Category: Article

When God Serves Humble Pie

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

Eagle Lake is better than cake.

And that says a lot coming from me – I love cake.

But cake does not compare to a place where God blew my perspective on how and when He works.

It was one of those nights – chilly, a cabin of 10 year old girls full of a million questions about the next day, and of course a sick camper. I threw out a topic to discuss amongst the cabin and Jessica–my sweet, sick camper and I–started the walk toward the infirmary. Jessica was incredibly kind and full of life. As we walked I felt a nudge from God to ask Jessica what she was learning from God at camp.

Honestly, I did not really want to ask. First, I was tired and cold, and probably a little grumpy. Second, I struggled to believe that a ten year old would really have much to answer back. Do ten year olds really listen to God? Does God really speak to ten year old hearts?

I decided to get over it and ask because we still had quite the walk ahead.

“Jessica, what are you learning from God here at camp?”

“Oh well, I think he wants me to be a missionary when I grow up.”

What? What kind of answer was that? God was telling this girl to be a missionary? The answer was so random and unexpected, it caught me off guard.

And what did I do? I doubted her heart. Yeah right, like God talks to ten year olds about being a missionary. So I asked another question.

“Well, you’re ten, so what will you do until you can become a missionary?”

“Oh, well, there is this Muslim girl in my school. I’m going to be her friend and share Jesus with her.”

Forget cake – I was eating a big ol’ slice of humble pie.

In that moment God revealed through a conversation with a ten year old just how small my view was of Him. I doubted God’s ability and desire to work in significant ways in the heart of someone so young.

I knew Eagle Lake provided a place for kids to hear the Gospel and to learn encouraging verses about God, but in that moment I discovered how much bigger God’s ability and plans were to transform lives – no matter how young. Not only were campers receiving truth about salvation from week to week, but God was also truly moving in hearts to follow Him in ways I didn’t think kids even understood. 

God used little Jessica and the story He was writing on her heart to expand my view of Him and how He works. I felt a little like Job when he realized more of the exceeding greatness of God in Job 40:4, “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.” I needed to put my hands over my mouth and start giving more attention to the God who is able to do all things. 

John 5:17 says, “My Father is always at work to this very day, and I too am working.” God is always at work and is doing immeasurably more than we could ever imagine. Nothing is too hard for Him, and His love no one can fathom. There is no one too little, too young, too small for the Lord to be working in and through so that He may be glorified and the Gospel may be advanced.

God used Eagle Lake and a ten year old camper to teach me that He is God and He is always at work. Who am I to say what God is or isn’t capable of doing? Who am I to deny his power to make big changes in little hearts?

To this day I remember that walk with humility and fondness. I remember being humbled by seeing God’s mighty hand at work in someone so small and I remember my faith growing in a God who is able to do anything at anytime in anyone.

Thanks to Eagle Lake, now over a decade later, I can look at my two year old daughter and praise God that even in her smallness, He is able to do a mighty work in her and through her. There is no end to His glory, no end to his might.

Where are YOU believing God isn’t quite big enough to work, or heal, or redeem, or provide today?

Lauren Hlushak's first time west of the Mississippi River was in 2003 when she ventured from Florida to Colorado to be a Rez Camp Counselor. She joined the great migration to the Rocky Mountains in 2005 and now lives in Denver with her amazing bearded husband and daughter, and she just welcomed a son into the world as well! She has a heart for helping women know Jesus and launched She Proves Faithful (www.sheprovesfaithful.com) in 2015 to equip women with discipleship resources. 

Lauren Hlushak’s first time west of the Mississippi River was in 2003 when she ventured from Florida to Colorado to be a Rez Camp Counselor. She joined the great migration to the Rocky Mountains in 2005 and now lives in Denver with her amazing bearded husband and daughter, and she just welcomed a son into the world as well! She has a heart for helping women know Jesus and launched She Proves Faithful (www.sheprovesfaithful.com) in 2015 to equip women with discipleship resources.

Why Camp Is the Way to GROW

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

Our On Location Regional Director Shane shares here why working for a camp is the way to go for an amazing summer:

It’s an ADVENTURE! Leaving school, home, friends, and everything else you know behind for a summer isn’t easy. Stepping out of familiarity and into the unknown provides a sense of insecurity that leaves us on edge—on high alert.

