Love letter to camp...
Week Three: Longing for Change
This year many of our summer camping programs faced creative, spiritual and financial challenges. For many young people, camp is a significant part of their faith journey and relationships. Ministries Across Generations wanted to share importance of camp and support (financially and spiritually) the places where many people feel God's presence most.
To donate to today's camp: Christian Conference Center, Upper Midwest Region
To whom it may concern,
I was asked to write a letter on why Christian Conference Center church camp was an important part of my life and why I enjoy spending time on Holy Ground. There are so many reasons, but I will narrow them down to a one page letter.
First of all, I grew up in the Disciple of Christ church and going to camp was a fun way to extend my sunday school teachings with kids from all over Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. Most of the time it was just Iowa kids, since the camp is located in central Iowa. As a young adult, I was able to grow closer to God and enjoy his creation. I was able to unplug and just relax. As an adult, I am humbled that God allows me to come and share my love of Him and my knowledge of the Bible with young kids and young adults.
I have always been a shy child and not really one to open up to people unless I knew them well. Church camp changed this for me. I was able to share my thoughts and feelings and make lots of friends. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself, with no judgement. Camp probably is the reason I am a high school teacher, sunday school teacher, Elder and leader. I love my church and Holy Ground.
Each time I set foot on Holy Ground, everything else goes away. My stress, my problems, my professional life. It is a place that I go to recharge and get back to God and His purpose. Life gets busy and gets in the way of God and being on Holy Ground gets me to focus back on God.
I love sharing the camp experience with the kids and youth of my church. There’s no better feeling than when I am talking about my camp and counselor experiences. When I am having a bad day, I make myself think of camp and I go and find the pictures and videos and it helps make the bad day go away.
This year, due to the terrible virus, COVID -19, camp was cancelled. This made my heart sink. It was another victim to the virus ( school, Easter, in person worship, my birthday). I prayed to God and asked why- of course He didn’t answer me the way I wanted, but He did answer. ADAM camp was able to be attended virtually, camp crates were created with you tube videos to do the activities with the interns, volunteer time was changed to packing and working instead of counseling. I was able to enjoy Holy Ground by helping trim trees, pack camp crates and paint fence pickets this summer and it made my summer! God is still here and I was able to recharge at our beautiful campus. I was able to have a piece of normal in this not normal world.
Holy Ground is where I found a stronger relationship with God. It is where I found life long friends. It is where I continue to share my love of God with others. It is where I grew up, where my oldest kids grew up and where my youngest is growing up.
As an adult, I still look up at the starry sky at night and sing to myself, Starry, Starry Night, which is what my CYF director always sang to us at night. I look at the field in Chi- Rho country, where the retreat house is and remember the Friday night sleep out under the stars there. I walk the trails and remember the old cabins and the fun I had there. I go to picnic grove and remember the cow games course. I remember and pray for all of the friends I made there and the friends I work with there now. I look at our new lake and remember all of the work that the Jerry and Linda Wolf have done at camp to make it a great place to be. I walk into the new cabins and can feel the prayers of those whose names are on the studs of the walls, who prayed for the future campers and built the cabins. I see all that CCC does for the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and the world.
This is why I love Holy Ground and will always be a supporter of it!
God Bless All of Us!
Love and blessings,
Heather Hayes
Burlington, Iowa
Scripture Week Three: (From InsideOut, This is Our Prayer)
Numbers 27:1–11
Zelophehad was from the Manasseh tribe, and he had five daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
One day his daughters went to the sacred tent, where they met with Moses, Eleazar, and some other leaders of Israel, as well as a large crowd of Israelites. The young women said: You know that our father died in the desert. But it was for something he did wrong, not for joining with Korah in rebelling against the Lord. Our father left no sons to carry on his family name. But why should his name die out for that reason? Give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan, so our father’s name can live on.
To donate to today's camp: Christian Conference Center, Upper Midwest Region
I was asked to write a letter on why Christian Conference Center church camp was an important part of my life and why I enjoy spending time on Holy Ground. There are so many reasons, but I will narrow them down to a one page letter.
