Nor do they exist merely as a medium for expressing early Ameri cana. The underlying purpose of the Village program (and all of Forest Home’s programming) is to bring children face to face with Jesus Christ as both Saviour and Lord, relevant to their daily life “ down the hill.” Tipis, Trading Posts, swim ming pools, fancy costuming — all are vehicles to be used under the Holy Spirit to gain eternal ends. How is it done? Take a brief look at one day in either Village. The camp is divided into six tribes, each tribe with four tipis housing six children and a counselor. Directing the activities of each tribe is a Lead Counselor (those with the exotic names), collegians and graduates specially chosen and i n t en s e l y trained in all aspects of the Village theme. The morning’s activities are centered around the i nd i v i dua l tribes. Hiking, swimming, archery, tribal development, Bible study, mis sion stories from the reservations, personal quiet time — all planned carefully but executed informally — occupy the swift-moving morning hours. In the afternoon the groupings change. Each child enrolls in an “ In dian Skills” class: pottery, basket weaving, beadwork, loom-weaviog and Indian cooking for the girls; Indian trails, costuming, archery, sports, lore and Indian adventure for the boys. After this hour instruction period another shift takes place; campers and counselor now are free to hike the nature trail, go swim ming in the Village pool, work at crafts or just relax.
the Holy Spirit works through the leaders, the counselors and the pro gram ? From a child: “ I plan to come back next year and I hope to see you. I haven’t forgotten what Christ did for me and won’t ever forget.” From a parent: “ Our son spent his first summer in Indian Village and upon arriving home burst out of the house to show his neighborhood friends his assortment of rabbit skins, Indian crafts and camp picture. Now he is a Christian by his own decision but a quiet one, and hardly ever talked to his friends about his faith. But this time he came home and related how after giving his friends the word on Indian Village, he began to tell the little seven-year-old girl next door
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about Jesus and how she could be come a Christian. And she did! You just never know how God is working in Indian Village.” From a social worker in an orphanage: “ Dear Red Fox: Hi there! Say, you left quite an impression on this little fellow. The final authority around here is, ‘Red Fox would want me to do it this way. I sure like my Red Fox.’ ” Perhaps this poem written by a ten-year-old girl du r i n g morning quiet time best expresses what it means to many thousands of junior children who have “ lived like In dians” at Forest Home for one week of a summer: Thank you, God, for all these things — For the moon, the stars and the sun; Thank you for the beautiful sky When the day has just begun. Thank you, God, for mountains high, Thank you for the trees; Thank you for all creatures that live; For the mighty, crashing seas. Thank you for my friends so dear, Thank you for my family; Thank you for the whole wide world, And especially, God, for me. Thank you for Jesus Christ And all that He has done, That we may go to heaven And live with Thee as one.
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The day closes with an all-Village campfire featuring singing, tribal challenges, an Indian dancer (one night a week) and a strong spiritual emphasis. By now night has fallen. The Vil lage is quiet, the forest stillness broken only by the soft conversation of campers and counselors in devo tion, the skittering sounds of little forest folk and finally by the night song of the Singing Woman carried on the soft moccasins of the wind over the silent Village. What is the impact of all this, as
(More camp review! on page 44)
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