Another great year of youth camp is done! Northwest Youth Camp 2025, which took place July 28 to August 2, was well attended, with campers arriving from California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Canada. The theme this year was "Miraculously Designed and Loved By God," with the theme verse found in Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”

Buses began arriving at the Mayfield Lake campsite around 11:00 a.m. on Monday, and soon everyone headed to their cabins to unpack. The first item on the schedule was lunch. Sherry Schuermeyer ran the kitchen all week for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and even some late-night snacks, and the food was as delicious as it could be!

Following Monday's lunch, camp director Erik Calhoun led an all-camp meeting. Then the first in-cabin devotions was held. Throughout the week, the daily lessons taught the campers that 1) They were miraculously and lovingly created; 2) God wants a relationship with them; 3) Their imperfections do not determine their worth; 4) God cares about every detail of their lives; and 5) God's measure is different than the world's measure. Each day there was also a memory verse contest where campers had the chance to win candy for memorizing the daily verses, motivating lots of campers to memorize all six for the week!

Every day after the in-cabin devotions, there was free time. The activities one could do during free time were as numerous as ever: swimming and paddle boating at the lake, going down the water slide, sports courts, and the game hut, where people could play board games. In addition, Crystal Sletmoe kept the craft cabin packed with opportunities for artistic expression, including fuse beads, slime, gimp (you may need to look that up), and more. Gary Sletmoe and Matt Hanson also organized a variety of sports activities and competitions. There were many tournaments to participate in, including soccer, basketball, pickleball, ping-pong, volleyball, shuffleboard, gaga ball, and, joining the sports family this year: flag football. There were even some non-athletic competitions, such as carpetball, chess, and fuse bead art. 

Each morning and also on Monday and Thursday evenings, chapel services were held. In addition to specials from the campers, the group singing included Sunday school choruses, old youth camp theme songs, as well as this year’s theme, “Who Am I?” The testimonies and sermons were also inspirational and convincing. On Thursday evening, John Musgrave visited and gave the evening sermon, and a powerful prayer meeting followed with some tarrying until 2:00 a.m. By the end of the week about twenty stood to indicate that they had been saved or sanctified during the week.

Tuesday was a movie night, featuring the 2024 film “The Forge,” which revolves around a young man and his Christian walk. Wednesday was skit night, and this year was the debut of the KAFC radio station (not to be confused with KFC, the chicken place). The many competitions of the evening included Musical Chairs, Easy Trivia, and the famed Bubble Gum Blowing Contest, and there were also three great skits. Friday evening was the awards night for the tournament and competition winners, as well as the very important Lost and Found Auction and the viewing of the camp slideshow.

The week was filled to the brim with special memories, from the great chapel services to the fun games to the delicious food. Many campers were disappointed to leave at the end, but at the same time, they were exhausted and willing to return home, with Jesus in their lives and memories to last a lifetime.