Thank you for giving your child the opportunity to spend a week with us at Not Of This World. We are extremely excited to be at a new location, Camp Crestview. There is rich history between B4 and Camp Crestview and we are blessed to have several volunteers who were campers at this camp many years ago. Did you know that this is where Pastor Randy met Sandy for the very first time?!

An incredible staff of close to 70 volunteers from our church family is in planning and praying mode to make this a fun, action-packed week of exploring the truths found in the story of Joseph. My prayer is that if our kids take anything away from camp, it is this –that they belong to God, God’s Spirit lives in them, God fills them with His love and God gives them hope. I also pray they take away a whole lot of fun memories, new skills, & fabulous friendships as well!

We pray every child will take one step closer to Jesus as they interact with incredible role models who are living for Christ. Our focus will be how God sets us apart…as Jesus said, “My Kingdom is Not Of This World” (John 18:36). As you release your child into the care of our camp staff, please know that we take very seriously our commitment to making this a safe week emotionally as well as physically. Each of our staff members has completed an interview process and background check as well as extensive training. We realize that for many of our 4th and 5th graders, this is their first overnight camping experience. We’ll be striving to insure that this is a positive experience they can’t wait to repeat.

Between now and camp, there are some important things you can do to set your child up for a great week. Please take time to carefully read the following information and note what needs to be done before camp. We encourage you to involve your child in the preparation. Not only will it increase his/her anticipation of camp, but it presents a great opportunity to build responsibility. The last pages include some specific and very helpful hints for how you can prepare your child mentally and emotionally for camp. I encourage you to invest time in reading them. I’m confident it will make a difference in your child’s camp experience. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our camp office:

campoffice@B4church.org or 503.644.9104 [Office Hours: M–Th., 8:00 am – 12:00 pm]I look forward to a fantastic, memory-making week. God bless you.

Todd CristCamp Director

CHECK-IN AND DEPARTURE:WHEN: Saturday, June 27th, 1:30 pm WHERE: Beaverton Foursquare Parking Lot and Family Room/Gym area.

• You will be given registration details upon arrival.

• Please do not arrive earlier than 1:20 - doors will not be open until then. Be sure you arrive no later than 1:50.

• Busses will depart for camp by 2:30 (children who arrive AFTER busses depart need to arrange for transportation).

RETURN HOME:WHEN: Wednesday, July 1st, @ 4:00 pm. WHERE: Beaverton Foursquare, East Building Courtyard

If you need to pick your child up at camp, you must notify camp office in writing one week prior to the start of camp. If you are planning to pick your child up at camp on July 1st, you must arrive by 2:45 pm. If you are not at camp by the time busses leave, your child will ride back to church on the bus.

FAMILY CAMP CELEBRATION: Please join us in the main sanctuary on Wednesday, July 1st at 4:15 pm for a recap of camp, followed by a family BBQ. Our heart is to share all the amazing things God did at camp and partner with you in supporting your child’s faith journey going forward. This is part of our camp schedule, so we would love to have you there.

VISITOR POLICY: • All of our camps have a NO VISITOR policy to ensure the safety of our campers and to provide them with a week of undistracted focus.

• If an unusual circumstance requires that you visit, a request must be made in advance to Todd Crist, 4th/5th Grade Camp Director.

CAMP MAIL BAG:Campers love mail! Be sure to send any mail or packages by Friday June 26th, the day before camp, in order for it to arrive on time:

Send to: Camper’s Name C/O B4 4th/5th Grade Camp Camp Crestview P.O. Box 132 Corbett, OR 97019

PLEASE NOTE: Please refrain from sending candy or food. Each child has $1/day to spend at our Snack Shack so he/she will have plenty of access to snacks and other sweet treats. We like to keep kiddos from having too much sugar.

WELLNESS POLICY:All campers should be free of the following symptoms 24 hours prior to camp for participation. Those who arrive with any of these symptoms will be sent home:

• Fever of 100 degrees or more • Vomiting • Diarrhea • Contagious Skin Infection • Lice ** Should your camper become ill at camp or be injured in such a way as to require home care, parents will be notified and are expected to come and pick up their child.

**Please check your son/daughter for lice prior to camp and treat as needed. Should our nurse discover lice on your camper’s head after arrival at camp, the camper must go home for treatment.

MEDICATIONS:All campers must turn in both prescription and non-prescription medications to the Camp Nurse upon check-in. Please help us safely care for your camper by using the following guidelines for medications:

• All medications must be in their original, pharmacy labeled container with proper identification, dosing, and frequency.

