Since I was little my parents always would  take me to church, we had family worship services and my parents encouraged me to seek God. As I got older, my parents were no longer responsible for whether I read the Bible or prayed or not. My parents were no longer responsible for me having a relationship with God. All those things my parents had taught me were my obligation. I remember that in the pandemic I became very distant from God. I had stopped worshiping, praying and reading the Bible. My relationship with God at that time was not the best. I was not doing my part in my relationship with God. It’s not like I was doing bad things all the time; I just didn’t have a relationship with God. I remember in 2022 my family went to eat at a restaurant and while we were there my father told me that my aunt had told him about an Adventist boarding school in California and that my cousin was going there. My dad asked me if I was interested in going to study there. I said yes, and from then on I started to get excited. I called my cousin every day, we talked about being roommates and doing everything together. I was really excited.  In the meantime, my dad called the boarding school for information, but there was no answer. My dad asked my aunt if she could go to the boarding school to ask about my case and if they accepted international students. My aunt went and asked, and they told her that they did accept international students but that the fee was double that of an American student. When my dad told me all this, all my dreams fell apart, and I really thought that I would not go to study in the U.S. anymore. It was very important for me to come to the United States to study because in Guatemala, we do not have the same opportunities. Also in Guatemala there was still a pandemic and no one was going to school. This was already making me go crazy, locked up in my house. At that time, my dog was very sick. She had pyometra, which is when the uterus fills with pus. She also had a heart murmur and was so old that the chances of her surviving were almost none. I was very worried about my dog, and I also worried because I did not know if I was going to be able to study abroad. At that moment, I felt like God had abandoned me. I really did not feel that He was close to me. My dad suggested that I pray and put everything in God’s hands, and I did. As I prayed, I asked God for signs that everything was going to be fine and one of them was that my dog came out of the surgery well. Throughout this process God gave me small signs that everything was going to be fine.  Then I found Sunnydale Adventist Academy and I sent out a request for information about that boarding school. At this point my parents did not know I was applying. It was not until I filled out the information that I told them. We were all very excited, but there was one problem: classes started in a week and a half. I did not have a student visa and since it was a pandemic, visa appointments were scheduled for the following year. With God’s help we managed to get an appointment for the next day. I was approved for the visa. Now everything felt more real. I think the day I was approved for my visa was the happiest but most nervous day of my life. This was what most marked my relationship with God, because during this whole process, He gave me signs that everything was going to be okay. When I felt that He was not with me, in reality He was always by my side. In this process, I learned that God works in different ways. It is not always going to be an immediate yes, and it is not always going to be a no. My original plan was to go to California, but He knew what was best for me, and that is how I came to Sunnydale Adventist Academy. Amanda Moreno Chacon is a student at Sunnydale Adventist Academy in Missouri.

I walk into the bedroom and look at the cardiac monitor. Normal. I walk over to do the normal routine, which is ironic because it has never been normal for a nine-year-old to take care of her dying father. “Dad, how are you?” My dad uses all his might to say the one word I always hear him say, “Good.”  It is so weird how he says he is good, considering he is doing bad. My father was diagnosed with heart failure 10 months ago. We were told he has a year to live, but it’s not looking too good. My summer has consisted of waiting for the inevitable. I can imagine all my teachers and friends asking me, “Lorlisha, how was your summer? What did you do?” “Oh nothing much, just waited for my best friend to pass away.” I can’t even look at my dad anymore. He looks so sick, it hurts. The person who once took me to the toy store after school to buy a new doll, read me Bible stories before bed, and drove 45 minutes to school to bring me my favorite food, is disintegrating. My mom is more broken than ever before. Soon all we will have is each other, and this house filled with memories of my father.  My mom doesn’t have a drivers license or a job. My dad took care of everything for my mom and me. This whole summer, when I have nothing to do, I take a nap. If I don’t take a nap, I will continue to overthink about which school I will have to end up going to when my dad passes. I know Adventist education will cost too much for my mom. I occasionally call my friends, but even that doesn’t excite me because all we talk about is my dad. It also doesn’t bring me enjoyment because I know in the back of my conscience that I will probably never see those friends again after my dad’s funeral.  All I see my mom do is pray. She has not tried to get her license or get a job while my dad has been sick. Sometimes I wonder if we will be homeless when my dad is gone. Sometimes when I see her praying, I think What is the point? We both know the inevitable. If God wanted to save him, He would have done so already.  