When the campers got grounded at Hye Sierra this year, it wasn't a punishment. It was because they were having fun, building strong friendships and learning how to build their faith on a solid foundation!

The camp theme this year was "Get Grounded! Five Things You NEED to Know." Each day at camp during "Compass Check," before a full day of activities, campers were introduced to a vital truth that they must be firmly convicted of in order to stand fast against the storms and trials of life without losing faith. Christian Living classes in the evening gave campers a chance to explore these five truths in more depth. The five truths were:

•How and Why You Must Know God Exists (despite what your science teacher says).

•The Bible Is the True and Reliable Word of God (despite what the Da Vinci Code says!).

•What Does God Promise Me?

•What Does God Ask of Me?

•You Are Not in This Alone.

Camp director James Capo gave a sermon on the Sabbath at the end of camp showing how these "Five Things You Need to Know" are like the five smooth stones David selected before his battle with Goliath, and if we are solidly grounded in these truths, we can stand against any "giant" that can threaten our faith.

Fun-Filled Activities

Campers and staff came from the United States, Canada and Mexico and participated in such popular activities as kayaking, rock climbing, archery, dance, basketball, volleyball, speedaway, crafts, fishing, team building, an "Amazing Race" challenge course and hiking among the giant sequoia trees in the Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

The Sabbath evening banquet and dance concluded an outstanding week of fun.

A new challenge for the kayakers was to learn the "Eskimo roll," where they are able to right the kayak from an upside down position in the water. Many campers came close, but Byron Norrod was the camper who finally succeeded in accomplishing this difficult skill. Micah Preston came out the champion archer, scoring a total of 39 out of 40 possible points in the archery shoot-out, winning a bow and set of arrows.

Two of the dorms went on an overnight hike in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, crossing snowfields and camping beside a scenic mountain lake at 9,000-foot elevation in some of the most beautiful backcountry in the High Sierras.

Through it all, God's Spirit of love, unity and peace was evident as we truly came to live in "the Zone." We were blessed with near-perfect weather, safety and an abundance of fun—God's way!

ACA Visit

This was our year for the American Camp Association representatives to visit Hye Sierra, one of four of our camp programs to be visited this year as part of the process for maintaining our status as an ACA-accredited camp. ACA is concerned with health and safety standards in all aspects of the camp program. After a thorough review, we were glad to receive high marks in all areas evaluated.

We had a great time at Hye Sierra this year, with many experienced campers and staff members commenting that this was the "best camp ever!" We thank God for blessing us with such a good camp, and we're looking forward to next year.