I know! That’s what I experienced when I became a counselor at Eagle Lake Camps. Gathering my belongings in a few packs and bins, I began my 1,000-mile journey across the country on the biggest unknown adventure of my life. I headed to camp for three months with nothing but some clothes, my Bible, and an iPod to keep me company. There’s something about following Jesus through an expressive physical action that creates an adventure. I’m sure the disciples felt it, Paul experienced it, and I too now have a story of my own. Venturing out on an unknown journey with the Lord pushes you beyond trust; it leads you to dependence.

It’s a FAMILY. Community runs deep, but family is thicker. It is clear that we have been crafted for community and fellowship with others. Nowhere in our design as human beings were we created to be alone. During my first summer as a camp counselor, I experienced being a part of a family that cares deeply, loves unconditionally, serves relentlessly, and pushes constantly. It was in this diverse community of believers where I found my brothers and sisters: my family.

It’s getting UNPLUGGED. You have nothing. But yet you have everything. We all know distractions are everywhere—admittedly, I have checked my phone’s ESPN app at least five times since I sat down. With my generation’s constant need for visual and audio stimulation, it’s hard to face the reality of the time we spend using technology (for good or bad) versus the time we take to sit and quiet ourselves before the Lord. When we remove ourselves from society’s pressures, temptations, and distractions and enter into the quiet, our souls then enter an opportunity to commune with the Father on a whole new level.

At Eagle Lake, I had a whole summer of living in the Word and allowing it to live through me. For guys, leaving behind computers, phones, and maybe even people and going to a remote place like camp provides an intense opportunity for spiritual growth and restoration—away from temptation and worldly distraction.

It’s becoming a SERVANT. It’s hard to sit and read Paul’s letters or other New Testament writings and not come across a page that doesn’t mention serving. Over and over God reveals to us that a life following Him casts a shadow of servanthood. Being a follower of Jesus and a servant cannot be separated. As the Lord, His Word, and other people are pouring into you at camp, you immediately have an opportunity to pour out. There is a constant rich flow that comes in, which then is required to be poured out.
It’s advancing the KINGDOM. Being a camp counselor is more than likely the most challenging thing I have done, yet it’s also the most beneficial in my walk with the Lord. Camp does not teach us merely how to serve, camp teaches us to become lifelong servants: servants who are able to see everyday opportunities and use them to advance the Kingdom.
P.S. from Mark Heffentrager, Director of Eagle Lake Camp: Being involved in camping ministry now for more than 18 years, God has never ceased to amaze me. He continually brings us staff from all walks of life and has a way of meeting them at Eagle Lake like no place I have ever seen. Students come to us with all sorts of circumstances—both past and present. Time and time again I see God lead them through their own brokenness and into a place where they recognize their impact in this world as disciples of Christ. The transformation that takes place in a staff member’s life in the span of three months at a place like Eagle Lake is nothing short of incredible. If you know anyone who could benefit from a summer of spiritual growth at camp, please point them here!
shane2

The THRILL Of Hope

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

‘O Holy Night’

How magnificent are these words!

This Christmas these three words have been ever present in my mind. After a bit of research, I found that this well-known hymn was written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure as a French poem to be read at Christmas mass in 1847. While reading the story of Jesus’ birth in the gospel of Luke, Cappeau penned these remarkable words as he imagined witnessing the birth of Christ. This poem was turned into the song ‘O Holy Night’ by Cappeau’s friend Adolphe Adam, a Jewish man who did not believe wholeheartedly in its words.                                                                                     

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Our world still groans in sin and error. One glance at the world news and we are sickened, angered, outraged at the injustice and cruel treatment of others. The world suffers long after things that will never satisfy: the desire to be right, to be heard, to be seen, and to be loved have tainted all since the fall of man.

Yet, He came.

He came on a holy night–lowly at first glance. Surely, a stable was not the place for the promised Messiah to make His entrance.

He came. He came to meet us in our lowly places. Those dark places we run to for comfort and security. Those places that are far away from Him.

He came to rescue. And with this glorious rescue, the poet of “O Holy Night” captures the essence of who we are as believers in Christ Jesus—Filled. Our souls, after chasing the useless for fulfillment, find their worth in the rescue form of a lowly baby on a holy night.

He came.

Bringing hope. Bringing a THRILL of hope He entered the world. A hope of newness, the hope of eternity, the hope of the end of the useless pursuit.

