This camp story was written and shared by Mady Riedlinger. Mady is a student at Hope College and a WyldLife Leader at West Ottawa in the Greater Holland Area.
Something incredibly special happens every time I go to camp with my middle school friends. And WyldLife Winter Weekend was full of very special moments.
From the first step onto the bus, the energy was up, the Holy Spirit was present, and the bonding began.
Camp has a way of allowing us to become more in touch with the people God created us to be by unplugging from our phones and tuning into intentional conversations and countless games of gaga ball. Camp teaches me about the power of presence and opens my eyes to the numerous ways in which God is already at work.
Winter Weekend was where middle schoolers and leaders came together and experienced the power of the Gospel through incredible speakers, programs, and daily actions of forgiveness and grace. We got the real and raw version of each kid and leader in those cabins, and that is where we saw the Lord work in the hearts of each middle schooler that had the opportunity to attend.
West Ottawa WyldLife Girls and Leaders
Our camp speaker, Cesar Castillejos, brought the Word to us in transformative ways and provided tangible examples of God’s love and forgiveness. His countless visuals relating to scripture brought new life to the stories that some of our kids have heard over and over. He challenged kids and leaders alike to identify our sin and unplug ourselves from the non-lifegiving sources of identity that we so often think give us life, but don’t.
We dug deep in cabin talks, revealing the struggles we face related to identity and sin. And of course, there were tears. The Black Bear cabin without a doubt came away with new revelations of God’s tangible love for us all, and how God continually calls us to follow and embrace Him even when we doubt.
We left camp with softened hearts, tired eyes, full stomachs, and sore muscles from a variety of winter and gym activities—all signs of a Winter Weekend experienced fully.
Although I love Timber Wolf Lake, I think my favorite part about Winter Weekend is what happens when we get home. Many of our conversations start with “Remember at camp when…” and we continue to strengthen the bonds we have formed. We don’t want that “camp high” to fade and therefore continue to remind one another of the good times and good talks we had.
Winter Weekend was incredible. God blessed every single second of our time together, and I am confident that He continues to bless our conversations reflecting on His unconditional love. Winter Weekend allowed many doors to be open to conversations about who we are and how we are loved by the King of Kings. God bless Timber Wolf Lake, and praise be to Jesus for West Ottawa WyldLife.
“Winter Weekend, oh how we miss it already!”
