Growing up in the early 2000s, Camp Peniel was, and still is, a favorite place to escape. The rolling landscape of the Texas Hill Country is the peace I long to escape from the concrete castle of Houston. As a child, some of my most favorite memories happened at camp. I grew up going to girls camp, Mother Daughter camp, and finished my stint as a camper at High School camp. After my first year in High School Camp, I realized my passion for Camp Peniel would never wane, so I signed up to be a Camp Ambassador. I was sent home with a DVD and I showed all my friends and anyone who would listen to the DVD and tell them all about my favorite place. It is where I truly understood Jesus and His love for me: and I wanted to share it everywhere. The peace that washes over me when I take my children to camp is something I could never describe.
My two kids now are of age to experience this camp I called home all those years ago. My eldest, Jeremy, is soon to experience his third year of summer camp. He has made friendships with boys who would never have paid him any mind outside of camp. That has done numbers to his confidence, which has been severely weakened due to public school complications. My youngest, Kallie, is going to her second year of summer camp this summer. Last summer, after her first experience, she couldn’t stop singing the songs, more specifically “You Can’t Get to Heaven” which I remembered from my time there. She kept telling me of all their adventures around the pond, the Bible games they would play. As a young child, her amazement at the way camp made the Bible fun truly warmed my heart.
These past two years my kids have gone to Adventure School: the day camp that is offered once (well, now twice) a month to homeschoolers. I had plenty people call me crazy: I would drive three hours, one way, to take my kids to Adventure School. What those people didn’t know is that amid my chaotic life (homeschooling two kids, continuing my college education, having major relationships disintegrate), seeing my children glow after experiencing Christ’s love as radiated through Ms. Olivia, it made everything okay. Starting in Fall 2025, my children are going back to public school as I finish my college degree. My heart is heavy not because they’re going back to public school, but because they will no longer be able to experience Adventure School. I know my children will cherish their memories from camp as long as they live. I am 32 years old and distinctly remember my first time at camp over 20 years ago. Mission Impossible, Bible Challenges, quiet time, skills training: all those are fond memories that I now have the privilege to share with my kids. Camp Peniel isn’t just a camp, it is a cherished generational blessing that anyone fortunate to visit will soon recognize.