Twenty-three campers and staff completed this year’s Adventure Camp at the end of June, canoeing through the beautiful tapestry of lakes, wetlands, and forests of Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. Following equipment dispersal, training, and orientation, nine canoes in three groups launched from the southeast shore of Kabetogama Lake on a Tuesday afternoon and made it all the way to the south end of Crane Lake by noon on Sunday—more than 50 miles of paddling to the various campsites and points of interest. The eventful trip provided a feast for the eyes in all directions, and everyone was thankful for the near-perfect weather God provided for the expedition.
Some trip highlights included fishing, swimming, cliff jumping, braving a small area of rapids, and hearing the eerie—yet beautiful—call of loons. (If you’ve never heard a loon, I’d recommend an Internet search on “loon calls.”) All three groups came together for afternoon canoe games and evening meals, as well as an enjoyable Sabbath rest at peaceful and scenic Mukooda Lake.
Although small in scale, the Adventure Camps serve an important function among the Living Youth Programs. These trips expose our young people to living outdoors, allow them to prepare for and face difficult challenges, train them to work better as a team, and give them an opportunity to build friendships and grow in appreciation for the Creator and His creation.
Knowing Their Creator Through the Creation
When he was young, perhaps just in his late teens, King David wrote, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:3–5). At an early age, David developed a very real relationship with His Creator that prepared him to be used by God in a powerful way. We should not disregard the connection between David’s faith and his many hours spent outdoors as a shepherd, contemplating the great Creator through His creation.
Adventure Camp gives our young people the opportunity to spend many hours surrounded by God’s creation. Though it is a group activity, there are many opportunities for the campers to muse upon the works of His hands while paddling through a peaceful lake, camping on the shore, enjoying a spectacular sunset, or sitting around the glowing embers of the campfire as the night sky darkens and a clear view of myriad stars develops.
Being up close and personal with God’s creation, one can’t help but think of David’s words, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1–3). These moments aren’t soon forgotten, and they are paired with daily Bible Studies about the God of Creation and His plan for our lives.
Facing and Overcoming Challenges
A character in a Robert Frost poem observed, “The best way out is always through.” Life deals challenges to all of us, and the best way to deal with adversity is often to face it head-on. Our young people are not exempt from this fact of life, nor can we shield them from all the harshness of Satan’s world. This is especially true if they expect to be disciples of Jesus Christ, who will suffer persecution from this world (2 Timothy 3:12).
Adventure Camp is therefore a valuable tool in teaching our young people to do things both physically and mentally challenging. More than just “getting outside,” Adventure Camp exposes our young people to raw wilderness and total immersion in the creation. It’s beautiful, but campers work hard for those picturesque views. The trip was no “stroll in the park,” and campers and staff agreed to prepare ahead of time so their bodies would be physically up to the task. Paddling two- or three-person canoes full of gear is no easy chore; it requires proper technique, muscle power, and determination. Spiritual parallels abound, including the grit and determination Paul used to bring his body—his actions—into submission to God’s way of life (1 Corinthians 9:27). True Christianity is not for the faint of heart or for those unwilling to exert effort to be overcomers.
Among the biggest immediate challenges, perhaps more than the daily paddling and exertion, were the buzzing natives of the park—mosquitoes and biting flies—eager to greet us at each campsite, constantly asking us to donate some blood. Mosquito humor aside, they were a test of attitude. But the adversities faced on any given Adventure Camp trip pale in comparison to the feeling of standing atop the proverbial—and sometimes literal—mountain.
Teamwork and Friendship
One of the biggest benefits of LYP camps is the opportunity for our young people to build friendships based upon godly values. The Adventure Camps facilitate deep friendships developed by a small group of people working together as a team over the course of several days. Accomplishing tasks and facing and overcoming adversity together build real bonds of brotherhood. People come to know one another’s strengths and weaknesses and must learn to get along, sometimes overlooking peculiarities and character flaws, while appreciating each team member’s contribution.
Campers and staff had to work together to paddle in unison, which is not as easy as it sounds and requires diligent communication. Each group also worked together daily to set up and take down its campsites, cook meals, wash dishes, filter water, make fires, and help each other in and out of canoes. At the end of each day, each group enjoyed the sight, sound, and smell of a crackling fire amidst the sounds of the wilderness—and, of course, one another’s company.
Sometimes campers and staff bring unique skills that benefit the group, but it is the work of every person contributing to the team that makes Adventure Camp special. It’s a microcosm of what God is accomplishing in His Church: “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:4–5).
A well-deserved shoutout goes to our hardworking basecamp support staff, who helped with equipment inventory, meals, and transportation. Adventure Camp 2025 will be well remembered by those who participated. Memories were made, friendships were formed and strengthened—and, above all, the character of Jesus Christ was further fashioned in His people through time spent in the wilderness.