The birth of Christ is more than a long told story about a baby and a manager. It is about a filling. A filling of all that we have ever longed for. Jesus Christ sent from God the Father came to make us whole. Only in Him are our weary hearts satisfied.

May the beauty of this gift bring you to a place of fulfillment and hope in Jesus Christ. Christmas is a new and glorious morn!

by Jen Heffentrager

The Heffentrager Family

 

How God Uses Camp to SHOWER Us With His LOVE

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

It is impossible to describe my journey of faith without the mention of Eagle Lake and the many summers I spent up there. I started out as a Rez camper, moved on to do Crew every summer during my high school years, and eventually got the opportunity to staff as a Crew counselor. My first five-week session of Crew wholeheartedly sold me on spending the remainder of my high school summers serving at this incredible place. At Eagle Lake, I met some of the most genuine, loving, servant-hearted, and hilarious people I’ve ever known.

During my teenage years, I struggled with deep insecurities about my identity, my image, and my worth. Those insecurities came out in several destructive forms and there was not a lot during that time that I felt I had to cling to. In the midst of that season of emotional instability and confusion, it was overwhelmingly refreshing and inspiring to have counselors and leaders who had such a genuine relationship with Christ. Those leaders approached me with such an excitement and eagerness to know my heart and to walk alongside me. Throughout the development of those relationships, my counselors encouraged me to get in the Word regularly. Through spending regular time with my Savior, I began to understand the simple but beautiful truth that I was loved. This revelation about Jesus’ unconditional love continued to grow as I got to live life alongside my peers, serving with them and diving into the Word of God together.

 

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One of the awesome things about the Crew program is that it provides so many unique opportunities. These include, but are not limited to: making new friendships, learning how to study the Bible, serving in several different capacities, living in tents, playing games, worshipping and prayer. Each of these different areas of Crew compliment each other in many ways. The lessons taught from the Bible studies and learning what it meant to be a servant were applied and nurtured through the day to day of living in a very tight knit community. From sleeping in tents to early morning work duties, almost every moment was an opportunity to rely on the joy of the Lord to be your strength and to allow the love He pours over you to overflow onto those around you.

The best part was that none of that stopped or went away once the summer was over. Yes, we did all have to part ways and go home and return to “normal” life. However, the truth is that life was not really ever normal after that. In a matter of weeks, my life was completely transformed and there was no going back to “normal.” This is not to say that things never got hard or I did not lose my way here or there, but rather to say that the things I learned during those summers at camp were life-altering in the best way possible. I still hold dear to my heart the people I met (who are some of my best friends today), the real and raw conversations my counselors had with me, and most of all, the ways the Lord revealed to me his sweet and unconditional love.

 

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How God Uses Camp to REMIND Us of His Character

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

I could have met Jesus anywhere, but He met me at camp.

It was late one night in high school under a blanket of stars that Jesus revealed to me He was my Creator and Savior.  I cried out in sweet relief seeing a billion little suns He knows by name and yet counts me more valuable. I’m hardly a fraction of their size and yet he chose to take my sin and nail himself to a cross for it.

This was at the camp I grew up at in the middle of the Midwest. Ever since that night I could never get enough of camp. It was a place of joy, community, laughter and I wanted to be like everyone I met there. I began to want to be like Jesus.

I went and staffed there the summer after my freshman year of college to find the gospel being put on the backburner.  The community was being poisoned by pursuing the work over Jesus, and I left that summer full of doubt.  Was anything I learned here about Jesus true? Was it His joy I had seen or an illusion? I was hurt and I was confused, but I went back to college and Jesus proved as faithful as ever in my puddle of doubt.

I began to see that I had associated Jesus far too closely to my good experiences at camp. Realizing camp was imperfect prompted my heart to feel that Jesus must be imperfect, too. As I worked through this lie, He revealed truth in His Word and surrounded me with close friends to speak truth to me: “Doubt your own doubts, because they are as empty as the grave He walked from.” Jesus is perfect, the world and its people are not.

I’m involved in Navigators at college, a ministry passionate about knowing Christ and making him known, and every fall we go to a big conference called Main Event. That fall in particular, a slightly obnoxious banner next to a booth caught my eye and I read the words Eagle Lake Camps.

