New Horizon’s Church has been opening hearts at Camp Wa-Ri-Ki for over 20 years (image captured from YouTube video).
We’re always pleased, and lucky in this technological age, to find photos and videos online about how people — and particularly, young people — experience Camp Wa-Ri-Ki. When visiting the scenic grounds and acres on the Washougal River, it’s safe to say that people’s experiences differ. We have campers from diverse organizations like the NW Tibetan Cultural Association, the Young Marines, local Churches, and the “Mankind Project”, among others. But just what is the common core at the heart of Wa-Ri-Ki?
We found a short video that expresses the answer very well, produced by the New Horizons’ Church of Washougal (see pics from their time at Camp in 2014), that recently celebrated 20 years of ministry at Camp Wa-Ri-Ki. The video reveals youth telling their story — about going to Camp not knowing what to expect, then meeting new people, finding fellowship, community gatherings, physical fun, throwing snowballs, experiencing nature, having a good time, and worship for this group. Attending to “at risk” children is a special focus of Wa-Ri-Ki — you can see this spirit working within the stories in the video. And whatever your religious beliefs, we know that communing with Nature itself can be an act of reverence in a world that can certainly use it.
Camp Wa-Ri-Ki is a place in the heart that you create with your heart. As one young man says in the video “come with open hearts and get ready for something amazing.” Enjoy the short video from the New Horizons Church at Camp Wa-Ri-Ki, in Winter, a couple of years ago — we think it’s awesome:
