Springs in the Summer

You might be thinking to yourself (“Self!”), “I wonder how the first few weeks of our brand new youth camp in Georgia have gone?” Wonder no more—we have the answers!

We recently got to chat with Jacki “Winnie” Rodriguez, our eyes and ears on the ground at the Springs, and she had the greatest stories to share. So what are you waiting for? Read on!

Jacki, what is your main role this summer?
I get to go around and check on campers and, in some cases, will send a picture or a message to their mom for them. One mom responded, “Wow, Winnie, I haven’t seen him smile that big in years! I know the Lord is moving at Pine Cove!”

When I asked one camper if he wanted me to give his mom a message, he joked about asking for more camp store money, but then he said, “Please tell her that I have never felt closer to God than I have since coming to camp here.” I literally have the best job.

This is our first year to host camp at the Springs. About how many kids have come each week?
Man, we’ve had some pretty awesome campers so far. We are averaging about 150 campers each week and are blown away by the response!

What else do you get to do during the day?
I also get to spend time pouring into our incredible staff. Last week I got to have a “hang time” with a counselor. She told me she almost quit after orientation because of some fear and insecurity but was so thankful she didn’t because she helped lead one of her campers to Jesus during week 1. She said she knew that could have gone very differently if she gave into her desire to leave, and now heaven’s population is growing!

Okay, how is the weather over there in Georgia?
This weather is buckwild! We will all be outside, perfect weather, then we will get random thunderstorms that last for 30 minutes, then it will be perfectly beautiful outside again. During week 3 it was so humid that our photographers had a hard time taking pictures because the lenses kept fogging up. And I thought Tyler was humid!

What are some of the theme nights this year?
They are all so great and everyone’s costumes have been awesome. I think the best night is Luau at the Lake. We order pizzas, have cotton candy and popcorn, pull out the kayaks and the boats, and it’s just so chill. We also have our camo night, Fortress, which is always a hit, and then on the last night we have a talent show. It’s all just so fun!

Any last thoughts?
Ha — tell the moms not to wear flip-flops to drop off. The cabins are a straight uphill walk so by the time you get to the cabin, walk back down to swim check, and come back to the cabin, it’s quite a trek. I actually stand on the hill and chant “Leg day! Leg day!” to all the dads passing by, and they love it!