I walked towards it and decided to apply.

 

Biblestudy fun

 

Life long friendships

 

 

Hammock time

 

Fun times

 

Life on life Ministry

 

You might be wondering why I would return to a place so similar to where I experienced such a negative impact on my walk with the Lord, but don’t forget my first encounter with Christ. Often, God takes our hurt and flips it over so we can see his healing. That is exactly what He did at Eagle Lake.

A woman named Abby Fennema called me for an interview. I immediately could tell she was for real about sharing Jesus at all costs and walking with the Lord herself. My eyes welled up with tears, and I knew that Jesus had a purpose for bringing me through all that doubt. I was to go back into a setting I’d been hurt by and put the gospel at the forefront of all we did, instead of wondering where it was at.

The summer of 2015 came and I walked onto property as a Crew Counselor, knowing no one and desiring to make Christ known.  It was a hard, growing, huge blessing of a summer. God rooted my trust in Him by giving me energy, love, and kindness when I had none left to give. I found myself faced with things I didn’t know how to do, like helping run the camp store, relying on Jesus for physical needs and swallowing desires of comfort for the sake of others. I didn’t think I could do it and I definitely couldn’t without the Lord and fellow believers that were right by my side, showing me how the entire way.

He healed any leftover hurt and doubt from the summer before and replaced it with abundant testimonies to His character by moving in the hearts of my campers, as well as in my own heart. I got to walk with campers struggling with the same lie I had previously believed. We concluded that God is the same God away from camp that we believe Him to be when at camp, and our faith isn’t based on experiences or people, but rather on the flawless Word of Christ.

That summer was full of seeing my fellow counselors seeking Jesus with everything they had and teaching their campers to do the same. Eagle Lake has challenge me to pursue the Lord deeply and trust HIM in whatever ministry He brings me into, not in a ministry itself (no matter how awesome).

This year I will going back on staff for a third summer at Eagle Lake and I am just as excited as I was to go to camp in high school.

 

Leadership team

 

sarah10

 

Fun fun fun

 

The road to camp

How God Uses Camp to IMPACT Generations

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

Interestingly, the most impactful story I think of when Eagle Lake comes to mind didn’t happen at Eagle Lake Camp at all. Instead, it occurred at The Navigators’ collegiate ministry’s fall conference in Estes Park, CO.

 

Although this conference is typically only for college students, three of my former campers had asked for — and were given — permission from our regional director to join us. On the last night of the conference, I had the privilege to sit behind these three high school seniors. I had trained them in how to clean a toilet with excellence, led them in quiet times, and taught them how to share the gospel with little children. And now, as we sat praying over people the Lord had placed on our hearts and then began to worship, I watched my campers as they were pulled to their knees, their hearts broken for the sake of the gospel. Watching these teenagers commit their lives to Jesus not just for their own happiness but for the sake of others brought me to tears. 

 

Eagle Lake has made a lifelong impact on my walk with Jesus because it takes those who are considered “inadequate, inexperienced, or too young” and tells them that they are part of the army that the Lord is raising up for His Name’s sake. Eagle Lake empowers young children, high school students, struggling college students and even college graduates to experience the joy of giving up everything for the sake of Jesus: for the sake of knowing Him and making Him known to friends, families and peers.

Life long friendships

 

Life on Life Ministry

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Canoe Fun

This past summer marked my twelfth summer at Eagle Lake as either a camper or a staff member. I have spent, in total, over a year of my life on an Eagle Lake property. To say the least, Eagle Lake has a special place in my heart that will never be removed. In those twelve summers, Jesus has taught me a lot of important, hard, and joyful lessons, but the lesson that I think ties them all together is that giving my life away for the sake of the Gospel is always worth it. Moreover, when I do, I experience the joy of being in my Savior’s presence most fully.

 

As a high school student, I was part of the Crew program. It’s a 5-week program where high school students come to Eagle Lake to clean toilets, serve food, and do the dishes. However, campers are also being poured into by college-aged counselors who give up their summers in the hopes that even just one high school student would begin or would deepen their walk with the Lord.

