Monday, June 28, after a five-hour bus ride, row after row of campers filed into a warehouse at the Awanita Valley Christian Retreat Center, located in Marietta, SC. Squirming in their metal chairs, they waited for the kick-off of an unforgettable week of fun. “Are you ready?” asked guest speaker, Rob Stansberry. The students clapped and cheered in response. “I guarantee you’re not!” he said. And, with those words, he set the tone for Colonial Student Ministries Summer Camp 2010.

The camp theme was: Satisfied? All week, campers learned the importance of being satisfied in Christ alone. Eleventh Grader Katie Berggren said, “Satisfaction in Christ means: To count Him as the greatest thing in your life—nothing else matters and you’re completely satisfied in Him.” For most of us, that truth is easy to talk about, but difficult to live out.

Each day, middle and high school students heard a challenging message given by Pastor Stansberry, supplemented by devotions with their cabin-mates and messages from Student Ministries Pastor Aaron Miller and Middle School Director Nick Rundlett. For eighth grader Rebecca Sowell, the lessons learned were life-changing. Rebecca’s mom saw an ad in the Communiqué and registered her for camp, not knowing how Rebecca’s first Colonial summer camp would go. “Normally I sit through a sermon and wonder when it will be over, but this time I wanted to hear more,” Rebecca said. “I used to think Christ was completely different. I thought you had to use the Ten Commandments as a checklist to please God, but now I get it. I didn’t expect such an impact!”

While the focus was the teaching, Camp Awanita offered more than enough activities to entertain campers. Lake activities included a zip-line, waterslide, paddle boats and a roped-off swimming area. On land, basketball and volleyball courts, horseback riding, a ropes course and high-speed Hummer rides kept campers busy. Many students were happy to keep it simple—playing soccer in the fields around camp. “The zip line was my favorite because it was fun and fast and I had to get over my fear of heights,” said eighth grader Megan Pennington. “The hummer was fun too, because it was like a roller coaster!” 

During the first two days of camp, heavy rain made it hard to take advantage of outdoor activities. But, the students were determined to make the best of the situation. They played soccer, football and volleyball with rainwater running down their backs and used mud puddles as makeshift slip and slides. With rain sometimes pouring harder than a shower, three girls even washed their hair in the rain! And, Hummer rides continued until lightening forced them to stop. Makers of the camp video got it right! “If the rain thought it could stop us from having fun, it was wrong.”

Fun continued into the evening teaching sessions which began with team games. Campers were divided into four teams, named after the imaginary countries: Dortugal, Goostopia, Prance and Clapperstan. Each team elected a dictator, created a national cheer, and competed in several wacky games in a fictional World War III. Games ranged from making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches using only your feet to crawling in sleeping bag races. Prance was victorious; but, each team had at least one shining moment.

After the games, when the cheering died down, a team of Colonial’s musicians took center stage, focusing the hearts and minds of campers back on Christ. “Hallelujah, all I have is Christ,” they sang. “Hallelujah, Jesus is my life.” Those words were a challenge for every camper and leader—a challenge to live life completely satisfied.