Laurie’s story…
Through God’s gracious leading, Laurie came to Warm Beach Camp. Hungry for something meaningful, Laurie showed up for a summer job at camp. That summer job grew from a service position in hospitality to a key leadership position speaking into the lives of young summer staff searching for meaning in this world.

Several years into her leadership role, Laurie noticed summer staff making key life decisions in their time at camp that had a big influence on life direction. In 1996, she started taking notes in her Bible about some of these decisions she was aware of: 6 Pastors, 4 Pastor’s wives, 5 Worship Leaders, 7 Youth Pastors, 1 Church Planter, 15 Christian Camping, 17 Missions, 1 Principal, 19 Teachers, 2 in Women’s Ministry, 1 Military Chaplain, 1 Lawyer, 1 Writer, 5 Nurses, 1 Doctor, 2 Career Military, and 2 Government. There were many others that she could have listed previous to 1996.

When a young person comes to camp, there is a level of training, experience and community that is transformational. The question often shifts from “How am I going to make it in this world?” to “What are the challenges in this world God wants me to address with my life?”

This is what happened to Laurie. God gave her the right question to answer. She answers it every day. As a result, God is using her life to help young people consider and pursue the issues that God wants them to address in this world.

What is recorded in Laurie’s Bible is just a glimpse into the fullness of God’s work being accomplished in Christian Camping. Every year thousands of young adults come to camp for a summer position asking questions about their future in this world. Every year, thousands of young adults receive a rich blend of training, experience and community that points to God’s big question for all of us: “What are the challenges in this world God is asking me to address with my life?”

I thank God for the way He uses the power of camp to change the lives of young adults seeking to make a difference in this world.

Ed McDowell, Executive Director