Summer camp testimonies

Hi, from the Salvation Army, you're listening to Words of Life. Well, Matt and Jamie, thank you so much for joining us.

This is Majors Matt and Jamie Satterley. They are the territorial youth secretaries. If you're not in the Salvation Army world, you would call them youth pastors. And you're about to hear a glimpse into what camp looks like for kids as we hear testimonies from them and what camp has meant to them. But as we're talking to parents, quickly just tell us, what does camp look like?

It depends where you are in the country. The Salvation Army has 38 summer camps located across the nation. And for the most part, kids come in and on a Monday, they leave on a Saturday, and they have a week to just be kids, to experience camping activities and also to learn about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What is the goal? How do we really hope that camp impacts the kids that come?

There are a couple of answers to this question. The first I want to say that we don't often think about is mental health. We know that when kids spend an hour outside, their levels of anxiety and depression decrease by up to 50%. So camp is an incredible environment to help kind of address these mental health issues that we're seeing in young people. We also just want to present Christ to these kids. Last stats we did, 50,000 children will come to a Salvation Army summer camp this summer. And by statistics, by the best we're able to tell, more than half of them will make a decision to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

That's incredible. So if parents want to send their kids to camp, where would they go to find out more information? If you're a parent out there, we would love to have your child at a Salvation Army camp. Just contact your local Salvation Army Corps and they'll get you connected to the closest one and the schedule and all that good stuff as well. But also if there are people out there who are interested in donating and financially providing a scholarship so that a child can go to camp who might not be able to afford it, you can do that through your local Salvation Army as well. Just let them know, hey, I'm interested in sending a kid to camp and they can let you know more details as well. And if you're in the U.S., you can just visit Salvation Army USA dot org and you can find your nearest Corps.

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That's bring your Bible dot com. First went to camp. I first went to camp. I grew up at camp, so. I first went to camp when I was born. When I was six years old and my parents became DYS's of the former Maryland-West Virginia Division and I just attended as a camper.

2009 in ALM, Camp Hinton Lake. My parents and I lived on the camp up in the east called Star Lake in New York. I've been going to camp for the past 17 years at Camp Pardo Hills in the AOK Division. I grew up at camp ever since my dad has been the DMD in Georgia, so I was dedicated there and I've been going since I was a baby and it's been about 19 years now. I first went to camp in 2014-2015. I think I first went to camp when I was like seven or eight.

If I do the math correctly, it's been like five years. My favorite part would probably be the amount of people that I've met through the years I was a camper as well as a staff member. I'd say over my 20 years of life, I'd say my favorite part was definitely the pool.

Always the pool. Back then my favorite part of being at camp was most definitely the pool, but also meeting new people and going to conservatory and yeah, learning music. My favorite part of being at camp was probably the pool or the cabin time that I would have with my friends and the family that I grew. My favorite part of being at camp was the pool, definitely the pool and getting to know more people and friends and learning more about Jesus. My favorite part of being in camp is probably hanging out with friends or playing basketball or any sports like that.

Playing my instrument and being with my friends and the cabin time that we would all have together. My favorite part of being at camp was making new friends, just learning new things and being in nature. I learned the valuable lesson of having a strong community in your life is very important.

I think some of my strongest friendships were formed at camp that I still have to this day and so I'm just very thankful for that. I learned to dance and to play my instrument and to sing in a choir and to be a good Christian. Well when I was in conservatory I learned how to play the tuba, the drums and the piano and of course just beeping my relationship with Jesus. I learned, honestly I learned how to make friends at camp the most. Also to grow in my faith and my instrument as well.

I play alto horn and I also play piano which I now accompany the choir. I learned to be a good friend and a good steward of the Lord. I learned a lot of things. Actually I can't remember what I learned, what the first thing I did learn but I want to say the first thing I learned was how to swim.

I definitely had a swim. During that time I learned since we were in tracks different life skills, arts and crafts, just how to use what I have in front of me. I learned many things, not only music but more things about what God can do for you and like fellowship is huge. Want to share the gospel with others but aren't sure how? Well join Bring Your Bible Day on October 3rd. Bring your Bible to school, work everywhere and share God's truth.

