The Wilds Christian Camp has been used by God in our lives for many years, via music, going to family camps and retreats, etc. Actually, it was there that Daddy, as a teenager, confirmed his salvation! How thankful we are for that ministry!

Several weeks ago Mommy was doing a little bit of reading and saw that the Wilds was having a “40 years of ministry” celebration, where they invited all former staff, campers, etc., to come for a day of fun activities, food, and most important, fellowship. After suggesting to Daddy that we do it, (and after we realized that our itinerary had an empty space in it for a change :)) she headed up the planning and packing for the event. (Thank you, Mommy!) This last Saturday morning we filled up the “Land Yacht” 🙂 with all 12 members of the Neely Team and all of their necessary luggage 🙂 and went over to Brevard, NC, and enjoyed the beautiful weather, peaceful atmosphere, godly music, tremendously thrilling and fun activities, and the side-splitting re-plays of skits done in the past. During the course of the day, many of us took part in “The Cat in the Hat” game, the land trolley, mini-golf, the rock-climbing wall, and, last but not  least, the famous Giant Swing! (A glorious contraption into which two people are strapped, lying on their stomachs. They are then hiked up 65 feet above the watching audience below, and then let fall – which gives about 2 seconds of that all-amazing “free-fall” feeling, which is enough for anyone 🙂 – and into swinging back and forth! Sound scary?? Both that and exhilarating! :)) We were able to see and “catch-up” with many old friends and acquaintances, meet new people, and before leaving, take a delightful trip to the   popular coffee shop at camp – “CoolBeans.” Mmmmmmm……!!!! Our day ended with a tour of the newest construction project on the camp property: a multi-purpose building planning to be used for a book and music store, souvenir   shop, a conference room, and offices for many of the staff members. It was exciting to see the vision that was  being carried out, enabling them to more effectively impact numerous lives!

The Lord has truly blessed the Wilds because, as their theme verse 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, all is done for the glory of God. What a blessing to be able to see the rewards of such a commitment, and what a  reminder carry out that truth in our own lives – it is, in fact, the very reason we were created!