February Camps - Fishing & Bikes

February Camps – Fishing & Bikes

February 25, 2023

Florida Camp

We spent the entire day on the Pompano Pier to learn a little more about fishing and the four traits of a man.

Great Weather

It was a beautiful February day in South Florida. We spent the day fishing, enjoying the weather, and did a study on what it looks like to be a REAL man. The young men learned that a man of God:
1. Leads Courageously
2. Rejects Passivity
3. Accepts Responsibility
4. Lives for Eternity

New To The Game

We had five new campers for this month’s fishing camp and two seasoned campers that stepped into the role of mentoring and helping others with knots, baiting hooks, and getting untangled. It is really cool to watch these young men go from a place of feeling “less than” to a place of having enough confidence to step in and lead. Camp doesn’t just teach tangible skills and the love of Christ, it helps turn broken boys into men of character.

Competitive Nature

There always has to be some kind of competition, right? Jim, one of our newer mentors, set these young men up for a longest-cast competition. Yes, there will be a winner and a loser, but the coolest thing to see is the strategizing the young men did to figure out how to get their cast further than the other guy. You could tell by the end that their casting efficiency improved with a better swing forward and release. We also had a ton of people stop and watch as the competition carried on.

Teaching New Knots

Jim, one of our newest mentors and local Floridian for the past 40+ years, took on the role of the “Product Knowledge Expert”. He started by teaching the young men how to put a line through their poles, tie a new knot, and how to rig up their bait. Bass Pro Shop in Dania Beach donated enough saltwater fishing poles for every camper to take one home!

Turning Wrenches

Texas Campers had a full day of working on bicycles and learning about drafting the leader in a race, carrying burdens, and God’s Promise.

Fixing Flats

My made-up statistic is that 90% of bikes that are parked and never ridden again are because of a flat tire. The first thing we teach when we do bicycle repair is how to repair or replace a bad tube.

Disassemble and Lube

The second thing we do is disassemble the bike, clean all the parts, then finally re-lube it as we put it back together.

Assembly and Adjustments

After all the bikes were reassembled we had to get them all tuned in so they could function as the are designed. Some of the bikes needed new parts, others needed old parts repaired. Some required additional cleaning but we were able to get them all dialed in. The cool thing is that we get enough bikes donated to give every single camper that doesn’t own a bike the one they worked on that day. One of the campers commented that he hadn’t owned a bike in at least six years!