The camp was brilliant because God was there almost to the point there was little room for anything else. I don’t recall that I have ever experienced the love of God in such depth. The theme was encapsulated in this song by Matthew West, “My Name Is” that probably most of you know well that really was about ‘what people have said about us that hurts’ – and following that ‘who does God say that I am?’ I suspect that if all the other 300 campers felt as I do, there would easily be a thousand-page book of testimonies about what God did at camp in our lives, confirming that He loves us and is for us, warts and all.
The secret of keeping that ‘camp feeling’ is to keep our focus on God and His Word and what He is saying to us. If the emotions of a camp wear off after two or three days, it’s safe to say that ten days after camp, right back in the reality of home and work, there’s something permanent going on in me and others. That song is still stuck in my heart. And a couple of nights ago Mel, who has cerebral palsy and can barely talk, and who came to the camp, let us know it was the same with her too.