By Elizabeth Sims
Great fun, fantastic friendships, and a strengthening of your faith is what Camp Bonclarken is all about. When I was asked to write about something that has impacted my life I immediately thought of Camp
Bonclarken. Growing up a preacherʼs kid, I have gone to Bonclarken all my life, but two years ago I decided to try camp. I had heard people talking about it, but was too scared to leave my family for a week knowing no one. Now it is my favorite week in the summer! The major things that impact your life during that week are the friendships you make, how your walk with Christ will be strengthened, and the relationships you form with all the staff.
Friendship can be defined as a relationship of mutual trust and support. There are many opportunities to make friends at camp from your cabin mates to the people you meet in options, which are the activities we do everyday. The people you meet at camp are not only there for fun, but they also help in strengthening your walk with the Lord. The friendships I have made have been something I have loved the most. It also has been nice with social media and technology to be able to keep in touch with each other.
Good Christian friends are the best to have in your life.
Every day is spent not only having fun with friends participating in activities, but also learning about and worshipping God! One of the best things about Camp is Worship time. Every night everyone gathers in the YAB coming together to praise God after a long but fun day. During worship, we sing about five to six songs and then the preacher talks about what we learned in our Bible time that afternoon. The songs we sing are extremely catchy so that during the rest of the year we have found ourselves singing them. Then we close each night work- ing on a devotion with our cabin groups. I love how the emphasis and focus of the week is Christ, His Word, and our walk with Him!
Camp Bonclarken would not be the same without the workers, coun- selors, and staff. Everyone there loves the Lord and loves building special bonds with the kids. I have seen the staff take time for each camper, mak- ing them feel comfortable, answering questions, challenging and growing our faith, and being silly with us! Being a staff kid, you see what hap- pens behind the scenes, what it takes to get everything ready. The time ev- eryone contributes to make that one week special is simply amazing and wonderful. You can tell that everyone from the counselors to C.I.T.s (counselors in training) to the nurses and Bible teachers love helping out and making it run smoothly. Ultimate- ly, I think the people make Camp Bonclarken so special, the time and love put into making it the best week for the kids.
There are many ways camp has impacted my life. It is a non-stop week full of fun activities like swim- ming, games, crafts; but also times of singing and learning about God. If you have a child or grandchild, or you are a child yourself, I would highly recommend checking out Camp! With Camp Bonclarken you will get great fellowship, a fantastic week, and wonderful memories in beautiful Bonclarken.?
Elizabeth Sims is the oldest daughter of Rev. & Mrs. Kyle Sims of First ARP Lancaster, SC. She is 14 years old and in the eighth grade.