Dear Friends of HYC,
This summer will be my 11th summer as a staff member at Hiawatha Youth Camp. Over the past ten years I have learned countless things about the Lord and how He’s working in our lives. I’ve been able to see Him working in the lives of others–and getting to be even a small part of that has kept me coming back for years.
I’ve seen Him grow people as believers. I have had the opportunity to see students come to camp their first year not knowing anything about Jesus, then years later continuing to grow in their walk with Christ to work as a counselor answering some of the same questions for others they were asking as a high schooler.
I’ve seen Him work through speakers. There are messages that I heard years and years ago that I still think about and convict me to this day. Some I have recorded on my phone and others I just have written in a notebook. God spoke words through people on a stage that have continued to shape my life far after they were spoken.
I’ve seen God work through worship. There are few times I’ve felt closer to Jesus than standing in the auditorium, with my hands lifted, praising a Savior who gave everything to save me. Those have been some of the most freeing and humbling moments of my life.
I’ve seen God work through my friendships at Hiawatha. The people at Hiawatha are like none other. Over the years I have made some of the deepest, truest friendships on those grounds. Getting to spend the summer with people who are seeking Jesus just as much as I am, and getting to do so together, is really something special.
I’ve seen God work through the Walker Family. This past summer I was in awe of how a man’s faithfulness to God and His calling could lead to an entire summer of camp even after he was gone. Getting to work alongside the Walkers and seeing the faith they have in Jesus makes me want to strengthen my faith in Jesus.
People want to be at Hiawatha (and keep coming back) because they want to see Jesus move.
If you’ve been to HYC you’ve undoubtedly had some incredible experiences during your week or summer at camp, whether you've seen Him working in others lives or in your own. I want to encourage you to share those stories. When we tell people about Hiawatha, we tell them about how Jesus changes lives.
This summer we have a goal to reach an average of 60 campers per week. Part of my job is working to make that happen; I want to ask you to join me. Take some time and share what the Lord has done in your life at a place called Hiawatha. Tell them of the decisions you’ve made and the relationships you’ve built. Tell them how you’ve seen God work.
Our hope, and I pray it’s yours as well, is to see as many young people as we can get excited about their relationship with Jesus Christ. We believe He has used our camp as a vessel to do so in the past and is going to continue to do so this coming summer. So please, share what you’ve learned and invite a young person you know to join us for this coming summer. Someday they’ll have a story of their own about the ways they’ve seen God work in their life at Hiawatha Youth Camp.
In Christ,
Mary VanHouten