tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931418123522033023.post1088554840667477701..comments2023-10-08T03:23:54.565-07:00Comments on The Blessed Wilderness: Like a Zipline through a SanctuaryJakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09289141793664786592noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931418123522033023.post-81445304750708607652016-02-25T16:20:07.289-08:002016-02-25T16:20:07.289-08:00"J." arrived at camp on Monday morning. ..."J." arrived at camp on Monday morning. His mother and grandmother had some reason they couldn't get him there on Sunday afternoon, when everybody else arrived. He sat there, in front of the camp office, waiting to check in. Mom and Grandma asked me to watch over him, as he wasn't thrilled to be at camp (and the pastor of his congregation couldn't attend because of health reasons). I assured them I would keep my eye out for him.<br />As they parted and he met his cabinmates, I smiled; "He'll be alright," I thought.<br /><br />By lunchtime, he had been welcomed in to the group, and was mixing well with campers and counselor alike. Several times each day, I observed him at lots of our confirmation camp activities. When he didn't know I was watching, he had a blast. When he did catch my eye, he retreated into reluctant, reserved mode his mother & grandmother expected to show. He though he was fulfilling their expectations. I smiled again; "He'll be fine," I thought.<br /><br />We welcome youth (and adults) into the Lutherlyn family one person at a time, just as God welcomes us into his church by baptism. We let them be themselves, not necessarily the people our parents and grandparents program us to be, some of them for the first time. <br /><br />We've been doing that since 1949. I've been a member of the Lutherlyn family since 1959. So have a lot of other people. The weekend before Jake's visit, we had a church convention where we were asked to stand up if we had had Lutherlyn experiences in our, or our children's, lives. 80% of us stood. <br /><br />The "Life-Changing Adventure in Faith" continues long after we leave Lutherlyn and return to the so-called real world. That's why we do what we do at Lutherlyn - and will do as long as we can.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10199859572052428797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931418123522033023.post-31056514296576392102015-07-27T15:54:08.111-07:002015-07-27T15:54:08.111-07:00Love this! Sums up Lutherlyn camp pretty well!!!Love this! Sums up Lutherlyn camp pretty well!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08438472245797773343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931418123522033023.post-92025631233258099542015-07-08T22:57:44.839-07:002015-07-08T22:57:44.839-07:00That at least some of these counselors, pastors, a...That at least some of these counselors, pastors, and you feel to the campers like "safe" people to ask the hard questions of, well, then that is one was to define "success" for the week. Seems to me that we too often encounter church-y people, or church-y groups with which we would be afraid to be honest with our questions or doubts. I'm not sure how you were introduced to these kids, but there must have been something in the words or your demeanor that invited them to invite you to hear their questions. That says a lot. LoieJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01977264499770654307noreply@blogger.com