GREETINGS FROM SKY RANCH LUTHERAN CAMP!!! After almost three weeks of being away, it feels great to send greetings and to share the joyful stories of campers up at Sky Ranch.

To get camp ready for our campers arrival yesterday was a group effort. With the help of most of the seasonal staff, along with a great group of volunteers, Saturday was a tremendously productive work day, completing three full pages of projects, including trail work around the lodge and camp area, repairing and replacing doors destroyed by our bear visitors, and a full clean up of all of camp. Thank you to everyone for working so hard to make our return to summer camp at Sky  Ranch possible.

It is with great joy that we welcome almost 90 campers and adult guests for our 5th week of programming. It will be a busy week, with 1 -3 graders for Round up, 4 – 5 graders for Homesteaders, 6 – 8 graders for Mountaineers, and a 25 person Leave a Trace group from Wisconsin working on a new woodshed, raised garden bed, and painting benches and the Nature Center. After being gone, what a great way to get back into the swing of things.

As we settle back into Sky Ranch, we continue to give thanks for the many, many expressions of Everyday Grace that were constantly showered upon us over the last weeks. We say thank you to the outpouring of support from local businesses, congregations, and friends of camp to feed, house, and provide for our staff. We say thank you to Highlands Presbyterian Camp for giving us a space to have camp away from camp. We say thank you to the many people around the country who held our staff and our campers in prayer.

I also want to say a special word of thanks to the many ELCA Outdoor Ministry sites around the country who have written notes of support and prayer, who have sent care packages to help keep morale up, and who have taken special offerings on the behalf of Sky Ranch to help cover the costs of evacuation and running camp at a different camp. I think outdoor ministries are one of the most important resources that our church has to encourage faith formation, self esteem, and Christian community for our youth and families. It is wonderful to know what gracious, loving, and generous partners in ministry we have.

Finally, a special thanks also goes to Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp, our sister camp in the Rocky Mountain Synod. Rainbow Trail experienced their own evacuation due to fire last summer and was quick with support and empathy. Not only did they send a care package full of treats for the staff, they also invited Sky Ranch staff members for a week of backpacking during last week when all of our programming was canceled (pictures below).

For now, the sounds of morning worship are echoing off the hills. Soon there will be laughter and excitement as groups do low ropes, arts and crafts, and candle making. The sounds of camp are filling the air . . . it is good to be home.

- Andy

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