• We have had some amazing stories told by recent campers who have stayed at Camp Christopher. I'd like to share some of those comments and some pictures. • I’d like to just start out by saying thank you. Thank you for your kindness, for your empathy and for the gift of peace from your land. What you have going on is a gift that can never be bought. • I’ve been a teacher and preacher on the healing powers of nature for sometime. Sometimes as a teacher, I forget the power that it holds until I am put back into nature and I’m quickly reminded again. • I now have a place I can go to to lose my mind and find my soul. • While there, I found myself grounding in small, steady joys: sprucing up the memorial gardens, painting rocks with bright colors and messages of hope, casting a line into the water, swimming under a blue sky, and warming up next to a crackling fire with good company. The air felt thick with grace. A space where tears were welcome, silence was understood, and laughter was holy. • I just had some of the most peaceful healing days of my life at camp Chris. We have lots of openings on weekdays and a few weekends for the rest of this summer/fall. If the weather holds we may extend camping season to later in October. Stay tuned.

Some new pics from one of our families who camped at the site.

This is Dave sharing the story from a family who stayed at Camp Chris this past week.We had a great weekend with my sister and her kids at Camp Christopher,(https://www.facebook.com/campchriscotton?__cft__[0]=AZXvq6ZM2cM3XrQJgTxIdClqWo3Dt5KmTL1-lFxj_MEio3m9abe_WllhyQgLfhIFjPrOU1eLNity1gekxk6tf_v_cI3jwxJeNftS40SyQnY-d83dB7xC1TVLMu2mOdKxG9aUA0G3qwR-YuYkbYj-2Vc-6JlayEgwPL_O_DB5fWtvhbSWf3OXTEjPGfyDSmBPOCs&__tn__=-]K-R) "A place to grieve, heal, reflect, and hope." This site will hold a special place for many families and individuals dealing with and/or affected by suicide and mental illness. Blessed and humbled to spend the weekend there. Keep on goin' everyone!

Esther and I just returned home from a weekend camping at Camp Christopher. The weather was beautiful, the birds were singing, the river flowing, the red-tailed hawk screeching above, the chipmunks chattering a conversation with us and all was well with the world. We have a few updates to share with our Camp Chris Community: *We now have electricity for all to use! Thanks to all those who generously gave to support us in this effort. *The driveway got torn up a bit by the electric installation. I have someone coming to look at the driveway and Hawthorne Lane and if we can afford it we will try and get that upgraded. *The riding lawn mower is out of commission for now. It is being picked up tomorrow and will hopefully be fixed soon. *The screened gazebo is wonderful! *We are going to need more firewood before the summer ends. If you were one of the folks who offered firewood please contact me so we can set something up. *There is a portable fire pit that can used wherever on the campgrounds. This is a separate one from the permanent pit by the deck. Please tip up or upside down when not in use as it captures all the rain. *The stuff in the shed is for anyone and everyone to use. The chairs, matches, lighters, etc. Help yourself but please return to the shed for our next guests. *If anyone wants an old Yardman riding mower that is missing a hood, has flat tires and no oil or gas - it is in the old metal shed and is yours for the taking. The neighbor tells me this is the mower the previous owner used most of the time last year. *Please leave a note in the journal in the shed and share your story on the webpage under the Updates tab. Click on the Create New Post button. We continue to feel blessed by this community and are thankful for each of you. Grace and peace, Dave and Esther

Good evening all! I will be sending a Google Meets invite to all those who have offered to help and/or donate to Camp Chris for Sunday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. We will be having a couple of workdays on Sunday, May 14, Sunday, May 28 and Monday, May 29 if needed. All workdays start at 1:00 p.m. and go until we need to eat and rest! All are welcome. Many hands make light work right?! We got to see Camp Chris for the first time last Sunday when it wasn't covered in snow or water. The river was still not totally in it's banks but we could walk most of the land. I have to say it is more beautiful, peaceful and serene than I even imagined. I hope those that stay here feel the same way we did. Lots of healing and hope in this place. If you are one of the people who have offered to donate something to the camp you can email me at campchriscotton@gmail.com to get the address and directions. We still need to put a picnic table, shed, firepit (which I have at home) and some other items for campers. The porta potty we are getting donated is currently not accessible so I will be setting up a rental unit prior to our first campers on May 19. Again, email me with questions or if you want my phone number for a conversation. I have had some wonderful conversations with folks already. My heart is full and abundantly blessed by the compassion and generosity of this community.