A reflection written from camp on July 19th.

Grace and peace from God, our Father. . . . and greetings from CAMP!

As I sit here writing this the sun is shining down on the lake and I am relaxing under the shade of a tree.  The occasional leaf flutters down from the tree above me, as if taunting me with the reminder that fall is not too far off.  I can hear the light din of campers playing a game is in the background and I can smell dinner cooking off in the distance.  Ah, summer camp.

Tonight our campers will once again hear cool older counselors talk about how God has changed their lives and sing songs of praise at the top of their lungs.  At camp, kids watch skits, play games, meet new friends, swim, throw counselors in the lake, sleep in tents, forget to shower, eat too much sugar, read the Bible, and grow closer to other Christians and grow closer to God.  It is easy to see God at camp: in creation, in camper’s voices, in the love given by counselors, and in the massive amount of fun that is happening around camp.  May God Bless summer camp and all it has to offer.

It’s hard to believe that the summer is over half over!  And what a summer it has been so far!  Kids and Youth this summer have participated in the annual garage sale, VBS, summer stretch, mission trips, camp, musical camp, summer dojo, and more.  To see photos of these adventures and more, be sure to “like” the Grace Lutheran Youth Facebook page!  And please continue to pray as we head into the second half of summer where there is even more to come!

On behalf of Tom Baker, the pastoral staff, the youth and myself, we give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who help make summer stretch, camp, mission trips, and other youth activities happen this summer.  Parents, grandparents, adult leaders, drivers, and those of you who contributed by sending money, and most importantly, by sending prayers:  THANK YOU.  This summer is one that many kids at Grace will not soon forget.

Now if you will excuse me, the camp bell just rang for dinner!  Rumor has it we are having tacos, and I defiantly don’t want to miss that!