In life we will call only a few special places our home. For some, home won't be a place, but a person. For others it will be the house that they grew up in, or that tiny apartment that you move into after saying "I do." So far in my life I can count on one hand the places that I truly feel at home, and someday I might write an article focused solely on those places but tonight I'm only going to talk about one. After getting to sleep in my own bed after spending five nights away in a cabin with 24 wonderful girls and three amazing cabin counselors, I will attempt to write on Camp Ney-A-Ti and express just how much it means to me. To truly give this bible camp justice, I would need to write a book, but tonight I will try and sum it up in only a few hundred words.
I have now attended Camp Ney-A-Ti for four years, and I will attended my fifth and final year next summer. I went for the first time because it was something that my grandmother had always wanted me to try out, and finally I decided to go. I remember being nervous because I was going to be in the older girls cabin with a lot of people I didn't know, but the moment I stepped foot inside, I was welcomed with open arms. I never felt excluded. I never felt unwanted. From the moment I got to camp, until the day I left with tears streaming down my face, all I had felt was acceptance and Christian love.
I was hooked, and have been ever since.
What keeps me coming back? What makes this place home? There are so many things. The people that are there with you is one thing. The feeling of being surrounded by so many like minded Christians who love you and love God is such a wonderful experience. The worship is breathtaking, and knowing that one day the singing in heaven will be even better makes my heart full. I think that one of my favorite parts of camp are the discussions. It doesn't matter if they take place during class, during a devotional, or with a group of friends, having a heart-to-heart with the people you respect is a wonderful experience. You learn a lot, give a part of yourself, and take away so much from each conversation had at camp. Some of my most fond memories are of just sitting at the dinner table hours after everyone else is gone and just discussing whatever pops into your head, or staying up until two o'clock in the morning laughing and crying with people you love. The Christian love, the love for God, and all the love in between that we have flowing through our hearts at bible camp makes life so beautiful. It teaches us patience, shows us how to do the little things, and gives us peace. The prayers we pray and the bible studies we have cover me in the light of the Lord and it gives me strength. We have such a wonderful time living and laughing together, and just telling stories. What you take home from camp makes living in this crazy world of ours a little easier, and it teaches you so many life lessons.
Camp has become a constant in my life. In my mind summer equals Ney-A-Ti, and there have been many nights throughout the year where I have dreams of it. Knowing that my time there will soon be drawing to a close only serves to make me love it more. I am thankful for it for introducing me to friends, for making me a better Christian, and for being one of the greatest gifts that God has ever blessed me with. It makes me walk closer to Him, and makes my light shine brighter. I can only pray that everyone at some point in their lives get to experience something similar to what we have down there at Camp Ney-A-Ti because it's a beautiful thing. There is still so much more that I want to say about this camp, but the bottom line is that it is my home. In the future when I look back on my time spent there it will be with a smile. Thank you Camp Ney-A-Ti for giving me more than I thought possible.