Will Smith on Camping

By Will Smith, Junior Breck School

Fall camp was only a few short weeks ago, and we’re already thinking forward to summer camp – how crazy is that? To help you get a better understanding of what a weekend or week at camp looks like, Robby Kiley, Private School Head Leader, sat down with junior Will Smith to ask him a bit about his experiences.

Robby: Okay Will, first off, which camps have you attended?

Will: I just got back from Castaway (Detroit Lakes, MN) last weekend, and I’ve been to Windy Gap (Weaverville, NC) and Crooked Creek (Winter Park, CO) for the summer.

Robby: How would you describe camp to a person considering going?

Will: I would have to say that it’s one of the most fun weeks of the summer – camp is just non-stop fun! The food is amazing too! It’s just really fun! Did I say that already?

Robby: Can you tell me about one of your favorite moments at camp?

Will: At Crooked Creek, we got to hike to the top of a mountain – you wake up one morning and go as a group up a trail for at least an hour and a half to the top of this mountain. When you get up there, it’s awesome! You can see everything – the camp, the mountains, all of that! It’s a real cool way to culminate your experience together with everyone in your cabin.

Robby: How has your relationship with Christ been impacted by going to camp?

Will: Crooked Creek was when my faith really clicked – before camp last summer, I didn’t go to a lot of Young Life clubs or camp, but I decided that it would be a good idea to go to camp last summer, and I’m really glad I did. Camp really changed my perspective on things, and when I came back, I really decided I wanted to get more involved. Club is great, but camp is an amazing experience – you get out of your normal routine and think about the other dimensions of your life you don’t always have the time to consider. Sometimes things get so busy at home; it’s nice to have some time set aside to think more about my faith and God.

Robby: Anything else you want to say about camp before we end this?

Will: I’d say that if you’re not sure if you want to go to camp or not, just go for it! You’ve got nothing to lose! Everyone is awesome, and it’s a great week – definitely my favorite part of Young Life!

Summer Camping Is Coming Soon!

By Robby Kiley, PSYL Head Leader

"Who started the idea that Christians ought to have the seat of their pants in patches, or that we ought to hold camps in tents? We are talking about the King of Kings; let's act like He's the one in charge! We're gonna get the classiest camps in the country."
-Jim Rayburn (founder of Young Life)

As strange as it may seem, January means it is time once again to begin talking about Young Life and WyldLife summer camping. Last summer we had great turnout, taking 21 Young Life students to Crooked Creek in Colorado and 24 Wyld Life students to Castaway Club in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. That means 45 students from the Private School Young Life community had a chance to spend a week at some of the most beautiful places on earth -- climbing majestic mountains, parasailing across the sky, spending quality time with leaders who care about them and learning about a God who loved them enough to die on the cross. Camping with Young Life is a remarkable experience, perhaps even the “best week of your life.”

Camping has been an integral part of Young Life’s mission since the first camp opened in 1950 (only nine years after Young Life began its ministry). Young Life’s founder, Jim Rayburn, believed so strongly in this program that he was willing to risk his whole ministry to make it happen. Why would he do this? The answer is simple: Camping affects everything we do in our ministry. It is one of the best tools we have to reach out to students, because it combines everything we try to achieve in ministry in an action-packed week.

I want to take a little bit of time and look at the ministry tools we use in Young Life and WyldLife. These are often called the five Cs: Camp, Contact Work, Club, Campaigners, and Christ. It is my strong belief that camp works so well because it impacts every other C in a positive way. For example, at a weekend or week-long camping experience, everything leaders and students do is planned to foster relationships. It’s packed with tools for leaders to engage in intentional conversations with students and share in activities that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Camp is one giant contact work experience!

Students also get a chance to go to club once or twice a day. Seeing club done well at camp is a huge blessing for us leaders. The amazing clubs at camp get students excited to come back home and join us on a Monday or Friday night. It’s also a blessing for leaders, because we get to steal all of the great ideas that the talented folks running the show have used! How about campaigners? Each night, after club, students and leaders head back to their cabins to discuss the message, and have a chance to share what is going on in their life and faith. This is the same thing we do every Wednesday morning at the Ottawa house with our high school friends, Friday morning with the 11th and 12th grade girls, and the same thing we hope to begin once a month with our middle school friends beginning in January. The only difference between morning campaigners and cabin time is that, during cabin time, students aren’t rushed or thinking about the test they have first hour. They’re in a place where they can take some time and really consider what God is saying to them through the speaker. This is a perfect occasion to invite Christ into their lives! And it works! How do I know? Because, eight years ago, I was one of those students and I accepted Christ into my life at a Young Life camp in Alum Springs, Virginia!

Young Life camping makes a conscious goal of setting up leaders and kids to talk about Christ. Every moment of the day is designed to allow leaders to discuss what it truly means to begin a relationship with Jesus. The program staff and speaker are intentional about everything they do, and their approach bears fruit. On the last day of camp, Young Life holds what they like to call a "Say So" (from Psalm 107:2, 'Let the redeemed of the Lord say so'). Kids who have made a decision over the course of the week to follow Jesus Christ have the chance to stand up and ‘say so.’ Every year I am at camp, I am amazed to witness the impact that this week has on kids’ lives. But even more amazing than all the kids who stand up is the fact that behind every one of these kids is a group of volunteers, staff, committee members and friends that cared enough about these kids to get them to camp. All that time and energy instantly becomes worth it when you are blessed by seeing a kid stand up tall and announce, “Hi, I’m Robby, and this week, I’ve decided to accept Christ into my life.”

If you register for camp before January 31st, you will receive a $100 discount. Camp spots will fill soon, so act quickly by going to the Young Life website: swtc.younglife.org.

Greetings from Private School Young Life

By Dawn Keller, PSYL Cabinet Leader

Camp is the focus of our Winter newsletter and we can’t be more excited about sharing the contents with you. The article written by Robby Kiley, Private School Young Life Head Leader, is intended for parents to read to help them understand why camp is so important. The article written by Will Smith, junior at Breck School, should be shared with your child. Will shares a few of his camp highlights and explains why your child should consider attending camp this summer.

Since both Gabriella and Georgia have been to camp a few times I will share our perspective as parents. The girls come home with statements such as…it was the best camp ever, I had so much fun with my friends, I just loved my leader(s), the food was excellent especially the warm chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream, that was the biggest hot tub I’ve ever seen, I met some new friends, we played so many fun games, the wakeboarding was awesome, the accommodations were first class, the club talks were amazing and quiet time with leaders really meant a lot, I accepted Christ in my life, I experienced others accepting Christ in their life, and the list goes on.

If you register before January 31st you will receive a $100 discount. Camp spots will fill soon so act quickly by going to the Young Life website: swtc.younglife.org

God bless,

Dawn Keller
Private School Young Life Cabinet Leader
763-416-4860