Aug
18
2009
Summer 2009: Came and Went
Author: abradfordHey Camp Family!
My apologies for how long it has been since our last post. Summer came, and to be honest, it was’t on the forefront of my mind to update the blog. Next year I’ll have to keep it written on my hand so I can remember! Well, nonetheless, I thought I would write this morning and give everyone some info on what happened at Camp Hammer in the summer of 2009. It seems odd to put into words what happened this summer, only because it seems like there is no possible way that it is already over. I feel as though it must have been a dream becuase of how fast it came and went.
Well, I suppose I will begin at the….beginning. The staff arrived, and it was evident from day one that it was going to be an incredible summer. The summer staff of 2009 immediately clicked it seemed, and were all eager to learn what they would need to minister to young people over the following 8 weeks. Orientation flew by: camp names were given, games were learned, schedules memorized, and on sunday we patiently awaited our first group of campers. I would love to take time to describe each of the individual camps, but I fear some of them have blended into eachother in my head (this is the lesson I learned, and so next year we will blog weekly…ha!). We had campers ranging in age from 8 to 18. So many young people came to Camp Hammer this summer, and they had a blast to say the least. We laughed, played, sang, cried, lived, and loved together. With a tough economy, and plenty of financial hardship, it was absolutely incredible to see how faithful God was in bringing children to Camp Hammer. Over 200 campers receieved scholarships. That means that 200 children, who normally wouldn’t be able to afford a camp experience, were able to come here and enjoy what it means to be a child of God.
Along side our normal camps, our Apostle program was phenomenal this summer. We held 3 two week sessions for high schoolers wanting to grow in their faith. Over 80 campers took part in Apostle. Our Apostle students take a deeper look at the Bible and who Jesus is. This year they looked in depth into the book of Acts, learning about community and service. As mentioned in a previous blog, Camp Hammer had an opportunity this year to partner with a non-profit organization called Invisible Children (IC). IC came each week and worked to raise awareness for their cause. Our Apostle program worked most directly with IC, and were able to write letters to officials, discuss and pray for the children in Uganda, and they learned tagible ways to get involved and to be a part of the solution. It is a beautiful thing to see high schoolers step outside themselves and love one another regardless of circumstance or style. From team building and service work to seminars and small groups, Apostle was an amazing success this summer.
Well, in a very small nutshell that is the summer of 2009. Check out the pictures portion of our website in the next few weeks for some shots from this summer! Thank you to all who love and support Camp Hammer. This wouldn’t be the place it is if it weren’t for you.
Camp Hammer Staff.
Tags: 2009, camp, camp hammer, camper, hammer, invisible children, love, redwood, Summer
