I have been looking forward to telling my blog readers all about one of our favorite Nebraska places. Our kids have attended Camp Sonshine day camp for several summers. Jeff and Trisha Keiser and many of her Schrader family relatives oversee the camp. (My best friend from high school married a Schrader – they have all had a special place in my heart for a long time!) The Schrader farm is still fully operational, but the real passion in their life is running this camp ministry. I was privileged to write about the camp in the most recent L Magazine! So, I will not go into how it went beyond a farm to a camp here, but I hope you will take the time to read the article! Anyway, here is the mini tour as promised.
What do we love about the camp? First of all, their goal to keep the Son as the focus of the week. This camp shares about God and how He can impact daily life. Another aspect we love – such a beautiful setting! The camp is less than 10 minutes from the southern edge of Lincoln, but you feel like you are miles and miles away from the city!
A highlight for my kids is Nana’s Snack shack. This could partially be because they like to pick out their own sweets. But I think it is just as much because of Nana who runs the place. Trisha’s Mom considers this her ministry – smiling and helping the kids to have a sweet time. Now she has her own crew of nana’s coming out to help when it is their grandkids’ turn at camp.
Another great thing is their goal is to have Camp Sonshine be “Lincoln’s camp.” This evident everywhere, even in the bathroom where the kids could paint a tile in honor of someone they love and to beautify the camp. Also, the counselors who take such an interest in the kids’ lives. We have seen some of them around town, and they are still excited to see our kids! How wonderful to see positive young adults making such an impact in the lives of my kids!
This is the beloved camp barn that underwent a dramatic makeover (see the L Magazine pictures – you won’t believe it!) The barn has served many a breakfast and has been used for storage and much more. The only problem – not exactly enough room to shelter all campers from the heat or storms. Or enough room to serve a meal. So, several years ago they began to raise money to build a new barn. With the help of God and the community, they reached their goal!
This beautiful building will allow them to continue to impact the lives of the community! The exciting thing is you can tour the camp yourself TOMORROW. They have all sorts of fun events planned for the family. Here is the description directly from their website.
The 2014 Spring Open House & New Family Orientation will be held on Saturday, May 3rd from 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Come tour the grounds, try some activities, meet some of the staff and get your questions answered.
– New Facility GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION!!! From 5:00 – 7:00 PM on Saturday, May 3rd, after the Open House, we will be celebrating God’s faithfulness in providing camp with our new recreation facility.
- Purchase dinner for the family from Papa D’s BBQ
- Join us for a FREE Kids Concert featuring The Lads
- Take a tour of the New Recreation Facility…we like to call it The Barn
If you would like your child to have an unforgettable camp experience, they are still taking applications for this summer. You can contact them via their website or call (402-423-8746). By the way, you can find Camp Sonshine at 13440 S. 25TH St. (just off of Saltillo Road) in case you want to go to the open house. Should be a beautiful day to get out of the city!
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