We arrived at Emerald Cove camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Tuesday afternoon and were greeted so very warmly by the more than 100 teenagers from our church that it felt like a homecoming. We had a barbecue dinner on the meadow and then the kids all hung around dancing and singing to some loud music. No groups, no cliques, no big divisions between age groups, just a bunch of kids who all belong to each other.
The next day I led the 4th Annual Seniors Hike to Half Dome. 25 of us took off in the early morning and all 25 made it to the top--our biggest group yet. When we arrived back at camp at 10:30 that evening, a whole group of kids and counselors were there to welcome us back and cheer our accomplishment. The weary but proud teenagers accepted the warm embraces and then fell into bed.
One of the staff counselors from the camp said to me, "Your church and your kids are amazing. I am tempted to move to San Clemente just so that I could hang out with your teenagers."
I understand completely.
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