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| The Benefits of Christian Camping | Testimonials |
The Benefits of Christian Camping
Signing your child up for a summer camp week or a weekend retreat at Camp Joy El is a very good idea! Child development professionals believe that attending camp helps kids to mature socially, emotionally, intellectually, morally and physically. This belief is supported by a study on youth development done by the American Camp Association.
Additionally, Christian camps add a focus for the spiritual aspect of a child’s life. Attending a Christian camp encourages spiritual growth, a dynamic many families believe is missing in the lives of today’s generation of youth.
Camp Joy El seeks to help children strengthen and grow their character. We make Biblical values the foundation of all of our programming.
Here are some basic benefits your child will experience from a week of summer or from a weekend retreat at Camp Joy El:
- Total involvement—The spiritual, physical, social and sensory are activated uniquely and simultaneously in our wholesome, Bible-centered camping environment.
- Outdoor learning—Through interactive experiences with the natural world a sense of wonder and a desire for environmental stewardship of God’s world are developed.
- Growth experiences—A healthy self-confidence, independence, and desire for learning is fostered through new and challenging activities.
- Relationship building—Opportunities to form new relationships with peers and camping staff abound, while gaining understanding of the give-and-take of community living.
- Memory making—Great memories are created from out-of-the-ordinary experiences of weather, scenery, campfires, physical exertion, success and failure, conversations, Bible studies, and good-ole-fashioned fun.
Here are some testimonies from summer counselors of ways they've seen God impact their campers (perhaps your child) this summer (2008):
- "Last week, one of my girls didn’t want to be here and she wouldn’t talk and you could tell that she was always upset and mad. But this week she seems excited to be here and it's been a turnaround from last week. It’s just exciting to see how God changed her attitude towards being here."
- "This week everyone was loving on and supporting Emily, a camper with Down Syndrome. I really saw a lot of campers loving on Emily and everyone seemed to want to become her friend, which was amazing!"
- "Six out of 8 of my campers began a relationship with Christ. One of them was named Micah. He was very quiet at the beginning of the week and did not want to do anything. The only thing I heard from him was ' this is boring' or 'it's hot.' I decided to have a one-on-one (mentoring time) with him. During the one-on-one I asked him if he knew what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus. He prayed to begin a relationship with Jesus and after that he was like a whole new kid. He was excited about everything--especially Bible study and verse memorization. He was a better listener and now is excited to learn about God."
- "I saw God work in a variety of ways throughout this week. One way was through verse memorization. One of my campers, Alex, had his verse of the day memorized by the time he came in the door for registration and he was so excited to tell our Day Camp Coordinator. He memorized all the verses for the week. I noticed throughout the week that David got more excited to read the Bible during our Bible studies. Everyone in my group paid attention to the questions in the Bible study, which I thought was great! Even Jesse, who was two years younger than all my other campers was excited to memorize verses."
- "One girl, we'll call her Amy, wasn't interested at all in a relationship with Jesus when the week first started. Her heart was so hard. But by mid-week, her heart had softened and she opened up to me. She had an abusive father and never understood how everything happens for a reason, how God uses everything for good. When she heard that God loved her, she couldn't grasp what that meant, until she experienced that love through the other girls in her cabin. Amy began a relationship with Jesus before she went home and she's excited to be going home to share about Jesus with her family."
- "My campers were scheduled to go up the climbing tower, and one of my girls confessed that she was a little afraid of heights. She told me she knew God was able to take away her fear, so she was excited to try it. She struggled at first as she began her climb, but the other girls and myself encouraged her. As she neared the top, we could tell she was getting tired and more afraid. I asked her who could take away her fear and she said, 'God.' After a few minutes of encouraging her and reminding her to ask God for courage and strength, she stepped up on the next ledge and pushed the whole way to the top and kissed the top of the wall. Every girl in the cabin was yelling and cheering for her. Encouragement only goes so far. At some point the person being encouraged must gather courage and act on it. It was great to see this camper choose to put her faith and find her strength in Christ as she climbed the tower. Later, she told me that she had been praying the whole time she climbed, and when at the top, she said, 'It was like I had a third arm...God's third arm gave me that extra boost to the top.'"
(Note: Names of children have been changed for their privacy and protection.)
Ready to give Christian camping a try? Camp Joy El offers the following options: