Article by Fr Lucio Boccacci, Conquest and Challenge Mentor in Ohio Valley
At Camp River Ridge we had our first ever mother and daughter getaway campout! A total of 37 mothers and daughters attended the two days, one night, event. They made history for our camp since the father and son campouts have been a staple camp activity for many years. These moms and daughters showed that men don’t have a monopoly on camping!
As the participants arrived they were introduced to each other through a series of ice breakers games. We then moved into lunch after an introduction to the campout. Mothers and daughters were greeted by colorful tables with roses as decorations and a “tranquil” scent that filled the room. After lunch, the moms and daughters played a game they absolutely loved and want to repeat next year: laser gun tag! The moms held their own, but the girls knew how to fight back!
Most attended the optional Saturday Mass. Afterward, they had up to three hours of free time in the lake, swimming, canoeing, and playing on our huge 20 ft water mattress. Many girls and moms also hanged out by the arts and craft table, making all kinds of mementos out of sand and beads, etc.
Before lunch we had an hour of optional adoration. Moms and daughters stopped in to adore the Lord before dinner. They could light a candle and bring it up to the Lord’s presence under the altar, where they could kneel and spend some up and close prayer time for a few moments.
After dinner, we watched a movie indoors since the weather turned on us. We saw The Little Prince, a wonderful and deep movie about a daughter that learns about the story of the Little Prince. Highly recommended! All the moms and daughters loved the movie and the reflection afterward. We ended the evening with some moms volunteering to read some words of affirmation and love to their daughters in public.
In the morning, Yvonne Nuxoll led morning prayers and a small meditation. After breakfast, the moms had a chance to give some feedback and ideas for next year. This was extremely helpful! Then we all pitched in to clean up the camp.
We finished the camp with Sunday Mass presided by Fr Lucio Boccacci and Fr Louis de Vaugelas.
Experiences were positive and one mom told me at the end she was definitely glad she came, even if she wasn’t so sure at first. Another mom mentioned how thankful she was to have a reflection after a movie. There were several very powerful and intimate messages that the moms gave their daughters. Another mom was so happy to have something like this so close to her new home. A girl said that she finally, finally, got the chance to have fun at camp just like her brothers. My personal experience was that I never thought that moms and daughters could have so much fun with laser guns!
Check out the youtube video and see more about this great summer experience.