Meaningful Experiences: A Camp Mihaska Series – Part 3
We often say that going to Camp Mihaska is more than camp. It's more than learning new things, meeting new people, and growing in God’s love. It’s community – seeing His work in action.
In the book The Whole World Guide to Culture Learning, author J.D. Hess explains that the passage through culture shock and cross-cultural adaptation is accompanied by a stressful challenge to and change in the identity of the sojourner. But the sense of isolation and questioning of self that results from the experience is not to be seen as a call to despair. It is instead a springboard for the creation or evolution of a new identity which is “inclusive of life patterns different from one’s own.”
The anticipation of coming to a new environment and doing new and different things naturally opens a person to growth and change, even in areas that they have been resistant to at home. Seeing other people trying new things and discussing new ideas and concepts is stimulating and encourages one to do the same.
Christian camps, like Camp Mihaska, create temporary community. It allows people, not just kids, to experience life outside their normal environment.
Temporary community experiences can reduce barriers to change by removing a person from the pressures or expectations of certain behaviors. It also removes people from the roles and routines that typify their daily experience. Routines have a tendency to lock in or fix our habits and behavior. “The daily burdens and routines of life can be left behind when we enter the temporary community experience resulting in a change of pace and time for extended concentration without other imposing tasks.”
Camp Mihaska hosts campers of all ages, from youth to tweens and teens, to adults and seniors. We want people who come to camp to leave knowing Jesus as their Savior if they didn’t already, or to leave with a better understanding of who He is, and a sense of the community.
An Irreplaceable Resource
Capt. Jeanette Jensen, Maplewood Corps
Having experienced Camp Mihaska as a young lady, I have seen many benefits throughout my life. Camp Mihaska demonstrates a unique (and sadly disappearing) experience in our country. A place where no matter where you come from, you’re an equal and a friend.
I was not a popular kid. I was awkward and shy. I liked to hang with adults most of my life. Camp Mihaska forced me into a group of my peers. I was able to interact and reap the social benefits of growing with and learning from kids my own age. We naturally took each other’s strengths and weaknesses and conquered challenges – both planned and unplanned – that met us throughout the camping session.
Camp Mihaska is also a place of welcome. Leaving a home or a place that may not see you favorably, or even at all – arriving at Camp Mihaska includes a world of smiles, high fives and hugs. This is a place where the individual matters. I wasn’t just a member of my family or my church unit. I was ‘Jeanette.’ I could be silly and loud and me – and that added to the experience that I had. Camp has shaped my personality today and how I treat those I come in contact with. I am reminded that the individual matters most, rather than the opinions of the world or how others think I behave. I am unashamedly a fool for Christ.
Lastly, Camp taught me practical skills I have taken into adult life. When I was younger, we did troop camps where we earned badges. I earned the “Auto Know How” badge and know how to check my own oil and change a tire thanks to the camp maintenance man at the time. Just 4 years ago, I found myself on the side of the road in Fargo, North Dakota, with a flat and no help around. I remembered that camp course and saved myself by changing that flat tire and getting to a repair shop. Never in my life did I think something like that would happen, but I was prepared!
I also know how to make my bed properly, fold an American Flag, play multiple instruments, and worship my God in a deeper way all thanks to my time at Camp Mihaska. There are so many more lessons that have become foundational in my life, and orginated at Camp. Camp Mihaska is an irreplaceable resource we must protect, preserve and continue to grow.
Parents and guardians can complete our interest form online, or submit an application in-person at one of our eight St. Louis area corps community centers.
Because children attend Camp Mihaska at low or no cost, The Salvation Army is dependent on the generosity of donors like you. The cost for lodging and meals for one camper, for one week, is $483. Make a transformational gift today.