 

From my summers on Crew, one of the most impactful lessons I learned was that Christ is the cornerstone. I don’t know why I remember this so well, but as we were placing the tables in rows in the dinning hall, my hospitality counselor placed the first one of the row, and he called us all together and said, “this one is the cornerstone, just as ‘Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected, He has now become the cornerstone.'” I understood that passage for the first time as I saw a cornerstone be set, and everything else in the dining hall be affected by and oriented around it. Additionally, Crew gave me a hunger for God’s word. It was the first time I was really encouraged (and told) to read my Bible on a daily basis, and that I was responsible for my walk with the Lord, not my parents. I began to read the Bible that summer and by my last summer on Crew, I had made my way through the entire book.  I was eager and hungry for the Word of God.

 

That wetsuit lyfe

 

Blob fun

 

Hospitality Crew Strikes a Pose

 

Awkward Family Pic

 

In 2015 I came on staff as a crew counselor. My summer was really hard. I was overwhelmed by the amount of brokenness that is in our world today as I lived life with campers (some only 14) who had first-hand experience with heartbreak, suicide, depression and rape. My heart was heavy and my eyes opened to the effects of the fall. My heart longed for something that would come and redeem and bind up these broken souls. My heart was restless for eternity and zealous for the gospel.

 

The following summer, I came back on staff as a Day Camp Crew counselor. The summer was marked by two phrases, “Three things are eternal: God, His word, and the souls of man,” and “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” My sin of working for things that are not eternal, or not coming from a place of satisfaction in God and His Word, became evident in my life the first few weeks.

 

I struggled as two of my best friends were put in a position of leadership over me. In my head, I thought that I deserved that position just as much as they did, and fell into the trap of believing that I needed to prove to them and to my boss that I did. Constantly trying to prove I was enough was exhausting, because I’m not. And to put it bluntly, doing so is outside of God’s plan and provision, and so there is no joy in trying. But the Lord humbled me and quietly asked the question, “Do you believe that I am sovereign? Do you believe that if I want to bring you back to Eagle Lake it will be more glorious than if you do all the work and they ask you, apart from me?”

 

Through one-on-ones with a staff member’s wife, we talked through how much greater it would be if I was faithfully present where the Lord had me, in the moment He had me. It was His grace that placed me on Day Camp that summer. (And now I’m convinced it’s the coolest job at Eagle Lake!) I was put on a crew that allowed me to do what I love: develop kids into strong leaders, lovers of God’s word, and servants for the Gospel. I worked with eight high school students who were eager to learn. They worked with our Day Camp campers on our Glen Eyrie property. The primary goal of the program is to learn how to lead a Bible study, but these campers walked away with so much more.

 

Day Camp Crew

 

Spiritual Generations

 

Canoodoling Patrol

 

Crew Staff

 

One of my favorite stories from that summer happened with one of my quieter campers. I had been encouraging her to try and just be present, to play, and to interact in hopes of getting a chance to share the gospel with a camper. In the middle of one of our one-on-ones, she looked me in the eye, and asked, “Will you follow me around and tell me every time that I could have shared the gospel, but didn’t?” Even in questioning her ability to share the gospel, she still knew and believed that the gospel was worth it, and that her joy was to tell it to all those around her. 

 

The passion I saw for the gospel cultivated in these sixteen and seventeen year olds challenged me more than I could have imagined as I stepped back onto my own campus this semester. Each day at Day Camp we reminded our campers that they would not be promised a second chance to share the gospel, but only given the opportunities right before them, so go forth boldly! It’s easy to forget that in the midst of tests, events, and friendships.

 

However, through deep relationships with staff, campers, and other counselors in the midst of beautiful mountains, Eagle Lake has instilled in me that Christ is worth it, on the mountain and off. He is worth giving up your summer, your plans, and even your dreams, “for we count it all as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord” (Philippians 3:8). I could tell countless stories of how God has met me through relationships and time spent at Eagle Lake, but they would all tell one story: God is meeting his people in the stillness of Eagle Lake, to equip them to go off the mountain and share His story for His glory.

How God Uses Camp to REJUVENATE Our Spirits

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid
Eagle Lake is a place where someone can experience God’s intimate love through genuine friendships, discipline in the Word and prayer, and selfless serving. And it’s all possible because Jesus died and rose again for our sin, and the people there know and live in this. 

