Every year, my family goes to Camp Luther, a family church camp on the bluff of Lake Erie. I get to be a kid all over again and I always find more of what I am searching for on that bluff, and this year was no different.

We arrived to find a new path down to the lake where we could read our morning devotions, watch the eagles fly overhead or watch the orange and red sunset in the evenings. They built a new deck on back of the lodge in memory of two beloved campers who have gone home to Heaven.

But the old, rustic lodge was still the same and the dining hall rang with the harmonies of campers singing prayers and taunting camp counselors with “haggling a chicken” and doing the “hoola hop” chants.

There was a prom lunch where you could dress up in formal attire, a camp fire complete with s’mores and a singing willow that doesn’t really sing (though I am sure I heard her voice somewhere last week). The cabins meet your basic needs, you shower in the shower house and there is no room service or air conditioning

But we go back year after year and count the days until we get to go again next year. You might wonder why. I want to share that with you.

You could say it’s the beauty of the bluff, the lake and the sunsets. And though those are all wonderful blessings, they do not pull us back to camp.

You could say it’s the relaxation of living technology-free for a week with no cell phone service, no laptops, and no TVs. But that’s not what pulls us back to camp.

You could say it’s the beautiful in-ground pool and the sauna, but that’s not the pull either.

I would love to tell you a simple answer to the why’s of Camp Luther, but I am not sure I know a simple answer. What I do know is that I am a better person while I am at camp, and I like being kinder, sweeter and more attentive to the people I love the most.

When you arrive at Camp Luther, you are greeted with hugs, some from camp counselors you have known for years and some from perfect strangers who are destined to become friends. You move your belongings into a rustic cabin and meet and greet your weeklong neighbors with hugs and warmth that is much deeper than in your normal life.

And ahhh, the sweet lake breezes off the bluff greet you with a sense of peace that is difficult to find anywhere else in the world.

We missed attending camp last summer because we decided to take a family road trip to Maine. It was a wonderful trip, and we made many lifelong memories, but it wasn’t the same as camp.

From the Chicken Fat morning workout, through the morning Bible study and afternoon swim, to the lowering of the American flag and setting of the sun each evening, our adoration for Camp Luther is difficult to describe.

I know God will keep leading us down new paths in this life. I simply pray that they continue to lead us back to the rustic love of Camp Luther.

We all shed tears at the Friday candlelight chapel service knowing we have to go home.

I guess the only bright spot is that there are only 358 days and counting until our next Camp Luther adventure.