Lindsay was never really interested in spending her summers during her college years at a camp. She had a negative experience at a volleyball camp in high school that left a bad taste in her mouth for it, and she was a self-proclaimed germaphobe. Lindsay found more comfort in the familiarity and predictability of home than she did in the uncertainty of nature. Anyway, she had a plan; journalism internships every summer all leading up to the big New York Times internship that she wanted. However, life had different plans, and suddenly Lindsay had to figure out how to spend her summer. At that point in life, her only jobs were related to writing and ministry and the only things that she could find that fit were camp jobs. She was more than apprehensive, but she decided to trust in Camp Asbury’s leadership, trust in God and in herself.
Lindsay describes her experiences at camp as something that started out of her comfort zone but ended up being something she fell in love with. “It was a life changing experience. Living with the scriptures all summer, pouring into people. A lot of things were going on in my life that I had wounds from, and I didn’t know how to fix, but camp helped me with that. I came back from camp, and everyone in my life commented saying I was glowing. Everyone could see my light. It is an intensive summer that is an investment in yourself and your relationship with God. I didn’t know that was something I needed for myself and something I would get out of the experience. I’m a lifer.”
And that Lindsay is. Even though she only spent two years on staff, Lindsay has made a point to stay connected and invested in the mission and ministry of Camp Asbury. She was inspired seeing camp’s ministry play out in real time “Sending your child to Camp Asbury is an immersive learning experience in a place with the luster and charm of an old-fashioned camp. It’s an investment directly in the identity formation of your child. And specifically, their spiritual identity. For the campers, I saw something that was missing or something they couldn’t access about themselves that if they hadn’t been removed from their day-to-day life, they would not have discovered that about themselves.” Lindsay recalled story after story, getting tears in her eyes as she did. From fighting friends learning how to mend, to a camper who came to camp lost and confused as to why they couldn’t make friends back home. Only to see them gain the confidence they need to then make friends with everyone they saw a year later.
Lindsay and her husband Mitch, when deciding how to tithe a few years back, wanted to tithe to something where they could see the impact of the ministry happening. Camp was a clear choice for them, making them the first monthly donors that Camp Asbury had. “We wanted part of our tithe to go to a ministry that was doing something. So, investing in children, easy. Something I was a part of, that I knew was doing something. I want my children to be able to go to this place, so if I can give something that could help with that and inspire others to give to camp, I will do so and continue to.”
It is thanks to donors like Lindsay who see the impact and importance of the ministry that Camp Asbury offers that makes it so we are able to keep being a place where campers, retreat guests and staff alike are able to have real and genuine encounters with God and make real and lasting connections with one another and themselves. Thank you for your continued generosity and support.