On July 23, I take my daily nap and I wake up to the sound of sobbing in the master bedroom. No. I don’t even want to go inside because I know I will find what I am thinking of. The closer I get to the door, the more I can hear the cardiac monitor beeping. I open the door. Time stops. A blur in my vision immediately appears. I can’t tell if tears are flooding my eyes or I’m about to pass out.  I feel my mom grabbing me toward the bed and my vision clears and my dad is the only thing I see. “He’s breathless,” my mom says. I look at Mom and I immediately feel like an orphan. Dad just died, and he’s taking Mom with him too.  My dad’s favorite song plays on the speaker in the living room. All my aunts, uncles, church family, and cousins flood the entry area of my home. I hear all of those people saying over and over, “How are you?” and “Are you okay?” My aunt Cora is making me grilled cheese. I know I won’t eat it. I’m not hungry. I don’t know if I ever will be again. I take the grilled cheese to my room and breathe in a breath of fresh air. The overstimulation from the living room is overcoming me. For a few seconds, I find myself doing something I did not plan to do ever again; pray. Lord, please help Mom to be okay.  Soon, my mom knocks on my door and I see men coming in to take my dad away. My mom is screaming, and I hug her, while I can’t even get a word out. We both fall to our knees, in the same perimeters where my dad would kneel in prayer every day. Only tears form in my eyes, but can’t seem to drop.  A week later, it’s Sabbath. We continue to go to church. My mom looks happy during church. I know she is putting on a strong face for me. Going to church irks me because what has God done for us? Did He not just break our family apart? I hear so many stories of how He saved other kids’ dads but He didn’t save mine! How is that deserving of worship? Soon, I will be going to public school, living in a house where my father died, with a mom who is depressed. I won’t have my dad on my 10th birthday. I won’t have a dad to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. Church is a place to help us forget what God has put us through. In my opinion, we should never go again. We should remember so that we never speak to this god again.  After the service, my mom is crying to the pastor of our church, Pastor Elsey. “I just can’t figure out how to do any of this. I have no job, no license, no money, no help.” Pastor Elsey sighs, “We will figure something out; just keep praying Lorna.” School is starting in two weeks. My mom is in driving school right now, even though she can’t afford it. I stay at home alone. She calls the church everyday. It is like searching for false hope. I know that they may want to help, but they can’t. Apparently, God can’t even help us.  There is a public school two blocks from my house. My mom and I plan to head over there to enroll me. The thought of this hurts incredibly; Read more…

Hi, my name is Grasy Core. I’m an 8th grader at Omaha Memorial Adventist School. I am 14 years old, and this is my first year here. When I went to public school, I honestly got into many fights, never did my work, and could never actually focus. I had a lot of bad behavior, so one day my mom was very tired of my attitude and tired of always getting phone calls home because of me. So she came and registered me for Omaha Memorial Adventist School, after I was baptized in July, 2022. Coming to this school, I realized I could have learned a lot more than what I learned in public school, and also my behavior improved.  This school has humbled me. It’s a Christian school where you learn about God, so that’s even better, because I also learned more about the Bible. Back in my old school, I would have failing grades in most of my classes, but here at my current school, my grades are better than ever. These classmates and teachers are really nice too. It is a small school and not crowded. So far, I haven’t gotten into any fights and also controlled my anger pretty well. Usually back then, I would get mad really easily, and people would always try me, which got me really mad to a point I would start a fight. But honestly, since I came here, it’s been really peaceful for me, and I really like it.  I’ve also realized how immature I was back then too and how much trouble I caused for my mom. I’ve learned how to control my anger and not always let people get on my nerves, and to calm down in some situations. I have been able to focus on my school work and turn it in on time.  My grades are the best I’ve ever had in any school I’ve ever gone to. It’s not only because of this school, it’s also because of God who led me to this school so I can be a better version of myself, and so I can have a brighter future. I’m glad I came here, and I’ve also made my family a lot more proud of me, and they’re less worried about me too. I’ve learned way more than I ever could, thanks to this school.  I’m glad I  have gotten an opportunity to attend this school. I thank everyone who supports our school; it has done a lot for us. After I graduate from here, I’m planning on going to Ozark Adventist Academy in Arkansas. I hope my life could be as easy as this when I go into high school as well.  I praise God for Adventist education.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ” – Philippians 4:6-7

