Parent Testimonials

my husband and i each had positive experiences at summer camps and i as a counselor. giving this opportunity to our kids is a high value to us because we know the life changing potential it holds. we know about many camps in many states and we think that alpine is the best of the best. the directors’ are intentional a/b the spiritual, physical, social and character development of each camper under the influences of carefully selected staff and counselors who seek to live out their faith in Jesus in all of life.

our son can’t wait to return to camp (and we can’t wait for him to get away from everyday life & technology here) and have another incredible experience growing and having fun!

his going to alpine is a privilege and a God-given gift!

a mom from tennessee

~ From a camp mom in TN

Sumner Abraham camped at Alpine for 5 summers, was on our Work Crew for 2 summers and a counselor for the last 3 summers.  Glenn and I have watched Sumner grow over the years and we are thrilled that he is a part of our Alpine family.   After reading this blog entry, you will get a better glimpse of what a camper takes away from summers spent at Alpine.

Sumner as a camper in 2001

 

 

“The greatest thing any person can do for another is to confirm the deepest thing in him, in her—to take the time and have the discernment to see what’s most deeply there, most fully that person, and then confirm it by recognizing and encouraging it.

And then someone enters our life who isn’t looking for someone to use, is leisurely enough to find out what’s really going on in us, is secure enough not to exploit our weaknesses or attack our strengths, recognizes our inner life and understands the difficulty of living out our inner convictions, confirms what’s deepest within us. A friend.” This quote by Eugene Peterson is exactly what I got out of Alpine, a friend. The fellow campers, the staff, and the camp itself have helped shape me into the young man I am today. Jesus Christ is the number one priority at camp, and there is not a better place on earth. When I think of what Heaven will be like, the first thing that enters my head is Alpine. I have friendships with older men and people my age that I wouldn’t trade for the world; experiences that are forever engraved in my memory and on my heart; and a better grasp on where I am going and how I want to do it because of Alpine.

From my summers at Alpine I have established friendships that are ones that I consider my most dear and fruitful. I met guys my age from all over the country and the world for that matter (France and Sweden). I think there is no other way to get to know a person than to live, struggle, and succeed with them. Alpine defines what community truly is. Community is something that a Christian can’t go without and Alpine creates a blueprint for this that can be carried into the real world. I am going to college with guys that I met when I was in the fourth grade and have kept up with. Alpine provided a place where I could develop friendships with guys that weren’t based on our parents being friends or sports, but friendships that were based on the sole purpose of loving the Lord and wanting to serve him. Alpine is my “home away from home” because every time I walk through the gate I know that the people there will love me no matter what and I have true friendships with the guys there. These relationships are so special to me and are ones that will last a lifetime.

During my summers at Alpine, I was counseled by and worked with some of the greatest Christian college aged kids in the country. The staff that is assembled is outstanding. From the second you arrive at camp, you realize that you around guys who care about you as a person and want to develop a relationship with you. You can’t find that anywhere else. I know kids that have gone to different summer camps for years and can’t even tell me their counselors names. But I still keep in touch with a majority of the guys that were my counselors and love to reminisce of the memories that were made with them. Alpine is the only environment in which this type of fruitful mentorship is possible because the relationship is started with a foundation in the Lord. Through these counselors, you learn about teamwork and that happiness comes through serving others not yourself. These two lessons are practiced on a daily basis at camp and are invaluable to a young man in the world of a young adult. My counselors at Alpine have been the biggest influence on my life thus far. 

Without Alpine I don’t even want to think about where I would be right now. I was Student Body President, Co President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Team Captain of the Basketball Team my Senior year of high school, and there is no way that any of those things would have happened to me if not for the leadership qualities and spiritual nurturing I received for Alpine. Alpine showed me what true community and fellowship really is. I was given outstanding leaders and extraordinary examples of Christ on a daily basis on one of the most beautiful places on earth. The staff, the camp itself, and the results of being associated with Alpine all point to Jesus Christ, and it is impossible to walk away from Alpine without having become a better person. Alpine is a place that I will forever be indebted to and grateful for.

Here is Sumner helping lead the way for the Alpine Step Show

~ “What Alpine means to a Camper” by Sumner Abraham

“We want to thank you for another summer on Lookout Mountain for our son Jim! Although the few letters we have received from Jim have been brief, we know that both the lack of letters and words on the pages are a testamony to the wonderful time he is having! I am sure you hear this often , but I feel like I should tell you also: The month that Jim spends at Alpine is by far his favorite of the year! Even though this is only his second season with you guys, he has talked about Alpine this last year like it is his home away from home, but better! Having grown up in a family where all my brothers attended Alpine every summer, I was somewhat prepared for excitement that would be involved in summers at Alpine, but I never knew how, as a parent, it would affect me to have such a wonderful place to send my own son. My friends keep asking if I miss Jim and if I am ready for him to come home. While my immediate answer is of course yes, I have to tell you I hesitate before I answer because even though I do miss Jim, I know how much he loves it there and thrives in that environment. To be able to do all the activities they do while learning about and cultivating a relationship with Christ is truly a gift. I don’t know of another place on earth that offers both in such a unique setting with such an awesome group of guys! (And some girls too!) So, I have a great peace knowing he is where he is, and I also feel a great sadness when it is time for him to come home! Not because I don’t want him with me, but because I know in my heart how sad he is to leave! Alpine is by far one of the best things we have ever done for Jim.”

~ Camp family from Mississippi

This is a letter that I wrote the night we brought John (changed name) home from second session of 2008.  It was the best 3 hour drive of my life!  I didn’t want the moment to end:

I want to write to you before the “busy-ness” of raising four children clouds my memory of today.  Today was a day I wish that I was being followed by a camera crew because it was picture perfect.  I would love to be able to relive it over and over.  After 24 long days without our son, we drove up to the Alpine sign to find our gleaming, waving and surprisingly clean son awaiting our arrival.  I then watched him grab his little brother with gusto and watched them walk arm in arm back to the cabin.  He couldn’t wait to show us his cabin, his friends, and his counselors (“the best counselors ever – they rocked!”)  Yes, absence makes the heart grow fonder – especially for bickering siblings.

I only wish that all of the staffers of Alpine could have been in the car to hear my son rattle off story after story from Alpine . . . He said that his buddy who will be in his new school tutored him in math “just because he wanted to.”  The air of kindness that hovers over Alpine is clearly intoxicating and contagious.  We also heard of many chosen activities that surprised us.  I am so glad that he was able to pick them without me over his shoulder.  His favorite activity was horseback – who knew!  Alpine has offered him experiences offered nowhere else.  Where else would making a lanyard be cool!  He wants to try fly fishing and loved white water rafting.  We could have never convinced him to try these things ourselves, and they are his new favorite activities.  

There are very few moments as a parent when you know for sure that you did the right thing.  Sending our son to Alpine is, hands down, the best thing we’ve done as parents.  He came home a better boy, a happier boy; a boy with a deeper appreciation of nature, others and God.  A month “unplugged” somehow flew by for this TV/IPOD/WII addicted child.  I thought for sure he would think that it was far too long, and selfishly hoped that he’d rather spend next summer with us, but he said that his time at Alpine (24 long days to us!) felt like 2 days up on the mountain.  He’ll be back next summer, and his little brother is begging to come along.

Today, we were given a gift that every parents longs for, the knowledge that we made a great decision for our son.  He is a better person because of his experience at Alpine.  What a gift for him.  What a gift for us.  Thank you so much!  Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it!

~ Letter from a camp mom in Georgia