Hi! My name is Harley, and I’m the writer of the monthly Kidz Korner articles. Each article has a different topic, and October’s topic is Idlewild Church’s annual 4th- and 5th-grade retreat, also called Camp OOMF.
I’m in 5th grade this year. In 2021, there was no retreat due to Covid, so this is my only year to attend the retreat. After a three-hour bus drive one sunny Friday evening, we arrived at Real Life Camps. There are so many things to do! There is a vast lake, an awesome fire pit, and a wakeboarding machine!
The cabins were cozy, and I felt at home with my friends and stuffed owl, Pinky. On Saturday morning, we worshipped and had a small group, but before that, we officially started the annual competition of Boys vs. Girls! Later that day, everyone had two classes.
First, I kayaked down a canal with my buddy on the bus the night before, Ryann. We also played kayak ball, a water version of soccer! Afterward, the Archery and Marksmanship class rode a tram to the pavilion. My archery needs some improvement. None of my arrows hit a target, and it started raining. I could barely feel my fingers when we switched to Marksmanship.
Shooting a BB gun is harder than I thought! The bullets (called pellets) are so tiny! I have no clue how any other kids hit any targets. The guns are long and heavy, and the process to load them is complicated and tricky. And sadly, the gun only holds one pellet at a time! Anyway, I enjoyed the shooting.
After our last class, the kids had three hours of free time! I paddle boarded and kayaked the whole time on the smooth lake. It was delightful to tip my friends off of our paddleboard repeatedly. Although I didn’t have the guts to try it, the other kids loved the lakeside Blob.
The Blob was a huge, bouncy, rubber inflatable on the water. First, a kid would climb up steps to a wooden platform over 50 feet in the air. Then the kid would run and jump onto the yellow, blue, and red striped Blob.
Then they would scoot or crawl to the front and sit, waiting for another kid to jump. When the other kid jumped the first kid would fly up into the air and land in the water with a huge splash.
When we woke up Sunday morning, it was time to take the bus home, but the results of the competition were announced first. The girls won! I was so happy. I took home the pink balloons that my cabin didn’t want anymore. They live in my living room happily to this day.
OOMF is the name of the 4th- and 5th-grade ministry at church. It stands for “One Of My Followers”. All Christians are followers of Jesus. The real reason the retreat exists is to teach kids about Jesus. We have to be a light in the world so others can learn about Jesus and follow him. Goodbye for now! Stay tuned for next month’s article!
Harley Isabel Smith is a 4th grader who has been featured on TV as a philanthropist, has a heart for evangelism, and writes monthly for the Gazette’s Kid’s Corner. Visit https://harleyisabelsmith.com where she is constantly adding written and video content to entertain and educate children. Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”