Our daughter attended Cohutta Spring Teen Camp last week, with an emphasis on Mountain Lore. That’s code for Arts and Crafts.
My daughter and I on drop off day at Cohutta Springs Youth Camp
Every day, the campers go through four rotations, of different activities. However, they have one main emphasis and you can choose which one you want. This year, our daughter wanted to focus on Mountain Lore because she really enjoys making candles and crafts. Continue reading
Our son chose to attend the paintball camp at Cohutta this year. So far, he has gone there eight times, we think. He started going when he was 7, but missed a couple of years because of the pandemic and then one year he just did not want to go.
My son and I at Cohutta Springs this morning
This year, he decided to try not a regular camp, where they rotate through different activitie, but a rad camp. A rad camp at Cohutta specializes in only one thing, which you choose. It could be wake boarding, arts and crafts, wilderness survival, paintball, you name it. Continue reading
As I said in this post about our 2022 electronic fast, our son planned to receive baptism this month. Well, it just happened. My husband and I are thankful to God for calling our son and for our son’s willingness to respond to the Holy Spirit.
Our son got baptized at Cohutta Springs Youth Camp on July 15, 2023.
Last summer, our son responded to an appeal in church. We encouraged him to contact the pastor to start studying the Bible in preparation for baptism. Knowing what the Bible says on key issues specific to our faith plays a huge role in grounding a new believer in Christ. Continue reading
It used to be really hard. Seven years ago, when we started taking our children to camp in Georgia, it was rather strange. Now, it is not as strange, but it still makes you stop and wonder, “Why am I doing this?”
Inside her cabin, just before dropping her off
As soon as we returned home without our daughter, only with our son, the house felt empty. Playing cards with our son made it feel much better, but it still made me stop and think, “Where is she? What is she doing right now? Is she having a good time?” Continue reading
Now that summer camps have dropped mask mandates, we have decided to sign up for a few. Our daughter will attend Orchestra Camp, while our son will take an app-building Computer Camp. These two camps happen the same week, and our son chose computers over violin. He is 14 1/2 and we decided to respect his wishes.
Silly moods allowed here
Then, they both will attend a summer youth camp in Georgia, through our church conference. It is called Cohutta Springs Summer Camp and it lasts a week. Our children have been there before and loved it. They have a lake and a pool, lots of arts and crafts, horses, paintball, BMX bikes, archery, ziplining, boating, and wilderness survival classes. The food is delicious, the counselors are selected carefully, and the worship services inspire the children to try to get to know God for themselves. Win-win-win. Continue reading
This year, we sent both children to Adventure Camp in Georgia, at Cohutta Springs Conference Center. It was strange to be without children for five days and five nights, but we were so busy that we almost did not miss them. Almost.
Our daughter (second from the left) with some of her new friends
Adventure Camp is for boys and girls who are 7-9. Our daughter is seven and our son is nine, so this was the first year they were together at camp. He has been there twice before. This was her first time. They missed us and got homesick, but they did not cry. Continue reading
Our son attended Cohutta Springs Youth Camp in Crandall, GA for five days (and five nights). It was very difficult to be without him for me. I missed him a lot, especially the first day. Deciding to send him there was a God thing back in May, so now that it was all done and settled, I prayed harder for peace. Peace finally came, along with confirmations that he was having a wonderful time. One of the counselors happens to be our sitter and she texted me by the second day that he was doing well and enjoying his time there.
He really enjoyed himself there. Every day, each cabin experienced four activities from a list which included: archery, swimming, BMX, the blob (giant air-filled pillow floating on their lake), banana boat rides (two boats shaped like bananas, connected in the middle, three kids per side), creative arts (they painted ceramic turtles), canoeing, indoor sports in the gym on rainy days, and more. Each cabin had their own worship time in the morning and then, as a whole, the campers assembled for morning and evening worship.
They put pictures on their secure site for parents to look at and it was fun to look for our son’s lovely face every day. He did not appear in the slide shows every day, as they could not get all the kids in there. When we did spot him, it was such a strange feeling: our son, so far away, having fun and living life away from us for almost a week.
My son (Superman shirt) with friends plus their counselor
It is not exactly a good feeling, but I decided I was going to be brave and accept the cycle of life. Children grow up. Continue reading