If you had to guess, which would you say came first? Adventist summer youth camps or Adventist youth camp facilities? If you guessed Adventist summer youth camps, you are correct. Although the first youth summer camp in the United States—Gunnery Camp in Washington, Connecticut—dates back to 1861, during the years between the First and Second World Wars, summer youth camps organized by both secular and religious groups become especially popular. In particular, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts organizations grew significantly in the 1920s and 1930s. Missionary Volunteer (MV) leaders in the Adventist Church recognized the benefits of the Scout camp programs: outdoor recreation, nature classes, camping skills, personal growth, and social opportunities. But MV leaders were also concerned about the incompatibility of these camps with Adventist principles, the most obvious conflicts being Sabbath observance and dietary standards. Harriet Holt, junior secretary of the Missionary Volunteer Young People’s Society of the General Conference from 1920 to 1928, was the first to suggest that Adventists should organize their own youth summer camps. Grover R. Fattic, MV secretary of the East Michigan Conference, was the first to do something about it. The First Adventist Summer Camps In the mid-1920s, “Fattic took a scoutmaster’s training course,” and then persistently petitioned the East Michigan Conference executive committee (and perhaps the West Michigan Conference’s executive committee, too, as its MV secretary, Roy MacKenzie also assisted with the camp) until they agreed that he could organize a camp for the summer of 1926 provided it did not cost the conference anything. In the company of Lake Union MV Secretary Gordon Smith, Fattic combed the west side of Michigan, searching for a location. Working on the recommendation of a scoutmaster of Fattic’s acquaintance, the two men discovered a beautiful campground at Townline Lake near Lakeview, Michigan. This first camp hosted sixteen boys, ages twelve to fourteen, who were accommodated in tents. Its success led to plans for a larger Michigan camp in 1927 which would include girls. A wave of new Adventist junior summer camps —also called Missionary Volunteer training camps— soon swept across the United States. For about the first twenty years, Adventist conferences did not own summer youth camp facilities. Instead, they rented them: any place in a good location ranging from county, regional, or state parks to YMCA camps was likely to be used. Generally, separate weeks were reserved for boys and girls in the late 1920s and early 1930s. By the mid-1930s, boys and girls were attending at the same time. By the 1940s, camps were divided into junior camps for pre-teens and senior camps for teens. This could vary from place to place depending on facilities and staff availability. The first junior camp in the Central Union was limited to the Fort Scott, Kansas, church school. The school’s teacher, Mrs. Leonard Wood, and her students spent three days at Camp Wildwood on the Marmaton River, July 25-27, 1929, where they rented three cabins. Mr. Leonard Wood and Bert Rhoads assisted her. The earliest known Colorado Conference junior camps were held at Glacier Lake, south of Ward, Colorado, in 1931 and 1932 under the leadership of George M. Mathews. In 1933 a camp specifically for juniors in San Luis Valley was held near Cumbres Pass, Colorado, and in 1934 Camp Juniorado was held near Evergreen, Colorado. But by far, the most common location for Colorado junior camps was a camp site in Pine Crest near Palmer Lake, Colorado. This central location, at a campground that apparently no longer exists, hosted camps in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1944, and 1947. Pueblo Mountain Park World War II brought changes to the summer camp program. Why the camp moved from Pine Crest to Pueblo Mountain Park near Buelah, Colorado, in 1941 is unknown. War-time rationing of gasoline and tires probably interfered with long distance travel. Thus, separate camps began to be held on the Eastern and Western slopes, although residents on either side of the Great Divide could choose to attend the opposite slope’s camp with a $1 discount to make up for the longer trip. The Western Slope camp met at Grand Mesa, while the Eastern Slope camp met at Pueblo Mountain Park in Beulah, Colorado. Located in a Ponderosa pine forest on the side of a mountain above the little cove that is home to the community of Beulah, Pueblo Mountain Park possesses the atmosphere of a rural county or regional park although it is neither. The park was first developed in 1919 as part of a collaborative project of the the Pueblo Commerce Club and the City of Pueblo to provide outdoor recreational facilities in and adjacent to the San Isabel National Forest. Although located some twenty-seven miles southwest of the city, Pueblo Mountain Park is still maintained by the City of Pueblo. Park roads, trails, playgrounds, and campsites were constructed throughout the 1920s. In November 1935, the park became home to the South Creek (Mountain Park) Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp whose laborers significantly developed the park’s infrastructure. The CCC camp was followed by Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews who constructed, among other structures and stonework, the distinctive adobe Horseshoe Lodge. (read more about Pueblo Mountain Park’s history) Horseshoe Lodge, with its bunk rooms and dining hall, was one of the most attractive features of the park for an organized summer camp. However, the rural location would have also appealed to Adventist MV leaders. While Pine Crest was located near Colorado’s most densely populated metropolitan area, Pueblo Mountain Park was well off the beaten path. All roads in this tiny mountain cove on the edge of the Wet Mountain Range seemed to deadend against the mountains (which is true except for Colorado State Highway 78). Announcements for summer camps at Pueblo Mountain Park always included detailed directions for how to find it, nearly thirty miles southwest of the city of Pueblo. They also made the park sound like paradise: Camp Beulah provides large, commodious dormitories which accommodate a total of about three Read more…