2020 Virtual Family Camp User Guide

Welcome! We are so pleased that you have decided to join us for our first Virtual Family Camp (VFC). Our theme is “Give Me This Mountain.” Set some time aside to celebrate the gift of family and the hope we have in God and His promises.

We have provided a written guide, devotional videos, a memory verse song, book reviews, teaching, and a game show! There is no set timetable, so make use of each of these however they best fit in your family’s life, as best suits the ages and stages of your children.

Our suggestion would be:

  1. Download and print the VFC Booklet material for the day (2 pages for each day).

  2. Watch the devotional video for the day, pausing it where suggested to have family interaction.

  3. Augment the devotional video with the scripture, puzzle, and discussion questions provided in the written booklet material.

  4. Use the additional videos: the VFC memory verse song, The Butterfly Song, Virginia’s book review, our “Marriage Minutes” teaching, and Pastor Tim’s teaching—plus the picture slides—as desired to round out your day “at camp.”

We recommend that you start at the Virtual Family Camp Home page, www.himweb.org/VFC. Here you will find an introductory welcome video by Paul Friesen, followed by links to each of the six days of camp, from which you will have access to all the above mentioned resources. Listed below is a fuller description of each resource. May God give you rich times together as a family!

Downloadable VFC Booklet

We have provided a complete, ready-to-print Virtual Family Camp booklet.  If you prefer, you can use this as a “stand alone” guide for leading your family through the lessons. Please have this booklet at the ready each day to direct your time together.

Daily Devotions

Paul Friesen leads a video devotion each day, joined by his grandchildren for the object lesson. These videos are not as complete as the VFC Booklet, so we recommend that you augment the video devotions with the material in the VFC Booklet.

DAILY Book Reviews

Camp wouldn’t be camp without Virginia’s book reviews! In these video book reviews she suggests great books that we have found helpful in our walk with the Lord and each other.

Daily “Marriage Minutes”

Paul and Virginia speak together to bring couples a brief but encouraging word for their marriages.

The Verse Song

Thanks to music by Jacob and Whitney Kovacs with hand motions by Shelby Dreves, you can sing along and do the hand motions to the VFC theme verses, Philippians 4:12–13. It’s a very cool way to memorize scripture!

The Butterfly Song

Thanks to the Nichols family of Ventura, CA, for their recording of the Butterfly Song from last summer’s family camp at Ojai/Forest Home. Sing along and do the motions!

Verse Cards

You may download and print our VFC theme verses on a large sheet or 8-up pocket size and use them throughout the week to help you memorize Philippians 4:12-13. We suggest saying the verses together as a family at each meal.

Game Show

Yes, we even have a game show! Join Papa Paul and Mama Virg as they host the PanAmericanDemic Games. Each game is demonstrated by our fun family, The Bachmans, from Gilroy, CA. You can play one game per day or have a “game day” and play all six together—your choice.

Messages by our Guest Speaker, Tim Theule

Pastor Tim Theule, lead pastor of Grace Central Coast, presents a series of messages based on the Psalms offered specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer Sheet for puzzles

Puzzles solutions are provided in case you found that any of them were just too hard.

Picture Storybook

To help younger children visualize the story of Caleb and the spies, you can follow along using this digital picture storybook, thanks to freebibleimages.org.

Family Camp Tee-Shirts

We have a limited number of VFC tee-shirts left. Order yours now to commemorate this unusual summer!

Make it your family camp: Mix and match, watch all at once, or pace yourself through the week, it’s totally up to you. Just enjoy being together and learning more about this wonderful true story and about the God who loves us very much and wants the very best for us.