Locating a new camp facility topped the list of blessings for Winter Camp 2011. The camp director team of Randy Stiver and Dan Dowd searched Wisconsin for a facility to replace the one the camp program had used for four years. After extensive Internet searches and camp tours, the excellent facilities of Camp Timber-lee near East Troy, Wisconsin, were contracted in late summer.

After the usual hurry and scurry of camp preparations and applications, 57 campers, 38 staff members and a half dozen junior (pre-teen) campers prepared to experience the new camp on Tuesday, Dec. 27! The number of campers was exactly within the historical Winter Camp ballpark when there is overlap with the Winter Family Weekend. Most campers were from the Midwest region, but a good number were from distant areas including the Northwest, New England and several states in the South.

The open-beamed, rough-sawn, vaulted ceiling and extensive wood paneling of the dining room provided an inspiring setting for all the Christian living classes, camp dance, bunko party and Sabbath services—in addition to providing the setting for the amazingly delicious meals expertly prepared by the Timber-lee cook staff. An added plus was the front wall of windows that overlooked 60-acre Peters Lake down the hill from camp.

Winter Camp’s challenge was winter—except for one inch on check-out morning, we had none of Wisconsin’s usual amount of snow! Thus the blessing of camp required flexibility. Cross-country skiing turned into high-speed hiking around the 650 acre camp. Tubing became creative outdoor games, and broomball switched to a new event of bank basketball. Winter campers are good sports, and they jumped enthusiastically into the alternate and new activities. Team building, arts and crafts, dance and music went very well. A welcomed and special feature at the end-of-camp dance was the addition of several group dances including the Virginia Reel and Winter Camp Wheel taught during dance class. These dances involve extensive participation and require dancers to work as a team, thus learning to serve each other even while dancing.

The piece de resistance of camp however was the spiritual instruction. The 2011 camp theme “A World Away from the World” was addressed from several angles in the morning compass checks, evening Christian living classes and in the Bible seminars and sermon on the Sabbath. The most noted lesson that campers took home was that God is calling themnow—today (1 Corinthians 7:14). Twin sermonettes at services delivered by Brett Diggins and Josh Lamoureux (ABC student body presidents for the classes of 2011 and 2012) positively impressed all listeners with both spiritual lessons and the value of the Ambassador Bible Center training.

Winter Camp 2011 ended with a little winter, safe journeys home and eager anticipation of enjoying this new camp location in Wisconsin next winter—perhaps with more snow!