“I led them with cords of kindness, with ties of love” – Hosea 11:4
(Photo/Design – Jake Jones and Katy Veldhorst)
The Lakeside Assembly Hall – where our summer staff meet, fellowship, and hear the Word preached – reverberated with this theme in 2013. All summer we were urged towards a unified walk through Ephesians, and we sincerely believe that the Holy Spirit used His Sword to defend His work at Twin Lakes by granting us humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1, our theme verse).
Over 2000 campers and LITs attended camp this summer from all over the country. Our primary objective is to plant Gospel seeds and pray that God gives the growth (1st Corinthians 3). Yet, even as we simply presented Christ through Ephesians and Pilgrim’s Progress, we saw around 30 campers come to faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God!
This kind of work is only possible if God provides an excellent staff of young people, which He has been faithful to do for years. This year, we were amazed by the group of students we worked alongside. Listen to how God worked in their hearts:
“I made it through camp by God’s grace and mercy – reaching the end of myself and clinging to the cross of Jesus.”
“God taught me that I can’t do this on my own. He is faithful, and He loves me.”
“I joined a staff united around a common goal, and encountered the magnitude of God’s love and the power of the Gospel.”
“The summer was the best summer of my life. God unified our staff like never before. I have never felt so close to so many people at one time, and it was such a sweet joy to walk alongside of so many friends for eight weeks. I can’t thank God enough for the friendships, encouragement, laughter, and love that He gave me through this staff. They taught me so much and it was such a blessing to serve together, cry together, work together, relax together, eat together, learn together, teach together, worship together, and just do life together.”
“God has used this staff tremendously in my life, and knowing you all has changed me. We started with a huge group of unlike people with different personalities, beliefs, and experiences, and over a quick two months we were tied together by embarrassing moments, incredible worship, difficult campers, and constant weariness. If that was all that tied us together, the goodbyes would be too much. However, we are bound together by the love of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-13). That is the tie that can never be broken (Romans 8:37-39). Blessed be Christ, the tie that binds.”
As we look back on this summer, we thank God for the opportunity to make this kind of impact on campers and staff. We are thankful for First Presbyterian Church, who make this possible. We will see people in the Glory because of what God has done through Twin Lakes over the past 40 years. The unity we experience at camp is but a small taste of that which is to come.
This glorious hope revives our courage by the way
While each in expectation lives and longs to see the day
From sorrow, toil, and pain and sin we shall be free
And perfect love and friendship reign through all eternity
“Blest Be the Tie That Binds” – John Faucett, 1782