Disney World Vacation

On February first, 10 brave souls weathered a blizzard at O'Hare airport in hopes of their flight being one of the few to fly out of that snowbound airport.  After the delays  no airplane, then no crew, then electrical issues, then de-icing (and lots of prayer), they were off to sunny Orlando.

 Flashback 3 years, when Tony and Karol talked to the Hartley House guys about where they'd like to go on vacation next.  They received a unanimous "Disney World".  (Only Richard had been their before).  After saving for 3 years, they were ready to go.  So Richard, Nick, Brian, and Jake; along with Tony, Karol, Annissa, and Anthony made plans for this February.  They invited Annissa's best friend Ruth, and Camp Daniel missionary Nick Sterry, who lives in the Hartley House, along for the fun.  Both were guaranteed to have a blast and add to everyone's experience.

 With a group of 10, renting a car wasn't an option, so they stayed on Disney property and took advantage of all the free transportation that they provide.  Below is a picture of the group about 3 hours after their flight landed.  Annissa was overjoyed to be able to spend her 18th birthday at Magic Kingdom.

They spent 5 1/2 days at the parks, which gave the opportunity to see it all and do it all at the 4 WDW parks.  The picture below is a great sample of the fun had by those willing to go on the thrill rides.  They saw lots of shows and went on many lower key rides too.   Tony and Karol are always inspired when at Disney for the possibilities at Camp Daniel.   Ruth and Nick received a glimpse of what can be on the Camp Daniel campus.  Lots of ideas were enthusiastically shared;  some realistic, some, not so much.  All in all, it was a great and well deserved week off for everyone.  

Stevo Hays?

Steve Hayes (AKA Stevo) has been with us last week. He is from Seattle and was in town for some speaking engagements. Stevo has been one of our regular summer camp speakers and is a big part of the Camp Daniel family.

 Stevo’s main message he shares is that we all have value and are valued by God. He also shares that God wants those who come to him to be glad and live a happy life, as expressed in Psalms 105:3-5. Therefore, Stevo has coined the phrase, “Happy Life” as a means to share this message and help people to live a life God wants for them. 

While Stevo was here, we helped him create memorabilia with the Happy Life logo on it. 

Stevo & MJ sporting the Happy Life hats!

A huge part of Stevo’s ministry, besides his speaking engagements, is his videos he creates and shares on the Internet. Therefore, while he was here, Tony and Anthony help him create his videos. You can check out his videos at www.stevohays.com.

While he was here, Stevo also helped the progress of the Trapline Lodge. 

Camp Daniel is grateful for the relationship it has with Stevo and his ministry.  He has touched lives of our staff personally as well as Camp Daniel campers and counselors at large. If Stevo has touched your life in any way, drop him a note to encourage him or consider donating to him and his ministry. Also, if you would like Stevo to speak at your church, school, or organization, please contact him. Just go to his website at www.stevohays.com

Progress in the Lodge & Barn

This past week, progress continued in Lodge and Barn.  The Lumberjack Lodge is completely finished, yet Trapline Lodge has about 10% more to go. Recently, the mirrors, toilet paper and paper towel dispensers, shower hooks and railings were all mounted. Molding & trim were also put up. 

  Yesterday, students from Nicolet Bible Institute (part of Silver Birch Ranch) spent the day working with us. They worked in the Trapline bathrooms, as well as some painting in the Barn. Every year, students from NBI come and serve, while learning about ministry and the value of people with disabilities. We have been blessed with this relationship for many years. Thank you NBI students and Silver Birch Ranch! 

Stevo helped, too! Thanks, Stevo!

Welcome Camp Daniel’s Newest Intern, Evan Hartwig!

Welcome Camp Daniel’s newest intern, Evan Hartwig! Evan is from Eagle River where his parents Kurt and Amy and younger siblings Gabe, Anna, and Andrew reside. He is a sophomore at North Central University in Minneapolis where he is pursuing a degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Biblical Studies and Pre-Law. As a part of his schooling and independent study, he has stepped into the internship program here at Camp Daniel for this semester. Evan is excited that he can continue pursing his degree and be a Camp Daniel intern at the same time!

Evan first started volunteering for Camp Daniel’s summer camps in the Counselor In Training (CIT) program in 2009; after his youth pastor, Eli Schackleford, encouraged him join their mission’s trip. Evan recalls he was pretty nervous about getting out of his comfort zone and working with people with disabilities for the first time. However, once he started his first week, he was hooked! That week made such an impact on his life that he returned later that summer to volunteer another week.  He has volunteered every summer since then.

Last summer, Evan participated in Camp Daniel’s six-week summer internship program. He felt it was a fantastic experience, which allowed him to learn a lot more about ministry and what happens behind the scenes to run camp every summer. This experience left Even wanting to experience more ministry life and serving opportunities. He feels the full-time internship program is an opportunity for him to explore and experience more of what ministry is all about on a daily basis, even when summer camp is not in session.

Evan will experience a variety of roles and activities here at Camp Daniel. He will work along side other staff for spring workdays, The Able Church Winter Retreat, special events, and preparing for the summer camp season. He will learn more about daily life of people with disabilities as he lives and works with the guy residents in the Hartley House. He will experience the mundane tasks of garbage and snow removal, construction on the grounds, and whatever task is at hand. He will have roles at The Able Church in Green Bay, as well as help coach The Able Attack Special Olympics teams. He will also help lead a youth group in Crivitz.

At the end of this experience, Evan hopes to have a greater understanding of daily life in ministry, how he may fit in the future ministry of Camp Daniel and a have clearer picture of God’s plan for his life.

Give your old cell phone, laptop, GPS, soup labels and more….

Camp Daniel collects old (working or broken) items in which we submit for reimbursement. Here is a list of items we accept.

-Cellphones

-Laptops

-MP3 Players

-IPODs

-GPS Devices

-Digital Cameras

-Radar Detectors

-Empty Ink Cartridges

-Pop Cans

-Labels for Education – Campbell Soup UPCs 

Labels for Education include a variety of brands and products besides Campbell Soups! Dannon, Bic, Post Cereals, V8, Swanson, Pace, Prego, Emerald, Pop Secret, Wolfgang Puck & Pepperidge Farms are accepted. 

Here’s the link to all the brands we accept. 

http://www.labelsforeducation.com/Earn-Points/Participating-Products 

Currently, we receive bonus points for Pepperidge Farm labels. These items would include Goldfish: Crackers & Grahams; Frozen: Garlic Breads, 3-layer Cake, Turnovers & Puff Pastry; Bread: breads, croutons, rolls & stuffing, cookies, & crackers. This special bonus ends Feb 7th.  Help us out!

Labels points get turned in and allow us to purchase items from a catalog such as office supplies. Labels that give us the most point year round include Dannon Kids Yogurt : Danimals; Emerald: Nuts, Yogurt Bites, & Breakfast on the Go!

Support Camp Daniel and make your work or church a collection site! Set out a box and put up a sign! We can help with signage if you need, let us know!

All items can be dropped off anytime of the year at the Camp Daniel office or at The Able Church in Green Bay (1840 W. Mason St).  If you do not give to staff member directly, please put note on your item that says “Old Camera (or whatever item you have) for Camp Daniel Reimbursement”. Thank you!!!