First of all, I grew up in the Disciple of Christ church and going to camp was a fun way to extend my sunday school teachings with kids from all over Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. Most of the time it was just Iowa kids, since the camp is located in central Iowa. As a young adult, I was able to grow closer to God and enjoy his creation. I was able to unplug and just relax. As an adult, I am humbled that God allows me to come and share my love of Him and my knowledge of the Bible with young kids and young adults.
I have always been a shy child and not really one to open up to people unless I knew them well. Church camp changed this for me. I was able to share my thoughts and feelings and make lots of friends. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself, with no judgement. Camp probably is the reason I am a high school teacher, sunday school teacher, Elder and leader. I love my church and Holy Ground.
Each time I set foot on Holy Ground, everything else goes away. My stress, my problems, my professional life. It is a place that I go to recharge and get back to God and His purpose. Life gets busy and gets in the way of God and being on Holy Ground gets me to focus back on God.
I love sharing the camp experience with the kids and youth of my church. There’s no better feeling than when I am talking about my camp and counselor experiences. When I am having a bad day, I make myself think of camp and I go and find the pictures and videos and it helps make the bad day go away.
This year, due to the terrible virus, COVID -19, camp was cancelled. This made my heart sink. It was another victim to the virus ( school, Easter, in person worship, my birthday). I prayed to God and asked why- of course He didn’t answer me the way I wanted, but He did answer. ADAM camp was able to be attended virtually, camp crates were created with you tube videos to do the activities with the interns, volunteer time was changed to packing and working instead of counseling. I was able to enjoy Holy Ground by helping trim trees, pack camp crates and paint fence pickets this summer and it made my summer! God is still here and I was able to recharge at our beautiful campus. I was able to have a piece of normal in this not normal world.
Holy Ground is where I found a stronger relationship with God. It is where I found life long friends. It is where I continue to share my love of God with others. It is where I grew up, where my oldest kids grew up and where my youngest is growing up.
As an adult, I still look up at the starry sky at night and sing to myself, Starry, Starry Night, which is what my CYF director always sang to us at night. I look at the field in Chi- Rho country, where the retreat house is and remember the Friday night sleep out under the stars there. I walk the trails and remember the old cabins and the fun I had there. I go to picnic grove and remember the cow games course. I remember and pray for all of the friends I made there and the friends I work with there now. I look at our new lake and remember all of the work that the Jerry and Linda Wolf have done at camp to make it a great place to be. I walk into the new cabins and can feel the prayers of those whose names are on the studs of the walls, who prayed for the future campers and built the cabins. I see all that CCC does for the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and the world.
This is why I love Holy Ground and will always be a supporter of it!
God Bless All of Us!
Love and blessings,
Heather Hayes
Burlington, Iowa
Scripture Week Three: (From InsideOut, This is Our Prayer)
Numbers 27:1–11
Zelophehad was from the Manasseh tribe, and he had five daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
One day his daughters went to the sacred tent, where they met with Moses, Eleazar, and some other leaders of Israel, as well as a large crowd of Israelites. The young women said: You know that our father died in the desert. But it was for something he did wrong, not for joining with Korah in rebelling against the Lord. Our father left no sons to carry on his family name. But why should his name die out for that reason? Give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan, so our father’s name can live on.
Moses asked the Lord what should be done, and the Lord answered: Zelophehad’s daughters are right. They should each be given part of the land their father would have received. Tell the Israelites that when a man dies without a son, his daughter will inherit his land. If he has no daughter, his brothers will inherit the land. But if he has no brothers, his father’s brothers will inherit the land. And if his father has no brothers, the land must be given to his nearest relative in the clan. This is my law, and the Israelites must obey it.
SOMETHING FUN
SOMETHING FUN
Weekly Scriptures
Read the weekly scripture each day. Find a phrase or word that speaks to you. Share your reflections with others over dinner, social media, and in prayer. Share the scripture with a child you know in the car, through a text, or in a children's Bible.
Read the weekly scripture each day. Find a phrase or word that speaks to you. Share your reflections with others over dinner, social media, and in prayer. Share the scripture with a child you know in the car, through a text, or in a children's Bible.
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