Almost Heaven...

that's what I think about church camp.

I love camp. I have loved camp since I was 9 years old and went to 4-H camp for the first time. I attended 4-H camps or church camps every summer until I finished high school.  I used to pack in the winter (in spite of my mother's pleading), because I was so excited about the idea of camp later in the year.  I would put the suitcase under my bed and dig the summer clothes out of it for months, until the camp date finally arrived.

It was at church camp when I was in junior high, that I decided to give my life to Christ. I understood for the first time that I was separated from a perfect and holy God, because I was born a sinner. I was shown in the Bible that we are all sinners and that Jesus paid for our sin, so that we can have eternal life in Heaven. His death on the cross bought me eternal life. It was around a campfire one night that I asked Him to be Lord of my life forever. No wonder I love camp. My life was changed forever while I was at camp almost 30 years ago.

Last year, I had the privilege of attending our church's camp with all four of my children. My two teenagers were counselors, my younger two were campers, and I was the craft lady/photographer. It was one of my favorite things to ever do.

Camp is a retreat for me.
I love worshipping together with a bunch of people every morning and evening. I love hearing a message from God's word twice a day. I love being encouraged to memorize scripture.
I love the deep relationships that are built within a few days, because we are all spending so much time together.
I love the fun of camp: games, crafts, parties, swimming, the crud war (see pic below), campfires, tie dye.

the crud war is a giant food fight--then everyone jumps in the lake to clean up:

This year we are returning to camp the first week of August, minus one teenage boy. Brandon is not going with us, because he just returned from a mission trip to Panama and has football starting soon. We will miss him, but he will help keep Byron and Mandie our dog company while we are gone.