The Ogren family has been coming up to Silver Beach Family Camp for the past few summers. A few months ago we asked them to write a little bit about what Silver Beach means to them. Sandra wrote back about her experience as a wife and mother:
I’ll never forget the first time we came to Silver Beach in 2014. We booked a week in one of the new Lakeside Cabins. We arrived to discover not only was the cabin new but we were one of the very first guests to stay in it! In fact, they were moving in furniture when we arrived. And then we met the Silver Beach director, Angie, and her family. We knew we had found not just a great vacation spot, but a very special place for families to know and grow in Christ.
“One of the greatest blessings to us as parents is the fact that the kids can run and play and have freedom to explore and test their limits and abilities and we can watch them grow in their abilities each year.”
Our week at Silver Beach has become the highlight of our family’s summer. It is the place of so many firsts for our kids. Henry caught his first Bass off the dock when he was 6. He also got up the nerve to go down the water slide for the first time overcoming a huge fear of his. Will climbed the tower or the first time last summer when he was 5 and did crate stacking like the “big kids” too. Each summer they look forward to another “first.” Maybe this will be the year they try the Big Swing or the Zipline or even the blob or black light dodgeball. There is always something new and exciting for them to try. One of the greatest blessings to us as parents is the fact that the kids can run and play and have freedom to explore and test their limits and abilities and we can watch them grow in their abilities each year.
When we leave camp each summer we take home more than just memories! Our breezeway is littered with brightly colored rocks that the boys have made in the craft hall each summer and they won’t let us get rid of a single one! We recently had an exchange student ask our family why our whole family had so many brightly colored T-shirts. We had a chance to tell her all about our vacation each summer to a special place called Silver Beach and the fun we have making tie dye shirts together as a family (although I do think I may have enough now!) I love having these reminders in our home, they make me smile as I remember being with the boys at camp.
“We have become friends with the family who rents the cabin next door to us each year and look forward to catching up with them each summer.”
Growing up as a camper at Covenant Pines I knew all about camp, however my husband didn’t have the same opportunity. Now, thanks to Silver Beach, Bill and the kids get the chance to experience what I did as a kid but we get to do it as a family! From the minute we start packing to go, the kids can’t stop talking about all the things they are going to do, how many survivor bracelets will they make or what will be the new craft this year? Who is going to get the highest in crate stacking and will mom PLEASE try it this year! 🙂 What snacks will there be in the Fun Shack and how many T-shirts will they get to make. Silver Beach offers not just a place to stay, but a rich Christ-centered experience for everyone.
Last summer we had the chance to spend some great time fellowship with the other families who were staying at Silver Beach. We have become friends with the family who rents the cabin next door to us each year and look forward to catching up with them each summer. The improvements that have been made to Silver Beach have been great, the fire pit outside the new cabins truly became a gathering place for families in the evening. It was so nice to meet around the campfire, sharing food and stories and laughter while the kids made a mess with s’mores! We made some new friends and renewed past acquaintances.
Families have lots of choices for a lake/resort vacation in Minnesota but Silver Beach offers a unique, affordable vacation experience for our family of 5. Nowhere else would we have such great access to an awesome beach with all the water toys and boats, a luxurious cabin with everything you need plus enough activities to keep the kids busy if you’d like or the freedom to do nothing at all! Plus, you get Angie and her staff who are always there to answer questions, chat about your day, offer prayer for your week, take you to chapel or drive the Hayride to Dairy Queen!
When we leave camp each summer, my son always cries. He has had so much fun that he doesn’t want to ever leave! I feel the same way, camp does that to you. Camp is a place where I went as a child and met lifelong friends, mentors and ultimately my savior Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that Silver Beach will be that for my children and for many years to come!
Blessings,
Sandra, Bill, Henry, Will and Liliana
