Dear Faraway Friends...

Greetings from an exciting Ambassador Youth Camp! More than 50 campers along with staff and several guests were able to make the journey this year. While we were happy for those who attended, we realize that many others did not have the opportunity. Whatever the reason you were unable to attend, we want you to know that we missed you and were thinking about you.

While I did go to Ambassador Youth Camp this year, I do understand how you feel. I had to miss camp for the last few years and was disappointed each time.

Thankfully, I discovered I would be able to attend this summer. My sister (whose first year was this one) and I immediately began counting down the months, days and hours before we would set foot on the campsite.

Since you could not be here, we wanted to fill you in on everything that occurred so you can feel a part of the experience.

This year, there were many activities. Some were repeated from years past such as whitewater rafting, volleyball, dodgeball, swimming, softball, soccer, canoeing, hiking, singing, participating in the challenging high and low-ropes courses and listening to lectures, among others. New activities included line-dancing, art class, and a dinner dance.

New activities included line-dancing, art class, and a dinner dance.

Art proved to be an interesting experience. Campers were first instructed to draw a man upside down so that they could practice drawing what they saw. Most did very well. Next we were told to draw our hands without even glancing at our sketch. Then we were told to draw our faces. Heavy laughter ensued after people showed their portraits to each other.

Another new event was dance lessons. Campers learned several dances including the electric slide, rock step, and basic waltz. Thankfully, there were only a few reported cases of squashed and trampled feet!

The first Saturday night we were able to incorporate what we learned at the first-ever Ambassador Youth Camp dinner dance. We all tried to do the dances from the class and then “cut loose” on other songs. Some sang, and some even yodeled.

Participating in the limbo was my personal favorite. It was entertaining to watch campers contort their bodies and inch under a thin pole close to the ground. One camper seemed to fold himself in half by placing his hands on his ankles. He looked as though he was mimicking a giant spider!

One highlight of camp came as a surprise. On the first Friday, campers spent the day at the Church’s Headquarters in Wadsworth, Ohio, to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of its Hall of Administration. It was a beautiful day and we were all excited to be part of the momentous event.

Over the course of a person’s life, there are often new activities that he or she is wary of doing. Camp provides many of these activities. At AYC, however, people are offered a constant stream of encouragement and guidance to help those who are nervous overcome their fears.

For example, at the pool’s high dive, there were a couple campers who were jittery about jumping from a height of seven feet into 13 feet of water. I was one of these kids! It took gentle teasing from my little sister to make me do it. She said that since she had plunged in, I ought to do so as well.

But I was not the only one that was apprehensive. To encourage peers, campers surrounded a person attempting to take the plunge and shouted in support, “Just shut your eyes and jump!” and “Don’t look down!”

After a loud countdown from surrounding teens, each of these nervous campers leapt in. One initially fearful boy even hurtled himself in an additional four times when he realized how much fun it was!

Another opportunity for fears to be obliterated and challenges defeated was on the canoe trip. The air was sticky and the water was freezing. Several campers were still sore from a combination of volleyball and several unexpected runs up nearby Blackberry Hill (our consequence for not having certain items and talking when we should not have). This made enduring the seven-mile-long trip difficult, but eventually all made it.

One thing that always makes camp special—and a subject about which everyone knows—is the food. It was plentiful in quality, quantity and variety. Meals were a healthy mix of veggies, grains and meat. Well-loved dishes included tater-tot casserole, chicken pot pie, yogurt and scrambled eggs (not together!), and chocolate-chip cookies cut into squares, which were incredibly delicious.

Before, during and after meals, campers spent a lot of time chatting and playing. But there was always a certain point during each meal where the only thing that could be heard was chomping and gulping.

The best part about camp, though, was being able to spend time with other campers. None of the activities would have been half as much fun without full participation. We all conversed and encouraged each other. We worked together and planned. We could all be silly together and laugh without end.

In a way, camp felt like an all-teen Feast of Tabernacles. It gave all of us a chance to have fun and fellowship with those our age who share the same beliefs—all in a beautiful setting.

If you have the opportunity, we hope that you can come to camp next year. If not, then we look forward to having the chance to meet you someday soon and share our experiences with you in person.