09 Feb A Note From Donna, Campamento La Cruz 2025
Our new year started off fast and furious with our annual Bible camp. The staff left to set up camp on January 3rd, receiving the first week of campers on January 5th. We divide the children into age groups. The first week is for 8-11 year olds, the second for 12-14 year olds, and the last week for ages 15-18. We served over 200 campers this year. Our volunteer staff consisted of 28 young people who sacrificed their free time and some even took off work to serve the children. Our camp is youth-led, which we believe has the greatest impact on young children. They look up to their camp leaders and because of the young age of the leaders they can relate to them and imagine themselves being like them one day soon. For this reason, we emphasize the importance of our staff’s reputation in the church and the community. Our goal is to impact these children with truths from God’s word and to encourage those who are not attending church to attend.
This year was different from any of the previous 10 years of camp. We rent a facility in a region where the weather is much warmer than Santa Rosa. January is considered to still be winter and while it isn’t nearly as cold as many of the place you all live, it is very cold to our people. Parents are willing to send their children to camp because the location of our camp is near the coast and much warmer. What none of us expected was the rain. And boy did it rain! Out of the 3 weeks we were at camp, we only had 3 sunny days. All the other days were rainy and cold. The kids had a blast and embraced the wet and mud with eagerness.
This year our theme was “Rebaño.” That means “flock” in English. The theme was based on John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Obviously, we emphasized that Jesus is our shepherd, and he never abandons his sheep. Our leadership team did a fabulous job developing lessons, crafts, devotionals, and activities around that theme. One of the side benefits of our youth led camp is the development of leaders. I am always amazed at the energy and creativity our team displays, and for 3 long weeks.
We are happy to share that we had 9 baptisms this year over the 3 weeks of camp. For many of the participants who have contemplated baptism, camp is where they first came to know the Lord and is the place they want to put Him on in baptism. There’s a beautiful river that the campers play in, but if also makes a beautiful setting for baptisms. We praise God for the 9 who decided to make Him Lord of their lives.
As you can imagine, hosting 200 participants plus staff is a costly endeavor. Almost every year since we began camp 11 years ago, we have acted on faith and the Lord has provided. This year the Lord provided ahead of time through the generous donation of a family wishing to honor the family matriarch who had passed away the previous year. It was such a blessing to us as we planned for camp, knowing that God had already provided. The children who participate in our camp are from families of low means for the most part. We do ask for a $5 fee to hold their spots. We started doing that a few years back to ensure that those who were taking up available slots would show up for camp. As you can imagine, $5 per child doesn’t cover much of the per head expense. As I already mentioned, our staff consists of volunteers, so we don’t have to pay anyone for their service. Even our kitchen staff is made up of volunteers who sacrifice a week at a time to cook for camp. During the second week, with 90 participants and 38 staff members, the kitchen produced 400 tortillas per meal, or 1200 tortillas per day, all made by hand. We also serve a lot of beans and eggs, a staple in the children’s diet.
So, you may be asking yourself, “if the camp is youth led, why is Donna at camp?” That is a very valid question. I like to say that my role is to “keep the train on the track.” I start working with our leadership team in February of each year for the following year’s camp. I push them along in their planning and throw in my two cents worth on occasion. Once the planning is complete, I participate in some of the staff training, specifically regarding child safety and discipline. I also help with menu planning and do the food purchasing for the 3 weeks. Once camp begins, my role is almost totally behind the scenes. The children will on occasion see me in the back observing, except when we have the annual water balloon fight, which I cannot resist. I also serve as “camp nurse” and the disciplinarian as needed. Surprisingly, very little discipline is required. My favorite role is passing out tortillas at each meal. I hand each child their plate as they come through the line and ask them how many tortillas they would like. This gives me the blessed opportunity to look each of them in the eyes and smile. Usually by the end of the week, the recipients of the tortillas give a return smile and even some hugs. When the 3 weeks comes to an end, I will admit that my comfortable bed and a hot shower (not to mention my husband) are very appealing. But at the end of it all, I know beyond a doubt that lives have been forever changed.
I think the experience of one of the older campers sums up what many of the campers feel. This young man, age 16 shared with his cabin leader that he had been invited the year before but decided to not come, which is now regrets. He shared that although he was very skeptical in the beginning, he felt like it was one of the most significant experiences of his life so far. He shared that until his week at camp he had never even touched a Bible, much less opened one. His family has a Bible on their table, but it is never touched or opened. His experience at camp showed him that the Bible is a wonderful tool for guiding his life and showing him a better way to live. This is what our camp is all about.
For those of you who prayed for the success of our camp, thank you.
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