Farewell Pine Hills
While I very well may return in some capacity to help out at camp, this was my last year as the Camp Director. I will miss being the Camp Director. God used the camp to bring healing to my life as I learned to give of myself over the years. I pray that God used the camp to bless the campers as much as He used it to bless me.
When I first started as Camp Director, the camp was more or less a boot camp that put on a cool prayer meeting. The emphasis of the camp was character development, which blessed and helped me tremendously as a boy raised by a single mom. As I started to wade through all the work that needed to be done to run the camp I prayed. I really felt God's hand leading me through it all. One of the things I felt God leading me to do was to re-prioritize the goals of the camp such that God was first, having fun was second, and character development was third. This was not an easy task. I was reluctant to make the changes given the strong traditions of the camp.
Many of the staff could not see that God wanted to do way more than toughen boys up and teach them self-discipline. God wanted to bring the boys to a deeper place in their faith, and to give them spiritual gifts that could be used to advance God's kingdom even when they weren't tough enough or self-disciplined enough. God wanted to set kids free from sin and from guilt even if they were not tough or self-disciplined. God wanted to empower the boys to find strength when their character failed them. I have never met a man who could depend upon his character in times of great trial. I've known weak men who excelled in times of great adversity when they trust in God their Father to give them strength. Some of the staff dragged their feet. Some of them silently dissented. Some of them complained behind my back. Little by little, they were either converted to doing camp God's way, or they did not return to camp for various reasons. While I missed those really good guys, camp was better served by guys who were open to doing camp the way God was leading us.
I have been most impressed by the staff's openness to God's leading during the past several years. We never totally disposed of character-building activities. They are still there. The difference is that God is preached and glorified each day instead of just one day. The boys learn to trust in God rather than in themselves. At the same time, they also learn that God wants to strengthen us and to discipline us, and if we allow God to do this in addition to leaning in to the Holy Spirit, they can do all things with God's strength. Our staff has been outstanding the past several years.
The Activities Directors over the past three years have been the best the camp has seen. They were tough when needed, but they have had a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and an eye for the needs of the boys that I have never seen until recently. This is a huge compliment because the camp has had excellent Activities Directors over the years.
The new Camp Director will be a great asset to the camp. He is imaginative, open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and humble. He will be very effective if he can build good relationships with the staff and the campers. I strongly suspect he will reach out and be very successful at getting to know everyone. He did an excellent job doing that this year. I am so blessed to know that camp will be in good hands.
This was by far my most favorite year of camp. I had so much fun with the campers and with the staff. I saw God move powerfully. This was the smoothest week of camp that I can remember. The boys seemed to have a great time. They seemed to open their hearts to God, and were blessed.
It was a great joy to end my service as Camp Director on a most positive note.
When I first started as Camp Director, the camp was more or less a boot camp that put on a cool prayer meeting. The emphasis of the camp was character development, which blessed and helped me tremendously as a boy raised by a single mom. As I started to wade through all the work that needed to be done to run the camp I prayed. I really felt God's hand leading me through it all. One of the things I felt God leading me to do was to re-prioritize the goals of the camp such that God was first, having fun was second, and character development was third. This was not an easy task. I was reluctant to make the changes given the strong traditions of the camp.
Many of the staff could not see that God wanted to do way more than toughen boys up and teach them self-discipline. God wanted to bring the boys to a deeper place in their faith, and to give them spiritual gifts that could be used to advance God's kingdom even when they weren't tough enough or self-disciplined enough. God wanted to set kids free from sin and from guilt even if they were not tough or self-disciplined. God wanted to empower the boys to find strength when their character failed them. I have never met a man who could depend upon his character in times of great trial. I've known weak men who excelled in times of great adversity when they trust in God their Father to give them strength. Some of the staff dragged their feet. Some of them silently dissented. Some of them complained behind my back. Little by little, they were either converted to doing camp God's way, or they did not return to camp for various reasons. While I missed those really good guys, camp was better served by guys who were open to doing camp the way God was leading us.
I have been most impressed by the staff's openness to God's leading during the past several years. We never totally disposed of character-building activities. They are still there. The difference is that God is preached and glorified each day instead of just one day. The boys learn to trust in God rather than in themselves. At the same time, they also learn that God wants to strengthen us and to discipline us, and if we allow God to do this in addition to leaning in to the Holy Spirit, they can do all things with God's strength. Our staff has been outstanding the past several years.
The Activities Directors over the past three years have been the best the camp has seen. They were tough when needed, but they have had a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and an eye for the needs of the boys that I have never seen until recently. This is a huge compliment because the camp has had excellent Activities Directors over the years.
The new Camp Director will be a great asset to the camp. He is imaginative, open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and humble. He will be very effective if he can build good relationships with the staff and the campers. I strongly suspect he will reach out and be very successful at getting to know everyone. He did an excellent job doing that this year. I am so blessed to know that camp will be in good hands.
This was by far my most favorite year of camp. I had so much fun with the campers and with the staff. I saw God move powerfully. This was the smoothest week of camp that I can remember. The boys seemed to have a great time. They seemed to open their hearts to God, and were blessed.
It was a great joy to end my service as Camp Director on a most positive note.
posted by Daniel Newville at 3:28 PM
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