Upcoming Events

Though summer is coming to an end, there are still lots of fall events at Berachah that will keep families busy.

A student learns rocketry at LakeView

Next Wednesday, August 25, we will be having an Open House for Berachah Club, our before and after school program. It's a great opportunity to meet the staff and tour the facilities. We are currently enrolling for 2010-2011 Berachah Club AND our on-site childcare at Lakeview Elementary.

Labor Day is just around the corner! Looking for some family fun at a low price? Check out our Labor Day Family Work Camp.

Parent-Child trail rides are also a lot of fun. Saturdays at noon, the program includes a trail ride, ground school, lunch and indoor swimming.

Our fall seniors retreat is a great place for those over 50 to come enjoy music, fellowship, and great speakers!

 We invite fathers and sons to Buck Creek during the first weekend of October for our annual Father-Son Retreat. This year's theme is Knights for the King, and the schedule is packed with fun activities for the knights and squires!

We'll end October with our annual OCTOBLAST family friendly Halloween alternative. There will be lots of carnival games, giveaways, and fun for everyone! This event is FREE and open to the community.

We hope to see you soon!

Staff Spotlight: "Harmony" Wallace

Harmony has spent seven summers in the Valley of Blessing. She first came to Berachah for a Girl Scout retreat when she was 9, and returned as a camper when she was 12. Since then she's worked her way up from a camper to a CIT, then a Junior Counselor, and this year served as a Counselor and worship band leader.

Harmony leading fireside worship

Harmony is one of those great counselors who will do anything for her campers, especially when it comes to raising money for Camp Gilead. This year alone she has spiked her hair with lime Jell-O, squished a banana all over her body, painted her face for a field trip, and (a real crowd pleaser) had "ooze" made up of rotting bread, oatmeal, and mud thrown at her.

Harmony getting "oozed" by her campers

The campers love Harmony

When asked what her favorite thing is about Camp Berachah, this was Harmony's response:

"This is a tough one. I love how every year surprises me. I go into the ministry each year thinking 'Ohhh man, I am so stoked to have the chance to minister to young kids again this year.' But then my mind is blown when a camper says something wise beyond his or her years and it sticks with me. It's amazing how I start out thinking I'm going to teach the kids about Christ because in reality, they're teaching us just as much."

She also decided that picking ONE favorite thing was too difficult, so she added another:

"The fellowship that accompanies working with a team of Christians is incredible. I've made life-long friends and I've strengthened my spiritual network tenfold by being involved at Berachah for so long. Each person that I've met and worked with here has affected me in some way, and I am so grateful for that."

We are very blessed to have Harmony on our staff. Her sense of responsibility and strong faith makes her a great role model. Harmony is returning to University of Puget Sound for her sophomore year, meaning her time with us is over for Summer 2010, but knowing what a big role Camp Berachah has played in her life, we will probably be seeing her again soon.

What Are You Doing For Labor Day?

Why not spend the weekend with friends and family at Camp Berachah's Labor Day Family Work Camp?! This year we will be working up at Buck Creek, prepping the grounds for our winter ministries. As usual, we work hard and play hard, mixing work projects with recreational activities and family friendly devotions. It only costs $25 a person to cover meals, and is always a great time! It's a great opportunity to serve with your family, right here in Washington. You can register online at www.campb.org.

Voice of the Valley Article

"Camp for Special Needs Kids is Here"

Since 2003, Camp Berachah Ministries has been inviting children with special needs to attend day and overnight summer camps. These summer camps are a mainstreamed program, integrating children with special needs into groups with their typically-developing peers. In the past, campers with ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, physical limitations, and other special needs have enjoyed a week at camp.

Natalie Head has headed the special needs programs at Berachah since 2004. Natalie and her highly trained staff evaluate camper's needs in order to place them in the least restrictive, safest, and most appropriate setting. Campers participate in activities such as swimming, chapels, playground games, and crafts. 

One camper in 2008 started the week moving at a very slow pace. Her peers started the week with much enthusiasm and energy, getting frustrated that they would have to slow down to accommodate the needs of the other camper. By the end of the week, however, the whole group had discovered how much more of God's creation they could discover by slowing their own pace. One of these discoveries was a tree next to Covington Creek, which became the group's secret meeting spot. It was a place where they could talk about God unashamedly, and love each other for their unique gifts. This is one of the many lessons learned from the integrated summer programs. 

