This year will be my third and last year attending [Camp Savio] as a camper. [Camp Savio] has benefitted me so much! It has helped me to dig deeper in to my faith and make new friends that share the same beliefs as I do. This previous year, having been my second year attending the camp, I thought I knew what to expect, but it turned out to be both quite different and very interesting.
It is quite a unique experience to be with over 100 other people in the same vicinity as you that all share a common faith. You may be asking yourself, “well I go to church every weekend isn’t that practically the same thing?” However, there is a drastic difference! At [Camp Savio] you don’t just go to Mass everyday; you experience the power of God through everything! You’re constantly learning about your faith and creating friendships whether you’re fighting your way through an obstacle course or doing praise and worship in the auditorium.
I think that probably the biggest thing I’ve learned at [Camp Savio] is that you can incorporate God into anything that you’re doing and that there isn’t any one way to express your love for Him and worship Him. [Camp Savio] isn’t just about always going to Church, but it isn’t just about goofing around and having fun either; there’s a time to be serious and a time to have fun.
A few of the serious things we did were going to Adoration, hearing testimonies each night about the focus of the day, and attending a Latin Mass, which I found to be very interesting. Although I didn’t understand anything that was said, it was a very unique experience to see how Mass used to be for my grandparents. We also had phenomenal speakers each night and I think they really brought to life what each day was really about.
Also, some of the fun things we did included paintball, Zorbing, a slip & slide, and a “Warrior Dash” which is an extreme obstacle course we were forced to conquer as a team. This was quite the exercise that built both team work and faith. Although my team didn’t really have any weak links, we didn’t even know each other at the beginning of the week. We had all come from different places and we had to become a tight knit family and persevere through all the tough challenges in just a few days. We conquered both of these challenges with ease and I truly believe it was due to the fact that we all shared the same faith and so, in a way, we were a family already. On one of the teams there was a camper that, due to a disease, was already thought not to even have a chance at being in the course for fear of injury. But that disease didn’t stop them one bit! With the help and encouragement of the whole team that camper was able to conquer every challenge that came their way.
In conclusion, I would just like to say that attending [Camp Savio] is probably one of the best things I have ever done. The reason being is that it has helped me grow in my faith immensely! I have strengthened my relationship with both God and others so much! I believe that I am a different and better person because of it. [Camp Savio] exceeds my expectations every year and this, being my last year going as a camper, I really want to test and strengthen my faith; I want to make it both memorable and special. I think that this is an amazing camp everyone should have the opportunity to experience! There’s always room for more growth in your faith and this is where it really happens.
-Lawson, Camper 2011, 2012
I did a testomonie today for Week one of Camp Savio. You went into way greater detail than I did and would have ever thought about. Thank you for sharing this online! God Bless