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Reflections with
Camp & Retreat Ministries

MOVING THROUGH THE SEASONS

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19)

One common theme through all the seasons of my life has been the importance of sharing the Joy and Good News of God’s love with the world! Camps are a way of doing just that. Nature and creation speak so loudly of God’s love, we don’t need to say a word!

I love the camp curriculum this year, Creation Speaks! I cannot emphasize enough the wonderful opportunity for people to get registered to go to camp this year…. children, youth, and adults. There is something for everyone!

Close your eyes and visualize what you or someone else would get to experience at camp: delicious meals, laughter, nature, quiet times, learning, creating, relaxing, community, prayer, fun…

In the camp curriculum, as we discuss the seasons of life, participants will get to divide a paper into four quadrants and label each quadrant with one of the four seasons. In community, they will discuss the challenges that often affect us during the different seasons, then they will get to pray for God’s strength to help them through those challenges.

Campers will get to create a landscape of a happy time and place and will play games discussing “time” and how they deal or worry about time.

They will also get to serve God by helping with something at the camp that was affected by a season…such as picking up fallen branches or fixing a birdhouse or watering flowers.

As you think about the seasons of your life, here are some fun things to think about or talk about with your family:

Describe a time you played in the snow.
What is your favorite part of going back to school?
What memories do you have of spring break?
Tell a story about a favorite tree, include the season of the memory.
What is your best summer memory?
What is your best winter memory?
What is your scariest weather-related memory?
Tell about the last day of school before summer vacation.
What do you like to do to keep cool in the summer?
What is the weather like in the fall where you live?

What fun it is to think about the seasons of our life! What about creating a summer season camp memory this year for yourself or someone else?

Peggy Lovegren
Director, Wallowa Lake Camp

*PHOTO: clockwise from upper left -- vine maple at Collins, Mt. Jefferson as seen from Suttle Lake, butterfly at Collins, wildflower at Latgawa (Todd Bartlett).

Solar Power Update

Earlier this year we announced that we had received a grant for $75,000 to install a solar array at the Collins Retreat Center. This project is moving ahead, albeit a little slower than we had hoped. You might guess that it has to do with supply chain issues. You might guess that it has to do with the contractors lacking staff. However, what really has slowed us down is the process at the utility companies to get their work done in order to move forward with the next steps.

We did receive word recently that there has been progress with the utility company working with the Collins Retreat Center project. The Wallowa Lake project is set to begin in July!

One of the things that has been really exciting for us on this journey is the way that supporters of Camp and Retreat Ministry and solar energy have stepped up and funded the investment portion of these projects. The amount needed for investment on these projects has already been met! We thank you for your support and look forward to bringing these projects to fruition.

If you want to contribute to installing solar panels at our sites, we are still needing an additional $5000 in funding through direct donations to these projects. Please help us reach our goal.

Blessings Report

Summer camp sessions have begun!
International members on our Resident Counselor team
Smiling faces around the campfire

Please send your blessings to share in future issues of the e-news.

*PHOTO: a camper at Latgawa happily climbs up the waterfall for another wet and fun trip sliding down! (Todd Bartlett)

What's your favorite season?

Our favorite season is usually the one we're experiencing right now! Whether it's watching the aspens turn bright yellow at Sawtooth, sliding down a snowy hill at Suttle Lake, spotting the first trillium on a hike to the creek at the Collins Retreat Center, or building sand castles on a sunny day at the beach at Magruder, there's always something amazing to experience in any given season. And your donation dollars support our ministry of helping our campers and retreat guests put themselves right in the amazing middle of God's creation. Thank you so much for your partnership!