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Campfire Tales

Vignettes of camp life.

Lifelong Fellowship

Janelle Willett

The first summer I attended Camp Marshall, I didn’t want to go. In fact, I was kind of tricked by my best friend whose dad was a priest in Kalispell at the time I was told we are going backpacking! 

 

Fast forward 30 years and I haven’t been able to stop coming back to camp. The experience I had that first summer is what I strive to give our campers and families when they attend. This summer many of my friends (whom I attended camp with and staffed with for many years) brought their kids to camp and I was their counselor! It was beautiful and surreal and I am forever thankful for the generations that have before us and those that will come after us to help keep the space sacred.  God is good, all the time..

Leading the way to Canoeucharist

The Rev. Rowan Larson

On Tuesday morning of Senior High camp, we ate an early breakfast and headed down to the dock to get ready to hit the water. Not just to cool off (though it was looking like another 90+ degree day) but to take Eucharist out onto the lake. Jullien, a rising junior from Billings rose to the challenge of being an acolyte in a kayak, lifting high one of Camp Marshall's processional crosses to lead the flotilla to the cove behind the chapel. He took his job seriously, perhaps to the chagrin of his kayak partner who was left to do all the paddling. As someone who came to priesthood through being an acolyte as a kid, I saw the same kind of fire to lead worship with respect and solemnity in spite of the difficulties presented by the creative (and slightly damp) way we were engaging in it.

Pirate Grace

The Rev. Mikayla Dunfee

Perhaps you’ve already had the good fortune of hearing “A Montana Blessing,”

the newest addition to Camp Marshall’s songbook. It is a truly beautiful offering, and

the gestures/dance moves that accompany blessings like, “may your heart be as

peaceful as our gently falling snow,” have jerked more than one tear from my eyes. But

that’s all to say that what you may not know is that one of our counselors partnered with

a couple campers during the first family camp session of 2024 to write a new mealtime

grace. In true camp fashion, the piece demanded silliness, positivity, and lyrics

accompanied by gestures. With nothing but the prompt “write one about pirates!” the

three young men crafted the following:

 

We thank ye, God, for the fish and the ale,

for the wind in me sail and the breeze in me hair.

We thank ye, God for me hearty crew,

and me booty too, and for that we say Arrrrr-men!

 

You must agree that this is nothing short of inspired genius, especially when you

learn it took them less than 10 minutes! (Take that AI!) It has become my go-to grace

request because it makes me smile every time I hear it. Thank God for Silliness. Thank

God for Creativity. Thank God for Camp!

Why I Like GaGa Ball

John Bertram

One of the most popular activities at camp is GaGa Ball. For the uninitiated, it is similar to dodgeball and played in circular wooden pit: think cage match dodge ball. At the beginning of each round a rubber ball is thrown into the middle and you say, Ga – Ga – Ball for the three times it bounces before play can start.

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The genius of the game comes from the simple rule that you must be hit with ball below the

knees to be out. This rule is the great equalizer, the smallest kids now have the smallest target

and are much harder to get out. This combined with the small court and low walls means the

most athletic kids often hit the ball out or unintentionally ricochet it back on themselves, resulting in them getting themselves out. The games are fast and furious and often reward cautious versus aggressive play, and you never know who is going to win.

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It is a space where all are welcome, and all are equal. Parents and counselors can hold their

own against teenagers, the youngest child gets a superpower against their older siblings. Often

you get to feel like David and get Goliath out. There is a sense of camaraderie and respect that

comes from participating in these intense games. Occasionally even the Clergy are brave

enough to enter the ring and you can witness how the relationship between that clergy and the kids is instantly and irrevocably transformed.

You can always spot a group of GaGa Ball players returning from the pit: they are exhausted, covered in dust from head to toe and with a smile on everyone’s face as they retell tales of their greatest victories and defeats.

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Ministry of the Table

The Rev. Mikayla Dunfee

Mealtime at summer camp is always a raucous affair. Thank goodness the public

shaming/singing (e.g., “Mikayla! Mikayla, strong and able, get your elbows off the table!

‘round the mess hall you must go…”) that happened in my camp days has gone the way

of all things, and yet, there is no shortage of… “entertainment”.

 

Initially, my favorite was the debate about the “proper” way to hold and pour those massive Camp Marshall water pitchers. Shortly thereafter, however, I would enjoy stirring the pot asking campers to debate the merits of each Yami flavor in an effort to determine the flavor supreme (a note: “Yami” is an obscure brand of yogurt, carried by Sysco and ordered by Camp that is, to date, the only yogurt my daughter likes. They really are better than everything else on the market). The preferences currently sit as follows: (1) Mango, (2) Vanilla, (3) Peach.

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By far, however, the best breakfast we had was the morning our esteemed breakfast chef, upon recognizing that all we had was sugar-free syrup to pour on our pancakes, made us homemade syrup. Where, I ask you, can you find somebody who loves camp, and food, and kids enough to get up early enough to make homemade

syrup?! Where? Only at Camp Marshall. The campers and I squealed with delight at the

opportunity to eat such a treat.

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Thank God for Yamis. Thank God for pitchers that are too big. Thank God for Camp!

We'd love to hear your Camp Marshall tales!

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