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by Rob Reardon, Captain –
Youth assemble before enjoying outdoor activities at camp. |
In the Northwest Division, there are three camps that strive to help children experience God’s love: Camp Lummi—west of Bellingham, Wash., on Lummi Island in the Puget Sound; Camp Gifford—north of Spokane, Wash., and Camp Arnold—east of Tacoma, Wash., open their gates each summer to hundreds of children from Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana.
This past summer, over 1,500 children experienced the majesty of God’s creation. Counseling and program staff are trained to minister to the children through recreation, education and good, old-fashioned evangelism. The prayer for each child is that despite what familial situation the child leaves behind, she won’t return with the same view on life as she knows it. Relationships are formed that emphasize love and acceptance, and are demonstrated through the seemingly untiring attention given to the children by the camp staff.
Success is measured not only by returning a happy camper to his parents, but by witnessing that camper make a decision to come to know Christ during the week.
Seeing campers return year after year, and then accepting some as summer camp staff testifies to the solid grounding in the Word that occurs during the time spent at camp.
