Three more weeks until Zenith, the summer camp for high schoolers that I’ve been doing for 13 years. I love this camp! It’s a part of me.
I started volunteering at this camp while I was a college student, before I met Benny, and before I ever thought about doing youth ministry. I have watched it evolve over the years as youth ministers came and went, the location was moved, my husband got involved, and my responsibilities changed. I have seen hundreds of teens give their lives to the Lord, and hundreds recommit themselves to walking the walk. I have made friends with men and women that have had such a monumental impact on my life, whether they know it or not. I have agonized over some of the circumstances the teens have shown up at camp with, and counseled many girls about their worth as daughters of the King. I have cried as I saw men of faith fall to temptation and lose their ministries and their families because of it. I have suffered the loss of a woman I loved and worked under, the one who first brought me to this camp. Eight years ago she took her own life one month before camp. I have rejoiced with a man that had struggled in ministry finally being a part of a congregation that loved on him and his family. I have learned so many new songs and offered up so many prayers for the safety and growth of everyone who attends. I have learned valuable lessons from the most organized and detail-oriented man I know. He’d laugh if I ever called him a mentor. I have invited many friends to join me in this servant adventure, and I look forward to the day my children will experience this camp. I hope that I’ve loved and encouraged along the way as I have been by my brothers and sisters that are involved with this camp. May God meet us there once again this year!
As Nicole Nordeman says,
I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me
Did I choose to love
Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy.
I won’t laugh upon hearing you think of me as the most organized and detailed-oriented man you know…hahaha — that’s a real laugh! Going over to Mac is always an experience in learning something new in organization and planning, from his office to programs; a true blessing as well as something to give him a hard time about.
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Wow, what experiences! My boy is going to Christian camp for the first time this month. I hope it’s a life changing experience for him too.
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🙂 You crack me up Adam! You fit better into the monumental impact category. So glad we’re friends! See you at Zenith!
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