What an awesome summer we had, full of God's goodness and provision! We had over 700 campers and over 85% of them came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We ran 7 weeks of Kids' Camp (8-12 yr olds), 5 weeks of Crossroads Teen Camp (13-15 yr olds), 2 sessions of Mini Camp (6-7 yr olds), and 2 weeks of C.I.T. camp (teen campers who get invited back for an extra week of leadership training and intentional discipleship).
Our spring prayers were answered and we had the guy counselors we needed to run all of our camp programs! So THANK YOU SO MUCH for praying; God is good and He always provides.
Look at all the staff we had the blessing of working with this year who were all once campers in our programs! Praise Jesus! Mentoring our campers and seeing them follow Jesus with their lives is one of the reasons I do what I do.
Pictured below are my Summer Leadership Staff, my head counselors. They oversaw the day-to-day programming of all of our camp programs. Without their dedication and intentional leadership, our summer would not have the been the same. Abel, Ethan, Seth, Allie, Lydia, and Julie--you six are my heros. THANK YOU for loving Jesus and your peers in a life-changing way!
Our summer staff was a bit leaner this year, which meant that I filled in a few roles that I do not normally have the opportunity to do. I spent most Mondays and Tuesdays teaching swim lessons in the pool. I never realized the level of trust you can build with a camper as you teach them how to swim. And how often a week a child would shout "Watch me, Miss Elle!!" as I passed by the pool area. They would then proudly showcase their swimming skills. It made the extra work worth every second.
As Program Director, I spent part of my spring creating the summer theme, Walk by the Spirit, based out of Galatians 5:16. "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." We used the movie Inside Out to showcase our emotions when they are not controlled by the Spirit. Our skit followed a little girl being bullied at school and her emotional reactions before and after deciding to follow Christ. We told children to WALK when they encounter a situation where their emotions are raging. Wait, Ask the Lord what to do, Look in God's Word, and you'll Know better how to handle the situation. Pictured on the LEFT is the cast of characters from our skits and on the RIGHT are some of the staff dressed up as characters to greet our campers the first night they arrive.
We had a lot of full time staff transition this Spring, including some unexpected ones. We knew that two of our staff were moving on due to opportunities that matched their skill sets and we were so excited about sending them off. We also had one staff member leave unexpectedly, which really affected the team. Along with that, it is always bittersweet to see summer staff move on to other opportunities. In the picture below, you can see me hugging Emily (the blonde) and Rachy (with a headband). We were praying together to send Rachy off to a summer in upstate New York serving Jesus at a Young Life camp. In so many ways, Emily's presence this summer was a God-send. She stepped into the gaps and kept me sane. She is stepping into a full time role here at camp and I could not be more ecstatic to work with such a sister in Christ and a dear dear friend.
I just had to include this picture because it shows my famous "teacher face" This was during one of my teaching times with our Mini campers (6-7 year olds who come for only half a week). It was my honor and privilege to plan and help run both Mini Camp sessions this year. It brought me back to my Kindergarten teaching days. We went on nature hikes, had a picnic, played games, crafted, swam, and told the modern story of the Prodigal Son at bedtime. I loved it!
One of my favorite things about camp are the moments I chose people OVER tasks. Camp has taught me that lesson again and again. In the moments when I am tempted to be task driven and caught up in "making things happen", the Lord stops me in my tracks and says "See my children? This is why you're here!" And when I choose to play and bury a child in the sand or let another child "fix my hair", I am reminded by their faces why I am here and why I spend so many hours planning and training and preparing. I am here to show them Jesus loves them in such a way that they respond and follow Him with their lives. While my interaction with these precious children is limited in my leadership role, I always thank the Lord for the times when I listen to Him and stop to play.
FUN BUILDS A BRIDGE TO THE HEART OF A KID.
I could not ask for a better place to spend my birthday either. Am I really 30 years old?!? None of the children believed me and they all thought I was lying. I supposed I should feel flattered.
The community that we built among the female staff this summer was such an incredibly blessing. There was none of the gossip and backbiting that we can so often find in the world of females (without Christ hopefully). I am so proud of every single one of them and the choice they made daily to lay their lives down for Jesus and these kids. No one is perfect, but these ladies poured themselves out for the joy of the gospel. And we had a lot of fun doing it together!
Please pray.
I know it's early, but we have another summer season ahead of us in less than 39 weeks. Please pray that the Lord would provide young people who are passionate about Jesus, and seeing other young people follow Him with their lives.
As I enter this fall season, I have our Story Harvest Celebration to look forward to and our Light of the City season. Check out our website for more information: www.pinevalleycamp.org.
We ask our campers to write a letter to God and fill out a survey to let us know what they think about camp. I thought I would share a letter with you and then a few answers from the surveys.
A window into one of our camper's lives...
Dear God,
Help me be the girl I used to be who was joyful and always smiled. Let me laugh again and feel real happiness. I pray that you'll help me at my dad's and that you'll guide me through this rough part in life. Help me gather more faith in you as I am doubting. I will push all of my worries on you and trust you'll guide me God. Help protect my mother, please make sure she'll be safe while I am gone (at Pine Valley). In summary help me live again God. Let me feel alive.
Sincerely,
A girl camper
What did you like the best about Pine Valley counselors and/or crew?
they make shore that we don't get hurt
they had a positive outlook at all times and their enthusiasm for God made me want to have that
when they have a smile on their face
they don't yell at us
they are nice and have the Spirit in them
they're fun and they care about me
always got your back
treat you like family
dedicated
encourage me to never stop/give up
fun and silly
their eagerness and caringness
they're hyperactive
they believe in me
What did you get to do or learn for the first time at camp?
I got to change my attitude with people.
conquering fear
I learned about how much Jesus and God loves me
kanooing!!
having a campfire and worship
SWIM!
how to be a little more open
I learned about my counselors and their stories
I got to do 7 twists down the waterslide!
I learned about Jesus