Laity Lodge Family Camp

The Imagine Postcard

Imagine arriving at your family cabin at either Singing Hills or Echo Valley, late in the afternoon or early evening, everyone a bit cranky from the drive and close quarters. As you step into your cabin, you find the beds made and fresh towels enough for everyone hanging in the bathroom. A gift basket awaits you from the Laity Lodge Family Camp (LLFC) staff that contains candy, a sketch pad and crayons for the younger children as well as a family Bible. “Welcome!” the basket and made beds and prepared environment seem to say. “We are glad that you are here, together.”

The kids flop on the bed for a moment and then out the door they tumble to explore the immediate vicinity. Other kids have arrived with their families, and dinner will be ready in another hour. Parents unwind a bit from the drive.

After a good meal and greetings from the John Hill, director of the LLFC and his staff, families gather for evening Roundup. There are families from Austin, Midland, San Antonio, Houston, and even a family from California or Atlanta, Georgia. There are serious moments, funny moments, and even singing moments.

You return as a family to your cabin. No television or radios or computer games pull members into different rooms of the house. As you fall asleep, you might hear a great horned owl hooting in the distance.

The next day brings a prepared breakfast followed by a hike. Imagine hiking through the Frio Canyon with your teenagers toward the front trying to lead the way, and your younger children stopping every so often to pick up another interesting rock. Someone else, LLFC staff, has been in charge of bringing water and the band-aids. As you walk for a while, your teenager drops back to be with you and begins talking about Life. You’d almost forgotten what big thoughts your child can have in the midst of all that happens over the course of any given week. When you arrive at Circle Bluff overlooking Blue Hole, LLFC staff photograph your family as a celebration of this journey that you have taken together.

The afternoon offers a variety of activities that you can choose as a family or as individuals. What a range of things to chose from: Alpine Tower, riflery, rapeling, arts and crafts, swimming, fishing, canoeing, mountain biking and more. If couples want some time together, the children who need supervision can spend afternoon hours at Canyon Club, jumping in the castle, swimming and enjoying activities with other children under the attention of experienced LLFC counselors.

The evening closes again with a shared meal and Round-Up and perhaps a bit of dancing. Imagine square dancing as a family as the stars brighten against the night sky, and the Frio keeps pouring its faithful currents downstream.. Sunday morning offers brunch and a worship service that includes a skit by LLFC staff that brings the weekend themes to fruition. As you are peering under the beds for your youngest child’s sneakers, your middle child, who’s been helping you look, suddenly hugs you and says, “This was fun.” The drive home doesn’t seem too long. And, a few months later, as you wonder what to use as a Christmas card, you look on the refrigerator and see the portrait taken at Circle Bluff – search no more. LLFC can truly be a highlight of a family’s life.

Postcard from John Hill, Director of LLFC

We had a great time at family camp this weekend carving pumpkins. I love traditions like carving pumpkins. It really brings the whole family together. When we lived in Australia, Halloween always came in spring (the seasons are opposite in the southern hemisphere). There were no pumpkins because it was fall not spring. If we did find a pumpkin, it was always blue. Yes, I said blue. Australia doesn’t have orange pumpkins (at least not in spring). So we would get a blue pumpkin and try to carve it. Blue pumpkins are much harder then their orange counter parts. They are also filled with much worse inner gunk.

When we placed our blue jack-o’-lantern out on the front porch, we received a number of questions. Why? Australians really don’t have this tradition. Pumpkins are for making soup not for carving. Definitely not for pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving since that is only an American celebration. Carving pumpkins became for us a way to hold on to our tradition.

At family camp this weekend, every family carved pumpkins with different faces or images. The pumpkins were as varied as the families that were there this weekend. That is what I love most about Laity Lodge Family Camp. People come with all different traditions and come to Laity knowing that they will be loved just as they are-no matter what face is carved.

God is so amazing that he created us with so many different faces. Yet all of us are made in his image. I thank God for the privilege of getting to see and know so many of you who God loves and cares for every day. We are carved in the image of God. That is amazing!!!

The weekend was filled with other family camp traditions like hiking, rapeling, alpine tower, crafts and much more. There were a few that even ventured into the Frio (there is a reason they call it the Frio), but they didn’t stay in long.

Traditions are an important part of families. In both our church families and our biological ones, traditions bring us together. I hope family camp will become a tradition for your family to enable you to come together in God’s Grace.