There's a Mountain I L-O-V-E

My family is scattered from coast to coast (and even some in other countries!). "Sure, who doesn't have distant relatives all over the place?" you say. No, it's my immediate family. "Oh, well you must not be too close then." Actually, we are. Letters, facebook, email, phonecalls and any other form of communication you can dream up keep us very tight-knit. "It must not be a very big family then." Wrong again. I became a part of it 9 years ago and it has continued to grow non-stop since then. No, this family would not be recognized in a court room, hospital, or bank, but the same blood courses like a fervent river through all of our veins and the relationship we all seek binds us forever in the depths of who we are. We call this place Hollymont. For those who have lived this name, it rolls off the tounge no different than the words "mom" or "dad." It is a part of us. It has shaped us and driven us to become true servants of the Lord. I have watched so called "bad girls" morph into gentle and terribly beautiful women of God. Every part of this place, nestled in Eastern North Carolina hills, amazes me, but the aspect that I have come to adore the most and am constantly astonished by is the openness. There is an open-door policy in place and it is seldom violated for anything less than changing clothes post-shower. Your flaws are accepted as a beautiful part of who you are and you are encouraged to let your heart, mind, and soul flow freely. There is no stiffling of child's questioning cry and to be the concept of being ignored is completely forgotten. No matter where you come from or where you intend to go, you are welcomed with ,quite literally, open arms. Upon first arriving at camp, without fail every single car is bombarded by loving counselors, CITs, and often even other campers. There is no escaping the love that this place embodies. Most of my best friends come from this oasis. Many of us have remained very close even after one of us has stopped going to camp. The masterpiece that God created in those mountains has sprung countless friendships of the strongest degree from its depths. When the World is cruel, as it nearly alway is, Hollymont and the relationships I have built not only with other campers, the counselors, CITs, and other staff members, but also with some guy they call Jesus, will alway be there to remind me that my worth comes not from others but from the Lord. There is so much comfort in knowing that if I were to need a place to stay, a meal, a ride, or just someone to talk to, that I would have it, no matter what. You know that old saying, "God will provide?" For me, there is not a place on this Earth that that is truer than at Camp Hollymont for Girls.