I was 16, cocky, and had a terrible sense of style when I first walked into the gates of camp Kivu.  As you can see from the picture above, my headband and sunglasses definitely set the bar for being “cool”.  I grew up 30 minutes from camp and by the time I was in high school I figured that I was “too cool” for another christian summer camp.  I was raised in the church, went to summer camps, and participated in volunteering as a counselor in training my whole life, what was so special about Kivu.  Eventually I decided to commit to Kivu and give up 2 weeks of my summer…

…and it was different. Different than any other camp I had ever heard of…

- Because I was welcomed.  At first by sugar fueled staff members pulling me out of my car and then by the community that would end up shaping me for the rest of my life. 

- Because I was challenged.  My counselors vulnerability and desire to live life on the same level as myself challenged me to open up about everything

- Because I was changed.  My first summer at Kivu changed my worldview, how I carried myself, and how I saw Christianity.

The next summer I was a camper again and was welcomed, challenged, and changed even more than the year before, but I was also presented with something new. Community.  A buzzword in the Christian culture, community is often talked about but less often lived out.  Until my second summer at camp, I never knew what it was to be a part of a community of believers who are all seeking after a higher goal.  If you asked me what I thought about camp that summer, I would have answered that I want camp to happen all year long.

You see, KIVU made me into the man that I am today.  My friends, my accountability, my direction and my passions have all come from a small place in the San Juan mountains.  God is alive and working at KIVU!  I have never been a part of such a strong community or even heard of such a community.

Camp matters because it gave me an opportunity to talk about my life in all honesty to other men who were seeking the same thing.

Camp matters because it encouraged me and made me realize that I wasn’t alone on this journey.

Camp matters because I set me up for the rest of my life, and I mean that in the most honest way possible.

The community I found at KIVU is the greatest example of the kingdom of God I have ever seen and experienced.  Camp matters because it’s where lives are permanently changed for the glory of God.