If you talk to campers who have grown up at St. Stephen’s Summer Camp they might tell you that it changed their life.

I came to St. Stephen’s for the first time in 2014 as a 20 year-old counselor that didn’t know anyone. I ended the week physically exhausted, but spiritually rejuvenated; however, despite the renewal I felt and the community I gained, I could not yet call it life changing.

A week after camp ended was when my life changed that summer. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. The spiritual tools I developed and the community I entered into that first week at camp is what carried me through the hardest year of my life. God changed my life with St. Stephen’s, whether I expected it to or not.

I now have had the pleasure to spend two weeks at camp in 2015 and the full summer here this year. Through these weeks, I can see what makes it so special. God is at work here. We have fun canoeing, making bracelets in the Art Barn, challenging ourselves on the ropes course, and throwing water balloons during the Olympics. We grow our friendships with each other and immerse ourselves in our faith. But most importantly we learn to trust God and what He has provided for us.

That trust is what supports and strengthens our faith. It is why so many who come here, myself included, can say that St. Stephen’s Summer Camp has changed our lives.

Ms. Zoe Kafkes