Awanita Valley

09/03/2026

And neither is the valley.
Both are needed spaces in the work of the Father in our lives.
But neither space has to define us.

David reminds us that, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me..." (Psalm 23:4)
That's what defines us.
The Good Shepherd.
And you can guarantee He is with you in the valley and the mountaintop.

👉 This week take a moment to recall the mountaintops and the valleys of your journey. Pause and remember the nearness of God in those spaces. And if you can't remember, asking Him to remind you.

09/03/2026

September Youth Group Starter Pack

- Permission slips
- Someone forgot their Bible
- 14 announcements
- Pizza
- One kid already asking when summer camp registration opens

IYKYK😜
Tag your youth group!

09/02/2026

Meet the Guest Experience Team! 💙

These are some of the friendly faces helping make your time at Awanita Valley smooth, meaningful, and full of care — from the first conversation to the moment you head home.

✨ Shannon — Our Office Administrator and often your first stop on the journey! She’ll help with reservations, answer questions, and get your group on the calendar.

✨ Caleb — Our Guest Experience Manager and go-to guy for all the details. From meeting rooms to activities, he’s here to help bring all the pieces of your retreat together.

✨ Adam — Our Leader Care Coordinator, making sure the leaders who serve at Awanita feel cared for, encouraged, and prayed for before, during, and after their time here.

✨ Myles — You may recognize Myles from his time serving on summer staff and interning at Awanita, and we’re excited to have him continuing that work with our Guest Experience Team! He brings a genuine love for people, a heart for hospitality, and a growing passion for helping groups have meaningful experiences at camp.

From “we’re thinking about coming” to “we’ll see you next time,” this team is here to walk alongside you, answer questions, solve problems, and help make your time at Awanita feel a little more like home. 💙

We’re grateful for the people behind the experience — and even more grateful that we get to serve you!

08/30/2026

First Day of Camp? Not quite. First Day of Class? For some of us!

Our summer crew has officially scattered into all kinds of new rhythms—back to school, internships, new jobs, new cities, and new adventures.

One thing we love about camp is that the summer doesn’t really end when everyone goes home. The friendships, the growth, the lessons, the late-night conversations, the laughs, the faith—all of it gets carried into whatever comes next.

So whether your “FDOC” picture looks like a classroom, a cubicle, a campus, a new workplace, or something completely different, we’re praying for you as you step into this season.

Go do the next thing well. Love people deeply. Keep growing. And don’t forget where home is.

08/29/2026

08/27/2026

Thursday Thoughts — You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out

There's something very biblical about this without getting cheesy.

We can connect it to Proverbs 3:5–6:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”

The heart of it:

We want the five-year plan. God often gives us enough light for today.

👉 What's the next faithful step God is asking you to take? Focus on that—not everything five steps beyond it.

08/25/2026

Leadership Is Formed

What if an internship wasn't simply a place to gain experience—but a place to be formed?

At Awanita, we're building our internship year around that idea.

Our interns aren't just given a list of tasks and sent into the summer. Throughout the year, they move through seasons of education, project development, and mission, intentionally growing in biblical understanding, leadership, practical life skills, and ministry.

They'll study. They'll read. They'll ask hard questions. They'll learn to manage a budget, plan a meal, communicate well, navigate conflict, care for people, and take ownership of meaningful work.

And then they'll put it into practice.

Because leadership development doesn't happen simply by talking about leadership. It happens when you're trusted with responsibility. When you have to make the decision. When the project doesn't go according to plan. When someone needs to be cared for. When you have to learn from a mistake and try again.

Our goal isn't simply to send out better camp staff.

It's to help develop young adults who are equipped to lead, serve, and faithfully follow Jesus wherever God takes them next.

That's the kind of internship we want to build.

That's the kind of leader we want to send out.

08/22/2026

Meet the new faces behind the scenes at Awanita!

The summer crew may have headed home, but we’ve got a whole new team stepping into the next chapter!

Say hello to our 2026–2027 Year-Round Intern Team:
• James
• Benjamin
• Taylor
• Harlee
• Nolan

They’ll be spending the next year learning camp ministry, serving our guests, investing in our programs, and doing a whole lot of whatever needs to be done around camp. 😉

We’re excited to have them here and even more excited to see what this year holds!

Welcome, interns! Let’s do this!

08/20/2026

Thursday Thoughts — New Season, Same God

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8

For a lot of people, this week marks a new beginning. New classes. New schedules. New roommates. New responsibilities. New jobs. Maybe even a new campus.

But while everything around us changes, God doesn't.

You don't have to walk into this new season knowing exactly how everything will unfold. You can walk into it knowing who walks with you.

👉 Before the semester gets moving, take a few minutes to surrender this season to God. Ask Him not just to bless what you're doing, but to shape who you're becoming.