The Start of an Adventure
5 minute read
The seed was first planted in the summer of 2010 when as teenagers, we worked at a Christian summer camp on a lake in Connecticut. It was a transformative summer that would forever have an effect on our lives. We worked there every summer together for the next 4 years, and have since maintained a connection with the camp. The seed that was slowly being nurtured and taking root, is now starting to blossom into something unavoidable. My wife, Kelly, and I have made the decision to pursue this burning desire to start a Catholic camp for youth in Connecticut.
We met at this very camp over 10 years ago and became close friends. There was just something between us that made an instant connection inevitable. We worked well together, we laughed together, and we experienced young adulthood together. After 4 years of being close friends, our relationship turned a new leaf as we saw each other as more than friends. We got married in a chapel on the campgrounds we had met on and began our lives with various passions leading the way. While married we both worked at the camp on and off, not being able to shake the gravitation to camp ministry. Year after year we would be drawn to the passion of the ministry more and more. We flew to Australia to start a life there, we contemplated moving south, west, north, and a multitude of professions. Yet we were always magnetized to New England and couldn’t seem to draw up a plan that didn’t have camp ministry somewhere in the midst. 2018 was a momentous year for us, full of sadness, excitement, loss, change, fear, growth, and learning. It was the year we had come to the conclusion that we just can’t avoid pursuing camp ministry any longer.
The goal we had now solidified was too massive to comprehend at times. We have extremely expansive dreams as to what this camp could look like and at times found it daunting to even know where to begin. We talked about the ins and outs of starting a camp for many many nights and with the help of the Holy Spirit found our starting place. The desire for camp ministry was definitely in us, but the resources to do so were not. However, we both have a passion for writing and sharing our stories with others on similar journeys; so we started two blogs. This was our way of firing the starting gun and getting the race started. Our way of reaching out to others and finding help along the way. We are venturing out into a field that isn’t very popular in the Northeast. There are Catholic camps out west and down south, but not many in New England. This is fertile ground to start something amazing.
Our mission is to excite youth towards a deeper relationship with Christ. We want campers to leave with a bold passion for the Catholic faith, and a deep yearning to know God and serve Him more. When my wife and I entered into the Catholic Church in 2016, we were excited but overwhelmed with what it was we were “supposed” to be doing and how to utilize all that the Church has to offer. We were new to the traditions, practices, and overall beliefs the Catholic faith offered. We had been devoutly raised Protestant, so the Christian faith wasn’t foreign, but at times we became discouraged by all there was to know. We believe it is important to cultivate an engaging environment and culture for youth to be involved in and to build a strong foundation on the Catholic faith. We want them to know why they believe what they believe and encourage them to dive deep into their faith. To let them know that they are not alone in this journey and that there is always hope. We want to use our past experiences and current passion to spread the love of God and the Truth found in the Catholic Church to the youth of today.
This is our start and we will earnestly seek God’s will in all of this, as he uses us to spread His love. We hope you join us on this journey and ask for your support as we take each next step. We’ll try to always keep updated as much as possible with any progress we make. You can also contact us with any comments, questions, or suggestions. We’ll be keeping all who come in contact with Anchorwood in our prayers and ask for you to do the same for us.
God bless!