Slowakwa-Navakia: An International Family Camp Celebration

On Sunday of July’s Family Camp, Simi Secanska, Nawakwa’s 2018 international counselor, couldn’t believe her ears. “I thought I was imagining it,” she said, “And then I realized that I really WAS hearing people speaking Slovak! And there were SO MANY of them! I haven’t heard this much Slovak in nearly two months!”

There was good reason for that much Slovak in the middle of Adams County, PA.

It’s been 23 years since Slavka Klimszová and Lucijan Klimsza first came to Nawakwa through the ELCA’s International Camp Counselor program. Neither was familiar with the strange American ways (made even stranger in the summer camp setting, where everyone sings about wearing pink pajamas, the Weiner Man, and the horrific Dunderbeck Sausage Company!) but, open to the experience, Slavka and Lucijan had a good summer. And it’s not so surprising that the two of them became close friends, and they eventually married one another a few years after returning to their homeland. 

Campers, peers, and host families remember both Slavka and Lucijan fondly. In fact, Maggie Ackerman, Slavka’s host mother, refers to Slavka as her “fourth daughter.” Maggie and her husband Daryl have made multiple trips to Slovakia to visit, and the Klimsza family, now completed by two daughters, has twice returned to the States.

This summer’s visit was especially exciting, as Slavka’s father, Stano, who had heard strange and beautiful tales of the cold swimming pool, the Upper Temple sunsets, and the pink pajamas, joined the family at Nawakwa’s July Family Camp. And Family Camp it was! The Ackermans and the Klimsovas lived in neighboring cabins, and more Ackerman daughters joined in on the fun.

But wait! There’s more!

Also in camp that week was Pastor Drahus Oslik and his family. Oslik was an international counselor from Slovakia at Nawakwa in 2000. He had such a positive experience that he returned for a second summer, in which he began a friendship with Andrea Lindgren, another counselor from Waynesboro, PA. They’re married now, they have three children, and Drahus serves the congregation where Andrea grew up!

The Oslik children are frequent campers, and Drahus and Andrea have served the LCC in multiple summer staff and volunteer capacities. This summer, they opened their home to Simi (Remember her from the beginning of this story?) for several weeks, sharing hosting responsibilities with Rudy and Doris Crider (another frequent host family enlisted by the Ackermans several years ago).

It was úźasné (that’s Slovak for “awesome”) to see all so many of our Slovak siblings all together, comparing their Nawakwa experiences and exploring their many and various connections at home and here in the United States.

For us, the LCC, the greatest celebration is the many friendships we have developed throughout the nearly 30 years we have participated in the ELCA International Camp Counselor Program. International counselors participate in staff training through the final week of summer camp, serving faithfully alongside our domestic staff, building Christian community, sharing the gospel…and singing about pink pajamas.

Let Us Be Changed!

As the counselors started collecting their belongings after a staff training session on emergency planning, Zambian counselor, Lazarous Kapisha passed me a handwritten note that read, “Please, may I talk with you privately?” For many years now, the camping corporation has participated in the International Camp Counselor Program through the ELCA. We’ve received young adults from Zambia, Tanzania, Slovakia, [other countries], and more who have served an important ministry role in our synod’s outdoor ministry experience. One of the goals of this program is for camps to experience the global community of Christians and take part in cross-cultural learning. It’s been a joy for staff and campers to be introduced to new languages, new songs, and new perspectives. But being an international counselor is not without its challenges. In my head, I started to run through the list of possible obstacles that Lazarous wanted to discuss. We speak too quickly. The food is too unfamiliar. The schedule at camp is too different.

When we sat down in my office that evening, all my concerns were put to ease when Lazarous shared, “I want you to tell me if I need to do things differently. I want to be a good counselor. Not for me. But so that I can take the things I learn here back to Zambia and be a light for others in my community. Already, I can feel God has changed me and I want to share that with the people of Zambia when I return.”

I was moved and inspired that day by the power of our shared goals in ministry. It serves as a reminder that God’s love knows no boundaries and that discipleship reaches far and wide through the work of our camps. Only a few days after returning to Zambia, Lazarous posted pictures to his social media account of a lesson he led in his local province, inspired by his time at Kirchenwald. Because of the ELCA International Camp Counselor program, everyone involved grows and benefits from the unique relationships that form in our Christ-focused community. Tiyani tichinje (Let us be changed)!

