Our First Bible Camp Overnight

Campfire worship Sunday night

Natalie and I just returned from our first overnight Bible camp trip. We're exhausted, covered in mosquito bites, nice and brown, and filled with the joy that comes only from spending two days in the woods praising God.

Amen!

 Outdoor chapel worship Monday morning

 Our camp setting, so peaceful

We attended Camp Emmaus, run by Pathways, in Menahga, Minn. We attended a day camp there last summer with our church and both loved it, so it was a natural next step to try an overnight. Just this year they added a program for little kids which allowed them to bring a parent with, to make it an even easier transition to camp. What a great idea! (And especially fun since it was a first for both of us. I never attended Bible camp as a child, but grew up with language camp experiences.)

 

Cabin Life

Coloring with Sammy

We stayed in cabin Life with our counselor, Sammy, and four other pairs of moms and daughters. We sang camp songs, attended worship, played games in the fields, crafted near the Bug House, ate delicious meals while yelling "One dry well!" and swam in the lake. The weather was perfectly hot and sunny, the counselors were so inclusive and warm, and the energy was contagious. A middle school camp was taking place at the same time, so there was always something going on.

I could have used a better night sleep (that seemed to be a common parent theme) and a strong cup of coffee right away in the morning (I got one by 11:30!), but otherwise it was an incredibly amazing experience.

 

Closing worship

Swimming!

Natalie had so much fun she teared up as we were leaving. "I don't want to go," she whispered sadly as we drove away. I told her I completely understood and that sad feeling means we'll be back. Missing it means she had a wonderful, special time and we'll make it a priority to get back again.

 Sammy and Natalie

She won't have to ask me twice.

P.S. Check out the great photos on the Pathways blog.