A boy I will call E. came to camp having never held a rifle. Saturday morning he sat a box blind with one of our mentors and watched a field go from black to grey to gold. When a doe stepped out at eighty yards he shook so hard he could not find her in the scope, and he let her walk. On the hike back he talked the whole way. About the cold. About the deer. About whether God pays attention to a field like that at first light. Nobody put him up to it.
The kids who show up
Most come from homes with no hunter in them. Some come from homes with no dad in them. They are not a project. They are twelve and thirteen year olds who are sharp, funny, and paying closer attention than the adults expect. Hand one of them a real job and a little trust and you can watch him stand up straighter by Sunday.
What we are really after
The hunting is real. It is also the doorway. Moses told Israel to keep God’s words close and to talk about them “when you walk by the way” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). The walk to the stand in the dark is that kind of walking. You are not going to preach at a kid at five in the morning. You are going to answer the question he actually asks, and there is always a question.
A weekend at camp
Families check in Friday night and we eat together. Saturday is range time in the morning, an afternoon and evening sit with a mentor, then a fire. Sunday is a short chapel and one more hunt before everyone packs out. We run camps out of [camp location] during [season], at no cost to families. Kids get connected through [churches, schools, and word of mouth].
What we have seen
We have watched quiet kids find their voice around a fire. We have had parents call weeks later because their son is still reading the Bible he brought home. We cannot promise that a weekend fixes anything. What we can say is that a boy who spends two days being taught patiently by grown men usually leaves different than he came.
How to help
The clearest way to help is to mentor. We need men who can sit a blind for four hours and be steady, easy company. If you cannot be there, you can cover a kid’s spot for the weekend, or you can pray for the ones whose names we send out before every camp.