A former summer staff member shared her special memories with us, and it includes some big moments in her life!
Dedication Sunday
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years since Jerry Traister came to us as counselors and shared his thoughts on praying about the possibility of obtaining land to build a camp. He suggested we pray for God to provide land from local farmers and then we could build our own camp. My friend, Linda, went home and shared the idea with her father and then he shared the opportunity with some neighboring farmers. So God answered our prayers and the camp became a reality. I remember singing in “the hole” on dedication Sunday with The Living Miracles. Once the camp was built it became a real part of my summer schedule.
I went to camp on Sunday afternoon and settled in with the campers. We had special moments in our daily devotions and we always looked forward to the activities of each day. The Friday banquets were always special times to see the awards given and then the campfires to hear the testimonies of how God spoke to hearts throughout the week. Sometimes tears and hugs were part of the departure routine as we all headed for home on Saturday. Then it was laundry time for me, re-packed my bag, and then headed back to camp on Sunday for another week of camp.
The people at Camp Joy El were such an important part of my life that in 1976 when my husband, Bob, and I got married, we asked Jerry Traister to marry us, Gregg Garman sang at our wedding, Becky Fritz played the organ (with her mom by her side), and The Living Miracles sang at our reception. We left the area since Bob was in the Navy, so it would be a while before Camp Joy El would be a part of our lives once again.
In the 1990’s, we moved back to the area and our daughter, Sarah Henry, was part of the Released Time Program from Grandview Elementary. She said all 300 verses that year while in the 5th grade, so her name is on the wall of the chapel for those that said all their verses in one year.
In 2014, Bob’s job took us to the Richmond, Virginia area and I found that Camp Joy El was a part of a fellow church member’s life here in Richmond. When she was part of the youth group many years earlier, they would all go by bus to Camp Joy El for their camping experience!
It’s God’s Amazing Grace for all the years and experiences that Camp Joy El has brought to so many lives including my own.
-Sue (Kuhn) Henry
