We truly experienced the Zone this year, as our 36 campers and 47 staff (including 14 teens) were the only group at the beautiful modern 405-acre Florida Elks Youth Camp complex. “Becoming Sons and Daughters of God” was our theme, with memory scriptures 2 Corinthians 6:18 and 1 John 3:1 which were repeated during morning Christian living, evening compass check, and nightly dorm parent time. Favorite activities included tie-dye shirts, digital media (with green screen recording), archery, race car derby and the Big Swing. The high ropes course (for ages 9+) and canoeing into the wind were challenging, but everyone worked together to encourage and support each other. A highlight was a special service project to clean about 600 plastic portable lockers for the facility’s upcoming summer camp program. Dorms had fun as they got wet and competed to see how many they could clean in an hour!

The cabin layout (for up to nine persons) led to close friendships and bonding for campers as well as staff. Teen staff participated in the various activities as they served, and in the evenings enjoyed time together playing games, practicing dance moves and growing closer through conversation. With so many teen staff, it was like a small-scale teen camp experience!