While summer programs provide an opportunity for special needs children to work alongside other campers, Camp Berachah offers equestrian programs throughout the year that provide more specialized attention for children with special needs. Berachah's therapeutic riding program was started in 1993 as a way of ministering to the body, mind, and spirit of children and adults with disabilities. Therapeutic students have a great time learning while also developing social skills and horsemanship knowledge.

"Camp for Special Needs Kids is Here"

The special needs programs at Camp Berachah are unique in that they offer a Christ-focused program, employing Christian staff and using horses for teachable moments in Equestrian programs.

Volunteers are always welcome at Camp Berachah. More information on all of the programs Camp Berachah has to offer can be found at www.campb.org

Volunteers are always welcome at Camp Berachah. More information on all of the programs Camp Berachah has to offer can be found at www.campb.org.

**Article published in the July 27th issue of the Voice of the Valley. To download paper, visit www.voiceofthevalley.com**

Exciting Opportunities for Horse Lovers

Our overnight horse camps are already full for the rest of the summer! We've seen several repeat campers, which means they're having a great time! We still have openings at Red Barn Equestrian Day Camp during weeks 7, 8, 9, and 10, and a couple of spots in our Wrangler in Training leadership program during weeks 8 and 9. Register today at www.campberachah.org!

The fun doesn't stop when the summer ends! We'll be having Parent- Child trail rides on Sept 11, 18, 25, and October 2, 9, 16, and 23. For $25 a person, you can enjoy lunch, ground school, a trail ride, and indoor swimming.

Back to school also means back to lessons! We'll again be offering Western, English, and Jumping lessons to those ages 7-adult.

Check out our website: www.campberachah.org for more information on all of our Equestrian programs!

God Works From Day 1!

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace." -Colossians 3:12-15

On the first day of Red Barn Day Camp, counselors Mezzo and Galaxy shared this verse with campers. During free time, one of the campers made a belt out of miscellaneous craft supplies, and demonstrated to the counselors how she was clothing herself in kindness, gentleness, and patience. It is great to see campers listening to scripture, and figuring out creative ways to demonstrate and apply it to their lives.

Last night during Junior Camp chapel, 30 campers came forward to give their lives to the Lord. Another 22 dedicated their lives to Christ at Teen Camp, being held at Buck Creek.

...All of this on Day 1! At this rate, it is hard to imagine the number of lives that will be changed come Friday. Then again, God always seems to be working in ways that are beyond our wildest imagination.

Putt Putt Course Gets Facelift, Thanks to Eagle Scout

Thad Allen, Troop 407, recently worked with Camp Berachah to complete his Eagle Scout project. Thad's 26 person team of volunteers put in a combined 130 hours of work on our putt-putt golf course. The volunteers broke ground, created pathways, and laid gravel between each green, making it much easier to navigate the course.


Through this project Thad has gained excellent skills in project management, leadership, resource utilization, planning, and follow through. Thank you, Thad, and all of your volunteers. On behalf of the thousands of campers that come through each year, we greatly appreciate your hard work!

Grace in Giving

Going along with our summer theme, "Amazing Grace," the theme for this week's Day Camp is "Grace in Giving." Every Wednesday there is a different dress up theme, and this week we dressed up to celebrate Christmas in July! During chapel, Skeeter Clause (Santa's hip grandson) gave a talk on giving your all to God. Puppet Lady Google joined in on the fun, as she shared the story of her growth from the week- realizing that she shouldn't place so much importance on her possessions.

What Kids Are Saying About Camp

"I've had so much fun. We've been swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, done "the big swing", played games, and much more. I've learned a bunch about God from my counselors and new friends. Everyone here is so nice!" -Horse Camper

"I like it here so much and I also loved the things we did like horseback riding, playground, going on the big giant swing, also learning so much about God."-Horse Camper

"I love to make friends and praise God."- Junior Camper

"I've been making friends and getting awesome food and learning about God. My favorite thing was the lake and I gotta go inner tubing." - Junior Camper

"Berachah is like a home away from home for me. I love it there! It is such an amazing camp!"

