Austin M.

"My first year was probably the best because it was something new. That year two kids from my corps and also myself caught the giant turtle in the middle of the lake. But the best part of that camp was probably the campfire. Everyone around didn't seem to care about all of us, but they really did. When I got back home the first thing I did was talk about my experience there that night and encouraged the other kids to go."

Angie O.

"I remember when I was a camp counselor, I had a wonderful talk with my girls (they were maybe in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade). It was after lights out and we were technically supposed to be sleeping when some of the girls started talking to me about Jesus being crucified. At one point in the conversation, one of the girls asked me 'Why was God sad about Jesus dying if He knew Jesus was going to rise fromt eh dead three days later?' It took me a little bit to think of an answer, but I truly think God provided it to me.

I told the girls, 'think about when a family member passes away. You know the family member is a Christian so you know you will see them in heaven again someday, but you are still sad that they died. It was like that for God. Even though He knew he was going to see His son again, He had to be separated from Him, which made him sad.'

I heard a chorus of 'Ohh!!' around the room as a light bulb turned on in their heads. That moment was an 'Ah ha!' moment for me as well. At that time, I realized that hearing (or seeing) that light bulb of understanding turn on in a child's mind was an invigorating experience. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but that moment solidified it in my mind about tenfold. That moment really showed me how God can be with you for even the simplest things and how He can use anything to show you what His calling is for you."

James S.

"When I was eight or nine, we had an altar call the last night of camp and over half the camp went up. I was sitting in my seat praying when I looked up over the crowd and saw a light shining down on all of the people. Now this light hadn't been there before and after a couple seconds, it went away. To this day I still say it was the Holy Spirit, and that's the night I gave myself to the Lord."

Noelle A.

"It was my second youth councils and I was married to my husband. The Lord spoke to me that day. He told me that when I got home to make sure I checked with a clinic before doing something as stupid as playing paint ball. Yes, I played paintball, which I might add is pretty fun. Well when I went back home, I went tot he clinic and got a pregnancy test done. Sure enough, I was three months along. I couldn't believe it. I had played paintball against what the Lord had told me. I guess what I am trying to say is that when the Lord is speaking, we are not listening. Now I listen to what the Lord has to say and I enjoy going to camp when I can."

Theresa S.

"I loved Camp Elm, where you really felt like you were in teh wilderness. The bathrooms were in a separate building from the cabins. The cabins consisted of a screen front porch with 4 and 2 rooms with beds. There was only electricity, no heater, no air conditioning and when it rained the people on the front porch (usually the 'cooler' kids) got all their stuff wet.

For meetings we met in an open pavilion. One summer it was storming and we all rallied in the pavilion. A tornado went over our heads. The teenagers were trying to comfort the little ones, when lightening hit a tree about 30 feet away from where we were. The problem was us teenagers were just as scared, only we had to be brave for the younger ones. God definitely took care of us that day."

Arie W.

"Camp has been so great to me, I don't even know where to begin! Oh I know the best part was when I go to finally get to go on the ropes course. I've been waiting for that opportunity for about 10 years. I think that's how long I'd been going there. But as soon as I got up there and hooked in, I wanted to get down. I think it was you (Deena), and Christian that talked me through the whole thing and not only did that help me then, it still helps me today because I keep remembering how supportive you guys were and I thank you so much for that!"

Larry C.

"Camp has been a part of my life for the past 14 years. I was a camper, then on staff. I've always enjoyed going to camp, it was one of my highlights of the summer as a kid. Having cool counselors was awesome because I looked up to them as leaders. Being on staff was a blast. I worked at Hidden Falls Camp for 6 summers and it was great making an impact on the lives of the campers. I know I brought a smile to the faces of many seeing them year after year.

Seeing the same campers grow up was exciting; just to hear what they had done the past year. I spent one week as a counselor and it is a week I will never forget. Most of the time I was 'behind the scenes' working on maintenance but it was an awesome job because I could interact with the campers and keep the grounds looking wonderful. I remember working at the Tuesday night campfires, serving the kids hot dogs and seeing their faces. One summer I made it a point to say good morning to everyone I could every morning.

I could keep going on as I have many stories from camp, but I will finish with one story.

The week I was a counselor, I grew more than any other week or summer. Being the leader of the cabin was an experience. I had my 'battles' that every counselor has, but at the end of the week I knew I had made an impact. On the last night, decision night, chapel, my entire cabin went up to make a decision for Christ. Some of them went to re-dedicate, and three made the decision for the first time. It was an awesome feeling knowing that I had the influence and the model to show what it was they were missing in life. Those three were my 'bad' campers, the tough guys. By the end of the night they were craying and I could tell there was a change. When I saw one of the them the following year, he thanked me for the difference I had made."