I first discovered this truth the summer after I graduated from high school. Emotionally exhausted and ready for a fresh start after senior year, I ran away to Eagle Lake. I had lived the last few years seeking fulfillment and love from my church leaders and friends, but kept coming out empty and hurt. Although I didn’t realized it at the time, I was seeking God’s love through works and through the approval of man. The more discouraged in my faith I grew, the more I just wanted to get away. Thus, as plans for a summer at Eagle Lake fell in to place, I grew more and more excited.
Face painting fun
life-long friendships
Trash Days
Parking Lot Duty

Serving on Eagle Lake Crew exceeded my expectations.I quickly formed sincere friendships. My counselors provided constant accountability for disciplined time in the Word, and my leaders and the peers walking alongside me daily encouraged me to seek JESUS first. Waking up at 5am, cleaning toilets and sleeping on plastic mattresses with a dirt floor may sound terrible, but it created a full reliance on and desire for those sweet early mornings with Jesus.
The fellowship on Crew was also instrumental to my growth that summer. I had never experienced such a tight knit community working together to better each other in the gospel and strengthen each other to willingly serve. My heart began to overflow with precious love from Jesus for the people around me. I slowly realized that this had always been in my life, but had become fogged near the end of high school. I resolved to continue to allow Jesus’ love to permeate my feelings for the people around me when I returned home.
Buddies
Cross Hike
Cross hike
Banquet Night Finery
God taught me through my summer as a crew camper to dwell in the word of Christ, serve willingly in humility, and to listen to and love others better. I need and still try to get daily time in the Word and time to study the Bible. And my husband and I pursue godly community who encourage us and whom we can encourage in return.
 Leaving camp was hard, but I started praying that God would allow me to live a Gospel-centered life. My summer at camp set a beautiful foundation for my soul to remember the importance of God’s Word and genuine community so that I can do so.
By Meredith, former Crew camper and counselor
Crew Staff Picture

How God Uses Camp to REDEEM Our Stories

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

Eagle Lake is my safe place, the place that builds me up and gives me a booster shot to live in the real world until I can come back.

My parents divorced when I was in 6th grade. It was an incredibly difficult time. Life was crazy and painful and I just wanted to escape. That’s when I first encountered Eagle Lake. It became my safe haven; a place that protected me from the hard and painful back home.

Crazy night fun

Banquet night fun

My relationship with my dad became especially difficult after the divorce. It was during another week of camp at Eagle Lake a different summer that I had an amazing breakthrough. During a time of worship one night, I realized that my dad is human and will continue to disappoint me. But I also realized that God is my true Father, and because He is God, He will never disappoint me and will always be there for me.

Being a camper helped me realize that, even though I may want to live life alone, I can’t. But God is always there for me, and there are other amazing people out there who want to live life alongside me.

I knew I’d be a camper until they told me I couldn’t be a camper any more. And then I’d be a counselor until they told me I couldn’t do that anymore. So last year I joined the Eagle Lake staff as a counselor. During orientation, they told us that a lot of times, God puts campers in our lives who have similar stories, and it was really cool to see how God orchestrated this in my life, too.

Camp friends are the best friends

Banquet Night

During one of the free times, I had the opportunity to hang out with a camper who wasn’t even mine.  His counselor came to me and asked me to talk to him since he knew we had similar stories.  I had seen the camper before this week; in fact, it was his third week here this summer.  The camper paid for himself and came up to camp to escape his family.  It was heartbreaking that he was going through such difficult times, but so incredibly inspiring that even at such a young age he was turning to God and searching for Him during these difficult times instead of seeking fulfillment and escape in other ways.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that I wasn’t the only person to walk through the types of trials I experienced. It was extremely difficult to hear that someone else was experiencing the same pain as I had. However, through this camper God showed me that I could be useful in demonstrating that God was still working in my life and carrying me through the lingering pain of those early hardships.  It was unforgettable to be able to talk to this camper and share in his pain and troubles and assure him that he is not alone in this journey. I feel honored to have met him and connected with him.

That week he memorized eighty verses and received the Eagle Award.  It was so special to meet someone with such a strong yearning for God who is willing to make sacrifices to seek Him even in the hard times.  God is so good and He blows me away that He would place me and that camper in each others’ lives so that we could impact one another.

