July 8, 2026
“How good and pleasant it is when G-d’s people live together in unity!” What a beautiful picture of camp life we experienced today as friendships deepened, walls came down, and campers continued to grow closer to one another and to their Messiah.
Our verse of the day, 1 Timothy 4:12, challenged campers:
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers…”
And what an incredible thing it has been to watch these young people do exactly that. Throughout the week we have begun to see genuine fellowship, vulnerability, encouragement, and trust growing among our campers. Friendships are becoming family, and hearts are opening to the work G-d is doing here at Camp Kesher.
The morning began with familiar camp favorites: prayer, Hebrew moments, breakfast, and time spent growing together in fellowship before campers headed off for another round of exciting activity rotations. Today’s adventures included Archery, Street Hockey, Gym Games, Mini Golf, Boating, Horseback Riding, and America the Beautiful.
After a delicious lunch and meaningful cabin Shabbat time, anticipation reached an all-time high for one of Camp Kesher’s most beloved traditions:
COUNSELOR HUNT!
Counselors were given just 15 minutes to disappear anywhere across camp property. And disappear they did!
From rooftops to underneath cabins and everywhere in between, counselors found some truly legendary hiding spots. Campers were released in pairs by color teams and raced across camp searching high and low. If a camper found a counselor, they had to correctly say the counselor’s name to earn points for their color team.
The competition was fierce, the strategy was impressive, and the excitement was nonstop!
Several counselors managed to evade capture entirely, including camp legend Counselor Aaron, who remarkably remains undefeated and has never once been found in 8 years of being a counselor! The campers gave it their all and absolutely tore across the campgrounds in pursuit of victory. The Orange Team won by only one point!
Evening Mishkan began with joyful worship and celebration before transitioning into a memory verse challenge that carried some very important consequences for our counselors:
Pies in the face!
There may or may not have been shaving cream everywhere, especially when a camper spared her counselor and pied another unexpected male leader!
We were then blessed to hear from Jessica Karp, who shared a powerful message from Luke 1, comparing the parallel stories of Zechariah and Mary, both of whom received visits from an angel of the L-rd.
Zechariah had spent years longing and praying for a child, yet when G-d answered, he struggled to trust G-d’s character and promises.
Mary’s response was different.
Faced with a future she could never have imagined and circumstances she could not fully understand, she asked, “How will this be?” not from disbelief, but from trust and curiosity. Then she surrendered completely:
“I am the L-rd’s servant. May it be to me according to your word.”
Jessica asked campers a powerful question:
What are you waiting for?
The answers varied, but the deeper challenge was this:
How are you waiting?
Do we wait with doubt like Zechariah?
Or do we wait with trust like Mary, believing that G-d knows best?
Campers were encouraged to remember G-d’s faithfulness in their own lives, in Scripture, and in the lives of others. Sometimes, while we wait for G-d to move, we can borrow hope from the stories of His faithfulness around us.
Jessica also reminded us of the gift of community. Friends, counselors, and fellow believers help carry us through seasons of waiting and point us back to truth when trusting feels difficult.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of the night was this: trust requires surrender. Sometimes trusting G-d means releasing our own plans and believing that His plans are better.
Jessica shared personal stories of seasons of waiting in her own life and how, time after time, G-d faithfully provided exactly what she needed—sometimes in profound ways and sometimes in delightfully unexpected silly ones (like a blueberry scone or baby bird in her hand). Through those moments, G-d was teaching her to trust Him more deeply as her Abba Father, preparing her for future challenges and reminding her that she was always held securely in His hands.
The same is true for every camper here this week.
We ended the evening in the most cozy camp way possible: pajamas, blankets, popcorn, candy, and movie night!
Campers settled in to watch “David”, which tied perfectly into our memory verse from 1 Timothy 4:12 about not allowing others to look down on us because we are young.
The campers cheered every time G-d showed up in David’s story, groaned just a little whenever another song started—because they’re campers, after all!—and celebrated watching G-d work powerfully through someone who simply trusted Him.
Our prayer is that these campers continue to recognize and celebrate the moments G-d shows up in their own lives and that they will eagerly share those stories with others who may be in seasons of waiting themselves.
Because when G-d moves in one person’s story, He often strengthens someone else’s faith to keep waiting and keep trusting.
What a beautiful and pleasant day it has been indeed.