• Routine over-the-counter meds will be available in the nurse’s station such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, antihistamines, antacids, decongestants, etc. These can be administered to your camper if you’ve given your authorization on the registration form.

FIRST AID:Three registered nurses are on the camp premises the entire week. They are licensed and qualified to dispense medication as well as treat minor injuries. If your child requires further medical attention, please contact camp office so we can put steps in place with the nurses to insure that he is well cared for. Please contact us with any special dietary needs two weeks prior to camp!

EMERGENCY CONTACT: • Reminder! Set your child up to win by avoiding making any promises that he can call home.

• Also, please do not tell your child that if she isn’t happy, you will come pick her up.

• For more information regarding this, please take time to read the enclosed parent information.

• If there is an emergency at camp regarding your child, we will use the contact information you have provided on your registration to contact you.

If you need to contact camp for any reason: Church Main Office: 503.644.9104 Children’s Ministries 503.644.2801 Camp Crestview’s on site message line: 503.695.2227

SNACK SHACK: • Each afternoon, your camper will have the opportunity to purchase snacks at our Snack Shack.

• PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY WITH YOUR CAMPER AS THEIR $1 A DAY ALLOWANCE IS PART OF HIS/HER REGISTRATION.

CAMP RULES:In addition to the three R’s [Being respectful, responsible and ready] that we live by in the Elementary Department, there are a few specific camp rules attached that we would like you to go over with your camper prior to coming to camp. As you finish reviewing these, please sign [both you and your camper] and bring with you to check in on Saturday, June 27th. Thanks for helping us set your child up for a great week by sharing these boundaries up front with him.

WHAT TO BRING: [label clothes on tag using permanent black marker.] • Small backpack to carry during day WITH the following items labeled with child’s name: o Bible, [in a cover if possible with pencil & highlighter] o Re-usable water bottle [this is key in helping us make sure kids stay hydrated

• Commitment Form signed by Camper & Parent

• Casual Clothing [No spaghetti straps, muscle shirts, short shorts or any other immodest clothing]

• Warm jacket, sweatshirt and long pants for cold mornings and evenings when it cools off at camp. We are in the gorge this year and it can get cold! :)

• Shoes: For safety reasons, camp requires that everyone wear only close toed shoes. The exception is that all are asked to bring a pair of flip-flops for the shower only.

• Tennis shoes

• CLOSED TOED sandals

• Closed toed shoes or water shoes for exploring and going down water slides. Need to be able to get them wet!

• Swimsuit [modest—one piece—no midriff showing]

• Flashlight

• Sleeping bag, pillow [place both in large plastic garbage bag and label bag with first and last name]

• Teddy bear or stuffed animal friend

• Bath towel, face towel, & swim towel for pool and waterslide

• Toiletries: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb/brush

• Mosquito repellant, lip balm, sunscreen

• Medications: Original, pharmacy labeled containers with proper identification, dosage, frequency in a zip-loc baggie

DO NOT BRING: • Any electronics: No radios, cell phones, iPods/iPads, video games, etc., etc., etc.

• Fireworks, matches

• Squirt guns, pocket knives

• Gum, food

PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR CAMP:Going to camp can be one of the most impacting experiences in your child’s faith journey. It also presents a huge opportunity for your child to grow in his ability to navigate life on so many levels…self-care, building relationships, making choices, etc. As parents, you play a key role in making your child’s camp experience successful. There are many ways you can prepare your child in the weeks leading up to camp so that she feels prepared, knows what to expect and is confident in her ability to navigate the unique demands that sleep-away camp requires. We have prepared this list of suggestions with the hope that you will read it and take seriously the very significant role you play in making your child’s camp experience the very best it can be. By following through with these suggestions, we are confident your child will arrive at camp practically prepared, freeing him to experience a life-changing week. Thanks in advance for partnering with us! And please know that we are available to answer any questions you may have.

1. Talk to other families who have gone to the camp in years past to familiarize yourself with what goes on.

2. Have your child spend a weekend with a friend. This is a practice time being away from home and parents. No phone calls. Talk about it with your child afterwards.