Beach time

Counselor Lyfe

This is what is so amazing about Eagle Lake.  It so obvious that behind each relationship, cabin assignment, activity, and one-on-one God is working and has a plan.  At Eagle Lake we have the opportunity to see God working right in front of us, and using us in one another’s lives as we all strive to know Him more.  The camper is hoping to come back next summer to take part in the crew program and grow even closer to God.  Please be praying for this opportunity to be made possible so more people can pour into him and that he can inspire them through his testimony just as he inspired me.  Please also be praying for his continued pursuit of God as he goes through life!

And it’s so beautiful how God continued to work in my life using Eagle Lake, too. During camp, I realized how much I love youth ministry, and decided to change my major, but I wasn’t sure where to go from there. One of the full time staff, while talking to me, realized I lived in the same town as a former full-time staffer and his family. She connected us, and they’ve really taken me in! I’m going to church with them every Sunday, and am helping out with their youth group and leading a Bible study with 9th grade girls!

Eagle Lake is not a normal job where you move on to the next thing when it’s over. It becomes a part of your life.

Wolf Pack

the crosses

by Rez and Crew camper and Rez counselor alumn Carrie

How God Uses Camp to RESTORE Our Souls

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

When I hear the words “life story” or “testimony”, they are soon followed by my abundance of wonderful memories from Eagle Lake. My summers at camp impacted where I went to college, the people I lived with, my career aspirations, and most importantly my relationship with Him.

Let me explain…

I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and gave my life to the Lord at a very young age. While on a church mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico, I asked to be a part of what He was doing in that place. My parents heard about Eagle Lake from my cousins (former staff) and started sending me there when I was 9. I did three summers as a Rez camper and moved on to Excursions as I got older. Although the Lord planted seeds during these weeks at camp, nothing could have prepared me for the literal storm awaiting me in middle school.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the city of New Orleans. This storm displace my family, flooded my home, and shattered my faith in the existence of a loving God. Throughout middle school, I struggled with overwhelming anxiety and depression that eventually led to thoughts of suicide. My parents tried sending me to counselors and psychiatrists, but nothing could heal the wounds that stemmed from a crisis of faith.

Banquet

As a last resort, they forced me to attend the Crew program in 2008 and it was the best decision they have every made for me! God wore me down through the love of His people, the power of His word, and the healing of His Spirit. I asked Jesus back into my life during a powerful prayer night on Crew and instantly my sadness and anger melted away as hope began to rise from ashes. The good Lord redeemed my life from the pit and brought about a 2nd Corinthians 5:17 transformation.

Sean McKelvey, the crew director at the time, baptized me in the lake toward the end of the session. I went back for Crew every summer in high school, making lifelong friends and growing in my walk with God. At the end of my last year as a Crew camper in 2011, I got in the car and told my mom that I needed to go to school in Colorado. We toured a few schools and God led me to Colorado State University.

Slacklining

Horseback

Baptism

I wasn’t very faithful in my walk down the mountain for much of high school and started really getting into the party scene during that time. The identity I cultivated in that scene followed me into college and that’s basically what I did for most of my freshmen year. I accomplished just about everything I wanted to that year and I was left dead in my faith and dissatisfied by what the world had to offer. At the end of my freshmen year, I did what I had always done when I had a crisis of faith…I went back to camp. Eagle Lake welcomed me back like the prodigal son I had been, and helped plug me into a Christian community at CSU. I ended up living with Eagle Lake guys for my junior and senior year of college and am confident that we will remain lifelong friends.

Fun at Camp

Friendships

I served as a Crew counselor for the past two summers and helped create Activities Crew, a sort of counselor-in-training program for more mature high school students. As a counselor, I saw God use all of my past experiences and brokenness to His glory. I learned that God doesn’t let pain go unused, as I was able to come alongside some students dealing with anxiety and depression and others who had placed their identity in practices I once had. This past summer, I was also able to be discipled by the man who baptized me in the lake eight years earlier. God is sovereign and truly has an awesome plan!

Water Fun

Crew Staff

The work of the Lord at Eagle Lake gave me a new life. He used that place to give me lifelong friends, unforgettable lessons in discipleship, and countless laughs.

Camp changed the trajectory of my life after college also. During my first summer as a Crew counselor, God began calling me toward the nations. This January, I ship off for an 11-country, 11-month mission trip around the world called The World Race. I’m eager to apply what I’ve learned during my time at Eagle Lake during this crazy, wonderful adventure the Lord has blessed me with.

-Nick, former Rez, Excursions, and Crew camper and Rez and Crew Counselor

Who Am I?

