Bethel students travel to Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp
A group of Bethel students reflect on volunteering at Snow Camp at beloved Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp.
Bethel College students like to stay busy. They tend to be so busy, in fact, that there’s even a name for the phenomenon on campus: “Bethel busy.” Many people stay occupied through sports, music, and large course loads. Then, there are always one-off events on the Bethel campus to occupy students’ time. One particular event taking up some specific Bethel students occurs on the backside of Pike’s Peak, near Colorado Springs, Colo.
On the weekends of Jan. 20 and Feb. 17 this year, about 10 Bethel students made the eight-hour drive to volunteer for the weekend at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp (RMMC). The camp, attended by many Mennonite youth from Kansas, is a popular destination in the summer for its week-long youth camps. In the winter, however, groups of mostly Kansans and Coloradans make the trek up to RMMC for Snow Camp, a twice-a-year tradition.
The staff at Snow Camp, made up mostly of volunteer young adults, typically includes a disproportionately large number of Bethel students. This can be attributed mainly to the presence of the Graber family at Bethel.
Natalie, Andrew, and Emma Graber, from Divide, Colorado, all attended or currently attend Bethel. Their father, Corbin, serves as the Executive Director of RMMC and also attended Bethel. The weekend of Snow Camp, Andrew drives a group of Bethel students up to Colorado for a weekend of service and fun in the mountains.
Andrew, a junior, hasn’t always driven students up to RMMC for both Snow Camps. In past years, his track commitments at Bethel prevented him from being able to take the weekends off. However, an injury gave him the time he needed. “It was when I got injured for the first time, I told coach like, this is something I want to do… so I've missed quite a few meets for it.” Now, Andrew no longer participates in track, and finds it easier to make the time to travel for Camp.
On top of the enjoyment he gets from taking part in camp, Andrew also appreciates the chance to visit home. “I'm always glad to go back and see my family and the other people that work at camp,” he said.
Although an eight-hour drive is no small commitment, Andrew doesn’t mind it. “We've done this Kansas to Colorado road trip so many times,” he said, that the trip hardly feels like a lengthy road trip.
In January, the group going to Colorado included April Powls, a junior from Garnett, and Rabia Kübra Can, a junior from Wuppertal, Germany. Both were attending Snow Camp for the first time, but had glowing reviews.
“The view, the landscape, and how the sun is able to shine through the mountains. It’s just so amazing,” said Can about the camp itself. “Snow, faith, and volunteering are all great. What more could you want?”
“The view, the landscape, and how the sun is able to shine through the mountains. It’s just so amazing,” said Can about the camp itself. “Snow, faith, and volunteering are all great. What more could you want?”
Rabia Kübra Can
Can, who wears a hijab, was struck by the openness of the people attending Snow Camp. “I know it might have seemed strange to see me there as someone with a hijab on at a Mennonite camp, but a lot of [people] showed interest and asked me where I'm from and what I'm doing here. I had a lot of good conversations,” she shared.
Powls also had good things to say, although for different reasons. “Ever since coming to college, I really haven't had the opportunity to engage with kids and do volunteer work. It was nice to go and have a low commitment, weekend-long community volunteering experience.”
Overall, the students who drove up to RMMC for Snow Camp felt it was a good time both for themselves and the campers. “It’s an opportunity for kids to go out and experience the snowy Colorado mountains, have some fun with their peers, and experience a little bit of a Christian message,” Powls said. “It’s just a good time.”