Cornfields, Campers & Contentment

A Camp Director's Reflections on Ci 1.0

One of the many blessings in my life has been to marry into a farm family. Growing up in the city exposed me to digital technology at an early age. While marrying a farm girl, has given me a great understanding of farming and a great appreciation for it. Having just completed three of the most engaging, energy-demanding weeks of my life, the launch of Camp Infinity, it has been a very special break to come to the farm and reflect for a few days about the last three weeks.

I enjoy walking along the corn fields here in central Ohio in mid-July where the corn is normally knee high by the Fourth of July. It provides a sense of peace and serenity which my soul desires after times of go, go, go. As I think about the process of growing corn, it reminds me of the process of growing Christlikeness in our campers. Before the seed can grow, the farmer must work hard to prepare the soil. Once the seed is in the ground, most of the work occurs through mechanisms only the Creator controls - sunshine, rain, transformation of a viable seed into a growing plant, and things we have not even totally figure out yet! As a camp director, I observed a lot of coordinated work that was done to prepare the soil of the hearts and minds of our campers. From counseling, to teaching to program directing to guest speaker presentations, just like the farmer, all was being done to help insure the seeds would have the greatest opportunity to germinate. My brother-in-law, at whose farm I am resting, tells me he plants about 30-35k corn seeds per acre and typically will see about 28-30k corn stalks emerge. He plants and God brings the increase.  This is precisely what we trust God will do in the lives of the 40 campers with whom we worked these past two weeks.  

The farmer's work, however; does not end after the seeds are planted. If left totally uncared for, the resulting harvest would be less than desirable.  Our work with our campers does not end after camp. We have plans underway to use digital technologies to stay connected with our campers and parents to continue inspiring them to discover wonder and amazement in everything they see in the world around them and to teach them to face each day with an insatiable curiosity that drives them into a closer relationship with the Infinite One who created it all. What an absolute joy to invest our time, talents and treasures in the lives of young people with whom God has gifted abilities in STEM to be used to bring Him glory as they grow into God's image bearers.

So as this newly-initiated camp director and wonderful staff reflect on the past three weeks of labor, great contentment comes as we put our trust in the Infinite One who has the power to transform humans into saints through the power of the Gospel of Christ. Personally, I cannot think of a better way to reflect upon the launch of Ci 1.0 as we prepare ourselves to make plans for Ci 2.0!!

These are the young people to whom we labored to plant the seeds of biblical authority and the Gospel in the context of STEM. Please pray that God will bring forth an abundant increase that will bring Him glory through the lives of these modern day Daniels!!

Camp Infinity

Where Science & Technology Meet Truth