My parents initially introduced me to Camp Hebron when I was a young child by signing me up for summer camp. That first camp experience cemented it as a happy place for me, and God has since drawn me back to camp many times. I got to go to both cabin camps and adventure camps as a kid, and I loved every second of them. This past summer, God brought me back to Camp Hebron as a counselor. I was extremely excited to serve Him all summer long, but also nervous about everything I would miss back home. I have been playing volleyball for many years and had committed to the women’s volleyball team at Messiah University to continue my athletic career. As a member of the team, I was supposed to spend my summer training for the season, not ministering to kids. Despite my concerns for the summer, God was at work in both my campers’ lives and in me. He showed me that I put my identity into volleyball and being an athlete. I realized that I needed to start finding my identity in Him, but I was not sure how I would be able to do this while playing volleyball at the all-consuming amount the collegiate level calls for. Around this time, Caleb Schluep invited me to consider joining his team of gap year students at camp. I had heard about the program before and thought it sounded cool, but my resounding commitment to volleyball prevented me from realizing that I could be a part of the program. I started seriously contemplating where God wanted me after that conversation with Caleb mid-summer. Many conversations later and around two weeks before I was supposed to move into Messiah, I decided to commit to the gap year. God has been at work in so many ways throughout this year and within all my experiences at Camp Hebron. I am so thankful for how God has used camp to help me grow as a person, athlete, and most importantly as a follower of Christ.
It’s amazing how people are drawn to camp in so many different ways. This is the Power of Camp! There are countless stories from people like Fatih impacted by camp. You too can be part of something extraordinary. We need your help this Friday, November 18th Join Camp Hebron in the Extraordinary Give - One BIG 24 hour day of giving! Your dollars will be part of a S-T-R-E-T-C-H pool and random financial prizes are chosen throughout the day so your money with stretch even further to help camp. Just click Here to share our page, be a fundraising champion and to donate.