Posted on by Katlyn Kincaid

Who Am I?

A Story of Self-Discovery at Camp.

 

The dictionary defines identity as a noun: “what a person or thing is.” For 19 years, I defined my identity based on my circumstances—who do others say I am? What do my grades, my appearance, my results say I am? I was confident only when an ‘A’ was plastered to my tests, when I received praise from peers, when I started in volleyball or swam faster than the girl next to me. I was devastated when I failed to measure up. And boy, did I fail. As a result, my identity was ever-changing. I was wrapping my identity around mist.

My entire life, I heard stories about how epic four years of college would be. When I finally went to college, it was not at all what I had envisioned. Instead of endless friends, I had one roommate. Instead of rambunctious parties, I watched HGTV in my room. Instead of breezing by in classes, I wasn’t understanding the material. Instead of pouring my energy into sports, I struggled to find an intramural team. No one knew who I was. It seemed as though the only people who cared about me were on the other side of Colorado. All of the things I had wrapped my identity around were nonexistent. I knew I wanted something more—something I could stand on that would not crumble beneath my feet.

 

 

When I was at the lowest point I had ever been, I genuinely cried out to God for the first time.

And He heard. He answered. It was so beautiful. When I asked for friends, God gave me the Navigators ministry. When I asked for love, He revealed Himself.

Throughout freshman year, God continued to transform my heart. The more I learned about Jesus, the less I strove after the things I had been infatuated with. The more I learned about Jesus, the more I began to find joy in the little things.

All year I had planned on going home for one last summer, but God had other plans. I made a last minute decision to go to Eagle Lake as a counselor for On-Location. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t think that God could use me—who was I? I had only been a Christian for 6 months. I hadn’t even read the book of John.

All I knew is that I wanted more of the God who answered my prayers, of the God who had become my joy.

 

 

My decision to be a counselor for Eagle Lake was the best decision I could have made for my walk with Jesus. God showed me what unity within the church looks like through my loving co-workers. He showed His provision by giving me strength on the tough days. He showed my team safety when we were in a dangerous part of town. He showed His faithfulness when I messed up.

God turned my darkness into light. All of the doubts I had about myself, my faith, and the summer were overshadowed by His love.

I had always heard that Jesus “died for my sins,” but at Eagle Lake, God revealed something profound about that statement.
Every day I shared the Gospel with campers without realizing its full extent. During worship one day, I sung the line “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,” from “Revelation Song.”

That’s when it hit me—Jesus is worthy. His act on the cross was worthy enough to give me a new identity—one that is not defined by my mistakes, but by His grace.

Jesus didn’t just die for my sins; Jesus died as me, so that I may have His righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Woah. That sure changed the way I thought about identity.

 

 

God doesn’t define identity the same way the dictionary does. Identity isn’t a noun. It’s a verb—our identity comes from the living act of Jesus’ death on the cross. When we are in Christ, we are accepted. We are secure. We are significant. We are God’s children—chosen to do His work.

So yes; despite my flaws, my lack of experience, my doubts, and my mistakes, God worked through me. He did more during Eagle Lake than I could have ever imagined.

“The Weaver,” by an unknown author, describes what it is like to reminisce in the ways God showed His love through circumstances in college:

“My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.

Oftimes He weaveth sorrow,
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I, the underside…”

I had been looking at the jumbled and fringed threads from the “underside,” while God was weaving a beautiful pattern that would lead me to Himself.

 

 

And just like last year, I thought I would be working or doing an internship for the summer. God had other plans. When I was asked to be a Program Coach for On-Location, similar thoughts ran through my head. “But, I’ve never led a Bible study before! How do you disciple five girls? What’s leadership!?”

The difference between this time and last time is that I know my identity rests in Christ. God will work through me. It means that I am His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), that I have been approved (2 Corinthians 1:21-22), and that I can go into summer with confidence (2 Corinthians 3:4).

I can’t wait to see the pattern He weaves this summer—not only in my own life, but for everyone involved in this beautiful thing called camp.

 

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Jordan grew up in Montrose, Colorado and is studying Psychology at Colorado State University. She is excited to serve as a Program Coach for On-Location this summer (yellow team!). She loves the outdoors, coffee, and laughs pretty hard at puns. She aspires to someday drive a Zamboni whilst giving high fives.