We returned from camping around 11pm Saturday, unloaded the truck as quickly as possible, put a load of laundry in the wash, and headed to bed. The next morning I had the privilege of speaking about motherhood and the Gospel during our church service, but then I was a poor example as Micah and I crept out of the service early to head to Young Life Camp!
Micah and I were both involved in Young Life during high school and it was actually through serving as student leaders our junior year that we developed a crush on each other… and the rest is history. Since that time we’ve been involved on and off with the organization. Before we got married, we served as adult leaders in our home town and took kids to Malibu two summers in a row. We’ve dabbled in getting involved since living in Arizona, but we never fully made the commitment until this past winter. In February we finally sent some emails and got plugged in serving on committee {“Advance Team”} for our local area. We’ve become good friends with some of the other couples who serve and helped host a table at the banquet this spring. When we were invited to visit Arizona’s Young Life camp “Lost Canyon” as adult guests, we jumped on the offer and invited our dear friends the Bakers to come with us.
I had no idea what to expect at Lost Canyon. I’ve only ever been at YL camp as a camper or leader, and both roles are downright crazy and exciting. As a leader, I knew that “adult guests” came to camp each week to watch everything from the sidelines but I never really interacted with them. I also had never been to any other Young Life camp besides Malibu Club. Malibu is a very unique place hidden in a remote area of Canada. It’s this gorgeous resort perched on the water in the Princess Louisa Inlet in Vancouver. The property was designed to be a secret getaway for Hollywood stars (hence the name “Malibu”), but it was never financially successful and was bought out by Young Life in 1953. It takes a full day of travel by car, ferry, and boat to get to camp. Cell phones don’t work there. The nearest medical facility is a helicopter ride away. It’s a very special place and perhaps the most coveted of all Young Life camps. Kids across the country try to go there as a camper or a volunteer.
But even though I love Malibu with its freezing cold salt water, I was excited to see how another camp works. Lost Canyon is one of the newer YL camps and it’s amazing. It’s nestled up in the trees in Williams, Arizona and the summer weather is perfect for outdoor activities. It’s usually in the 80s by day and the 50s by night, although we quickly learned that afternoon winds keep things breezy and cool during swim time. Young Life really does camp with excellence, and the food, accommodations, entertainment, and spiritual elements were great. I enjoyed watching the campers all day, chatting with the work crew and summer staff who volunteer their time to make camp run smoothly, and we also loved spending time with Shalyn and Adam. Our rooms were connected and we would put all the toddlers to sleep in one room and stay up playing games and talking next door each night.
Out of all my crazy third trimester traveling, this trip to Lost Canyon was the most relaxing. I felt great the whole time and never once feared going into labor early. Even if I had, we were a quick three hours from home. The weather was perfect and it was fun taking the kids to the pool and water slides each day. It was also so nice to have a break from cooking and cleaning. I am already missing all the amazing meals and my daily ice cream cone. Thanks, Young Life, for being awesome and pointing kids toward Christ.
Looks like you all had fun… Glad you are feeling good so close to the end of pregnancy đŸ™‚