My dad was a story teller. There were very few things that brought more joy to my life as a small child than to hear my Dad’s tales of growing up in the mountains of southwestern Virginia. Whether the tales were of playing football on hilltops, swinging over the gorges on grapevines, or camping out in hillside caves I was enthralled. Those stories made me long to see those places and do those things.

Well, I never got to do those things, but I did get to see them. On vacations back to Virginia, Dad and I would take treks up the mountain to see the places of his youth. The "football field" had given way to a young forest since there were no cows to keep it clear. The grapevines had long ago passed away, but the gorges still endured. The caves persisted and even showed the signs of more recent campfires by those who had followed Dad and the boys of his generation. Dad’s stories were true. Time had eroded some of the splendor, but the truth was clear to see.

I love to hear Bill Redmon tell the stories of Lake Aurora. Of the vision of a few that has changed the lives of many. Of the simple goal of a place to meet that has given way to a place of multiplies ministries. Of twenty acres and a few simple structures becoming 74 acres and 21 buildings and satellite ministries besides. Of the boys and girls who came as campers and have now become the leaders and volunteers serving new generations of campers. I am proud to be one of those stories.

This summer we added another chapter to the history that God is writing of the lives who have come upon this property. Boys and girls, teens, and men and women whose lives are forever changed by this experience. Thank you for helping to write these stories by your prayers, servant hood, and contributions. I am excited to think how God will use this camp experience to inspire, shape and mold a new generation of leaders. May they be story tellers of the Greatest Story Ever Told as they live it out each day!