CAMP JOSHUA VIRGINIA
August 2012
From August 3-5 the Virginia Society for Human Life sponsored the first-ever teen pro-life camp in Virginia. The camp, held at the Augusta Camp and Conference Center, hosted 60 high school students for three days of dynamic talks and thought-provoking activities.
The teens heard from people like Melissa Ohden, an abortion survivor, Olivia Gans-Turner, a post-abortive mother, and Marc Barnes, a.k.a. BadCatholic, a blogger for Patheos.com. They also participated in many different activities, both informative and just plain fun, including a bonfire, games, and swimming.
St. Francis Parish played a large role in this camp’s coming to fruition. Maggie Willson, a St. Francis parishioner, had the vision to bring Camp Joshua to Virginia. She did the lion’s share of the labor and networking involved in such an operation. The Catholic Daughters and the Knights of Columbus both graciously provided meals for the campers, and there were a great many adult volunteers from the parish as well. The Respect Life Committee paid the $100 fee for each of the 19 teens from St. Francis.
According to Emily Smithdeal, one of the St Francis campers, “I thought Camp Joshua was an amazing learning experience and I had a great time. I have never really been this aware of how important it is to stand up for what I believe in and fight for an end to abortion. Before Camp Joshua, I knew that an end to abortion was very crucial but I didn’t really know what I could do to help. I didn’t know all of the facts about abortion so I was afraid to say what I thought was the truth but could potentially be false information. At Camp Joshua I learned a TON about the facts and what I can do to help end abortion from the very inspiring speakers. I thought it was so much fun and I met a lot of new, cool people! I can’t think of any other way I would like to end my summer. Thanks so much Camp Joshua!”
Jane Adams, St. Francis Parishioner
For more photos of Camp Joshua, visit the photo gallery on th St. Francis Parish website. The images above are used with permission from the Virginia Society for Human Life. For information on this organization, visit the website.