Written by Jake’s wife and volunteer leader Annika
It’s been a little almost a month since we returned from Castaway Club in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and as I have been able to reflect more on our week there, God’s faithfulness is so evident.
When I think of the seeming insurmountable hurdles we faced leading up to our trip, I think of the image of God parting the Red Sea and making a way when there seemed to be no way. Despite our many obstacles and doubts, He came through time and time again.
For starters, I did not think that I would be going on this trip. I am currently taking a class that involves me driving to Wayne State University once a week. It just so happened that the one week we had off of class in June was the same week as camp.
There were moments where it felt like I would not be able to go to camp with having a 3-year-old and 5-month-old. My mom was able to work out her schedule to come with us, camp was able to accommodate us and provide us with a room near the cabin, and my girls were able to join up with another group of girls from West Michigan so they had an adult leader in the cabin overnight.
We only had two girls signed up for camp for several weeks. Two weeks before we left, I had a conversation with two more girls that led them to saying yes to camp! We had enough camp spots and just enough seats for them to come, therefore doubling our girls at the last second.
Additionally, Castaway has a requirement that the health forms include a physician signature attesting that the students have had a physical in the last year and they are cleared for camp. This was understandably challenging to get for many of the kids. Up to the day before we left, Jake and I were driving kids all across town to their providers offices trying to get these signatures. I specifically remember sitting in one clinic where they told us they weren’t sure they were going to be able to get someone to sign it that day (Friday), but we could wait in the lobby and they would do their best. We waited there for almost an hour, fervently praying the entire time, before they handed us back a signed form!
If just one of these things doesn’t happen, I don’t get to take four girls to camp for a life changing week. This doesn’t even include all the other details Jake had to pull together such as fundraising and transportation. We have never faced so much stress and opposition with getting kids to camp, but it forced us into a posture of prayer and complete surrender, and this prepared our hearts for an incredible week.
When we left our house on Saturday night, June 15, at 9:30pm, I was relieved to say the least, but I was also filled with holy anticipation. I knew that God’s hand was heavy upon us and our trip because he had paved a way for us time and time again when it felt too challenging or hopeless. He clearly had a purpose for every kid on their way to camp.
Our three vehicles - our minivan with my mom and I and my daughters, a 12-passenger van with Jake, Jared (awesome volunteer leader who ran a marathon earlier that day!), and 10 students, and Chris and Pam, our committee members and volunteer leaders in their car – set off for a grueling 15-hour trip through the night to get to camp. We were exhausted when we got there, but in true Young Life fashion, we jumped right in! Our week was full of surprises and excitement, and the kids slowly learned to trust that even though we wouldn’t tell them what was planned, we would be in it together and it would be a ton of fun.
Some of the highlights of the week included going crazy at club, playing pick-up basketball, making new friends, a beach party, tubing for the very first time, learning to line dance, the big swing, a zip line into the water, hanging out at the beach, a silent disco, camp games and competitions, dessert at every lunch and dinner, and growing closer to each other and to God.
My cabin times with the girls were equal parts lighthearted and full of laughter and deeply vulnerable and full of tears. I was blown away by the girl’s transparency in opening up about childhood trauma and relationships, and in their awareness in recognizing the effects of these things in their lives today. I have never been that impacted emotionally by a group of girls at camp, and I was so impressed in their ability to grieve the hard yet look forward in their lives with hope and eager anticipation. They are hungry for a loving Father and healthy relationships, and they each have inspiring goals and things they want to accomplish. They are resilient and brave, and I am so lucky to have a front row seat in their stories. Every setback and sleepless night that led up to camp was worth it just in the conversations we had the opportunity to have through our cabin times. Camp truly is such a unique and special setting in that everything is set up to break down barriers, form trust, and create these moments.
On the way home we asked the kids to reflect on their week and share what they were thankful for. Many were sad to be leaving such a special place, and some were even reluctant to get their phones back (!!). I think it is safe to say everyone was refreshed at camp – for some, it was a chance to get away from tough situations or stressors at home, for others it was simply a week off social media or a break from needing to perform in their many activities and jobs. You could see how free they felt. Many of the kids had parts of their childhoods and innocence robbed from them due to various challenging circumstances, and to get to see them just be kids for a week – to laugh and play and excitedly engage with their peers – was so rewarding. All the kids returned home refreshed in some way, with new friendships, and with deeper relationships with their friends, leaders, and their loving Father.
One of the absolute best parts about Young Life camp is we get to continue to build off the breakthroughs and experiences had at camp. We get to travel home with these kids and continue to show up for them and be in relationship with them.
THANK YOU to everyone who supports this ministry and makes this all possible. Even more meaningful than our thanks, are the words of the kids who went to camp. Check out their responses and more pictures below:
“Hey, just wanted to let you guys know that if it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t have had one of the best weeks this week and I truly am grateful for what you guys done for us this week. It brought me closer to God and I’m truly grateful for that and I’m looking forward for what you guys have for us this year. And one of the best things I’ve done this week was getting to go tubing for the first time.”
“I feel like this camp was a bonding experience and gave me a chance to grow spiritually and I’m very grateful for the time I had at camp and the chance to get to know other Christians my age. My favorite things I did at camp is probably tubing and cabin time as well as meeting new people. So, thank you very much for the opportunity to go to camp!!!”
“Thank you for giving me the chance to go to Castaway it was one of the best weeks of my life. I appreciate you guys very much and thank you for the sweatshirt I got I love it. Camp was so fun – I loved all the parties especially the Hawaiian beach party and the disco party.”
“This summer Castaway Club was one of the best experiences in my life. I have done numerous activities that both were fun and helped me with my faith. I am grateful for those who made it possible for me to go to Castaway since then gave me a chance to be in a different environment that makes me feel awesome and accepted by those around me.”
“Thank you so much for helping us have this great experience! I’ve never had so much fun. Going to camp Castaway was the best thing that’s happened to me because it’s grown my faith and helped me realize a lot about myself and others. I’m so glad I go to experience this because of your kindness!”
“I really appreciated the opportunity to go to camp. I had so much fun there and I felt like it made an impact on my life. I learnt new things, got to experience things I never thought I would ever do, and even tasted different desserts. My favorite parts were after every lunch and dinner we would have different desserts and all the surprise parties especially the glow in the dark headphones.”
“Castaway was one of my favorite places that I’ve ever traveled to. I would like to thank the people who made it possible for me to go there, as it helped me so much. I made friends I could talk to, and it also deepened my faith. I learned more about God and how he saved the woman who was about to be stoned. Would you believe it was my first time on a boat? We all had so much fun together, and it means a lot to me!”
“One thing I learned from Andy was no matter how much you did in your past and no matter how much you sinned you’re still loved, and you’re past doesn’t reflect on the rest of your life”
“Thank you for sponsoring me to have this life changing experience - I’m really thankful for it. It opened up my heart to God in many ways and I’ll never know how to repay that. One of my favorite things I did there was definitely the tubing and doing the zip line with Annika. It was a first-time experience, super scary, but really fun in the end.”
“Camp was a very fun experience for me and I’m glad the trip was so long, so it gave us all a chance to bond and get closer to each other. We had a lot of surprises that I’m glad were surprises because it made the experience worth it and the camp speaker Andy was a cool guy to talk to. We had a really fun time in the cabin at nights and I was able to open up during our cabin time and also had a really good 1 on 1 with my leader Jared.”
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