I have been married for 24 years and have three children ages 17, 14, and 9. I am a certified Florida teacher and have been homeschooling for 11 years. Before 2024, my family and I had never heard of North Florida Christian Camp. A dear friend told us about this camp and how much they loved their children coming to it. My children had never been away from home overnight, so I was a little leery of the idea of them being gone for a week. We decided to let my then 16 year old go with my friend’s daughter, as the guinea pig last summer. She was very apprehensive at check-in, but I assured her that she would be fine and I was only 40 minutes away. Plus, she had her best friend there, so what could go wrong. I also was nervous about leaving her without a way to contact me for a whole week. Well, that’s when I started to see just how special NFCC is. The staff was very welcoming from the moment that we arrived on campus. We were greeted with smiles and felt special, like they really were glad we had come. The director, Shannon K., talked to my daughter and me, making a connection that I am forever grateful for. Shannon gave us both a huge HUG. As I looked up at her, she assured me that my daughter would be in good hands. I was encouraged to call the camp’s 24-hour phone anytime I wanted to check on her, which made me feel relieved that I wasn’t just dropping her off in the middle of nowhere. After checking her in, the young staff encouraged her to play carpet ball nearby. If you haven’t ever played before, wait ‘til you see the size of this carpet ball room. It’s MASSIVE and the campers seemed to be having fun. My daughter joined in and started playing. It seemed that she was comfortable from the start and eventually met up with her best friend. When I drove away, a piece of my heart was being left at camp, which I was very nervous about. I prayed on the way home that she’d be ok staying away from home. A couple days later, I did call the camp’s 24-hour phone to check up on her. I felt a peace when they said she was doing GREAT! When check-out came that Friday, I was so excited to see my daughter. Never did I dream that when we drove away with my daughter in the car, down the dirt road, that she’d be a basket of tears. I was perplexed as to what could have happened at camp! When I finally was able to calm her down, I was blown away at the reason. I was preparing myself for the worst experiences to be told to me, but that was NOT the case. My 16 year old daughter- who had never been away from home- was crying because she 110% did not want to leave camp. I was dumbfounded! She proceeded to tell me that being at NFCC was the best week of her life. She said that the camp staff and church volunteers, along with the campers, made her feel so special. They went out of their way to make sure that each camper was having fun, taken care of, and knew that Jesus loved them. The love that was poured into my daughter and everyone there was incredible. It was magical and I still cannot believe that a simple, country, dirt road kind of camp made her- and soon my entire family- feel like it was a home away from home.

Two weeks later, we decided to let my 13 year old try Camp out himself. He is a boy, so maybe he would see camp differently. My daughter wanted to go back so bad, so we let her go as an HD (youth volunteer). I felt like Camp made an impression on her so much, why not send her to watch over her brother. I hoped they both would enjoy themselves, but had a little hesitation. What if camp the second time wasn’t all roses? What if the first week was just a fluke?  A week went by, I was so thankful for the photographer the camp hired because I was able to spy on my children smiling, getting messy, and having fun in the pictures. I knew the drill, I’d go back to get them that Friday and hear all about what they did. I braced myself for crying when I got there Friday, since the last time my daughter was melting. But I was also prepared for my son to have had a different experience and geared up to hear about it. Well, it was two for two! I thought, there is no way that a place could be as amazing as they made it sound on the car ride home that day. My son, who is sometimes quiet around new people, was a chatterbox that afternoon on the drive back home. He told us every detail, trying to get a word in, while his sister chimed in about her week, too. The best stories were ones that were about the two of them experiencing the same things but from different sides of the room or field. It was like I was living a dream! My two kids were on top of the world about North Florida Christian Camp. Now, knowing the amazing time they had, my 8 year old started to get disappointed because he hadn’t gone to camp. What did this mom of three do? You got it, I signed him and myself up for Elementary Camp to see what we were missing. The same welcome and hospitality that we felt from day 1 of the summer was felt each time we went back. This week was no exception, except I got to see, hear, and experience it myself. They were right, I kept thinking. My two older children were not exaggerating when they told me of all the fun activities, the touching testimonies we would hear around the campfire every night, the delicious food that was prepared just for us, or when they explained the dorms had 24 bunk beds. This camp had it all! It was a hidden gem and we were so glad to take that leap of faith from a friend mentioning it.

Now, here we are a year later from our first experience with NFCC. What can I say about this camp now? How about I tell you that the love and care that we felt wasn’t just during Camp? How about I tell you that we have felt a connection to Camp since becoming involved throughout the year. But it wasn’t a connection to the things at Camp, like you would think. It wasn’t that my kids and I were missing the activities, although, they are super fun! We realized really fast that the connection to Camp that touched our hearts was the PEOPLE! The people that run and work at North Florida Christian Camp are the most loving, Godly people I have ever met. They serve with happy hearts, are resourceful beyond belief because of their tight budget,  go out of their way to make sure that everyone they come in contact with feels taken care of, and above all have a deep love for THE LORD. It is felt in the way they talk, in the way they walk the walk, in the way they don’t give up when things are going rough. They are the real deal folks! The PEOPLE at North Florida Christian Camp truly LOVE their job and take the calling to serve their community seriously and act out of love for Jesus. I wouldn’t write this letter for just anyone or anything. I write this letter to share a magical place that my family and I can call our Special Place. This year we have had amazing opportunities to take our homeschool friends to Camp to volunteer our time and talents.  It has been so special to watch our friends work on things at Camp that more hands were needed for. People were putting in pavers down at the tube slide, cleaning the dorms after the summer programs were over, organizing their dry storage pantry in preparation for the summer, and helping at Work Days and their Fall Fest. Whenever I have time, I can call Camp and ask if they would like us to come and help. They always answer me with the biggest YES and I can feel the love and their smile through the phone.  

This summer, I had the greatest opportunity at Camp. I felt very honored to have been asked to help Becca with check-in and check-out for each week of the summer. Becca had just had her 2nd child and needed help to run camps smoothly. Since I was a teacher and love kids, it was the best idea I could have thought of. It was my happy place twice a week, meeting families, helping them check in and helping them feel calm that their child was going to be ok for a week without them. Remember, I was that mom last year. Now I could tell them that they were in the best hands ever! Half way through the summer, I was asked if I could be a volunteer nursing assistant. Since I am good with people and was already coming to Elementary Camp Two, I said sure, why not.  When it came time to go to Camp for a week to be a nurse, I got really nervous. In the past year, I hadn’t paid any attention to the nurse. I had no idea what they would need or how hard it would be. I wasn’t prepared for anything major to happen, as I was a teacher, not a nurse. When I arrived for nurse duty on check-in day, I was greeted by the same staff. But this time, I saw Camp in a new light. I saw it from behind-the-scenes glasses, when no one was around and likewise, when everyone was around. What I saw this week was PURE love and passion for the children at camp. The campers were so sweet; they got hurt a lot and would keep coming back for more…Band-Aids. But in the end, it felt like a job well-done! All the campers survived. I was able to help them be more comfortable among lots of bug-bites, scrapes, splinters, and much more. I had never seen so many children come to the nurse before. But I felt a calling from The Lord to love on these precious children while their parents weren’t there. I felt a duty to make sure they were having fun and comfortable while their parents were at home. We had a blast and will surely be back next year! In the meantime, I need to think of more projects we can volunteer on here at camp. One thing is for sure, camp will be near to my heart and I will follow where it takes me! Thank you, North Florida Christian Camp, for making us feel so loved and welcome every time we have come.