Register for Bring Your Bible Day at bringyourbible.com. Camp encouraged and grew my faith by going to church every Sunday and the Bible studies that we would have every day. Camp encouraged my faith because it showed me that I'm not the only one who believes in God and there's more people around me that I can be comfortable with and I can just enjoy spending time with God. Camp encouraged to grow my faith because when you're in a setting with a lot of people who truly love the Lord and who truly want you to mature in your faith even as a little child you get encouraged and you want to do that and you learn how to do that and you learn how to love to do that and you become obsessed with your faith and your relationship with Jesus and take it seriously even starting at a young age. It encouraged me by the example that staff members set for me as a camper and also as a staff member. The kids that we meet they come from different backgrounds so knowing them and teaching them more about God grew me and my own faith.

It allowed me to realize that not a lot of people have the same opportunities that I have they come from different backgrounds some better or for worse for where they're from and I'm more grateful for where I'm from and who I am because of it. Camp has encouraged and grown my faith mainly dealing with the conservatory schedule since it was so tight I learned that there is time for God and that you just have to work around that busy schedule even if it's in the morning or at night. I think camp is a very unique place where we just have special times and special moments where we get to encounter God in a situation outside of our day-to-day routine and so I think specifically like a vespers time at camp really helped shape my relationship with God and making sure that I have quiet moments with God in my life. I would say to someone considering to go to camp do it don't hesitate you learn so much not only musically but spiritually and you learn life lessons there and it's so much fun. I would say definitely consider because you can change someone's life you can change a child's life and impact them and for future campers I'd say it's a lot of fun because you get to run around with a whole bunch of kids around your age you get to jump in a pool and you just get to experience worship that you've never felt before with a bunch of kids your age. I would say that it's a great experience you'll meet a lot of fun people the food is great at my camp it is you meet amazing staff members that inspire you to grow. It's a fun experience I'll definitely definitely tell you to go definitely a lot of people the pool was fun running around camp was fun except for the hills except for the hills it's the only thing I wasn't that fun but getting to know more people and living in the cabins were fun your counselors are definitely fun so yeah. If you're considering to go to camp go for it don't let any anxieties or worries stop you from going because if you let anxieties and worries control your life you're going to miss out on what God has planned for you yeah go to camp. What I would say to someone that was considering going to camp is come with an open mind be prepared to learn make new friends always be prepared make sure you pack enough of certain things stuff like that. If someone was considering going to camp I think I would say go for it I think camp is a very special place and I think that everybody needs to experience it at least once in their life.

Camp is fun it's a very new experience that you'll have and it's an opportunity like no other because there's not many places like this. My faith helps me interact with other people because it tells me that I can be confident in what I say and to not be scared because it's kind of hard to say those things when you're outside of places like this. Well I guess I can say that Jesus likes inspires me it's like it's inspires me to like talk to people about Jesus and like get some help them know Jesus more than anything that however they've known him so yeah. My faith encourages me to interact with the world around me by seeking the Lord and everything that I do and not being easily influenced by others around me and just doing what the Lord has planned for me. It encourages me to be a light of the world because the Bible says to rejoice in the Lord for all circumstances and anything that you do. Encourages me to branch out and meet people of different cultures and different backgrounds and tell them more about the word of Jesus and where I come from and the amazing experiences that I get from going to camp. It tells me to be more confident in what I say about the Lord and to also have confidence in speaking about him and not getting like scared of like people my school or just anywhere outside of these places where you can be comfortable with saying those things. I think that my faith in Jesus has encouraged me to be more outgoing and has called me to go out into my community and allow other people to see what God is doing in their lives like he's done for my own.

Like Jesus said the two greatest commandments love the Lord your God and love others so to always love others to show be kind to them be nice to them even if you're having a bad day even if they show you attitude just always be loving and kind to everyone else. The Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit salvationarmyusa.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit salvationarmysoundcast.org. Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeaudio.com where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network.

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