Dear Partner,
I write to you with an unbelievably grateful heart. The past handful of weeks since our 2024 season came to a close have given me time to reflect on the amazing summer we had. Not only were we greatly blessed to have another summer of camp — but we saw lives saved, camper numbers grow, we welcomed and strengthened relationships with a few new churches that sent groups to us, and our staff added seven first time staff members.
To give you more insight as we start to look forward to next year, our relationship with Bambi Lake continues to grow, and I am very excited to say that our schedule is already locked in for our return in 2025 (stay tuned for our schedule for next summer)!
I can’t say all that without also saying thank you to you. My wife and I are very blessed to be in the position at HYC that we are in — to essentially be raised on the HYC grounds as young kids, to then become campers, then staff members, and now Co-Directors — it’s amazing to see firsthand everything that has gone into making a each summer happen for the past 60 years.
It’s even more amazing to see how much support HYC has from people like you. As I mentioned before, we saw lives saved (10, to be exact) and that is in huge part to you! Summers at HYC don’t happen without hours of careful planning in the off season, staff that commit their summers to serve, and countless blessings from God. It also doesn’t happen without the many hours of prayer and the generous financial gifts that you provided.
This past summer, I was blessed to see one of my childhood friends send his son to camp for the first time. I can’t tell you how many calls and texts I received from my friend in advance of his son's arrival telling me to “make sure I check in on him” because “it’s his first time away from home for this long without us”. As I’m sure you could guess, his son absolutely loved his week at camp. He went home and told his dad how much he already can’t wait to go back next year, and that he wants to bring some of his friends with him. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about how many times he hugged me before he got picked up on his last morning at camp.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank YOU for helping to make that happen. I am blessed that I get to see hundreds of lives being changed each and every summer at HYC, but I want you to know that even though you might not be there to see it, it is happening.
God continues to move in big ways. Hundreds of kids stepped on the grounds in 2024 and left with changed hearts, and went home to tell their parents all about it just like my friend’s son. I’m sure all of their parents would want to thank you too if they knew the role you played in helping to make that happen.
So thank you again, and please continue to pray for us as we prepare for all that God has in store for HYC in 2025!
In Christ,
Blaine Malochleb
Co-Director of Hiawatha Youth Camp