"CAMP BERACHAH ROCKS! I just returned from being a CIT there and it's one of the best experiences I've ever had!"

Week 3 Wrap Up

What a great week it has been in the Valley of Blessing!
We were seeing double on Wednesday, as the day campers dressed up for twin day. Today they hit the roller skating rink for their Friday field trip. A great place to be on a 90 degree day!
Another great place to be on a 90 degree day is the lake! Our 350 junior campers split up into groups and each spent a day at beautiful Lake Tapps. With 5 boats, the campers were all able to get a ride on their choice of banana, hot dog, or inner tube. The banana was clearly the favorite. Junior camp chapels have also been a hit, with an impressive "Faith Hero" set up, and rocking music and games to get the kids excited about praising God.

4th of July Golf Tournament Results

Twenty-four men and women gathered at Jade Green Golf Course on Saturday to hash it out for the title of Camp Berachah Golf Tournament Champion. Five hours and 18 holes later, the scores were tallied.

Winner of the 2010 Tournament is the Gorham Team! Members Mark, Josh, Rick, and Mel finished with 61 strokes, on a par 69 (par 71 women) course.

Awards were also given for longest drive and closest to the pin. The latter went to Jim Olson (25'-1"); men's longest drive was awarded to Josh Schireman and women's longest drive was awarded to Alisa Olson.

All are invited to join us next year, at the Annual 4th of July Camp Berachah golf tournament.

See God in it Today!

A kid at the top of the giant swing today: “I can’t do it, I can’t do it!”

All the facilitators encouraging him: “you can do it, you can do it!”

He still won’t pull the release cord.

Another staff member shouts out: “you’re right, you can’t do it – but God can!”

Kid ponders, pulls the cord, and goes for the ride of his life!

It’s why we do what we do and thank God for what He does.

See God in it today!

Independence Day Celebration

The red, white & blue is springing up around camp. This year, we will be celebrating Independence Day one day early- on Saturday, the 3rd of July.

We've been celebrating for years, and it is something you won't want to miss!

• Go-Karts
• Swimming
• Inflatables
• Live Music
• Fireworks
• Longhorn Barbecue

The grounds are open from 4:00-11:00 PM, with barbecue served 6-7PM. Dinner is $11 for adults, $5 for 5-10 year olds, and FREE for everyone else!

If you're coming from out of town, or just want a mini-vacation, we have a limited number of Bed and Breakfast Options available, at $25/ person.

Some other events you won't want to miss:

• Annual Golf Tournament at Jade Green (12:30PM)
• 1st Annual 5K Freedom Run and 1Mile Fun Run (registration starts at 7:00AM)

Click HERE to RSVP

Hope to see you on Saturday!

God working in the heart of a 6 year old

We had the pleasure of welcoming two young boys (age 6 and 7) to Camp Berachah for our first week of Summer Day Camp. Before coming to camp, these boys had never heard anything about God, but they were excited to hang out at camp for the week. After a week of swimming, chapel, crafts, inflatables, group games, snack shack, more swimming and more snack shack (that was their favorite part), they went home for the weekend. During a game of Sorry, the six year old turned and said "I think we should pray now." His aunt, not hearing correctly, and not expecting such a thing to come from the boy's mouth, replied "we ARE playing." To this he responded, "No, PRAY." And so they did. The same thing happened throughout the weekend, with the boys frequently stopping to make sure they were including God in their activities.

From never having heard about God to talking to Him daily, it has been amazing to see the turnaround in these boys' lives. As they return for Week 2, it is our hope and prayer that they would further their understanding and accept Jesus as their personal savior.

Summer is Almost Here!

Full time staff have been preparing for months. Summer Staff have been training all week. The buzz around camp on this Friday afternoon can mean only one thing: Monday marks the first day of summer at Camp Berachah! We are expecting over 130 campers for our first week of Day Camp, Horse Camp, and Red Barn Horse Camp.

It's not too late to join the fun! Register online: www.campb.org

Stay tuned for updates throughout the summer!