Flickering light from the bonfire ripples across the water and dances on the opposite canyon wall.  It lights up the still solemn faces of campers and counselors.  The bonfire is an Echo Valley once-a-session tradition and we’ve gathered here in the late evening for a time of worship and prayer.

It’s Crosstalk night at Echo Valley.  This night is the spiritual turning point of each session.  The Round Up, usually a lively and wild event, is tonight more subdued and focused.  Worship and prayer take the place of games and skits, and the message by one of the Central Staff members is of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

After Round Up, each person goes off by him or herself to be alone with the Lord.  Then we all come together by the waterfront to watch the bonfire, look at the stars, or just close our eyes in reverence.  Hunter Beauchamp leads in some songs of worship with his guitar.

“This moment is about God,” he reminds us.  “It’s not about the fire or whatever might be going on in your life.  Right now, this is about worshiping him.”

I know that Crosstalk can be an emotional high in the midst of a very energized two weeks.  It’s tempting to simply let that emotion carry me, enjoy this time as a “spiritual experience,” and then walk away internally unchanged.  This is a struggle I’m sure everyone here shares.

Still, I have hope that the Holy Spirit is at work among our hearts tonight.  He is faithful beyond our understanding of the word and he is in love with every single one of us.  At these thoughts, peace fills my spirit and tears of joy fill my eyes.  Above, the stars shine brightly as we sing and God smiles down on his children.

As we solemnly file into the Old Pavilion at Echo Valley, I steal glances at the campers and staff around me. It’s the summer of 1997, and I’m surrounded by “No Fear” t-shirts and Doc Marten sandals. The smell of Polo Sport cologne permeates the air. Everyone is serious, quiet, pensive. We take our seats as the sun shoots its last rays over the canyon walls, and Greg Rich steps forward to read Psalm 107.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Greg sets a single candle down in the middle of the group, and by its light we recount story after story of what God has done in our young hearts over the past 2 weeks. There are tears and we are sad to be leaving, but overall there is a profound sense of thankfulness for what we have been a part of. Most of us have never seen what it looks like to consider God on a daily basis, to learn about Jesus and his love for us in the context of close-knit community.

“God showed me that he loves me, and that’s what makes me beautiful.”

“God made me remember how much I love my sister. He changed us both.”

“I see now that God is using the pain in my life to bring me closer to him.”

“God gave me friends who love me for who I am.”

This tradition, called Say-so for the Psalm 107 reference, is as alive today as it was when I was a camper in the ’90′s. On the last night of each session, we gather together and give thanks. He has truly done great things.

A research study conducted by Johns Hopkins University indicates that many children “lose academic ground” over the summer months when they are out of school. To combat this, many libraries promote summer reading incentive programs. But keeping our kids’ minds sharp is only one reason to encourage them to read over the summer—books can be friends that usher them into new lands, encourage their curiosity, and teach them about the world they live in.

This summer, keep your kids engaged with reading by following these tips:

1. Check your child’s school website and local library to find summer reading incentive programs.

2. Be a frequent visitor to your library and get to know it better. Has your child expressed an interest in a topic such as dog breeds, an exotic cuisine, or space travel? Find nonfiction books that will feed her curiosity. If he’s a dreamer who loves stories, find great novels to pass the time on car trips or quiet afternoons.

3. Make a list of the books you loved as a child and share them with your children. Do Harriet the Spy, Black Beauty, Little Women, or The Lord of the Rings trilogy bring back fond memories? Introduce these books and more to your kids. Click here for age-appropriate recommendations.

Name: Joseph Triola
Age: 20
Education: Currently a student at The University of Texas at Austin
Major: Youth and Community Studies

After spending 12 summers (eight as a camper and four on staff) at LLYC, Joseph Triola knows his way around camp. This summer, he’s leading a group of high school seniors in “the behind-the-scenes jobs that make camp run.” Among many other jobs, the crew will take out trash, build sets for skits, and set up parties.

Joseph is up to the task—and not only because he is known by his friends to be a hard, dedicated worker and manager, but because leadership has been much on his mind lately. “This year, even more than in the past, I’ve been learning a lot about leading others in a Christian manner rather than a worldly one,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about leading by example and how to delegate things in a way that glorifies the Lord.”

Working with youth in organizations such as Young Life—or, he jokes, someday being the next Kevin Mayne and directing LLYC—is Joseph’s goal in life. “I love youth ministry because I believe it is an awesome opportunity God gives us to teach kids about eternal life and pull them from the darkness early on in life so they may experience God’s plan for them to the fullest,” Joseph said.

“I truly would not be who I am or where I am today if it wasn’t for LLYC!”

This summer, instead of simply dispensing cash to your children for ice cream and movie tickets, give them opportunities to earn spending money. Chores such as pairing socks and watering plants can be done even by very young children. Discuss budgeting, tithing, and sensible spending as you teach them to honor the Lord with their wealth. (Psalm 3:9)

Again, the sound of campers voices echo against Circle Bluff and down into the riverbed where the cool waters of Blue Hole beckon.  But this time, it’s not the sound of talking or splashing or even dining.  It’s the sound of worship.

This summer, Echo Valley is trying something new with their customary Blue Hole day-trip.  After a long hike, a refreshing swim, and a stomach-full of Kevin Mayne burger, each camper finds a place among the cedar and cactus for Roundup.  Evening Roundups usually take place in Echo Valley’s Pavilion and consist of songs, games, skits, and finally worship and a message by one of the Central Staff Members.

This Roundup has most of these, only in a different setting, the slopes above Blue Hole.  Campers sit in a loose half-circle, some on boulders, others on their towels.  Someone has even brought a hammock that quickly gets pressed into service as a couch.  Together, they cheer on their friends who volunteer to take the microphone in a rap battle.

