Some places and holidays stay with us long after we leave. For many young people, camp is more than just a week away from home. It can be a place of belonging, encouragement, courage and faith. In this personal reflection, Riley Hobbs, a member of The Salvation Army’s International Children and Youth Advisory Group, shares how camping ministries shaped his own relationship with God and why he believes their impact can last a lifetime.

For many children and young people, summer camp is a place of fun, adventure and friendship. But, in my experience, at Salvation Army camps across the Canada and Bermuda Territory, camp is so much more than that. It is a place where lives are transformed, young people are nurtured in faith, children discover a sense of belonging and some are reminded, or perhaps hear for the first time, that they are important, loved and valued in the eyes of God.

After working in camping ministries for four years and now in my fifth summer, I have seen again and again that, for many campers, camp is the first place where they encounter the love of God in a tangible way. It may come through a cabin leader who takes the time to listen, a staff member who makes sure a child is included in an activity, a leader who encourages and cheers them on or the Bible co-ordinator sharing the gospel in a worship setting.

Everything we do at camp gives us the opportunity to point young people toward God and plant a seed in their hearts that can last a lifetime.

Camp is like nothing else. For many people, it is holy ground: a place of transformation. For me, camp is my Bethel—the place where Abram built an altar in worship—and where God meets me over and over again.

From a young age, I attended “Mom and Kids Camp” with my mom. As I grew older, I started going to holiday camps by myself and every year, on the first night, the same thing would happen. I would become homesick, anxious and desperate to go home. I never told anyone because I was afraid someone would make fun of me. But I stayed and each time God brought me peace that carried me through the week.

Camp was the place where I encountered Jesus for the first time and made my relationship with him my own. It was no longer simply the faith of my grandparents or my parents. It became a personal relationship between me and God.

In my teenage years, I found myself in a dark place. It was a season of struggle, but God began to tug on my heart and call me to work at camp for the summer. I was so nervous. I felt completely unqualified for the things God was calling me to do and the areas in which I was called to lead. But once again, the peace of the Lord carried me through. God reminded me of the words of Isaiah 43:1: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

I wish I could say it has all been easy and that there have been no struggles along the way. That is not the case. But every time a trial has arisen, God has shown up in some way to remind me of my purpose at camp. Sometimes it is a child who comes up and says, “This has been the best week of my life.” Sometimes it is the opportunity to sit with someone and pray in a way that would never have happened anywhere else.

Camp is life changing.

As a child, I was shy and anxious. Because I grew up in a small town, I was often made fun of for my faith and for following God. I was often referred to as “the church boy.” But through camp, God has brought that once-shy boy out of his shell and given me opportunities to serve and lead in ways I could never have imagined.

Being able to help provide that experience for other children is something I will never take for granted. Yes, it is hard work. Yes, the days are long and draining at times. But if just one child who walks on to our camping grounds leaves having experienced the love of God, then it is all worth it.

So, I encourage you to pray for camping ministries around the world: for the staff, the leaders and the campers. And if you are reading this and feel nervous about going to camp, I would say: take the leap of faith! You never know how much it could change your life.

I know, because it changed mine.

Riley Hobbs is a senior soldier at Conception Bay South Corps, N.L., the assistant program co-ordinator at Scotian Glen Camp, N.S., and a member of the International Children and Youth Advisory Group.

Reprinted with permission from All the World magazine.