Southwest Camp completed its second year at our new facility in the Prescott Mountains of Northern Arizona, with 61 campers, 59 staff and 10 mini campers gathered for a fun and inspiring week. The campers participated in archery, arts and crafts, Bible class, low ropes, hiking, dance class, field sports, volleyball, mountain biking and kayaking on a lake and down the Verde River.

Last summer it was hot and we had to deal with the challenges of sunburns and dehydration. This summer was completely different as our daytime highs were usually in the 70s and we had a lot of rain. The owners of the camp said it was the most rain they had ever seen during our week there. It definitely kept us cool and hydrated this year! The campers and staff didn’t let the rain slow us down and we were able to run our full program of activities. The rain even added an extra level of excitement to some of them.

Right after breakfast we would begin the day with Christian living as we set the tone for the day with a focus on God’s plan for each of us as we are “becoming sons and daughters of God.” Most evenings we concluded the day around the campfire with dorm challenge games, skits, Wamatochick Woo’s (a shout-out to anyone who went above and beyond that day), a story that wrapped up the day’s theme from one of our younger staff members and finally our camp song.

Our new activities this year, mountain biking and kayaking down the Verde River, went well and the campers loved the new adventures and challenges that came with them. We are excited to continue building and growing this newest camp in our program as we build a culture of love and respect for God and one another and grow into His Family forever.

A huge thank you to all of our staff and those who help support our camps with their time, finances and prayers—we can’t do it without you!