"More than just a place I go to in the summer."

Emma Caraway on the right.

With summer camp just around the corner, we continue to share King's Camp testimonies as a celebration of 40 years of camp community. This week we have the privilege of hearing from one of our high school campers, Emma Caraway from Shreveport. Emma's mom, Leslie Green Caraway, was a camper and counselor back in the day and her grandmother, Sarah Green, was a college friend of one of our beloved founders, Molly Clark Hartrick. You will enjoy her eloquent and heartfelt testimony that speaks of God's goodness and the "home away from home" she found at King's Camp.

"Kings Camp has become more than just a place; it has become a home away from home and a reflection of the community and love that God calls us into."

King’s Camp has been a constant in my life since I was nine years old, but over time it has become so much more than just a place that I go to in the summer. It has shaped my faith, my identity, and the way I see both God and myself. King’s Camp has helped me realize that my faith is something I have to choose, it has given me some of my best friendships, and it has helped me through hard seasons of life.

When I first started going to camp, my faith wasn’t truly my own. I went to church and camp because it was what my family did, not because I fully understood why it mattered. The Bible felt like a storybook filled with familiar stories likeJonah and the whale and Noah’s Ark. My faith existed, but it didn’t feel personal. That began to change one night at camp. The message that night was about belonging to Christ even before fully believing in him. As worship began, I felt something shift in my heart. There was a sense of God’s presence that I had never experienced before. When they invited anyone who felt called to come forward, I found myself slowly walking up to the front of the barn. As someone prayed over us and we sang “Goodness of God,” the lyrics felt personal— “with my life laid down, I surrender now, I give you everything.” At that moment, my faith changed. It was no longer something I had borrowed from my parents— it became something real and personal.

Kings Camp showed me that my faith wasn’t something anyone else could carry for me— it had to be my own decision. It also showed me that I wasn’t meant to walk my faith out alone. The relationships I have built at camp have played such a huge role in my growth. My friends at camp aren’t just people I see for a week in the summer, they are people who encourage me, pray for me, and remind me of the truth, even when I forget it. The counselors and leaders I’ve met have poured into me in ways that have changed how I see my life and my purpose. They’ve shared their own struggles and faith journeys, which have shown me what it looks like to follow God not just in the big moments, but in everyday life. I have also found that worship and music help me create a deeper connection with God. Learning to play guitar and being able to worship through songs like “Goodness of God” gave me a new way to express my faith.

Kings Camp has also been a place where I’ve been carried through some of my hardest moments. During aseason when I was going through a breakup and struggling with comparison and self doubt, I found myself back at camp for Reunite. That weekend, through conversation with counselors and time spent in worship, I was reminded of who God says I am. One counselor told me, “If you run as fast as you can toward God, He will not let anything He has for you pass you.” That truth stuck with me and continues to guide me in how I approach relationships and challenges. Alongside those deeper moments, some of my favorite memories are the ones filled with laughter and joy, like running around during Mission Impossible, lip sync skit nights, and experiencing Tin Top worship on the final night of camp. Those moments of joy have created friendships that go far beyond camp.

Kings Camp has become more than just a place; it has become a home away from home and a reflection of the community and love that God calls us into. It has taught me that my faith is personal, but it’s also meant to be lived out inrelationships with others. I’ve learned that I am never alone, and that God uses both moments of joy and moments of struggle to grow my faith. Looking back, I can clearly see how He has been working in my life through camp each year. It has shaped not only my relationship with Him, but also the way I love and support the people around me and I know it will continue to be one of the most meaningful parts of my life. ~Emma Caraway