Camp Squanto
Swanzey, NH 03446

Camp Information
Summer phone - 603-352-1337
Winter phone - 603-352-0443
Summer Address - 156 West Shore Road
Winter Address - 220 West Shore Road
Email - squanto@pilgrimpines.org

Camp Squanto Blog

Check this page every Tuesday & Thursday (during the summer) in the afternoon to see
what's happening while your camper is at Squanto.

August 7th

After a rainy yesterday, the skies cleared up a bit for today and
we've had a fair amount of sun. Tuesday evening we had our weekly
Missions Auction where the campers bid on prizes from their candy
store money and the proceeds go towards our camp missions project.
This week we raised just over $1,000, which is just incredible. We
started a new batch of workshops today, with things like ultimate
Frisbee, basketball, there was pizza making, beach party and a
canoe trip. There has been a ton of stuff for these campers to choose
from, and they've been having a blast. Worship has been fantastic and
Pastor TJ has been superb. Tonight we'll be having a big game
followed by Round – Up which concludes with "the Call" a chance for
campers to speak with counselors about decisions they want to make, or
recommit themselves to. We're excited to see the impact God has had on
these campers this week that will hopefully carry over into the rest
of their lives. I can't wait for you all to hear the stories your
campers will have at the end of this week!

August 5

Hi Senior High Parents!

Things are in full-swing here at Camp Squanto.  Sunday after you dropped your campers off we had them watch

presentations for Workshops they would be able to participate in throughout the week.  We have workshops in creative

writing, film making, sports, doing "manly" things (with Miss Kiera, Miss Lisa, Miss Chelsea, and Miss Kari), fika (coffee for

those of you not familiar with the Swedish term), and more.  They spent most of the afternoon Monday in those workshops

before being dismissed to free time.  After Workshop sign-ups and dinner we had a great Round-Up worship service, capped

off by the first session with our speaker for the week TJ Foltz.  He's wonderfully engaging, and challenged the campers to

remember that experiencing God was the main point of camp, even above just "experiencing camp".  TJ spoke again

yesterday morning giving a memorization tool to learn the 10 Commandments in order.  Last night, along with Round-Up,
included a Guy night/Girl night which was a ton of fun for each group.  Today we had some more workshop time, and an
experiential this afternoon.  I can't emphasize enough how much fun these campers are. 
The next 4ish days should be absolutely fantastic!

July 31

We've had an equally beautiful middle couple days here at Squanto.
The sun is shining, and we're having a blast. Tuesday evening we had
our weekly Missions Auction, where the cabins are able to bid (from
their candy store money) on various prizes put together by staff, like
a "flashlight tour with Miss Chelsea", "Rest Hour on the Lake",
"S'mores after the campfire" and many many more. This group raised a
fantastic $829.40 to help the Akagi Bible Camp in Japan raise money
for new land, and a building to go on that land, as well as some
salary for the camp director there. What a generous group of campers.
Last night we had a couple of great highlights, we had Round-Up by
the lake, and then a sweet night game of Mission Impossible. Today
the campers participated in Super-Areas, which included boating to the
dam, the ropes course, a hike to sky-top, a beach party at Mayflower,
and pen making. These campers have been a blast to have here, and I
think they're having a pretty darn good time too.

I talked to Miss Lauren yesterday, and the Voyager campers are doing
great. Today was their whitewater rafting trip after a day of rock
climbing Tuesday, and kayaking yesterday. I'm sure they'll be
disappointed to be leaving the beauty of Northern Maine.

July 29th

Well we're two days into our second Junior High week and we're having
a blast. After all the rain of last week it's a nice change to see
lots of sun. Yesterday we only got hit with a short little storm, and
it happened to be during rest hour so it didn't affect the day at all,
and today has been absolutely beautiful. Our speakers this week are
Christy Bouris from Trinity Covenant Church in Lexington,
Massachusetts, and Christina Tinglof from the Covenant Congregational
Church in Boston. They're doing a great job! Yesterday
morning they recounted the Triumphal entry, complete with streamers
and noisemakers to set the mood, and today has been focused on the
crucifixion, the rest of the week will be focused Joseph, the
Resurrection, and the Road to Emmaus. Our brand new pontoon boat made
its inaugural voyage with Camp Squanto campers today, and they loved
it. There's nothing quite like a relaxing loop around the lake in the
sun to relax. We plan on making the boat a great addition to the
programming options we already enjoy here. The rest of the day looks
action packed with free time before dinner, a big game, and then
Round-Up. I can't get over how great these campers are (and have been
all summer), and how much they love camp. Also, I heard from the
Voyager leaders last night, they made it up to Maine safely, and today
I believe they are enjoying some time kayaking, hopefully enjoying the
same beautiful weather we have here.

