Wonder #6: True Peace and Connection
Written by Rachel Hinz
Is there any place more heavenly on earth than Camp Arcadia?
I did not grow up going to Camp Arcadia as a child (like many RKD families I now know!), however my family did make an annual family summer vacation to the west side of “The Mitten” every year. Undoubtedly, this was the highlight of our year. School would end, the warmth of June would hit, and my family would embark to some beach town on the coast. I can recall my late mom saying that was my dad’s favorite time of year.
But he wasn’t alone; for me as a child, there was no greater fun than sunny days on Lake Michigan. We’d spend what seemed like an eternity on the beach. There were no cares, no timelines. The sparkles of the sun on the water was pure magic. The ice cream never tasted so good and never seemed to end. And per tradition, we made sure to watch at least one amazing sunset together as a family.
Now, decades later, here I am as the parent who is loading up kids into a minivan and making the trek every year to our family’s slice of heaven: Camp Arcadia. We (my husband, Seth, and our 3 children) attended our first family week in the summer of 2016 with just two kids and one on the way. Before we left from the same east side of the state, I warned so many friends who had cheered us into going that the bar was now ridiculously too high for my expectations.
But I’ll never forget that very first evening on the porch of the Inn, watching the indescribable majesty of the sun beginning to set on Lake Michigan. The sunset was all it took.
“I get it,” I told Seth. “I’m sold.”
Almost every summer since then our family looks forward to this week more than any other. My dad even joins, too! I’m sure I now know what he and my mom felt, as I spend time with my kids and experience seeing the joy in a smile that comes from trying to jump over a Lake Michigan wave. In a world that is non-stop and with the parenting adage of “the days are long but the years are short,” being together at Camp Arcadia gives us a rare glimpse into what I know our everlasting future holds: true peace and connection.
It was actually at Camp Arcadia one year, listening to dean and friend Rev. David Rufner, where I believe this idea came full circle as he referenced C.S. Lewis’s reaction to seeing a sunset and feeling a sense of longing. I get it, too. The longing I feel each year at Camp Arcadia reminds me that we were created for someday being all together with Our Savior, in full peace, love and joy. What a wonderful day that will be!
Until that glorious day, I’m so thankful for Camp Arcadia and the time we have there. Whether it’s stacking rocks together on the beach, our beloved soccer match, or cramming around a table at the Trading Post and watching my kids confidently order from their college heroes, I get to feel and know that nostalgic longing that I had as a kid, and that I truly still have now. After all, the ice cream at RKD never tasted so good and never seems to end!
And nothing beats watching a gorgeous sunset on the deck at Camp Arcadia and seeing the diamonds of the sparkles on the water. It’s pure magic! And remembering that someday we’ll all be together and there will truly be no cares, no timelines.
Thank you, Jesus, for that glimpse of Your Goodness at Camp Arcadia.
This is just one snapshot of how God uses Camp Arcadia to bless families and individuals each and every year. We are grateful for your partnership in what God is doing through Camp! We have a $150,000 Matching Gift Challenge active now through December 31, 2024! If you’d like to join us as a partner in ministry, consider making a gift to Camp Arcadia in support of our mission to provide renewal in spirit, mind and body for each and every guest.
Registration for our 2025 Retreats is open now – learn more or submit your registration form today: www.camp-arcadia.com/register. The 2025 Priority Deadline is January 7th.
