When Kayden stepped into the baptismal waters on Sabbath afternoon at Camp Cedar Falls (CCF), few people knew what led him there.
A month before camp, his mom wrote to the SCC youth department and shared that after a horrible tragedy took Kayden’s dad away, she and Kayden both felt lost. Not knowing where to turn, she remembered encountering Jesus at CCF when she was a little girl. She felt impressed to check camp and, to her surprise, discovered the family camp week. Eagerly, she registered herself and her son.
How amazing is God? On Friday night, they both shared their testimony of what God had done during family camp through nature, the activities, the staff, and the speaker. They described CCF as a place of healing. That evening, Kayden surrendered his life to Jesus. The very next day, he was baptized.
Now, what many don’t know is that camp itself almost didn’t happen.
One month before camp, only eight campers had registered. After months of visiting schools, speaking in chapels, meeting with pastors and principals, and doing everything to promote camp, registration remained low. Canceling seemed like the logical decision. A miracle was needed for summer camp to happen at CCF this year. After a season of being closed and after several efforts to revive it, only God could bring it fully back to life—and He did.
This summer, 140 campers experienced CCF and 23 chose to follow Jesus through baptism. During our final week, registration had to close because we didn’t have enough staff to accommodate any more campers.
“To many people, the numbers may seem like the most important part, but to us, they were simply evidence of what God was doing behind the scenes,” said Paulo Tenorio, SCC youth ministries director. “The real story was the lives He changed. So many of our young people recommitted their lives to Jesus.”
One of the teen week speakers, Pastor Mark Tamaleaa, spoke openly about mental health and shared powerful personal testimonies. His honesty created a safe space for many teens to open up, some for the very first time. Throughout the week, campers learned that we truly are family, and that they could be transparent, support one another, and find hope in Jesus.
Danae Songe, the mother of one of the campers who has attended seven different camps across the North American Division, shared the impact camp had on her son, Ethan.
“Ethan said this was the best camp he’s ever attended,” Songe wrote. “Before leaving the cabin, the boys gathered with their arms around each other for a long prayer. His spiritual walk was strengthened at Camp Cedar Falls, and we’ve already seen the difference at home. He’s more obedient, calmer, treats his sister better, and can’t wait to come back next year.”
“Moments like this are where you realize that in order to have a successful camp, you need to have faith in Jesus, make camp the most spiritual experience possible, and remember that laser tag, a new archery wall, or the latest go-karts are only extra things,” Tenorio said. “At the end of the day, what truly brings long-lasting joy will be Jesus; nothing but Jesus.”
The real miracle of Camp Cedar Falls wasn’t that registrations grew from eight campers to 140. The miracle was watching lives transformed by Jesus.