Summer is Coming

Everyone counts down the days till summer. Till sunshine, beaches, vacations, family time, relaxation...

It's a little different for us. When you work at a youth camp, you still count down the days for sure, but for different reasons. It's our busy season. Actually, busy doesn't even begin to describe it...with over 7,000 people coming to camp this summer, it's our insane season. 

With it comes a mixture of excitement and stress. Our quiet camp slowly starts to buzz and sizzle with preparations, new staff, and so much anticipation...

...so much opportunity. Lives are truly changed here, and we are so fortunate to be a part of it. Hundreds of kids find Jesus here! And for those of you who don't share our faith, know that thousands of kids are immersed in the beautiful outdoors with no cell phones, video games, iPods, you name it. And they play...they play hard. 

For some of them, camp is a refuge. A week away from the chaos their homes may offer. A safe place to talk to grown ups they trust. 

Camp is awesome! 

Swimming, paintball, kayaking, mountain biking, rock walls and zip lines, basketball, games you've never heard of, obstacle courses, high ropes challenges...wishing you were 12 again?

(And yes, these pictures are from our camp...)

My kids love it. They aren't old enough to be campers yet, and they actually have no idea what paintball even is. But they love riding around on golf carts, playing with our summer staff, going to sessions and dancing to the music, and picking which of their two pools they want to swim in. They love the excitement. 

The only downside is how much we all miss Chris. He works super long days and his schedule is crazy. He works so hard to make the experience our campers have the very best possible. 

We miss him, but we're proud of him, too. With the days counting down, we're making the most of these last few weekends together. We're visiting friends, meeting Chris' mom (more on that soon!), camping, and whatever else we can think of. So for those of you on IG and Facebook, consider yourselves warned...the pics will be flowing!!