The best week of your life!

A highlight every year is being able to take kids to camp and this year Sitka Young Life had a chance to travel to Washington Family Ranch for high school camp from June 16-24th. We took 30 students and leaders from Sitka to central Oregon where we were able to experience camp with 110 other kids from around Alaska and another 300 from around the Northwest. It is a challenge to summarize a week at Young Life camp.  It was a week of friendship, adventure, spiritual growth, laughter, and sunscreen. Young Life camp included messy games, lots of singing and clapping, ziplines, new friends, group bonding, and the feeling you get when you finally understand how important you are to God. For more pictures, videos, stories and quotes from kids- click here!

This year we had the privilege of going to Washington Family Ranch Canyon with 8 other groups from Alaska. After a 3 hour flight and 8 hour bus ride (traveling with the groups from Ketchikan and Juneau- we arrived as the very first campers of the season.  Here are some videos that describe our experiences: the week overview, rides and free time, county fair, messy games, pool Olympics, and  cabin games

Throughout the week, kids really bonded with each other and their leaders during the various activities and as they debriefed as a cabin about what the speaker shared.  At the end of our week we had many kids step forward to say that they want to walk closer with God.

As we left camp, the kids didn't want camp to end.  Thankfully for them, on our way to the airport, one of our bus tires blew and it caused us to miss our flight back to Sitka... and so we did have one more night together. It ended up being a wonderful experience where we had a chance to take the train downtown and experience Seattle, ride the ferris wheel, as well as have a late night Denny's run, before we finally returned to the airport to sleep in a side hall on the ticketing floor.

Overall, kids felt loved and grew in their faith.  Leader were rejuvenated in an exhausting sort of way.  The below statements are from the kids themselves. Thanks again for partnering with us. This is what it is all about:

  "Throughout this week I have learned that God is there no matter what and before I came here I barely trusted God.  This week has changed my relationship with God "

"This week really opened up a new way of seeing God for me."

"This week at camp has changed my life. Yes, my relationship with God has gotten stronger. I have confessed to Jesus that he is my God and Savior."

"I loved that I could just be myself and not have to worry about what anyone else thought of me. I got everything off my shoulders this week. I realized that I'm not going to be a lone and that Jesus is with me the whole way. I'm so grateful I got the chance to come to this camp."

"This week brought me close to God more than I've ever been."

"This week I think was a re-connection with God for me. I didn't think that God loved me as much as He does and I find that amazing! This will be a big part of my story and I can't wait to tell others like me when I'm a leader someday."

"This week was important for me because I learned that I need to be open and vulnerable with people and with God. This completely changed my relationship with him."

This week to me was learning and growing in God and in my relationships. I just love the care that the Lord and the leaders gave me. I have learned to forgive and to love and care more. I have always loved God but this week I feel brought a new understanding of God for me."