After the game and a short time of worship, Sean Flack, a Program Crew Boss, takes the microphone.  Shawn unfolds his message with a simple and honest tone.  He explains first that every one of us is created unique.  Not only this, but we were also created for a purpose.  To explain what that purpose is, Shawn quotes Paul in Philippians 1:20.

“Christ will be magnified in my body,” he says, “whether in life or death.”

That is our purpose, to magnify Christ.  Shawn ends his talk with a challenge.  He asks every camper to go and tell their counselor three things that they know they were made for.  This is a terrific message and challenge to take on.  It’s easy to forget why you are where you are and what you really have to offer.  Shawn hits it right on the head as he quotes one last scripture.

“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”

As with many summer camps, LLYC thrives on tradition.  Everything from The Wolf Den to Barney, from Group Games cheers to Cabin I chants, from Rodeo Dance to Date Night has a history.  Within this catalogue of customs sits a favorite Echo Valley practice, Birthday Dunking.

If any person in camp has a birthday that falls during the summer and if that birthday is discovered, that person must be publicly tossed in the river by way of celebration. Strong-armed volunteers carry the honored individual down to the waterfront at the head of a chanting procession of friends.  Then, with a count of three, they toss their load bodily into the water, clothes and all.

Of course, people can opt out of this exercise, but who would want to miss out on a refreshing plunge in the river, not to mention a good story to tell later?

I’d like to introduce a very special guest this afternoon… drumroll, please… my husband, Barrett. You’ve heard a little about him over the last few months, and he’s taken me up on the offer to pen this week’s post. Barrett is a middle-school math teacher in Austin, Texas, and is currently spending a well-earned summer riding his bike, teaching our son to swim, and eating whatever crazy food this pregnant lady is craving at the moment.

Some would say I got a late start with camp.

A lot of people are introduced to camp as a camper or maybe on crew.  There are even a rare few who enter the camp circle as a counselor without ever having seen the canyon before their college days.  I, on the other hand, had never heard of Laity Lodge Youth Camp until after college graduation (and I was a fifth-year senior!).  Growing up, I knew of one or two kids who went off to summer camp each year.  For me, however, the camp culture was completely foreign.

The summer after graduating college, I started dating Kristen and immediately discerned that Laity Lodge  Youth Camp was a very special place to her.  We were married the following January, Kristen inquired about us going on an LLYC Outbound backpacking trip where she could guide and I could lead worship or devotions.  To our surprise, Kevin responded by asking if we’d be interested in coming out to camp for the summer; Kristen as the Echo Valley Kitchen Director and me as the Media Director.  We were flummoxed!

I can still remember how terrified I was when I first entered the canyon.  After all, up until that point, I viewed camp as a scary father-in-law I had the good fortune of avoiding.  I recall thinking things like, “What if camp doesn’t like me?” and “What if I’m not the right guy for the job?” and “What if I don’t know enough about media?”  My first day in Echo Valley, Trey Tull, one of the directors, unlocked the media room for me and said, “Welp, here you go!  You can just explore and, you know, nest.”  I sat down in one of the comfy chairs and spoke out loud to God and asked, “Lord, what am I doing here?  I have no idea what any of this stuff is!”

That evening at dinner, I met Lauren Licarione, a videographer for A&M sports, who would be my partner in crime for the summer.  She put me at ease right away because, well, she knew her stuff.  The next morning, programmer Cory McCullough came into the media room and asked for help shooting a video for staff week highlighting the many amenities of Leakey, TX.  We had to shoot each scene about 67 times because we couldn’t stop laughing at Cory’s ridiculousness.  It didn’t take long for me to come to the realization that LLYC was exactly where I belonged.

The days of children wiling away their summer vacations wandering the neighborhood or playing kick the can and whiffle ball with their friends are gone. Today, many kids spend their long, lazy days alone in front of a screen. Although popular sites such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook can be excellent ways for kids to learn new things and to connect with friends, they also are rife with images and information that can be far more harmful than a bruised knee or bee sting.

To keep our kids safe, parents must keep aware of what sites our kids are visiting and information they are sharing. Keep them safe by setting time limits for screen use and by employing a few other tactics such as managing their passwords and privacy settings, frequently engaging with them about the sites they visit, and discussing what is—and what isn’t—an appropriate thing to share online.

Better yet, go “screen free” a few days a week this summer and instead of letting them click away on their laptops, smartphones, or iPods, take them on long, meandering walks in the woods in search of crickets or dragonflies. For an in-depth look at kids and Internet safety, click here. Wishing you a safe and happy summer break!

Name: Dayton Whites
Age: 21
Education: Currently a college junior at Texas A&M University
Major:Biomedical Sciences
Dayton Whites jokes that LLYC is “kind of in my blood” not only because his parents first met at Laity Lodge Youth Camp, but also because both spent many seasons at LLYC.

“They were both campers, and Dad did everything from crew boss to head cook,” he said. “And my mom was a counselor and worked as a wrangler for the horses.”

Following in their footsteps, Dayton has been on staff at LLYC for the past four summers and was a camper for three years before that.

“Going to camp gives kids a chance to begin making their faith their own. The Gospel is presented so clearly and campers can come, be themselves, and be shown God’s love through their counselors,” Dayton said.

This summer Dayton serves as Guys’ Staff Director at Singing Hills. The college junior hopes someday to have children of his own at LLYC, but shorter-term goals include attending medical school and becoming a vascular surgeon.

“I was blessed to grow up in a Christian household, but it wasn’t until I started to go to camp that everything began to fall into place and it all made sense,” Dayton said. “I would bet that no other camp meets people where they are as well as LLYC does.”