Let Your Light Shine!

A favorite Sunday School/VBS song of mine has always been This Little Light of Mine. It’s a great song, with a catchy tune, and lyrics that are, at the same time, animated and inspiring. I mean, really, what’s more fun than singing “Won’t let Satan POOF! it out!?

It’s a fun song to sing – but it’s also confessional. It’s a great statement of faith when we say that we are NOT going to let Satan quench the Light of Christ that we promise to carry into the world. We joyfully sing of how we are going let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Pass it On is another favorite song from my childhood. I know that some people think it’s pithy, but I love it. I’ve always thought of it as the summer camp version of Silent Night.  The sentiment of the song, pithy though it may be, is that when you realize how much better your life is because of whatever – God’s love, springtime, or summer camp – you WANT to tell others about it so that they can experience the same thing.

When I go out to talk about summer camp in the congregations, I almost always have someone tell me afterwards that they can tell that I believe in what we do – and it’s true! I do believe in what we do.

I LOVE to talk about camp – who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we’re going. I’ve experienced the impact of church camp in my own life, and more importantly, I’ve seen the impact of camp on the lives of countless others.

You’re darn right I’m gonna shout it from the mountaintops!

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I’ve been working on my Master’s thesis for seminary this spring. Not surprisingly, I’ve managed to find a way to write about Nawakwa, specifically the work of Nawakwa’s founder, Hadwin Fischer, and the lasting impact he had on the Lutheran Church in this area. When he was trying to get people to buy into the idea of leadership training for the church in an outdoor setting, he didn’t have the luxury of 85 years of history, hundreds of pastors, or thousands and thousands of campers to point to.

He didn’t have the legacy, but he had a vision of what could be - based on his experiences with well-rounded, well-networked, faithful living.

He also possessed the charisma to persuade others into believing in that vision with him.

And Dr. Fischer had a really strong work ethic – he put in countless hours of work – from details and drawings to fundraising to digging holes and pounding nails – and speaking in congregations and training staff and teaching classes at camp.  He worked really hard for a cause he believed in – and I believe that he truly loved doing it. Unfortunately, he loved the work so much that he literally worked himself to death at the age of 63.

Because you’re reading this blog, it’s probably safe to say that you believe in that vision that Dr. Fischer cast so many years ago – that the church can be a strong, effective force for good in the world – and that church camp (as we practice it) strengthens the church by strengthening the faith of the people in it.

When Jesus sent the disciples out into the world to make disciples – to evangelize- he didn’t send just one person out, because it was too big a job for one person alone– he sent them all! 

Likewise, when we look at how to share the good news of the Camping Corporation, we don’t ask just one person or even one committee to do that. No one of us can, by ourselves, share the good news of God’s work at Kirchenwald, Nawakwa, and The Wittel Farm with the whole world – or even the whole Lower Susquehanna Synod. It’s too big a deal.

We need everyone to embrace our mission of faith formation for a stronger church and PASS IT ON. We cannot hide our light under a bushel – or Satan will POOF it out!

Talk about it; don’t be still!

Shout it from the mountaintop!

It doesn’t matter how you describe it, the important thing is that we need all of us who have been enriched, encouraged, and inspired by God’s work through the Camping Corporation to share that good news. If everyone who camp to summer camp at Kirchenwald and Nawakwa brought one friend to camp this summer, we’d still have room left over for more – so tell others about camp and invite them to give it a try as well.

It’s not just about “the more, the merrier,” it’s about sharing and proclaiming God’s love and carrying out God’s mission in the world.

Holy and gracious God, you give us everything that we need – food and shelter, family and friends, and a world full of promise and beauty. Most of all, you call us and claim us as your children and promise to hold us in the palm of your hand forever. We thank you for all these gifts and the gift of the camping corporation. Help us to pass on the story of your work in these places so that more people will experience your boundless love and grace. Keep our flames burning brightly as we carry them out into the world. AMEN!