3. Go over the daily schedule with your child so there are no surprises. Learn as much as you can about camp life.

4. Teach your child how to care for himself. Children need to know how to select appropriate clothing, put clothes away, straighten their sleeping space, shower and care for their personal hygiene needs, set a table, carry out chores, etc. This is very, very important to your child’s feeling of success at camp. Some parents pack a suitcase and have their child live out of it for a week at some point leading up to camp. This is a great way to give kids the opportunity to work out how best to organize their stuff. It can be very empowering to a child to be involved in the decision making process of packing his stuff in a way that he can maintain.

5. Involve your child in the packing. Let her bring a favorite T-shirt or a special stuffed animal. Familiar items will help make your child more comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.

6. Problem solve with your child by using “what if” situations to prepare for unexpected events. What if you lose your flashlight? What if you don’t get along with another child? What if you don’t feel well? Let your child brainstorm for solutions and make sure he knows the chain of command at camp for handling problems. The first person he needs to go to is his counselor. If he needs further assistance, he can go to the coach and then to his dean. If he isn’t feeling well, the counselor will refer him to the camp nurse.

7. Familiarize your child with the outdoors. Many city children are unfamiliar with total darkness and country night sounds. Practice walking in the dark with a flashlight.

8. Missing home can be an issue. Missing parents, pets or friends is pretty normal. It is part of growing up and leaving home. Speak openly about it before camp and your child will experience these feelings with less anxiety and more understanding. Please be careful in your tone. Stay positive! By expressing your own worries, your child may become more anxious and uncertain about going away to camp.

• Avoid statements like “I’m going to be so lonely without you!” Don’t make your child feel guilty about going away.

• Heighten your child’s interest by pointing out some of the exciting things you remember about your own camping experience. Be sure to be positive about how you were able to handle being away from your mom and dad.

• While painting a bright, promising picture of camp, be sure her expectations are realistic. She’ll be expected to really work on some new skills, share in camp chores (such as making her own bed and taking turns sweeping the cabin), be an active member of a group, etc.

Avoid making deals about early pickups. This undermines children’s confidence and sets them up for failure. Encourage them instead that they will do really well away from home. Please don’t say, “If you have problems, call us and we’ll come get you.” A camper thus invited to fail is likely to give up at the first difficulty, abandon thoughts of adjusting to camp, and focus immediately on going home. You might say something like, “This is a commitment for one camp session. We expect you to have lots of fun... but if it’s hard at times, you have to stick with it. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to go back... but no changing your mind in the middle!”

9. Communicate with camp officials. Let them know if there are special circumstances or considerations regarding your child’s well being or behavior. There is a place on the registration form to indicate needs, but please help us if your child has special needs by communicating those needs clearly. If you feel you need to inform us further than the registration form allows, please contact the camp office and they will connect you to the right person.

10. Discuss communication at camp with your child. We do not allow phone calls directly to or from campers. Past history has proven that they are not a good idea. Some campers may be doing just fine until the sound of a parent’s voice triggers a setback unexpected by either party. If there is a problem with your child, camp staff will utilize the emergency numbers you have provided to keep you informed. If for some reason you do wind up on the phone with a crying, homesick child, you need to be supportive, encouraging, positive about his ability to adjust, and absolutely firm about “sticking it out.” “Just try it one more day” is likely to translate to, “I’m going home in a day!” It’s an invitation to fail; it leaves open the possibility of going home as a goal just when the focus needs to be on adjusting to camp. “You must stay” is more likely to translate to, “Well, I don’t have a choice, so I might as well make the best of it...”

11. Send letters to your child before camp begins so mail is waiting when she arrives. Keep your letters simple. Send a cute card, the sports or comics from the newspaper, a package with a word game, etc. Focus your letter on what is happening at camp and things that give confidence as opposed to telling the child what she is missing.

HOW TO TALK ABOUT CAMP:Sending your child away to camp for the first time is a major milestone for most families, one that is often marked by excitement, anticipation, and perhaps even some anxiety. Though camp is certainly about making friends and having fun, it is also about being on your own and being a part of a community. One of the most important things you as a parent can do to help prepare your child for both these aspects of camp is to talk with your child about it before he goes. In fact, it is much better to have several short talks rather than one long conversation as children often absorb more when there is less to think about at one time. We also find that children do better with this sort of conversation if it is part of a general conversation and if it is part of a pattern of talking, either at the dinner table or while riding in the car. Also, make sure these conversations allow children to do the talking about their thoughts and feelings in anticipation of the summer.

