Anvil island

Telling the stories of what God has done on Anvil.

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"A number of years ago, you could purchase an Anvil t-shirt that said, "please don't make me go home". That pretty well sums up how I feel every time I leave Anvil whether I've been there for a day on a food-run, a few days at a work party or a week cooking for kids camp. My older sisters and cousins were attending Anvil a few years before I was eligible and I could hardly wait to turn 10 and be a camper. I fell in love with the place, the activities and the people and am still in love!  I made a commitment to Christ at Anvil when I was 11, met my future husband there the year I was 16 and have been working there in a variety of capacities ever since. I remember, as a young girl in camp, running to various activities and hearing gales of laughter coming from the kitchen as the ladies worked. It caught my attention and I wanted to be one of those ladies who worked and laughed and served.  During the years I've seen the facility change and be renewed through the hard work of hundreds of volunteers. I've seen lives altered forever when kids and teens heard about Christ's love for them. I've made life-long friendships with amazing people who give time, talent, energy and money to Anvil. I serve at Anvil because I believe in the reason it's there: To reach kids for Christ. To make a difference in lives. To challenge all of us to give of ourselves and our resources. To be renewed ourselves by working  & worshipping in a Christian community. To forge deep bonds with other Christians. And to give back some of what was given to us as we came up through the ranks and learned to lead."

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As a single mother and full-time student, I'm thankful for support for my daughter to attend Anvil. This was her first Bible camp experience, and she sure had a fun one. She returned home bursting with adventurous stories; her facebook profile is now colored with Anvil friends, photos and memories; but sweetest of all is that since returning from camp, she sits by herself in her room alone and reads her teen study Bible out loud. She never did devotions on her own before Anvil, so I know that God is at work and Anvil is a sacred place!

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"Words cannot even begin to express the paramount joy I feel when I think of Anvil.

This past summer I had the opportunity to serve again at Camp 7. Months of preparation lead up to one week of high-spirited, God-oriented camp life where God was glorified and lives were changed.

The week of camp is always incredible – you make new friends, your relationship with God is at an all-time high, and you leave refreshed and ready to take on the world. I remember seeing a lot of campers and staff on the boat home saying, “I wish camp could be all year long. I wish it wasn’t just one week.” The unfortunate truth is, camp is but one week, and we do have to move forward. However, I believe that while camp is only one week of your life, the relationships you’ve built with campers, staff, and especially with God, all transcend into those other 358 days of the year outside of Anvil, and that the life-changing decisions made will truly change the rest of your life.

Anvil is my favourite place on this earth, and I am so fortunate and blessed to have been a part of another incredible week of camp, and I look forward to another amazing week of camp next summer!"

- Jonathan

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"I am writing on the behalf of my family to express my gratitude for sponsoring my two boys. Without your funds I wouldn't be able to give them this great opportunity to be at Daybreak Point Bible Camp. These memorable days are part of their lives forever, and will be kept with all the emotions as such a wonderful experience! I could not thank you enough, being at Anvil was really their highlight of the entire summer."

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"t's a quiet boxing day, pouring with rain and we are cleaning up after the aftermath of Christmas.  In my stacked inbox I have just sorted out I came across a letter from Jeff that was given to me last summer by one of the kids whom you sponsored for Summer Camp.  He had given me this letter that requests a story or statement about the impact of your camp on these kids.  I asked the boy to write it himself, but, because he is fairly new to Canada and his english is not very strong he doesn't have the english words to express what camp meant to him.  Same story for his friend that attended with him. 

You see both boys arrived (with their families) to Canada just a few years ago from refugee camps.  Though they are gradually adjusting, settlement has not been easy, their parents are struggling financially and making Canadian friends is not easy.  These kids are full of a sense of adventure and curiosity and positive experiences with positive role models is what will help them get grounded and adopt a positive lifestyle in Canada.

Since it's really difficult for them I thought I would just send you my own observations - that will give testament to how great your camps are.    I had the privilege of assisting these two young men and their parents with their paperwork and applications.  I also had the privilege of driving them to and from Vancouver out to the Valley.  Both tasks their parents do not have the ability to help them with.

After telling me how great Luke is (counselor) and that the ladies in the kitchen are SO NICE for making them rice every day (food is another adjustment - and that simple jesture had a really big impact of showing love) and all about the hiking and activities we talked about chapel.  I asked about the speakers at chapel and if they could understand the message.  Though they can't grasp every word the spirit of the message was understood - and their responses put tears in my eyes.  I won't go into details of their description but sponsors need to know that these camps change lives.  They make Jesus "real" and give kids a safe place to find Jesus.  They provide excellent role models to kids that really need them.  The staff and volunteers show love the way Jesus would if he was at camp with them.

From the bottom of our hearts we appreciate and thank you for the opportunity to provide such great memories and experiences to these kids.  Though it may not be easy for everyone to understand their story and their struggles please be assured that all the time, energy and funds put into these young lives now will save them, point them in the right direction for their life here on earth and be part of their story for eternity in heaven.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Your generosity is so much appreciated!"

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Thank you for the camping experience at Anvil. It was so fun. I met lots of new friends, and it brought me closer to God. I also had fun at the chapel singing songs and playing sword drill. It was a fun week at Anvil. I hope that in the future more kids can experience what i have experience at Anvil.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who supported this wonderful event, the staff, the ITS, the directors and the sponsors.

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Hello,

My son  attended Daybreak Point Bible Camp in July.  It was his first time away from me in 10.5 years.  It was an experience I never thought possible for__ and I.  He came back with a great attitude.   What my son experienced is something I could NEVER  offer  him.  With out the Sponsorship  __ would be one of those kids that had to be left behind.   I’m not very good at putting words onto paper,  so I’ll close by saying THANK YOU!!!! and hope you know I really mean it.

Cheers,

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