Friendship to Family

by Maggie Lampe on May 14,2019 in Camp Talk, Summer Camp with No Comments

Did you ever think that in just one week you could gain friendships that last a life time? My name is Maggie (this summer’s Media Intern) and after 11 years at Camp Wyoming, I can say this has become a true statement in my life. I can tell you I have made my closest friends in this very place. We have bonded over the camp fire, playing games and diving deeper into the word of God in just one week.

When I first started coming to camp, it was always a hit or miss if I was going to know someone in my group. Usually I didn’t, but by the end of the week it was like we were all inseparable. Saying goodbye was always hard because it would be a whole year before you would see any of your camp friends again. At the end of the week we would write down addresses and home phone numbers which allowed us to stay in some sort of contact over the course of the year. Every year after the first, my friends and I  would be sending letters or spend time on the phone with each other to make sure our schedules would line up to allow us to attend camp and make that week better than the last.

Camp allows you to bond without the use of a screen and just the great outdoors God has made for us. You get to dive into a community that has the kindest hearts and is more than excited to be in this space with you. These friends bond with you by putting mud all over yourself from the creek or the cave, cooling off in the pool after a long game in the meadow, and even better by getting to know them on a biblical level by understanding how they think about bible.

So as you are thinking about coming to camp but don’t know if you should go without knowing anyone, just stop thinking and do it! The friends I have made here are the ones that will be around for longer than I can even imagine. This is my third summer on staff and I can tell you most of those friends have turned into another part of my family. A few of them are still from back when I was a camper myself, but each year I have gained more and more hoping it never ends.