2024 Orientation Recap!

After months of searching for the most trustworthy, seriously fun college students across the US, we finally have them ALL on property! Orientation week is filled with acclimating the new staffers to the Pine Cove way (remember the first time you experienced “scraperhead?” Yeah, it takes a second to get used to!) and getting everyone trained up and unified for an amazing, God-glorifying summer. 

Staffers became well versed in all the necessities: camp cheers, opening day gauntlet form, Bible studies, activity classes, and understanding the heart behind running a Christ-centered camp ministry. As always, we love to see the staffers become quick friends with each other. So many future roommates, groomsmen, or best friends were created this week over learning the camp schedule or practicing the theme night games together! Take a look below to get a glimpse of Orientation Week 2024, and read what some of our full-time staffers had to say about the week!

“Our staff showed up with so much energy! We were so excited to see how unified our team got so quickly. We’re thankful for the ways the Lord is knitting this community together, and we’re only two weeks in! We also had some pretty hilarious name games. One staffer was named “Fly Me to the Loo,” because he covers Frank Sinatra in a jazz band, and had an unfortunate bathroom story! We named another staffer “Chip Off the Old Beatbox” because he accidentally chipped another staffer’s tooth playing basketball the day before, and beatboxed on stage! We’re having an amazing summer so far!” – Kylie “Bonsho” Witcher, Silverado Women’s Director 

“Orientation at the Ridge was challenging, encouraging, and filled with growth. The days are full, and many of our staff have never extended themselves in these ways—physically or spiritually. It’s so encouraging to see their continual pursuit of what the Lord has for them, even if that means being molded and pruned in new ways. One night we had guy night and girl night, where our staff got to grow closer in unity with their brothers and sisters while also experiencing true vulnerability.

One of the best name games we had was for a staffer named Ashlynn. She had received a call from a woman named Samantha from the DMV where she was taking her driver’s test, and Ashlynn acted like she worked at Pizza Hut, thinking that the number was a spam call. A few weeks later, she took her driver’s test with the same woman who had heard her act like a Pizza Hut employee. She was named “No One Out-Pizzas Samantha,” and the whole dining hall went crazy.

Throughout the week, our staffers loved doing the “G-double O-D-J-O-B! Good job! Good job!” cheer for basically everything. Anytime someone does anything, they want to do it, and it’s gotten pretty funny!” – Colin “Sneaky Pete” Post, Ridge Men’s Director

“We’re all tired but God was so good this week! We got to worship almost nightly as a Ridge team which was really impactful. And we started doing “buy-in” poker chips this year like some other camp teams have done—which was a tangible way we got to see and hear how the Lord was moving in the lives of our staff throughout the week! They would bring their poker chip to someone on our full-time team and explain why they’re excited to surrender and be all-in on what the Lord wants to do this summer! It was truly such a consistent highlight of my days this week!” – Kate “Dingo Baby” Blocker, Ridge Women’s Director

“Orientation was awesome! I’m especially pumped for our Marvel Madness theme night—the game is seriously gonna be so sick.
 My favorite camp name that came from this week is “Uncle Charles Entertainment Cheese.” I truly love any camp name that has a real name in it!” – Colby “Slay” Rice, Outback Men’s Director

Want an even deeper look into the day in the life of a staffer at orientation? Take a look at these videos from the Towers or Woods to get your inside scoop! 

Thank you for being consistent in prayer for each of our staffers. Please continue to pray that God would use Pine Cove this summer to bring countless hearts to know and depend on Him alone!