July 24

Well the rain has slowed a bit… a bit, we've had multiple hour long
patches where no water at all has fallen from the sky. Despite the
dreary weather we've been having a great time at Camp Squanto. Almost
none of our scheduled things have been altered or cancelled because of
the rain, which is nice both for us as programmer and for the campers.
Wednesday was a great day, full of more areas, a big game of Capture
the Flag, and our Missions Auction. This group of Trailblazers raised
a whopping $381.50 to give towards the Akagi Bible Camp in Japan by
bidding on various prizes that the counselor put together for them,
things like, a "Bedtime story with Uncle Sam Sam", Extra Blob time,
Extra cabin clean-up points, a "Nighttime Serenade with Snacks", and a
"flashlight tour with Miss Chelsea" among others. The great thing is
that every cabin gets to do something fun, and we're raising money for
a great project in Japan, to further camping ministry around the
globe. Today we've had some more areas, and this afternoon we're
planning to have our "Ugly Counselor" Contest, where the campers dress
up their counselors in funny clothes, and other things we provide to
"uglify" their counselors, its great fun. Tomorrow of course is
Christmas in July, so we have things like photos with Santa, and a
trip to the North Pole planned. Pastor Darren and Pastor Austin have
been doing a great job, presenting God's Word in a fun and creative
way. Tonight they'll be focusing on the Exile and how sin break apart
our communion with God. This week has really flown by, and we'll be
disappointed to see this great group of campers leave on Saturday.

July 22

Hey Trailblazer 2 Parents!

We're having a blast here at Camp Squanto. It continued to rain a bit
Sunday evening after you dropped off your campers, but we still had a
great time; having a scavenger hunt in the dry periods, and then a
game where counselors told stories and the campers had to guess which
story was true. Our speakers for the week are Pastor Darren and
Pastor Austin from Community Covenant Church in Peabody Mass. They
talked about the Garden of Eden and use a ton of hysterical hand drawings as
visual aids. Yesterday we had our swim test in the morning and then
continued with Areas (Waterfront, Archery, Boating, Arts & Crafts, and
Athletics) in the afternoon. Today the rain hasn't appeared yet
(we're still keeping our fingers crossed). We're continuing in areas
this afternoon, then on to experientials like a winter wonderland,
bucket hucking, bobbing, and frolf. We're having a great time with
these campers, and they seem to be having a fantastic time as well.
We're thrilled to be able to continue to provide a fun, fulfilling
time here at Camp Squanto.

July 17

The beautiful weather here at Camp Squanto has continued - yesterday
there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and today, aside from a short
stint of clouds it has been the same. We couldn't ask for a more
beautiful week to be at camp. Yesterday was an action packed day with
Areas in the morning and again in the afternoon, then after dinner we
had our evening worship Round-Up by the lakeside, which I'm sure you
can imagine is just beautiful, and a nice change of pace in this hot
weather. After the movie we had the campers grab their sleeping bags
and pillows and showed a modern classic "Space Jam" starring Michael
Jordan on the big field. It was a hit, until someone tripped over the
cord with 5 minutes left! Pastor Whitney has been doing a fantastic
job preaching this week, inviting the campers to look at the bigger
picture of God's love, instead of focusing on individual Bible
stories. She has had a great time eating with kids, and participating
with them in areas. Today was another few areas and a big game of
Steal the Bacon this afternoon. Tonight we'll have Round-Up again,
after another big game. Tomorrow we have a circus planned in the
morning, hopefully with some of the acts being the campers. We've had
a blast with these campers, they are so much fun and have been such a
blessing to have around this week. We'll miss them, but I imagine
they'll be excited to share stories about the week come Saturday.

July 15th

Hi Explorer Parents!

We've had a beautiful first couple of days with the Explorer Campers
here at Camp Squanto. Our fourth week of camp is looking like it will
be a great one. The weather has been phenomenal, warm, sunny and not
too humid. Sunday evening after you all dropped your campers off we
played a rousing game of "Trench Dodgeball", a classic game with a
twist. Then we had some dinner and the campers were able to sign up
for the Areas (waterfront, arts & crafts, wilderness, athletics,
boating, and archery) they would be participating in throughout the
week after the staff in those areas presented the great activities
they would be doing during the week. We had a great first night of
Round-Up, with worship, a staff-intro video, a rules video, and our
speaker for the week, Pastor Whitney Hall who is serving the Covenant Church
in North Easton, MA. Monday was a great day with breakfast, cabin
clean-up, Bible Hour along with some Time Alone With God (TAWG),
followed by 2 areas in the morning. The afternoon had a rest hour, a
couple more areas, and free time. The evening pattern was standard as
well with dinner followed by a Big Game, and on into Round-Up. Today
has followed close to the same pattern with the twist of a cabin
activity thrown in earlier this afternoon. We're having a great time
with these campers and I know we'll have a great rest of the week!

