Day three Harvest Camp: “God is our Rock”
Nothing beats another day at Harvest Camp.
Our purpose is simple: get kids outside, connect them to God’s creation, make space for friendship, and point them to Jesus—all while having as much fun as possible. We believe that if we teach kids to love God’s creation, future generations will take care of it. Our goal is to reconnect kids with nature and experience the wonder of God’s creation. He makes the best playgrounds.
After a rainy day yesterday, we were glad to see the sunshine and ready to start the camp day in dry weather. It is a little tough having over 90 wet kids running in and out all day. So today our day started with swings, slides, climbing, running, laughing, and more playground adventures, and of course, the “wheel of pain.”
Then we gathered for worship. We had a great time singing songs, doing motions, and worshiping together. After worship, we continued our mountain theme with another mountain right here in our area: Grandfather Mountain.
Today’s Scripture was Psalm 121:5–6:
“The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.”
Today’s lesson: God is our Rock—steady, strong, and always with us.
Grandfather Mountain was the perfect mountain for this lesson.
The kids loved hearing about how Grandfather Mountain was first named by the Cherokees, who called it Tanawha, which means "great," eagle, or falcon, and how it got its current name because the rocks look like an old man lying down.
Then, because we are talking about Grandfather Mountain, we had to talk about bears.
Grandfather Mountain is known for its black bears, and bears are amazing. They are strong. They are fast. They can climb. They can smell food from a long way off. Basically, bears are walking noses.
We also learned a few important bear rules:
Should you run from a bear? No.
Should you feed a bear? No.
Should you get close to a baby bear? Absolutely not.
Bears are professional snack detectives.
We even heard some amazing bear stories, including one about a bear that opened the door of a closed car to get food, and another about a bear that threw backpacks and bear canisters off a ledge to try to break them open.
We also talked about some of the animals at Grandfather Mountain: black bears, river otters, elk, bald eagles, and cougars. The bear names were a big hit—Carolina, Fanny May, Flower, Smokey, and Yonnie. You have to admit, those are great bear names.
Then we talked about one of the most famous places at Grandfather Mountain: the Mile High Swinging Bridge.
The bridge stretches across a deep ravine more than a mile above sea level. It is high. It moves. It sways. And when you walk across it, you have to trust that the bridge will hold you.
It’s a perfect picture of Jesus.
Jesus is the bridge between God and us. We do not save ourselves. We trust Him. We believe in Him. We follow Him. He is the way. We talked about following Jesus—not about trying to impress anyone, but about trusting what He’s done.
When the children were given the opportunity to pray, many wanted to ask Jesus to be Lord of their lives. It was a meaningful moment. We are grateful for the way God is working in these young hearts, and we trust Him to continue leading them as they grow.
That’s why today’s theme was simple: God is our Rock.
After devotion, it was back to the forts. We also got team color bandanas today, and what a hit. The campers loved them. There is just something about a bandana that makes you feel like you are officially part of an adventure team. Check out the team photos taken inside our forts.
Seriously, these forts are great! A NEW LEVEL! Come check them out!
Each one is unique—some have lamps, fire pits, and wild decorations. It’s less about building now and more about the adventures the campers have created in the woods.
After lunchtime, it was time to go to our three afternoon activities: the pool, crafts, and the “books” station. At the pool, it was time to create the “whirlpool.” It is total chaos in the best way possible.
Our “books” time today focused on mountain animals, including mountain goats, bears, and mountain lions, along with additional learning about Grandfather Mountain. Campers learned about Mildred the Bear, maps, directions like north, south, east, and west, and even joke books.
Craft time focused on making suncatchers, reminding us that Jesus is our Rock. The campers created beautiful pieces full of color and light. One of our counselors also began doing creative hand painting, which quickly became a big hit.
Then, you guessed it, back to the playground.
All in all, Day 3 was another great day at Harvest Camp.
And remember:
God is our Rock.