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Our family has always had a passion for camping; the fact that we serve at a sports and Bible camp in Croatia might point back to that passion. Dad used to say about trips to the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota, "As soon as they can walk, they can go camping." At the esteemed ages of two and four my sister Ellie and I experienced our first annual Boundary Waters trip. These camping trips provided a time of rest, laughter, and peace, as well as helping us to draw nearer to our family and see more of God's wonderful creation. In Croatia we have a substitute for these camping trips since we can't fly back to the States each year just to go camping. We have found another unique place of nature, rest, tranquility, and friendship here. Although not the same as the Boundary Waters, the peacefulness, relaxation, and fun at camp in Severin na Kupi formulate an ideal place for making and renewing friendships as well as offering a way to "... spend time away from the routine of daily life in order to hear and obey the truth of God's word," quoted from SEND International Croatia.
As I walk down the meandering village road that leads to camp the noises of car horns and loud engines fade into the background, replaced by the more relaxing sounds of buzzing bees and twittering birds. The peacefulness of camp begins to draw me in as I walk towards my destination. Now the sand volleyball pit at the bottom of a hill of beautiful wildflowers and fresh green grass appears, inviting me to run down the hill and squish my toes in the wet sand. A set of makeshift stairs rises from the pit to the green grass area in front of the DPB (Društva Prijatelja Biblija) kuća, an old house that contains the kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, and meeting room for the entire camp. A double set of aged cement stairs with a rickety railing stands in front of the house, the front entrance preceded by a small porch. Behind the house a sturdy wooden frame stands silently; laughing kids surrounded by their friends swing leisurely on the three red plastic seats suspended from the frame. The morning dew still glints on the fresh green grass, and presently more teenagers join the group around the swings after doing their morning devotions in the peace and quiet of God's creation. A climbing wall about nine feet tall and twelve feet wide dominates the space at the back of the house, shielded from rain and heat by a pale red tile roof. On the right side of the house an old wooden door sits rooted into the basement wall, the passageway from outside into the dining room. I can see an old ropes course, a vivid green field used for archery, and numerous forested hills as I stand in the doorway. These silent, unperturbed reminders of God's magnificence make camp an enjoyable place to spend the summer.
Besides its peacefulness, camp offers a place to grow in my faith and in my walk with God. I have found that morning supplies the best time for devotions. In addition to the small group devotions with my room later in the morning, I enjoy doing private devotions before the day starts. At about 7:30 I grab my pink Bible and my notebook and walk quietly down the hall, through the small area with two couches that will invariably serve the purpose of seating card-playing teenagers later in the day, down the stairs, and out the back door. Even now a few of my friends stand talking around the swings, but I walk down the worn brick path, under the climbing wall roof, and across the still-wet grass to the bonfire area. There I can sit on a wooden bench, read my Bible, and watch the sun come up over the hills of Slovenia. I might read the verses we studied last night at the meeting and look at my notes from whoever spoke. The splendor of the forested hills by camp, the clear blue sky, the sound of birds chirping, and the feel of the springy green grass under my bare feet helps me to relax and center my thoughts on God. I can worship him here without distraction and pour out my heart to him, praising him for his majesty and power. At camp I can focus on what God has made and think about the wonderful things he has done for me. The serenity of the morning, the laughter in the daytime, and the beauty of the evening make a perfect atmosphere for thinking about our creator, God.
Friendship and fun envelop me at camp, while two friends and experiences in particular stand out to me. On the first day of camp last year I met a girl with the same first name as me, Lydia, and we hung out together for the rest of the week. We roomed in the Blue Room and discovered that we shared many common interests. I met other friends last year as well, but my friendship with Lydie, as we nicknamed her to avoid confusion, will forever stand out to me as something special. I will always remember the last night we had at camp together. Sitting in the wet grass and looking up at the sky, we surveyed it for any groups of stars that looked like animals. We talked about one group of stars for a long time, thinking up an absurd animal to go with it. The wonder of camp consists of memories like this, at least for me. Hanna Szymczak, whom I met on the last day of camp, provides another of these vivid memories. We went to the evening meeting together, and afterwards we went outside to do the special activity that always happens on the last night of camp. The speaker for each evening meeting stayed at a station with verses posted on the wall. Campers could freely sit down, pray, and think. Hanna and I took longer than normal doing this, and later when everyone else had gone to sit by the bonfire we sat on the swings and talked. The more we shared about ourselves, the more we found out how much we resembled each other. We must have talked for more than a half hour, because when we finally came over to the bonfire we found that it had ended. We had even missed the s'mores. This might sound like a bad memory, but not for me. I had made a friend, something definitely much more important to do than eat s'mores.
This poem by Henry Van Dyke, an American author and clergyman, perfectly expresses the way I feel about camp:
Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest.
This poem flawlessly describes the DPB kuća . Love abides there in that many campers that come to camp love God, and in loving God I believe that we cannot help ourselves in loving others. I have never seen someone truly alone at the end of camp; by then everyone always has a friend. Our foreignness and differentness in the countries we live in draws us together and strengthens our friendships afterwards. As it says in the poem, at camp we can rest even if we do sports all day. We can hang out with kids our age and do what we like to do; we can learn about God and see first-hand his marvelous creation. We can forget about obligations and troubles back home in the city to focus on more important things such as our relationships with God. Camp presents a place that draws me nearer to my friends and to God; it supplies a place of faith, fun, and friendship. Camp at Severin na Kupi truly provides a place where my heart can find rest.
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