12/15/2023 0 Comments Hidden lake campThere are camps where kids learn the basics of playing a horn and camps where advanced musicians refine their craft. For older adults camp symbolizes independence, a trip down memory lane and desperately needed companionship. For a single mother it represents a cherished respite and bonding time with her children. For an underprivileged child who’s only known city concrete, the blare of car horns and whirl of mass transit, it opens a whole new world. It has witnessed the difference it can make in people’s lives. For more than 100 years, The Salvation Army has recognized the value of camping. Expanding horizons and creating memories. Long hot summer days, a dip in the pool, star-filled nights, camp fires, roasted marshmallows, pillow fights, cabin devotions, emblem work, seeing old friends, making new ones. Camp Hidden Lake offers sports, music, Bible Study, arts and crafts, swimming, fishing, and other activities for school aged youngsters in our community. Camp Hidden Lake teaches kids new skills, healthy attitudes, and great values. Summer camp is much more than a vacation. The Salvation Army’s 300 acre Camp Hidden Lake helps disadvantaged boys and girls in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi open their eyes to a whole new world – THE NATURAL WORLD. With the help of The Salvation Army and donors in the community, we send kids to our summer camp near Lexington, Mississippi. However, for many disadvantaged kids, the possibility of having a summer of fun is not an option. To see a video about Camp Hidden Lake click on the photoĮach spring many children leave school and head out to camp for the summer. Quentarius is currently enrolled in nursing school which he credits to The Salvation Army.Camp Hidden Lake in Lexington, Mississippi After high school, I’m going on to a community college and then a university. I feel like I’ve impacted lives, and it’s given me a direction for my future. Before leaving, they told me how much they would miss me and how they couldn’t wait to come back. Some come from broken homes, so it’s hard leaving camp. I think about the campers long after they are gone. I feel like I’ve made an impact on lives, and it’s given me a direction for my future. She was so good that I would have believed she had played before. ![]() I was teaching a class one morning when it dawned on me that I could do this, and it felt good.įor example, one particular camper didn’t even know how to hold a Trumpet, and by the end of the camp, her playing was incredible. I discovered I could lead well and that I enjoyed teaching. I never thought I was a good teacher or leader, but this year at camp showed me differently. I’m a ropes course instructor and also assist with music. You turn around and smile, then turn the corner and smile some more. I’ve known them for so long that I consider them family. Now, I have a lot of friends from all over that come to camp every year. ![]() My new friends and camp counselors gave me the confidence to find my voice and helped me learn about God and how He can help you in any situation. After a while, I just stopped trying because I didn’t want to feel that rejection anymore. I got bullied for my skin color, how I looked, and what I did or didn’t do. ![]() I was a shy kid and would get picked on for not talking enough. We were greeted by loud music and children having fun and eating snacks, and I thought, hey, this is like a party! So when the pastor later asked if I wanted to get more involved in church activities, I was on board!īefore camp, it was very difficult for me to make friends. Tuesday rolls around, and sure enough, the pastor pulls up in The Salvation Army van to take me, my brothers and sisters to the program. I was a shy kid and wasn’t sure about going, but I said yes anyway. He asked if I wanted to attend the Tuesday program for children in the neighborhood. I was walking down the street when the pastor of the local Salvation Army stopped and started talking to me. I first learned about Camp Hidden Lake - The Salvation Army’s camp for the Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi Division - seven years ago. And I certainly didn’t know there was a camp for kids. I thought it was just an organization that gives clothes and food and helps people when they need it. I didn’t even know The Salvation Army was a church. It would have changed my whole background and perspective on life. I wish I had known about The Salvation Army. I wish I had known about camp when I was younger.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |