When I was 10 years old, our minister informed me one Sunday after church that he’d talked to my mom, and they decided it would be great for me to go to summer camp. Two weeks later, I arrived at an absolutely beautiful lake and a beach filled with kids. A week later on that same beach, as I was helping my minister load his car, my life had changed forever. I had never experienced a more loving, affirming, encouraging community; and Jesus, who I’d heard about and read about, came to life for me. Being brought to camp was unquestionably the greatest gift of my life.

Decades later, I still go every summer to that camp. I have been blessed to work there and run the camp, and have met some of my dearest friends and the love of my life there. My camp experience is as our scripture suggests, "From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." God was made known to me in the gift of camp, and I do all that I can to share that gift with everyone I meet.

By Brian Prior from D365