The Second Camp Sunrise - Led By Marie Ang, Linna Rapkins and Nora Spurgin

Under the guidance of three blessed wives and mothers, Mrs. Marie Ang, Mrs. Linna Rapkins and Mrs. Nora Spurgin, the second summer camp for blessed children, Camp Sunrise, took shape in August at Barrytown. Parents, children and several staff members worked together to make this a memorable summer experience for the 22 children, ranging from 6 1/2 to 11 years of age.

The need for a blessed children’s summer camp became apparent to the blessed mothers at Barrytown over a year ago. They wished for the blessed children to have an opportunity to share and to grow in their knowledge of God and True Parents through structured activities during their summer vacation.

The first summer camp was held during the summer of 1980. Eleven children attended; based on its success another summer camp was organized this year and extended to the Tarrytown- area children. Linna Rapkins came with them as a staff member.

The goal of the camp was to give the blessed children a chance to form loving friendships among themselves, centering on God and True Parents. Through activities, play, study and creating together they were able to create strong eternal bonds. Being that this was an international camp, the children could broaden their appreciation of different cultures and learn to relate harmoniously with each other. The children could also learn to enjoy the presence of God through the beauty of the creation.

An American Indians theme was chosen for the camp this year. Each group chose the name of an Indian tribe to call themselves and the spirit of the American Indians — sharing, working together and living out of doors in harmony with nature — was encouraged throughout the two weeks.

The schedule was well-balanced, giving the children a wide variety of activities. The children would rise to a morning devotional time called “Good Morning Time.”

A pledge was also designed for the camp which the children recited in unison: “I will respect God and True Parents; respect others; obey the rules of the camp; be honest; and help everyone have a good time.”

Holy Songs and Korean words and phrases were studied. The children were given a choice of activities — yoga and exercise class, kickball, swimming instruction or tennis. Also, craft classes, swimming, nature studies, hikes and wild-life observation on the trails were all a part of the afternoon activities. A rest time and free period were given to allow the children a chance to reflect on their experience and choose unstructured activities and relationships. Reading, rock collecting, card games and talking were popular during these times.

In the evenings, the children would enjoy group games. Sometimes they would also study the stars. Each evening would end in a short devotional time. Talks, stories, prayers, songs, and, of course, a bedtime snack finished off the day.

One of the highlights of the camp was wilderness camping. The children and team captains all ventured into the forest with their tents and sleeping equipment. They had a chance to make campfires and cook out as well as learn some survival skills.

It was also a very rewarding experience for the staff. Through serving the blessed children, they could really share Father’s vision and hope for the future. There is great hope that 1982 will be able to produce another Camp Sunrise to which all school age blessed children can be invited. The size of the camp depends on the number of staff members who can help. For the mothers it was a tiring but very rewarding experience.