It’s Amazing How Staff End Up At Camp

I originally was looking for a summer job in my hometown to keep me busy while I was home from college. I applied to a local retail store and had an interview ready to go for when I got home. Then, I was talking with one of my friends about the interview and she asked me if I was excited. I said no because it was just something to do, but not really a passion of mine. She asked me why I would do something that I didn’t want to and I had no answer for her. That night, I went back to my dorm and watched this movie called “A Week Away” that I had been waiting to see for months. It was a musical about a Christian summer camp and after watching it, I remembered that all my life I wanted to be a camp counselor. I had never been to a camp in my life, but I just felt this really strong calling to look further into it. I went to google, typed in “Christian summer camps in PA”, and for the rest of that night (about 4 hours) I watched videos and read testimonies about people who had gone to all of these different camps. Something about Camp Hebron stuck out to me and I decided to apply. When I went home for my other interview, they told me that they actually didn’t need anymore workers and then later that week I got an email asking to set up an interview for camp. The rest is pretty much history, but I can say for a fact that God definitely called me to Camp Hebron and I am so happy that I followed that calling.

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 Eryn impacted by camp. You too can be part of something extraordinary. We need your help on Friday, November 19th 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.

Adventure Awaits with Caleb Schluep

Camp Hebron entered my life back in 2018 when they came to Messiah College to recruit summer staff. I struck up a conversation with now program director Megan about summer opportunities. She offered me a position that I later decided to turn down. God had other plans for my college summers.  Despite not working at camp, I frequently returned to the property for retreats. Every time I visited; I would encounter God in a significant way. On my first visit I learned to see others as beloved sons and daughters of God. My second visit was filled with powerful musical worship and fellowship with friends that I hadn’t seen for a while. Lastly, on my third retreat I got to step into an active leadership role as students met to pray for the school year in preparation for what was instore for us.

I graduated from college but wasn’t sure what was next for me. As I explored my options, I received a text from Megan. She shared with me about a position that camp was looking to fill. As I prayed and weighed my options it seemed like a good fit. I decided to join the team at Camp Hebron. While I had countless opportunities to come here over the course of the past four years, the time wasn’t right. God was taking me on a journey that prepared me to be here. While I was only recently able to commit to working at Camp Hebron, God has been building my relationship with this place and I’m excited to see how it grows.

Camp Hebron is excited to have Caleb on board as an Adventure Specialist. He brings a myriad of skills to the job and we are happy he is part of the team. It’s amazing how people end up at camp just like Caleb. This is the Power of Camp!

You too can be part of something extraordinary. We need your help on Friday, November 19th 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

To find out more about Caleb, check out his blog https://www.calebmclanahanschluep.com/

Rethinking The Gift Giving Experience

Sparkling lights, the smell of fresh evergreen, the taste of cool peppermint and the sense of a new Hope. These are all ways to describe “the most wonderful time of year”, but for many it can also described with one simple word: stressful.

Consumerism can often get in the way of experiencing the Joy of Christmas, and for Christians, it can often be difficult to remember all we do this month is to celebrate the birth of Hope in the shape of a newborn Palestinian Jewish babe.

In the pressure to purchase that “perfect gift” that reminds our loved ones how much they mean to us, we can often forget that Love has already arrived and does not need to be bought and neatly packaged with a beautiful bow. So we offer some simple counsel: allow yourself to be present in this joyous and holy moment and choose to instead offer simple tokens of love to your family and friends.

Tokens that aren’t about purchasing the next new and shiny thing, but are about a simple celebration of the great love we all have to share.

Here is a list of simple Gifts and Tokens of Love that do not have to be bought:

• Handwritten Cards and Open When Letters

  • Examples and Ideas:

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFYuNxbZvGg

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycayo7NwUkk

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU4KbQ2iaXc

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcNXEvXbdZo

• Plan a Homemade Dinner

  • Some cost effective Recipes and Ideas:

    • https://sweetmoneybee.com/cheap-healthy-meals/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=1011391566_46238490_803940

    • https://thesunnysidelifestyle.com/theme-night-dinner-ideas/

• Handmade Crafts

  • The limits really are endless with this one but here are some ideas to get you started:

    • https://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/cheap-and-easy-last-minute-diy-gifts-theyll-actually-want?bffb=&s=mobile

• Homemade Play-dough and Bubbles

  • Here are some simple and fun recipes you can make with ingredients from your kitchen:

    • https://everythingmummy.co.uk/2017/08/easiest-play-dough-recipe-ever.html

    • https://livingwellmom.com/homemade-bubble-solution/

• Homemade Scrubs

  • Scrub Recipes:

    • https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/easy-homemade-sugar-scrub/

    • https://simple-veganista.com/diy-edible-sugar-scrub/

    • https://thecoconutmama.com/coffee-body-scrub/

• Baked Goods and Gifts the nourish!

  • Forage your kitchen and the world around you for these ingredients:

    • https://ouroneacrefarm.com/2015/01/17/4-wild-winter-teas-chocolate-drink/

    • https://www.hersheys.com/kitchens/en_us/recipes/chocolate-overloaded-cookies.html?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=holiday_2020_recipes&utm_term=chocolate_overload_cookies&pp=0&epik=dj0yJnU9bUljdHJfME1FNWxVdUM4WUtaSWlJRXhIZVg4cXBOSW0mcD0xJm49UnNLRll1ZTRzaVZPR2xLVnp1WFdydyZ0PUFBQUFBRl9oQmN3

    • https://www.spendwithpennies.com/easy-banana-bread-recipe/

• Plan an experiential gift

  • Here’s some examples to get your creative juices flowing (filter through the costly ones):

    • https://www.mother.ly/life/free-or-super-affordable-experience-gifts-to-give/particle-2

    • https://www.lovelyluckylife.com/experience-gift-ideas-for-kids/

As you plan and prepare for Christmas, may each day and each act remind you of the Hope of the Season.

The Impact of Camp Hebron through the Generations

My first experience at Camp Hebron was as a "First-Timers", now known as "Pioneers", camper in the late 90's. I enjoyed the cabin camp experience so much that I attended them all up through Sojourners Camp for 10 consecutive years. In 2008, I joined summer staff as a Kitchen Assistant and continued to serve in this role, both on summer staff and year-round staff, until 2012. I believe my work in food ministry at Camp Hebron is what inspired me to commit my career to furthering God’s Kingdom through my current work with The Salvation Army. 
 

Lauren Sheeler with husband, Ben Sheeler and their son.

In 2009, I began dating a fellow summer staff lifeguard who would later become my husband. His father has served as the full-time Director of Maintenance for Camp Hebron for over 32 years. I am in awe of the hard work and sacrifice my father-in-law has tirelessly poured into the ministry at Camp Hebron for over three decades.  
 

Over this past summer, my 18-month old son got his first taste of Camp Hebron, enjoying the swimming pool, snack shack, and playgrounds. It is a surreal experience to spend time with my son enjoying the same activities I enjoyed as a child at Camp Hebron. Recently, we enjoyed Camp Hebron's Homecoming celebration, so appropriately named since Camp Hebron embodies the term "home" for me in so many ways. It is the place I dedicated my life to Christ as a camper, the place I met my husband, and now the place my son most enjoys traveling to visit his grandparents. I look forward to many more years enjoying Camp Hebron and hope my children will be able to take advantage of the life-changing experiences I have been so fortunate to have on the Camp Hebron grounds. 

Lauren Sheeler

This is the power of camp! There countless stories like the Sheeler’s that come out of Camp Hebron. Will you be part of something extraordinary and help us close the gap to meet our year-end goal? We need your help on Friday, November 20th beginning at midnight. 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.