July 10th

Tuesday night we had quite a little rainstorm, but luckily it swept through just during dinner and we didn’t have to forfeit our big
game of “Steal the Bacon”.  Wednesday was a hot day with great times in our areas in the morning and early afternoon.
Some of the highlights in the areas yesterday and today were volleyball in athletics, s’mores in wilderness, jeopardy in waterfront,
and candle making in arts & crafts.  Despite another little storm yesterday, we again didn’t have to forgo our regularly
scheduled games and activities like “Atom Ball”.  Pastor Phil has been doing a great job in both Bible Hour and Round-Up,
speaking about the animals in the Bible ants - how they work together, how rock badgers protect each other like, and how
persistent a gecko is, and how God wants us to be persistent.  This morning we did our weekly missions auction, raising
money for the Akagi Bible Camp in Japan, the campers raised a fantastic total of $479.75.  We’re loving this group of campers,
they are having a blast, and I’m sure will have some great memories and stories to share with you come Saturday.

July 8

Hi Trailblazer Parents!

We’re 2 days into our Camp Squanto week, and the kids are having a blast!  Being mindful of the heat we played a great
game of “Buckets – O – Fun” yesterday, which can best be described as running, splashing, laughing goodness.  We’ve had
lots of area time (areas being Athletics, Wilderness, Boating, Archery, Arts & Crafts, and Waterfront), and some of the highlights
so far include, s’mores in Wilderness, and plenty of time of the waterfront (more from the other areas on Thursday). 
We’ve heard from Pastor Phil Beatty (Youth Pastor at Trinity Covenant Church in Manchester, CT) four times so far.  His
video clips and interactive style have been a great way to engage the campers.  Tonight will include a big game, round-up
(our evening worship service) as well as our missions auction as we continue to raise money for our summer missions
project in Akagi Japan.  Again, we’re having a great time, and it is a fantastic group of campers, it will be a great week. 

July 3

Hello There!  

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were great days here at Camp Squanto.  The weather was decent, only raining a couple times at night, which just let us switch things around a little bit for big games and round-up.  Tuesday we presented our Missions project for the year, and as part of that we had a auction of sorts where campers could bid on prizes like brownies at night, a serenade by counselors, cutting Uncle Bob’s hair and other activities.  Wednesday we had a full day with discussion groups in the morning, and areas in the afternoon.  That evening we played a night game of “Mission Impossible” after round-up by the lake.  Last night was our “call” night where our speaker Josh invited campers who had questions about what it means to live a Christian life, or how they might make that step to ask Christ into their heart, to speak with a counselor.  Today we’re hosting our very own Camp Squanto Olympics!  Campers will compete in 5 events each, things like a triva test, bucket hucking, knockout, etc.  We will have an opening ceremonies, and along with our 4th of July fireworks a closing ceremony after our Friday night campfire.  Its been a great week, and we’ll be sad to see such a fantastic group of young teenagers leave. 

July 1

Hi Junior High Parents!

We’ve had a great first couple of days here at Camp Squanto!  After you dropped your kids off Sunday evening they played a
rousing game of “trench dodgeball” before dinner.  After dinner the cabins competed against each other in cabin challenges
such as “spam sculpting”, “getting Miss Lindsey with a water balloon”, “pudding drop” and other great activities.  In Round-Up
the campers were introduced to Pastor Josh Finklea, our speaker for the week.  Josh is from Quincy, Illinois and was the speaker
for our winter Junior High Retreat here at Pilgrim Pines.  Monday was a typical camp day, with breakfast, cabin clean-up,
Bible Hour, areas and free time all packed into the morning and afternoon.  After dinner we had a big game of “Wells Fargo”
before Josh spoke about Judas, Martha, and Mary at Round-Up.  This morning Josh spoke about Luke 2:8-12, and talked about
God getting dirty (as baby Jesus lying in the manger, in a barn) for us.  We’re loving having these campers here, and they all
seem to be having a blast.  We’re looking forward to the rest of the week. 

Eric Hedberg

Camp Squanto Director

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June 24
Pathfinders 2008

We've had a great couple days of Pathfinder's camp here at Camp Squanto.  The first night we kicked off with a great game

of "Squanto Tag" , and some sweet songs in Round-Up. We also started learning about Daniel, a little about who Daniel was,
and how he obeyed God, opening things up for the next couple days in Bible Hour and Round-Up.  
Thursday morning breakfast line-up saw the arrival of our theme characters for the week, Dorothy and her friends

to teach about how camp can be an accepting place for all people, even the Wicked Witch.  We learned a little more about Daniel,

but more specifically about his 3 friends, and had a great morning in area activities despite a little liquid sunshine.  The afternoon included a nice restful rest hour, another area (without the rain this time), and a game of Steal the Bacon; and the evening brought another Big Game, and a dive into the classic story of Daniel and the Lion's den.  Today has been another great day, much
warmer and sunnier. Finally this morning we learned about Daniel's visions and how God listens to our prayers
in times of need.  With just some free-time (probably water-sliding), dinner, another big game and the campfire left, the campers
are infor a great night.  While I'm sure you're all excited to have them back tomorrow, we'll certainly be sad to see this great group
of campers leave.  They were a perfect way to kick off a summer at Camp Squanto

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