Bible Camp in Wisconsin

As the bus bumped along across the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, I listened to the 4^th grader who shared my seat.  “I’ve never been to Wisconsin before,” she said with wide eyes.  She paused and thought for a while.  “I've never been star-gazing before.”  Another pause.   “I've never swam in a lake before.  I've never been in a boat before.  I've never sat around a campfire before.”  I smiled, excited about the experience she was about to have at her first time at camp.  Looking back at the twenty-some other kids on the bus, I wondered how many of them were about to see and experience God’s creation in ways they never had before.  I also prayed that as they got away from their everyday life in the city—and as many of them left difficult home situations behind—they would encounter God in a new way.

This June will mark our third summer of taking a busload of students from Northeast Minneapolis to a camp 2 hours away near Danbury, WI.  This has been a grand project, involving a partnership between Living Hope Ministries and some servant-hearted youth groups from Wisconsin.  For me, a staff member of Living Hope, it is a great blessing to spend the week praying for the students, building relationships, and helping out where needed while trained high school students serve as counselors and program staff.  The kids have a blast and build memories that I hear about all year long.  More importantly, they get away from the stresses and distractions of home, giving us wonderful opportunities to share about Jesus to listening ears. 

One unique thing about this camp is that all of the kids come from the same place.  They build relationships that continue to build when they return home, and they are able to hold each other accountable to commitments they make at camp.  Our vision for this camp is that the spiritual growth and relationships that occur there will continue to have an effect in Minneapolis as we seek to build a strong Christian community and see lives transformed.

This summer, some of the funds from this fundraiser will supplement the generous funds of our partners in ministry from Merrill Bible church in Wisconsin.  Because of the generosity of so many, we will be able to charge a very low registration fee for the campers, many of whom come from low-income families.  We will also be able to offer a pay-what-you-can-afford policy to those who cannot manage the $25 cost. 

We will be taking a group of 2nd-8th graders to camp on June 19-22.  Please pray for the students and adults who are preparing to lead the camp, and pray that God will lead many students to attend and encounter Him there.