Staff Profile: Christina “Poke N Oak” Deimund

Christina just celebrated her 20th summer at Pine Cove—that’s two whole decades of camp energy and memories! She’s the behind-the-scenes hero at the registration desk, making sure every camper’s journey starts off right. In this chat, Christina spills on how the Lord led her to camp, what parenting has taught her about God’s love, and the wild and wonderful theme parties her team throws to keep the camp spirit buzzing. Plus, she shares some of her favorite things—including her love of numbers—which all add up to some serious camp fun!

What is your job, and how did you get to Pine Cove?
My current title is Director of Registration, but I started as a counselor at the Woods in 2001. I returned in 2002 as summer staff, and soon after felt called to join full time. I’ve been working in registration ever since.

What is your favorite part of your job?
I would say one of my favorite things is just getting campers to camp. Getting to work with families and getting to help them put their mind at ease and get parents to be able to send their kiddos for the first time is so fun. And even family campers as well. I started out as a family camp registrar when I was first working in registration, and so family camp is definitely close to my heart. And then the other favorite part of my job is just getting to serve the registration team. We’re a small team throughout the year, but then we add up to 25 or so registration team members, both remote and in-office at the HQ, in the summer. So it’s just fun getting to work closely with them and help them navigate parent questions and just getting to work together to collaborate all the things that we get to do in the summer.

How long have you worked for Pine Cove, and what standout memories come to mind?
I’ve been here for 20 years, so I just celebrated 20 years on June 1st, which is just crazy. But yeah, I would say there’s been a lot over the years, but staff retreats are always a favorite highlight. There have been big milestones, like launching new software with iCamp Pro, but what has meant the most and why I’ve stayed so long is Pine Cove’s flexibility. It has allowed me to be a full-time working mom, provide for my family, attend my kids’ events, and still serve in ministry. That has been an incredible blessing.

How did you get your camp name?
My full camp name is “Poke-N-Oak.” It’s one of those names they pretty much had in mind before they even started asking me questions. My first summer, I was a Cove Kids counselor at the Woods and also worked on the ropes course. During ropes training, they were joking around about names, trees, and random stuff. They started asking me leading questions, like, “Do you like medical shots?” I told them I got allergy shots growing up, so they don’t bother me, hence the “Poke.” Since I was doing ropes training, that gave them the “Oak.” My most embarrassing story didn’t help either. When I was 16, I was driving to my grandma’s house in the rain, and I didn’t know how to use the defrost. My sister was with me, and I ended up hitting a mailbox on the side of the road. Of course, they joked it must’ve been an oak post mailbox. So they very much steered the conversation to land on that name.

What have been some of your favorite things lately?
One of my all-time favorite things is a Diet Dr Pepper with vanilla or coconut. I’m definitely that girl. On a stressful registration day, I’m like, “I need a Diet Dr Pepper.” I also just love spending time with my family. We’re a sporty family, so whether we’re outside going on walks, playing pickleball, or my son’s out hitting a baseball, we’re usually doing something active together.

Let’s say you’re taking a new “reggie” somewhere in Tyler to get a treat for a hangtime. Where are you taking them, and what are you getting?
I would say most of my hangtimes are normally in the mornings, but our go-to is typically a local Tyler coffee spot called Likewise. And then a coconut cold brew is my go-to drink there.

What is something most people don’t know about you that you think will help them to know you better?
My dad was a banker his whole career until he retired, and he passed his love of numbers on to me. It’s a little nerdy, but I genuinely enjoy balancing my checkbook, making budgets, and paying bills. That’s always been my role in our family. He taught us early on the importance of managing money well and living below your means, and that really stuck with me. It’s something I actually enjoy, even though I know most people don’t!

The registration team is kind of famous for seriously fun theme parties! What are some of your favorite ones you’ve gotten to be a part of?
There have been so many fun moments over the past 20 years, but a few really stand out. One of my favorites was when we were using the office at the East Texas ETMO, and the team transformed the whole registration area into a Starbucks. They had the logo, all kinds of green decorations, coffee, and even cupcakes that looked like Frappuccinos that one of our team members, Tamara, made with little green straws and everything.

More recently, we’ve done some fun theme parties. One was Survivor-style with a full tribal council, people getting “voted out,” and PowerPoints to match. We also did a Stranger Things theme with an Eggo waffle party, themed slides, and the classic alphabet wall with lights. Those were definitely some of my favorites!

If you’re alone in the car, what do you find yourself listening to?
I’m not in the car alone very often, except during the summer on my way to and from work. That’s usually my main alone time. I’ll often listen to podcasts or worship music, but some days, especially after a long one, I just enjoy the quiet. That silence has become a sweet time with the Lord. Since life can be so nonstop, having those peaceful moments feels really meaningful.

What has parenting taught you about the Lord?
So much! I think it’s just given me perspective on how deep the Lord’s love is for us. When I think about how much I love my kids, how much I want to be with them, invest in them, and build a relationship with them, it gives me a glimpse of how deeply God desires that same relationship with us as His children. And then I think the other aspect is just how much I am not in control. My kids are all four years apart. We have a 17-year-old girl, 13-year-old girl, and 9-year-old boy, so we’re navigating very different stages of life all at once. Parenting a teenager is completely different from parenting a nine-year-old. I’ve had to learn to release control and trust that the Lord loves them even more than I do. He has plans for them, and I can trust Him to work in and through their lives.

What is one thing the Lord has been teaching you?
I think it ties back to what I mentioned about the silence in the car—just learning to rest in Him and depend on Him throughout the day. It’s not limited to a specific time, like 30 minutes in the morning. It’s more of a continual dependence, a steady rhythm of prayer and trust. In stressful moments, sometimes it’s just taking a deep breath and talking to Him right then. Resting in Him, in all things, has become such an important part of my walk.