55 Stories: Legacy Students Summer Camp

When I was a camp director, there was a phrase we said often: "Every number has a name. Every name has a story. And every story matters deeply to God—and to us."

This year, we took 55 stories with us to camp.

Camp was such a sweet opportunity to step into the lives of our students and hear what the Lord has been doing. We heard stories of joy, stories of hurt, and stories of hope. Yet woven through every one of them was the greater story of God faithfully working in hearts.

One of my favorite parts of camp isn't just the amount of time our leaders and I get to spend with students; it's watching the students invest in one another. It was hot, everyone was tired, and yes, they were experiencing phone withdrawals, but you would never have known it by the way they loved, encouraged, and cared for each other. Before camp, I prayed that our group would continue taking steps toward greater unity, and it was a joy to watch the Lord answer that prayer. Seeing students form new friendships, include others, and deepen existing relationships was one of the greatest blessings of the week.

But camp is only one week. Eventually, the spiritual highs and the physical exhaustion both fade, and that's when the real work begins. Throughout the week, it seemed the Lord was stirring hearts and inviting students into deeper trust and greater surrender to His plans. That kind of transformation rarely happens overnight, or even in five nights at camp. That's why continuing in God's Word, prayer, and Christian community long after camp ends is so important. Lasting growth is cultivated through faithful, everyday obedience.

For four years, I served at a camp where I would spend one incredible week with students and then never see many of them again. What a gift it is to now be part of a church that gets to walk alongside students all year long. We don't just celebrate what God did at camp; we get to continue partnering with Him in the work of discipleship.

The best is still ahead, and I'm excited to watch the Lord continue to do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" in the lives of the next generation.