This first annual Father and Son Camp in Waynesburg, PA, held April 21-24, proved to be well worth the effort to provide a camp experience closer to the families outside of the New England area (where we have held a camp in each of the last ten years). We had families from Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio, as well as two families from Wisconsin.

We all allowed the Holy Spirit to challenge our thinking about God’s design of the women in our lives (wives/mothers/daughters/sisters).
The entire Company purposed at the beginning of our encampment to temporarily set aside all that we thought we knew about our Creator’s design for humankind, male and female, and what He decreed for us after the Fall. This allowed the Holy Spirit free rein over our time together. The result was a remarkable passion to go home and more than ever be a “safe place” for those who look to us for leadership in our home. Optimistically, many of us went home renewed in our desire to validate and affirm our family members by joyfully entering into their worlds and enjoying them there (rather than expecting them to enter our world in order to have time with us). At least one mother remarked soon after her son returned home that she had already seen change.

SFC Michael Lowman and SFC Ben Lowman did an outstanding job as Operations Chief and Logistics Chief, respectively. They connected well with the fathers and sons, sharing testimonies that touched hearts. The marching parade which Michael and Ben led after less than three hours of practice over three days was a remarkable balance of impressive maneuvers splitting the company into its platoons and calculated reserve so that those new to marching would be able to master a few simple movements that would produce a tremendous sense of accomplishment. These young sergeants greatly impressed me by their maturity to understand the need to not expect a level of marching competence that would inevitably result in disappointment.

Prior to the ceremony, I told the Company that I wanted them to enjoy presenting what they had learned about marching and that the parade was to be seen as a celebration of the three days of fellowship we were now closing. Filled with personal words and tears, the closing ceremony proved to be a fitting climax to what the Holy Spirit had done among us.

We greatly encouraged Jim Butler, whose property we were using, with our chain saw prowess used to clear hiking trails and our thoroughness and efficiency used to scatter grass seed and cover the ground with erosion inhibiting netting and straw. The next day the sons had a blast developing blacksmithing skills to make knives of various innovative designs.

Gratefully submitted by Doug Dagarin, Camp Commander