That's a wrap!

Summer 2017 has officially come to an end. 

There were so many amazing things to be thankful for...

One of them has to be our Staff Team. They are a phenomenal group of young people who put in an unbelievable amount of work to make camp happen. There are a lot of skeptical people out there who would say that camp isn't a real job, but when you account for the 16 or 17 hours a day that these young people are running around after campers, dressing up for atmosphere, drying tears, finding bandaids, telling stories to homesick campers, leading activities, giving their testimonies, teaching about God, and more... Looking at our staff - these are World-Changers.

The other group of people I want to thank are our volunteers. Our volunteers come to us in different ways. Maybe they're one weekers like our nurses or kitchen staff, maybe they're high school kids who have given up working somewhere for the summer to serve at camp, or they're retired couples giving months or they're international volunteers who have donated six months to a year to serve with us. We had 99 volunteers help us make the summer reality. NINETY-NINE! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you.

Our Campers. We want to thank the 944 children and youth who attended our camps along with 216 Family Campers this season. That makes 2017 our largest camper season ever!

Whether it's the funny things or the most immensely profound things - these kids often teach us more about God than we teach them. They remind us to be full of wonder, to giggle at silly things, to scream and laugh at bats in the (Bouldering) Cave, to be brave, and to live in the moment.

As I look back on all of the things that kids learned this summer, I hope that all of us "adults" who know "everything" are able to learn from the simple, life changing truths that our campers would pull from each week.

• No matter what you do wrong, you can face your fears with God.
• No matter how dark of a time you're going through, God will always be there for you.
• God loves us even though we sin.
• I know and hopefully all of you know that He (God) will protect you and keep you safe.
• Even if you're alone, you're not really alone because He (God) is always with you.
• God loves us no matter what.
• God always knows what you need to strengthen your relationship with Him. You just need to ask.
• I learned how to accept God into my life and how to give Him some of my struggles.

Some of the most significant numbers we want to celebrate are the 476 campers who indicated that they experienced spiritual growth while at camp. That might mean that they recommitted their life to Christ or committed to reading their Bible or praying to God more. We do know that 149 kids made first time decisions. We also know that many campers went home with thoughts turned towards God. We pray that they continue to ask questions and are open the Holy Spirit this next year.

Finally, we want to thank and give glory to God. None of this - the place that Evergreen is, the staff, the volunteers, the campers - none of it is possible without Him. It is very humbling to sit here at the end of another summer of transformed lives and be able to thank God for allowing us to be part of something so significant, so amazing.











As we begin to plan for 2018 - we're praying for all of our staff, campers, and camper families that the seeds that were planted this summer may grow. That the light that God has placed in each one of us may shine brightly where we are. That we would love each other as He loves us. That we would know that we're not alone in this world.

Thank you Evergreeners for an amazing 2017. We can't wait for next year!

Peace,
Camp Evergreen (.: jogee :.)