Thanks to all who joined us for Homeschool Family Camp 2018 a few weeks ago! The Lord blessed in remarkable ways. At Family Camp, we experienced an unforgettable time of learning, growth, fellowship, and fun!
Our theme this year was Except The Lord Build The House: Building Godly Generations By God’s Blueprint. Through the morning and evening sessions, we learned what God’s Word has to say about marriage, parenting, family structure, our purpose, family relationships, and much more!
In the afternoons, attendees enjoyed fellowship, swimming,
hiking, resting, volleyball, and other fun activities.
Homeschool Family Camp ran for two consecutive weeks, with mostly different families each week.
Some of the young men did a SEAL workout one morning.
An afternoon breakout on scams, deception, and self-awareness.
The 3rd Annual Homeschool Family Camp Arm Wrestling Competition was a big highlight!
This year, we had a first ever Mother/Son and Father/Daughter session one of the mornings.
We also had a father-daughter session.
Mr. Yoder memorably demonstrated how the giraffe proves intelligent design.
Mr. Wissman gave practical talks on various aspects of family life. In this session, he
presented a powerful illustration on the dangers of peer groups.
presented a powerful illustration on the dangers of peer groups.
Reconnecting with family.
Storytime.
Tug-of-war!
Family volleyball.
Precious family moments.
Mighty Mighty Scoop Noodle Challenge!
Liz with her nephew, the ineffable Wallace Bradford.
Thanks again to the Wissmanns and Bowers for joining us in this endeavor! Thank-you to all who came and made Homeschool Family Camp 2018 a reality!
Does your family need to be encouraged, strengthened, and refreshed? Prayerfully consider joining us for Family Camp 2019! You can attend either September 3-8 or September 9-14, 2019. We would love to have you join us! For more information, send an email to io************@gm***.com.
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. –Psalm 127
Was there any recordings from any of the talks? I'm curious about the peer groups talk and what he considers peer groups.
Regina,
Yes, we did record the talks, primarily for those at camp. Would you like to listen to any of them if we were able put them up on a website?
You can see the answer below to Lauren regarding the question of peer groups.
What are the dangers of peer groups? Never heard of that before.
Lauren,
Great question! Mr. Wissman gave the illustration in a message entitled, "Unless the Lord Builds the House: Structure Does Matter." He then described how God perfectly designed the structure of the family and how modern society seeks to pull the family apart.
Regarding the history of age-segregation in education, it used to be that everyone learned together in the one-room schoolhouse. John Dewey, the father of modern education, sought to abolish the one room schoolhouse in favor of age segregated instruction. He believed it was better for individuals to be separated by age than to learn together. Unfortunately, his model has crept into the church as well.
Here are a few questions Mr. Wissman asked:
Within a peer group, "Who is the leader?" Normally, it happens to be the bully or the most winsome or outspoken one. In contrast, within a family, "Who is the leader?" The father and then the mother.
Within a peer group, "How does one gain acceptance?" One gains acceptance by conforming or fitting in. Within a family, "How does one gain acceptance?" One is accepted and loved because of who they are; because they belong to that family.
He pointed out how our education system begins by dividing children into age-segregated peer groups where they learn to follow each other rather than the wisdom of parents and older, wiser people. Basically, the education system seeks to make individuals follow the religion of secularism rather than wisdom of a God-fearing family.
After high school and college, our media, entertainment, and popular culture applies peer pressure to make acceptable abominations like homosexual faux marriage, abortion, etc., The media tends to praise those follow their agenda and shame those who do not as hateful and bigots for disagreeing.
For example, those who seek to lovingly bring God's Word to bear upon the sin of homosexuality are labeled haters and bigots, while those who accept and promote this sin are labeled as loving and open-minded.
Thanks for asking!
Sincerely,
The Bontragers
Thank you for answering our question about peer groups. It sounds really interesting and I would love to listen to a recording. Sadly I'm afraid "open-mindedness" has crept into the church.
I would like to listen to the recordings as well. Thank you for sharing this information.
Hey, your family camp sounds like it was a blast!!! I was wondering if u could tell me where Liz got her floral dress from that she's wearing on the pic with her and Wallace?
Alaina,
Thanks for the question! My sister Chelsy told me that it's actually a shirt that Liz got from Gordmans.
Thanks!!! Wish we had a Gordmans out here…
Wow! I just love reading about your family. I came across your page as I was reading information on homeschooling. I pray my children keep God as a priority and don't live up to "man's" expectations. Please keep spreading the light!
Hi, it would be a great blessing to be able to listen to the talks spoken on this family camp. We live in Australia and so would not be able to attend a camp. Is there a website where we could download them? Thanks for your time and godly example.
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