Camp Nostalgia

This week Jackson & I joined daddy at Camp Willow Run, where he is the middle school speaker this week. CWR is where I worked three summers during and after college. It is where the greatest summers of my life were spent. And, it is where Mike and I met - but didn't start dating until a year or so later. Mike has been a speaker here for many years, and every year I look forward to that week. It's great to see old friends, eat GREAT food that I don't have to cook or clean up after, spend time on the lake, and get a little rest here and there. See some pictures I have taken on Jackson's blog.

Besides being the place where I met my wonderful husband, camp left a huge impression on me as it was the place where I grew significantly in my walk with God. The staff was all really godly individuals and we met together daily for prayer, worship, accountability and Bible Study. It was at camp that I first grew passionate about memorizing Scripture.

And, it was at camp where I first understood how God's strength is made perfect through my weakness. You see, as a camp counselor of a boxcar (yea, I said boxcar - the camp uses renovated train boxcars as cabins), I basically had to be "on" 22-23 hours a day for a group of 10 girls. During the day, I usually worked with the high ropes course or on the ski boats. Very draining physically -- especially by the last weeks of camp. And there was the spiritual exhaustion... Although there were guest speakers that would come to teach, counselors still used as much time as they could to instill foundations of faith with their campers. I loved my time with those campers. I remember one morning, I woke up an hour before the girls (the only good time to spend with the Lord). As I sat on the front steps of my boxcar, I felt crazy tired - more exhausted than I have ever been in my whole life. I did not even have the energy to open my Bible. I prayed to God to give me the strength to even walk back in and wake up those girls. I told God I just couldn't do it, I had nothing left. If I was going to be a light to those girls that day, HE was going to have to do it because I had nothing left. And He did.... I remember that day very clearly. Within a few minutes I was singing to the girls and having fun. I had tremendous energy during field games. Unexplainable patience, bubbliness (is that a word?) and joy. And, God gave me incredible one-on-one time with several of the girls that day… and 4 accepted Jesus as their Savior that very night. God’s power had room to work in my weakness. I can honestly say that it was NOTHING of myself.

I think the reason why so many of us camp alumni have kept in touch is because we endured such hard, and yet beautiful times together. We had front row seats to watch God’s hand work in mighty ways… so many children and teenagers came to know their Savior.

The camp hymn, “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” is a perfect reflection of Camp Willow Run. The first line goes "There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place. And, I know that it's the presence of the Lord". Staffers and campers have often reflected on how they can feel God's presence as soon as they drive down the winding little road into camp. This was true for me over 11 years ago as a 19 year-old counselor, and it is certainly still true for me this week.