To say summer camp has impacted my life is an understatement.
I so appreciated each year I got to attend summer camp in High School! Each summer, I saw other people my age from all across the country striving to follow Jesus and meeting Him for the first time. There is a real connection that happens at camp that really hit home with me.
This was so inspiring to me that in college I spent 2 summers working at a summer camp. My job was serving snacks and slushes and Blue Bell Ice cream, serving meals, cleaning cabins, any anything else asked of me so that each person that came through the gates could engage with Jesus (and have a good meal, a snack, and a clean place to lay their head.) What an honor! To this day I still count those summers as some of the most rewarding and fulfilling times in my life. Over 1,000 people came to know the Lord each of those summers and the Lord allowed me to see and be a part of His Kingdom work!
I met the man that was to become my husband at this camp, and we got married at this camp (In the chapel, yes, like the song.) We both went on to work full time there for several years. We served along side each other and grew in the knowledge of Christ together and had lots of fun putting on a carnival for Senior Adults, serving fried catfish to over 3,000 men, leading summer staff in Bible studies and challenging them in their walk with Christ as we were challenged, and seeing thousands of people come to know the Lord and grow in their relationship with Him over the years we were there. We had our first child while serving there as well, so another generation is getting to experience the love of Christ through camp thanks to the experiences we had starting in High School!
And now part of my job here at High Point is helping others go to camp! What a blessing! I am so grateful for the leaders I had in High School that taught us the truths of Jesus week in and week out and then brought us together with other students to grow even deeper in our relationship with him at camp during the Summer. I am also so thankful for all these years the Lord has used me behind the scenes to draw others to Himself. That has had an eternal lasting impact on me, my family and countless others for which I am eternally grateful.
Story by: Debi Shelton