After being a camper at Camp Carter for many years and a staff member last year, he came to the conclusion he needed to solidify his commitment to God's way of life—the way that offers promise both now and in the life to come. That got the staff training started on a high note! This year over 120 campers and staff, including a camper from France, spent the week together enjoying cooler temperatures and successfully facing the unusual challenges of intermittent rain for the first half of the week in Fort Worth, Texas. They met those challenges with the godly characteristics of patience and cooperation—a good sign that living God's way is not just a lofty goal, but an attainable one with great benefits. As one camper commented, "Camp shows us God's way can be fun and helps us grow and encourages us to come back next year for another dose of God's Word." That comment displays an appreciation of the theme for Camp Carter this year. Campers were encouraged to build their relationship with God by focusing more on His Word. The Compass Checks were all taken from the points the apostle Paul mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:14-16 as benefits of looking to the Bible for guidance in our everyday life. This year Jim Franks, Ministerial Services operation manager, participated in camp for the first few days before having to head back for the Council meetings. He presented a Compass Check about doctrine, drawing on his experience observing the Sabbath even when his high school baseball team had a Friday night game as they headed to the state championship. He encouraged campers to stick with their convictions from the Bible even when it's tough. Every evening in the cool of the air-conditioning after a day of varied activities, campers had the chance to ask and discuss biblical topics that were on their minds. Many of the ministers expressed satisfaction at the fact that the questions this year reflected a deeper level of thought about God's way—even among the younger dorms. Activities ranged from sports activities—basketball, flag football, golf (for the oldest dorms), softball, strength training and volleyball—to indoor classes like Christian Living, crafts, dance, newsletter and a new class this year on nutrition. Many campers, including boys' dorms, commented on enjoying a class they didn't think they would find of interest. Of course, offering fresh fruit smoothies at the end of class might have helped with that perception! There were also specialty activities like horseback riding, archery or skeet shooting, both low and high ropes elements, rappelling from the 65-foot tower (for the oldest dorms) and the fun water events of an afternoon with a brother or sister dorm at the lake and time in the swimming pool at camp. This year a new option was added at the lakefront activity with tandem kayaks, so campers could choose to relax on the beach, swim, kayak, tube, ski or just ride in the boats as others skied or tubed. Completing the menu of fun were the impromptu skits brought on by the rain. In addition, the whole camp enjoyed the fellowship times at meals, open activities in the evening and the snack time following open activities when they could mingle with campers and staff as they enjoyed a snack from the camp store. To sum it up in the words of a camper from the oldest girls dorm, "This was a great year for camp!"