly impact a Staff Member next summer! We are excited to see what God will do with your prayers and encouragement!
In Him,
Blake Henderson
HFR Assistant Director
You spent your summer in a dirty, dusty, sweaty place. You were surrounded by dirty, dusty, sweaty, and needy children. You were also surrounded by some dirty, dusty, sweaty, sometimes needy, sometimes annoying, and even sometimes bull headed staff members. You were asked to serve and to give and to serve some more. At some point you were incredibly tired! You were emotionally drained at some points. You more than likely experienced brokenness at some point. You ministered to some very difficult campers. Your body ached at times. You cleaned toilets, you washed dishes, and you swept out cabins. You certainly smelled bad and for some of you swim time might have even replaced a daily shower. In all this and through all this your Christ-likeness was being displayed. Hang with me and keep reading...
Here is the other side of it...
You spent your summer in dirty, dusty, sweaty place. You were surrounded by God’s beautiful creation. You joined with it in praising God and bringing Him glory. You had the opportunity to bond with fifty other people your age who were in the same struggles and had similar interests as you did. You had the opportunity to serve, to bless, and to encourage campers in Christ teaching them the story of Jesus. You were tired and drained at times but God filled you with all you needed so that you could continue to pour yourself out. You laughed, you made memories, you built deep relationships, and you encountered God in new ways. You definitely smelled bad and you probably did not look your best but I guarantee that your Christ-likeness was on display as you served, as you cared for others, as you placed others above yourself.
I love that camp offers Staff members the unique opportunity to discover and to display the heart, mind, and attitude of Jesus Christ. Your Christ-likeness was on display during your summers on Staff because you were living out God’s Word as you followed Christ’s example in ministering to the campers. The campers learned from you and your example. They saw Christ in you and they too wanted to follow Him. You also grew and benefited from your experience during the summer. You discovered Jesus, encountered Him in new ways and learned about his heart, mind and attitude as you tried to live as He would have among the campers.
2 Corinthians 4:10. “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” The life of Jesus was revealed through you during your summer on Staff. This summer our Staff will share in so many of the same experiences you did when you served here years ago. They will experience growing pains as they learn to die to self so that Christ can be revealed in them as well. Throughout the summer our Staff could benefit from your prayers, your encouragement, your wisdom and involvement. YOU CAN HELP, YOU CAN BLESS THE SUMMER’S STAFF BY BECOMING A PART OF THE ADOPT-A-STAFF PROGRAM!
Next summer will be our first summer of the ADOPT-A-STAFF program. We know our Summer Staff will all be blessed by the alumni who take part in this program. We are excited to offer this program!
I am asking Staff Alumni to adopt a Staff member for next summer. What do I mean adopt a Staff Member? What is involved in this adoption?
PRAYER
Prayer is the main purpose of starting this program. Your prayers lifted up on behalf of your Adopted Staff member are so precious. God hears your prayers and attends to them. So we ask that by taking part in this program you commit to pray daily for your Adopted Staff member.
ENCOURAGEMENT
You know because of your HFR Staff experience that encouragement is so important. As Staff become tired they will certainly be uplifted by encouraging emails, letters and who knows maybe even some cookies! That will be up to you, but we will give you your Adopted Staff’s email address so that you may correspond with them throughout the summer. You can always send mail which they will receive during mail call at lunch. So we ask that by taking part in this program you send a few encouragement notes to your Adopted Staff Member this summer.
WISDOM
Because of your experience at HFR you can share wisdom with your Adopted Staff Member. By sharing stories & lessons learned from your “day” you will be able to guide and mentor your Adopted Staff member.
INVOLVEMENT
We want to have our Staff Alumni involved with camp in any and every way possible. This is an obvious need! Our Staff will benefit so much from your prayers, encouragement, wisdom and involvement with them on an individual basis this summer.
How it will work...
Email me, Blake Henderson at bhenderson@hiddenfallsranch.com if you are interested in taking part in ADOPT-A-STAFF. I will send you the name of one of our Summer Staffers for you to adopt along with their age, school/college they attend and other information like that. You will also receive the Staff Member’s email address. I will need your email address so that you may be sent an occasional, possibly even daily reminder throughout the summer to be in prayer for your Adopted Staff member.
Please consider joining us in this Adopt-a-Staff effort! You can directly impact a Staff Member next summer! We are excited to see what God will do with your prayers and encouragement!
In Him,
Blake Henderson
HFR Assistant Director