There were 119 of us: 49 preteens, nine mini dorm campers under age five, 14 teen staff and 47 adult staff. We enjoyed four days of living, playing and working together “God’s way.” Campers and staff attended from several states including Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota. 

Camp was held July 11-14. God blessed the camp with His protection and beautiful weather for our outdoor activities. A much-needed rain moved into the area on Wednesday morning which moved some activities inside but did not dampen spirits.   

One of our goals is to enrich campers’ lives by giving them opportunities to build relationships with others who share common beliefs, and to deepen their relationship with God by getting to know more about their loving Father through daily Christian Living and music classes. The theme of this year’s camp was “There is Nothing Our God Can’t Do.” Christian Living classes emphasized how great and awesome our God is and how much He loves His children. The theme was emphasized throughout the day in activities and in the evening wrap-up dorm time. We focused our final Christian Living classes on building a relationship with God through prayer. The campers enjoyed watching Jelly’s newest video, “Jelly Learns to Pray.” The campers immediately began trying to memorize the lyrics. One parent wrote and said his six-year-old was singing it on the long trip home.   

Campers also experienced a variety of challenging and fun activities including: horseback riding, swimming, zip-lining, arts and crafts, field games, climbing wall, archery, BB guns, creek walk, team challenge, sling shot and tubing down a long slip-n-slide. Campers also enjoyed evening activities including a carnival, a campfire sing-along/fireside chat, Novelty Olympics and on the final night, a dance with Jelly followed by a treasure hunt. 

Camp Ironwood is known as a family camp with many parents bringing their preteens and teens (and even children under five) to spend four days together in a loving, nurturing family environment. This year, a wonderful group of teens served as assistant counselors and activity assistants and were big brothers and sisters to the campers. Adult staff included many parents who served as activity coordinators, counselors, support staff and dorm parents. Parents also enjoyed the opportunities to interact with their children during meal times and evening camp activities. It was a fun-filled four days! One counselor wrote: “I watched a group of young boys from different families and backgrounds start out separate, and come together as a family. And like any family, it may not always be perfect; the love and kindness they showed each other after our talk the first day, was enough to make me proud of them . . .” One parent commented that their child returned home happier than they’d been in a long time.   

Jamie Schreiber made a video for campers to recall special camp memories. It can be viewed at bit.ly/ironwood2021. The friendships, camaraderie, nurturing family environment, and working and playing together according to God’s way of life is an experience that those who attended Camp Ironwood will not soon forget. We praise God and thank Him for another successful year and welcome campers and teens to Camp Ironwood in 2022! 

David Schreiber