The following are some sample topics for discussion that will help prepare your child emotionally for their big adventure:

FRIENDSClearly this is central to camp life and each child has her own way of going about making friends. Concrete advice is helpful, along with the reminder that other children are in the same boat and will be looking to connect. Ask your child how she has made friends in the past and then help her figure out how those moments can be repeated on the bus to camp, at mealtimes, in classes, etc.

If you are shy about meeting new kids, then learn to get to know others by being a good listener. Remember also that not everyone in your cabin, bunk, or group has to be your friend, and you don’t have to be everyone else’s friend. As long as you treat others with respect and they do the same with you, then having one or two friends at camp is fine. If you have more, then that’s great!For returning campers or those coming here with a friend, we expect all children to reach out to other campers. Take time to have your child come up with ideas about how he will 1) include others as he maintains existing friendships, and 2) negotiate these pre-existing friendships in specific settings.

ACTIVITIESIf your child tends to be a bit homesick or worried about being homesick, remind her about the excitement of going to camp. There are many exciting things to do at camp, many of which you may never have tried before. Remember, when you first decided to go to camp, what made you so excited? You may not like all the activities, or you may be better at some than others. That’s normal. I, however, hope you are willing to try. The more you put into camp, the more you will get out of it!

ADJUSTINGGive yourself time. One thing about camp is that almost everything is new — the kids, the activities, the routines, the bed you sleep in, the bathroom [you might brainstorm with your child all the things that will be new]. It takes a few days to get adjusted, so be patient with yourself. Most of the time you will be having so much fun you won’t mind all the changes, but if you do, remember that you get so used to things that by the time you come home you will miss all those things!

COOPERATINGYou, like every other camper there, will be part of a cabin, bunk, or group. I hope you’ll cooperate with others, that’s part of what makes camp so special — kids working together. Most kids will help you if you are friendly and help them.

HELPING OUTCamp is about fun, but it also requires that you help out. Clean-up is part of camp – you’ll do it every day! Everyone is expected to chip in. I am confident that you will be a blessing to your group by having a great attitude and jumping into help in any way you can! A great quality leaders possess is initiative. That means seeing stuff that needs to be done and doing it without having to be told. You can be a blessing to your leaders and a set a great example for your group by not waiting for the leader to ask you to clean up or be ready and prepared for the next event.

GETTING HELPEveryone has good days and bad days. If you’re having a problem, your counselor is there to help you! You don’t have to wait to tell us if you are upset about something. After all, if your counselor doesn’t know what might be troubling you, he or she can’t help you. Be honest and ask for what you need. If your counselor doesn’t seem to be concerned or doesn’t help you, then you can go to your coach and then your dean. These people will be introduced to you at the start of camp and they’ll be with you every day.Ask your child, “How do you get help at home or school, with friends, or during after school activities? Well, it’ll be the same at camp, only with new people who are here to assist you with any sort of problem.”

BEING POSITIVEIt’s a great thing to remind your first-time camper about his strong points. Focus not just on what he does well, but his positive qualities as well, such as what makes him a good friend or the type of person other kids would want to know. Helping children identify their strengths can help them when they are having a setback — one of those inevitable growing pains all children have from time to time. Help her figure out strengths such as listening, a strong work ethic, creativity, being organized, thoughtful, a good friend, etc. Then talk about how these strengths might help her. For example, a particularly empathic child may be able to help another child who is sad. An organized camper will get his bed area set up to feel comfortable and look really cool. An extroverted child knows she will make friends. These are foundations upon which a camper can build a sense of herself in a new social context

Talking with your child about these kinds of issues is a great way to show support as your child gets ready to take this important step in his faith journey as well as growing to being more resilient and self-reliant. For you as a parent, it can give you more peace of mind as you allow your child to participate safely in a broader world.

FINALLY FOR GROWN-UPSWe recognize that the camp experience is a special one for parents too, and we support your efforts over the months and weeks leading up to camp. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions. Also, remember that one of the very best ways to support your child’s faith journey and grow in your ability to minister to your child is to join us in making camp happen. Your involvement gives you a sneak peak and a platform to talk about your child’s experiences. Although most positions fill up fast, we want to hear from you if the Lord is leading you to serve at camp. If you are not able to serve at camp during the week, maybe you are available to help with loading the trucks on Saturday, June 27th or unloading on July 1st. And don’t forget about our CAMP RECAP on Wednesday, July 1st after kids arrive back on campus. We need a team to help set up, cook and take down!

Thank you and God bless you and your family.