This week I’m celebrating the huge impact of Christian camping by asking a few of my friends to share stories and reflections of their life at camp. The following story is from Becky Daye. Becky and her husband Dave have been a part of our life forever. Kristen met Becky on the first day of freshmen orientation at Moody Bible Institute, I worked alongside Becky & Dave at Camp Timber-lee in the summer of 1996, Becky was a bridesmaid at our wedding in 1997, on and on. They now live in Rochester, New York where they pastor a local church. I highly recommend Becky’s blog, Daye by Daye.
We are the Reubens
And we are really groovin’
Our feet begin a movin’
So check out what we’re doin’
We’re the rootin’, tootin’ Reubens!!!
Nearly thirty years later and I still remember my team’s cheer from my first week of summer camp!
The memories are palpable- climbing a rocky slope to get to a campfire, scraping my legs on the side of the swimming pool, catching my first fish, laughing with friends, singing at the top of our lungs.
Camp was a magical place for me. My friends and I could barely sit still through the Sunday morning worship service. We would eat a quick lunch, load the cars and drive through the mountains. The signs for “our” camp were so tiny, but each one was an indicator of the fun that we were about to have.
This anticipation is still the same for me as an adult and one of my greatest joys in parenting has been the opportunity to see this same camp love growing in my children.
Because camp can and should be a life changing place. It is an opportunity to get away from the normal pressures of life. To take time to reflect. To be surrounded by people who love God. Who are passionate about Him. Who know the truth of God’s Word and find teachable moments.
My lifelong love of camp culminated in five summers of being a counselor. As I reflect on that time in my life when I was able to pour into the lives of hundreds of girls, I realize the privilege that this is.
Camp is the antithesis of apathy! There is an excitement and a joy of life at camp that cannot be fabricated. You can feel it in the air. You can hear it in the conversations. You can catch it in the teaching times, in the songs, through the prayers.
When you are surrounded by others who are falling more and more in love with Jesus, you want that for yourself. I wanted to know Jesus more as a result of my time at camp. I have watched as countless numbers of campers discovered this same desire in their own lives.
My daughter came home from her first week at camp and taught me “three blind jellyfish, sitting on a rock”. And then she told me all about Jesus! And how she wants to love Him more!
From the perspective of a camper, a counselor and a parent, I would say that camp is one of the best investments in the lives of children. And secretly? I wish I could be a camper again…
Full-disclosure: I’m not getting paid a red cent for this series. I’m doing this because I believe camp is an important element of ministering to children and teenagers in our country. I invite you to join me in donating $125 to CCCA’s Corners of the Fieldcampaign. It’s pretty simple. For every $125 given a kid can go to camp this summer.
Photo Credit: Liechtenstein Castle – Tony Bowden via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Leave a Reply