Hello this is Rylie, it's been a while since I wrote something on my blog. Thanks Mom for letting me.
I am so glad we are off today. I am so stuffy and not feeling so well. I just got done with my homework and I thought of writing about my experience at Camp Magis. This was the very first time that I was away from my family. I have never gone to any sleep overs or anything like that so I didn't really know what to expect without my parents and brother with me. We do everything together so I was a little nervous embarking on this journey. I have to say though that I had so much fun with my friends out there. We had three parent chaperones that came with us so I felt like my Mom and Dad were there with me. Fr. Dennis and Deacon Vince was also with us.
Let me tell you about Camp Magis a little bit. Camp Magis is a program put together by the the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston’s for all seventh graders in West Virginia Catholic schools. This awesome journey is held at at the Bishop Hodges Pastoral Center in Morgantown. According to the information provided to us, Bishop Hodges Pastoral Center is a 1400-acre property centrally isolated in the heart of West Virginia. It is operated by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The center is a place set aside to help young people like me to fall in love with Jesus Christ and His Church. In this 3-day adventure, we have learned about our faith and encountered God through the line up of high-adventure activities, prayer, fellowship, and liturgy. The place was beautiful and very relaxing.
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| The morning we left school |
The four main goals of Camp Magis includes:
- TO PROVIDE STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FALL DEEPER IN LOVE WITH JESUS CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH.
- TO HELP STUDENTS LEARN MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES THROUGH NEW EXPERIENCES, STEPPING OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONES, AND OVERCOMING THEIR FEARS.
- TO HELP STUDENTS SEE HOW THEY FIT INTO THE LARGER BODY OF CHRIST BY SPENDING TIME IN A NON-CLASSROOM SETTING WITH OTHER STUDENTS AND RECOGNIZING THEIR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN NEW WAYS.
- TO INSPIRE STUDENTS TO RETURN HOME AND FIND THEIR OWN UNIQUE WAY TO BE AN ACTIVE, CHRIST-LIKE SERVANT IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
We left on Wednesday, August 30. I packed all the things that I needed in the camp during the weekend. I used the army roll technique in packing all my clothing, bedding, towel, and pillow so it won't take a lot of space in my suitcase. I packed my stuff very neatly so I only needed one medium size of suitcase. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I woke up very early on Wednesday. My Mom and Dad were already awake. Mom cooked breakfast, we ate, and my Dad dropped me off at school at 5:45, he waited until we departed from school. I can tell, both of my parents were anxious.
It took us about 3-4 hours on the road before we arrived at our destination. Our very first activity was a team of two challenge. One has to lead the team while they are blindfolded. My friend Jules was my teammate and I was the one who led her the way. We learned how to trust each other on this activity.
I have learned a lot on this camp experience. I told my Mom she would have been so proud of me if she were there because I did house chores just like I do at home. We cleaned dishes and other things. Some of the fun activities that we did includes archery, farming, canoeing, swinging up high on a tree, and we did a lot of self reflection activities. On our camping list supplies, we were asked to bring a journal and a pen and we used it to jot down our thoughts and emotions.
Only few of my classmates did not go on this out-of-school activity. I wish they would have gone with us because they missed out on a lot of fun and learning experience.
I think my Mom would have loved it there, because of the fresh vegetable in the farm and the animals like the pigs and bunnies. I love bunnies, so I was happy to see a lot of them there. I felt bad that one of the pigs escaped the pen when my friend and I went inside. Even though the guy did not show it, I could see that he was displeased of what happened. It took him a while to catch it and I felt guilty.
The photo below was taken on our way back home. We were all exhausted. I think the lack of sleep drained my energy because I felt terrible the next day. I went to our volleyball practice and when I came home I was having chills and body ache. My Mom made and gave me some ginger tea and Daddy gave me a shot of medicine. I fell asleep and stayed in bed for hours. I felt fine on Sunday but today I am feeling bad again.
One of the motivational speaker during one of our group sessions shared his personal experiences about his life. He told us that if plan doesn't go as we hope it to be, we shouldn't let it drag us down but instead, take it as a stepping stone to move forward. My question is, what if we don't have a back up plan? I guess, I will figure this out when I get a little older but it definitely made me think.
Here is the video that one of our chaperone's took of me when I was on the swing.
As much as I would love to elaborate more, I have to go because I have piano in an hour and I need to practice. I wasn't able to really practice this week because of the camp and volleyball practices. I hope that I would feel better soon because we have our very first volleyball game tomorrow. Speaking of which, we have so many volleyball games line up this year. We are now teamed up with St. Paul so I am learning new techniques. I am trying to really strengthen my serve outside the court. I am not there yet but once in a while, I get lucky with my serve. Anyways, I really have to go. By for now. Until next time.
I admire their Mom for getting this surprise party a secret because I am sure could not pull it off if I were her lol. They created a diversion for the girls, they were at their friend's house until the party is ready to start with all their friends there waiting for them. It was funny seeing their reaction.
It's awesome when you have a swimming pool in your backyard because it is a great entertainment for the kids. My kids didn't know that I packed them their swimsuits but they were delighted when I handed them the beach bag containing what they need to join the fun.
It was really a fun surprise for everybody. Even the adults have enjoyed the party. Thanks to the Mascio family for inviting us over to their new home.
I also want to share this great book that Wisdom Tales have sent me for my kids to read and reflect on. It is called Talking to God, it is about the list of prayers for children from the world's religion.
