The Group Building Games

In order for camp and service project to run smoothly. It is important that at the beginning of the week, we are put into situations where team work and communication are necessary. The way that we do this on SOUL is through group building games. These are games that make the participants, chaperones, and staff all have to work together to accomplish the task set before them.

One of our games was blanket volleyball, which is a lot of fun, but can be very hard if your team doesn't work together.

Another game that we played involved working as a team to get everyone across a set of cones laid out on the ground. Again, these tasks are meant to get everyone to work together and create a sense of team among the participants.

These games can be frustrating, but Sunday afternoon is always a time of fun and bonding as we get ready for the week.

The Ice Breakers

For those of you who have never been in a new place or have never met new, interesting people, I feel sorry for you. You are missing out on a lot. But, I doubt that many of you reading this are one of those people. Everyone, almost everyday, has experiences with people they have never met, or don't know very well. When you come to SOUL, it is more than likely that you are going to meet a lot of people that you don't know. Meeting people can be hard. It can be awkward. That is where ice breakers come in.

Ice breakers are games that the staff have come up with in which the participants are forced into getting to know one another, at least on a surface level. For example, my favorite ice breaker of the summer (and it's pretty high on the list of being my all time favorite ice breaker) is called "Make a Date". To start with, everyone gets a paper plate, which they draw a clock on. Then at every number they have to find someone that you don't know, or don't know well, and put their name down. Once all 12 slots have been filled, the real game begins. Now it's time to go back through the numbers. As the numbers on the clock are called out, you must find the person whose name you wrote down, and that's your "Date". Each number has been assigned a question to serve as a conversation starter.

Now, after having met 12 new people, at least that can serve as a starting place for the week to come. Another bonus from this game is that the questions can be used to get to know the kids that come to Sports Camp also.

Unless a connection is made with the campers, the impact that we are able to have in their lives and on the community is minimal.

A Glimpse of SOUL in Alabama

Throughout the summer, the Yearly Meeting staff made sure to record video and such of the different activities that occurred. This is the video from SOUL in Alabama.

20 Questions - Evan! . ... wait, who's Evan?

To answer your question: Evan was on the Alabama SOUL Staff. The reason I'm telling you all about him, is because he is an amazing person, who decided after working for six weeks in Alabama to come and help us in Goldsboro voluntarily. (He probably went home and passed out from exhaustion at the end of this.)

Evan graduated from high school last spring, right now his plan is to take some time and figure out what he wants to do before he jumps into college and all of the time and financial commitment that it is. Evan has played several instruments for many years, and is always looking for something musically challenging to pursue. It is his first year on staff, and he is also one of the few... a beaver I mean. If you don't know what I mean by that, check out my blog on our personality types -> click HERE <-

1) Were you named after anyone?

No.

2) Do you like your own handwriting?

Yes.

3) What would your superpower be if you had one?

Ability to read minds.

4) Are you and Optimist or a Pessimist?

Both.

5) What do you collect?

Musical instruments.

6) What movie would your friends be surprised that you like?

Pitch Perfect

7) What are your favorite smells?

Freshly spread cow manure.

8) Coffee or Tea?

Tea all day long.

9) Coke or Pepsi?

Neither, Cheerwine.

10) What is the best thing you've ever eaten? (Where?)

Steak and gravy at my Granny Walden's house on Saturdays for lunch.

11) Mac or PC?

Mac all day long baby.

12) What are you listening to right now?

The fan on this computer running.

13) What career would you pursue in another life?

Body Builder.

14) What sound or noise do you love?

The sound of my 1969 Selmer Paris Mark 6 alto saxophone.

15) What sound or noise do you hate?

The noise people make when they chew.

16) Mountains or Beach?

Mountains.

17) Cook or Bake?

Cook.

18) Do you go to restaurants and movies by yourself?

Yes because you are not always going to have someone to go with you so you have to go by yourself sometimes to get a feel for what it is going to be like when that happens.

19) What is your favorite childhood Fairytale or childhood story?

Jack the Giant Slayer.

20) What would you tell the 13-year-old you?

Don't waste time doing meaningless things that aren't going to help other people out because you will never know when you are going to need help yourself.

Meet Our Speaker - Goldsboro Edition

The speaker for our last week of SOUL was Rad Jordan. He spoke at Tremors last December, and is also the campus pastor for the Friends Campus Ministries in Raleigh. That includes NC State, Meredith College, William-Peace College, Wake Tech, and basically anyone who wants to come and can find a way there.

Rad is attending Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, majoring in Christian Studies as well as Pastoral Ministry. Not only does he study, but he also makes sure that he is there for everyone in his family and his friends. While attempting to learn guitar, Rad enjoys photography and most sporting events. This week we were fortunate enough to hear his testimony, which is an amazing story. It's not my story to tell, so I'm not going to tell it here. But, a lot like Zack, Rad was amazingly real and honest with everyone at camp this week. If anyone walked away without learning something, it's their loss.

Starting Our Last Week

Realizing that SOUL finished about a week ago, I have finally been able to relax and reflect on the last week to put my best efforts into writing about it. If you have been following this blog all summer I apologize for the delay. If this is the first you are seeing of my SOUL blog then please, go to the beginning and start from there. I promise it will make more sense that way.

Once again, we had a prep week before camp started in Goldsboro. Which is nice, don't get me wrong. It's great to be able to make sure that everything is lined up to run smoothly, to be able to relax a little bit before more participants come. But, at the same time, after 3 weeks of living with the same people and having little to no time to yourself, things get a little tense. Again, it's not like we were in each other's faces about everything, or even anything, but spending that much time with someone nonstop, little things start to get aggravating.

And maybe that's just me. My beaver personality means that every once in a while I need to step away from everyone, get away from the place I've been cooped up in, and spend some time BY MYSELF. Since our only vehicle was the van, and New Hope is off of the highway, there wasn't really anywhere to go.

Let's just say, I was super excited and ready to hang out with the participants and campers that were coming to Goldsboro. At the same time though, I was ready to begin heading home.

20 Questions - Zach

The guy that you haven't met yet on the NC SOUL staff is the one and only Zachary Kincaid.

This is Zach's third year on SOUL staff, him being a seasoned Alabama and North Carolina staff member. Zach, like many others on staff, is a monkey.  If you don't know what I mean by that, check out my blog on our personality types -> click HERE <-

1) Were you named after anyone?

First name President Zachary Taylor, middle name from my dad.

2) Do you like your own handwriting?

Never paid attention.

3) What would your superpower be if you had one?

Teleportation.

4) Are you and Optimist or a Pessimist?

Depends, am I drinking or filling my glass.

5) What do you collect?

Knives.

6) What movie would your friends be surprised that you like?

Nothing.

7) What are your favorite smells?

Gasoline, "Into the Wild" from Bath and Body works.

8) Coffee or Tea?

Coffee some days, sweet tea everyday.

9) Coke or Pepsi?

Taste the same to me.

10) What is the best thing you've ever eaten? (Where?)

Grandma's cooking.

11) Mac or PC?

PC

12) What are you listening to right now?

Everyone in the van.

13) What career would you pursue in another life?

Get back to you after I'm reincarnated.

14) What sound or noise do you love?

Bacon cooking, music on low, creek rushing down a mountain.

15) What sound or noise do you hate?

Opera.

16) Mountains or Beach?

Mountains.

17) Cook or Bake?

Both.

18) Do you go to restaurants and movies by yourself?

Sometimes.

19) What is your favorite childhood Fairytale or childhood story?

A Bug's Life.

20) What would you tell the 13-year-old you?

It's worth it.