Hello! My name is Jarrod Vetzel, and this summer I had the pleasure of being the Trips Coordinator for Camp Alta Mons. Ordinarily, the Trips Coordinator is responsible for ferrying staff too and from camp property for weekend activities as well as transporting and accompanying the tri-challenge unit for their off-site trip during summer camp. This being Alta Mons’ first in-person summer camp since 2019 due to the recent pandemic, my job only consisted of the former of these two responsibilities this year. This was much to the amusement of my colleagues but also a great relief to me, as this summer represented not only my first time working with Camp Alta Mons, but also my first time taking professional responsibility for children. In place of facilitating the tri-challenge camp activities, I mainly worked on site to assist the Ropes Coordinator and ensure the activities and the pole course and zip line went smoothly.

Fear of heights, while not universal, is a force that bars many participants from participating in activities such as roller coasters, rock climbing, and even chores as necessary as cleaning gutters and fixing shingles. I was only able to become comfortable at height thanks to continued coaching and practice in rock climbing, and even then only with constant moral support on the ground. Understanding what it feels like to be uncertain of one’s next move in a high place is something that I feel helped me greatly in my facilitation of the zip line, swing shot, catwalk, and two-line bridge. 

Frequently kids would get scared during their initial ascent. Their climb from ground to ladder, from ladder to pole staples (or tree staples), and from staples to ropes element is the most physically strenuous part of the challenge. Children instinctually doubt that the pulley system will be able to support them during a fall, despite the numerous “I’ve got you!” affirmations from the ground. Learning to guide children smoothly but clearly enough to assuage their discomforts and get them to the start of the ropes element was by far my favorite part of camp, as it seemed to be a direct pipeline for the campers to experience personal growth. Scared middle schoolers halfway up a ladder claimed they had no business being up so high but moved to a state of relative comfort once they put their feet on the wire and leaned against the rope attached to me at the ground, exhibiting bravery, trust, and of course great physical composure. It never ceases to impress me how the children on the ground during their friends’ sessions seem instinctively to know which kids are okay to be teased a bit over the course of the obstacle and which ones need and receive all the moral support they can muster.

Camp Alta Mons, and more importantly the children whom we serve, has taught me to keep going. No matter how scared you feel climbing up the rungs and staples, and no matter how unsure you are in the harness and ropes that support you, eventually you find yourself screaming down the zip line wondering what you were ever worried about.

​Hello! My name is Sierra Etheridge! I’m beyond blessed that I was given the opportunity to be the Cookout Coordinator this summer. Being able to serve and give back to the campers has truly made my summer.
With my title, Cookout Coordinator, I was responsible for delivering food and making sure every camper had something to eat. (This includes all of the extra Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches that were made.) I helped the kitchen staff prepare each meal and then I delivered
each unit their food.

I was also responsible for the Home-in the-Woods dinner. Each unit picks a place to camp for the night and I bring them ingredients to make our famous Silver Turtles! I
enjoy this night more than any other. I love hearing the campers comments of how good their silver turtles were and they never thought they would have tried turtle (Shhh.. It’s not turtle meat, it's just hamburger.) At the end of the dinner they all have s'mores and smiles.

On the other nights, after worship I bring snacks to everyone! I enjoyed making campers answer silly
questions before getting and eating their snack. Another favorite part about my job was driving
up to the shelters to deliver meals and hearing the campers shout “Food” or “Sierra!” I may have
not had much one-on-one time with these kiddos, but the small moments I did make up for my
summer!

This is my first year of being a coordinator and this was honestly my favorite position.
I’ve been here for a total of 6 years, 2 years as a Camper, 2 as a CIT, 1 year as a Counselor
and 1 year of being a Coordinator. I came to Alta Mons in 2014 and automatically fell in love
with this area. I call it my “Home away from Home.” Everyone is always full of love and joy,
there’s never a dull moment at camp between the campers and staff members.

What I enjoy most is the memories that are always made. From the small hugs to everyone singing worship songs in the Back 400. Since this was my first time as a coordinator I knew I wasn’t going to
have my own unit, but having this ‘fancy’ title showed me I could have large responsibilities and
still do activities with other units. I really enjoyed the summer with the campers and all the staff
members. This will always be my second home and family. The friends and family that come
together and worship God will always have a place in my heart.

My name is Dominik and I have been the Ropes Coordinator for three summers running. I started as a counselor in 2018 and have stayed ever since I discovered the magic of Camp Alta Mons that first summer. Now my job is quite a bit different with its own rewards and challenges. Being the Ropes Coordinator mainly consists of setting up the Ropes Courses, inspecting the equipment, and of course facilitating the actual High Ropes elements. Since most units can’t do High Ropes on Mondays and Wednesday afternoons, Monday ends up being inventory and inspection day and Wednesday is big for being able to interact with units outside of the challenge courses. Many of my Alleluia moments happened while campers were on the course, but some of the more meaningful ones happened in that unstructured time.

            Every week the zipline proved to be a fountain of Alleluia moments. This is the course on which most junior high kids who are nervous or afraid of heights manage to confront their fears. Some kids who had not even contemplated getting on a ladder earlier in the week would face the tree climb to the zipline only a day later. This was the most rewarding part of my job this summer, and the zipline will always hold a special place in my heart because it allows these rare moments to happen every week.

