In the “off-season”, we host retreats at our camps. The first fall retreat happens on the first weekend after camp ends. From then on, almost every weekend till Thanksgiving is full with church groups.
The groups range from 25 to 250 people. In the summer, we have camp for 5-1/2 days, with around 50 summer staff to pull it off. In the fall, we have “camp” type of atmosphere for about 2 days , with 2 staff and a bunch of volunteers.
We love to serve churches in this way. Camp has had such a huge impact in all of our lives, and we are eager to help churches experience those same benefits.
The day after a retreat is usually spent cleaning up. Every building has to be vacuumed, and every bathroom needs to be cleaned.
In the “off-season”, we do projects. The only truly down time for Youthfront Camps is from Thanksgiving to February 1st, which means its the only time for larger projects. During this time we usually do major repairs on buildings, service all of our ATVs, catch up with our supporters, and fix the things that have been driving us crazy all year. Its busy, but its a different kind of busy.
In the “off-season”, things are quite (mostly). This is probably my favorite part of the off-season. When campers are gone things get really quiet. There is a lot of walking with no one in sight. It is common to see no one for days. This gives us a lot of time for thought, prayer, and song. We still have a lot to do, but no one looks at us funny when we walk around talking or singing out loud. The “off-season” is good for our spiritual lives.
All in all, I will miss not only the summers, but also the off-seasons at Youthfront Camp West. They have been always busy and blessed. As we look forward to the future of our ministry. The off-seasons will be something I miss for the rest of my life. The land, the beauty, the people, and the solitude.
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