Just as Rocky Mountain Conference youth director Brandon Westgate was about to step into the Glacier View Ranch Lake to baptize one of seven candidates, he asked candidate Alaine who she wished to baptize her. “Jessyka!” was her decisive answer. Little did she know during this short exchange that she would be stepping into near ice-cold water.
Westgate, along with Jessyka Dooley, his associate and one of the summer camp directors, were the officiating ministers. Stepping into the water that July 1 Friday afternoon was a life-changing moment for seven campers as they declared their belief in Jesus Christ.
Adventure Camp 2022 at GVR was the second group this summer to see a baptism. Dooley stated, “Fifteen campers were baptized and over 50 made the decision for baptism. It’s been an amazing summer watching so many campers experience God’s wild love for them. Ending each week with camper baptisms is a clear reminder of why we are here,” she explained.
The 2022 camp season at Glacier View in Ward, Colorado, and Mills Spring Ranch in Casper, Wyoming, will have a total of 440 campers, many of whom have never held a Bible. Some of them call their parents asking if they can get a Bible. Overhearing their requests, counselors give them a copy. There are 55 counselors, staff and volunteers providing daily service and steering the campers to experience unforgettable activities and spiritual guidance.
Trenton Brantley joined the camp service in 2019 as assistant boy’s director. In his words, “GVR is a camp where you can really see the connections between the counselors and campers.”
Dooley concluded that “summer Camp ministry is all-consuming and tiring, but always so worth it to minister to these campers and show them the love of Jesus.”
Photos: Rajmund Dabrowski and GVR team
