Daniel Williams is one of Terra Nova’s interns and hopes to be in some sort of vocational ministry upon finishing his masters degree. He and his wife Lea are spending the summer working at a camp in California. I asked Daniel to check in with us a couple times during the summer. Here is his first report.

Checking in from Mount Hermon, CA::

For a little over two weeks now, Lea and I have been at Mount Hermon, a Christian Family camp near Santa Cruz, California (located in the “Bay area”, 45 minutes south of San Francisco.) In order to describe the camp, I often compare it to Camp-of-the-Woods in Adirondack Mountains: they have a similar feel, and I’d be surprised if they haven’t looked to each other for inspiration over the years (In fact, the current CEO of Mt. Hermon, Roger Williams, met his wife at COTW’s – which of course Lea and I have in common with him). We love it: it’s such a blessing to have so many of your interests and desires wrapped up into one ministry package, and that’s the way we feel about this opportunity. We are both serving in the same role, titled “Staff Counselor”. When you boil down our job description, basically what we’re here to do is provide a nurturing environment spiritually for the 90 or so college students hired to work during the summer season. One of the things I really appreciate about Mount Hermon (and similarly about Camp-of-the-Woods), is the desire for the summer to be just as much a time of ministry and growth in the lives of these college students as for the families who show up at camp. That’s where the Staff Counselor comes in – at least in part – and we do this primarily through different forms of discipleship including Bible studies, one-on-ones, and all sorts of events we plan for the staff throughout the summer.

Beyond the incredible opportunity to minister to these college students, Lea and I once again thank God for opening the door to be in such a beautiful part of his creation. More and more I’m coming to view the passion he’s given us for exploring nature as a gift, stimulating from within us life and worship. Mount Hermon is located in the Mountains of Santa Cruz, made up of Redwood trees twice the height of our tallest trees back east, and ten minutes away from the coast, sporting some of the best surfing on this side of the states (not that I’ve tried yet, but I plan on it before we leave!). Even so, I still miss the ‘Dacks back home.