...where
each camper is appreciated
...where play is important
...where lifelong friendships are
forged
...where a relationship with God is
strengthened
...where each
camper is appreciated
We understand
the trust involved with placing your child in the care of
another. In such circumstances, many wonder if their child
was valued. At Camp WaMaVa, let us tell you how your child
is valued. Our counselors will "learn the story" of each
child in their cabin; who they are, what they enjoy, their
skills, and their understanding of God. These
counselor/camper conversations will inform us of what your
child needs in order to enjoy his/her week at camp and grow
personally and spiritually. As we learn about each child,
the children also learn about each other through confidence
course activities, cabin time, and Bible classes. In our
society, kids are often without positive mentor figures,
particularly caring older brother/sister types who carry
great influence beyond a parent’s purview. WaMaVa counselors
are young Christian men and women who value the privilege
and responsibility of mentoring your child.
...where play
is important
It seems
increasingly challenging for kids to experience safe, open,
imaginative play outside. Camp WaMaVa is a supervised, safe
place in the outdoors with scores of friends. Creative
exploration is not bound within electronic screens and play
does not require a van ride to a scheduled activity. At
camp, you can play your favorite games with friends that
aren't called home early, swing on a tree swing, pick
berries, make bracelets out of clover flowers, catch
crayfish in the creek or fish from the lake...or organized
play like camp-wide games, sports, crafts, or the pool! We
realize our kids perhaps have enough (too many) things with
which to play. What they need is a place to truly play...and
with friends. It’s how they learn. At Camp WaMaVa, we honor
our kids by honoring play, we honor God in how we play, and
we hope the kids recognize Christ in our play.
...where
lifelong friendships are forged
"One who has
unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend
who sticks closer than a brother."
-Proverbs 18:24
One of life's
greatest blessings is friendship. It is responsible for so
much growth and stability spiritually, emotionally, and
developmentally, yet so often we treat friendship as a
circumstantial byproduct of life's activities. Camp WaMaVa
makes the pursuit of friendship very intentional. We spend a
week of 24 hour days together. We share cabin space. Time is
set aside during the morning activity and cabin time
specifically to talk with each other. Meals are shared
family style around a table. The camp epicenter is the mess
hall porch; lined with benches facing each other. We want to
give your child more than just fun memories, new
experiences, and silly stories. Camp WaMaVa gives your child
new, real friends. Ask any camp alum (young or old) about
the gravity of their camp friendships...if you can spare a
few hours.
... where a
relationship with God is strengthened
We
acknowledge God in all that we do, and naturally grow closer
to Him. We believe God is the culmination and creator of the
good things we experience at Camp WaMaVa. He created each of
us with special gifts (Psalm 139:13) and gave us a role in
His Kingdom (I Cor 12). So we take time to learn and
appreciate one another. Christ teaches us to be like
children and humble ourselves (Matt 18:1-5). So we respect
children, honoring their authenticity, their innocence, and
forms of play. Christ not only teaches us friendship, he
calls us HIS friend (John 15). So we seek to be friends of
Christ and each other, fulfilling Christ's command and
practicing God's love.
Your child
will know we care about him/her. And your child will know
why we care. God's love is acknowledged and reflected in our
joyful play, in our camp friendships, in the memories we
make, in our devotionals, in our discussions, in our
efforts, in the beauty of the outdoors, and in our Bible
studies. We teach the love of God to kids, but more
importantly, we show the love of God to kids.
As we learn to acknowledge
God more readily in more spaces, we grow closer to Him.