            A different kind of Alleluia moment occurred during Wednesday nights, Home-in-the-Woods. What can be a scary time for some younger campers, turns into a more relaxed and chill time for the older ones. Despite the two year gap between the last time campers could come to Alta Mons and this summer, many remembered me and the events of that summer. One camper asked me about a co-worker from that summer and called him her “best friend” and asked me to make sure he was doing alright. The next week I had a camper at my Home-in-the-Woods site yell “I love you” as I was leaving to drive the tractor for a different unit. He later claimed he was yelling to camp as a whole, but that moment will stick with me for a very, very, long time.
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            Overall this summer was a wonderful one because I was so much more focused on looking out for these small Alleluia moments. It is easy in the rush and excitement of camp to lose those little moments in favor of grand triumphs or major complications. However, this summer made it clear that what allows us to praise God every day are those little everyday moments that are so easy to miss.

Hey everyone! My name is Emily Bush and this year I served at camp as the Weekend Program Coordinator. This was a really exciting opportunity for me, as the past two summers I have served as the Resource coordinator, and to get to be the first ever Weekend Program Coordinator was an honor. This year, because of Covid, we wanted to make sure that we dedicated resources to help our counselors and staff stay on camp property on the weekends. This meant that I was in charge of figuring out a schedule and food services to help our staff rest, recuperate, and have fun. While I wasn’t doing weekend things, I was busy working with the Program Team to adjust our regular camp program to one that adhered with our Covid restrictions. All in all it was an incredible experience. 

More specifically, and going along with our theme for this year, I want to share a couple key Alleluia moments that I had. One of our weekends I hosted a Christmas in July themed weekend (it had to take place during late June due to scheduling issues) and that was just a long series of Alleluia moments for me. Firstly, that weekend was the first time I had ever hiked Christmas Tree Mountain, which is a goal that I have had for myself to do for the last 3 summers. Standing at the geocache at the top, writing in a notebook with a group of people that I had come to love was certainly an Alleluia moment for me. It felt like such a long time coming and it was 100% worth the wait.

Another big Alleluia moment for me was when campers that first week gathered for worship the first night. Not having camp last year was hard, and it felt like so much of my life had been stripped to the bare bones experience. Watching kids sit in their units, tell jokes, and sing songs for the first time in two years was a moment in which I just felt that both camp and my heart were so full. 

Yours in love of nights under the stars,

Emily Bush

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Hello, readers! My name is Vincient Keeling and I was one of the Program Coordinators for the summer of 2021. I have been attending this camp since a very young age, I was a camper then a CIT for two years, and a counselor in 2019 and was hired as a counselor in 2020. This past summer
was an amazing experience. The theme for the summer was Alleluia-- this means praise God.

This summer I had many ‘Alleluia’ moments that were very memorable. Some of these moments happened while serving campers, working with other staff members and some
occurred when I was alone. One of my big Alleluia moments was when I was working with a camper that had some behavioral problems and we sat down and talked about the issues that
the child was having and ways to fix it so that the week went along better for everyone involved.
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While I was walking around with the child talking about different solutions to this issue I learned
why working at camp is so important not only to me, but to the children involved. Just in that
short conversation I had an affect on this child and the other children's week at camp. The
importance and impact that I had on this child's life might seem meaningless and insignificant to some, but I will always remember walking around for 30 minutes just listening and talking to this child.

Your interest and continued support of Alta Mons made this possible. My life has been
changed for the better because of Alta Mons. What happens on these 850 acres is amazing
and is a very unique experience. Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve God and these children.

Hello everyone! I was one of the Program Coordinators this summer. It is a position of great responsibility, and a new experience for me. My main goal was to head off problems before they occurred. Then, when they did occur, I would have a solution as fast as possible. I always had to think three steps ahead which is what Meredith told all the coordinators to do this summer. This summer’s theme, Alleluia, connected directly to the feelings of finally getting campers back to camp. We focused on finding moments throughout the summer where we were praising God. I had countless Alleluia moments this summer, and I want to let you know of a few significant ones for me. My biggest Alleluia moment for me was bringing my mountain bike to camp. My bike allowed me to get everywhere so much faster and to get so much more done around camp. Alta Mons is over 800 acres, and as Program Coordinator I seemingly have to be everywhere at once. I love to ride my bike outside of camp so, it was a no-brainer to bring it to camp. Plus I got so many skits and nicknames from riding the bike around camp. I felt so much love this summer.

Another Alleluia moment for me was getting to photograph unit photos. In 2019, I was the Media Coordinator, so it was an honor to pick up my camera again and photograph the smiling faces of all the campers for another summer.

A third Alleluia moment that I experienced this summer was every time I told a Willie Jack story. I have always enjoyed listening to Willie Jack stories. These are short stories about the resident honest and hard worker of Alta Mons, as well as his adventures. Only Program Coordinators get to tell these tales on tractor rides. It has been a goal of mine ever since I was a counselor to tell these stories to campers, and this summer I was finally able to really do it. This summer was a great return to camp. I enjoyed every moment and felt like I truly had a positive impact on these campers. I learned so much about leadership such as keeping communication at the forefront of my mind and being open for people to talk to when they may need my support. I love that I was able to spend my summer at Camp Alta Mons.