The Core taught me

The Core taught me

by Seth Carpenter

Baby-E taught me how to love everyone.

Snips taught me how to be leader.

Flick-flock taught me how to be kind.

Shaddy taught me how to have fun.

Skyscraper taught me how to lead by example.

Farquad taught me how to live in godliness.

Sen-sei taught me how to be a friend.

Last Summer as I was cleaning up around the house I came upon a scrap of paper.  On it was a note scribbled by my son, Seth, as shown above.  I thought it was such a special thing for him to be inspired to jot that down.  At Hidden Acres one of our aims is to teach both our staff and campers how to be Christ-like leaders.  Our summer camp leadership team is called “the Core” and is comprised of young leaders who have shown dedication to Hidden Acres summer camp and it’s ideals and have served for several years.  The Core helps plan and coordinate summer camps and stay involved through the year helping with other events.

We are blessed to raise up our kiddos around such caring and servant-hearted people.  While at camp we teach Biblical concepts on leadership.  I think that Seth’s note reminds me that while little ears are listening, little eyes are watching and learning by the example they see in our Core leaders.

Amanda Smith (Baby-E) has such a friendly manner about her that when she smiles at you, you feel like you just made a new best friend.

It has been so rewarding to see Cayla Lewis (Snips) step up into a leadership role at camp.  Her love and energy inspires others be enthusiastic about their work.

Summer Stevens’ (Flick-flock) kindness makes her a great counselor and leader at camp.  Her sweet and encouraging personality make our campers feel loved.

Shaddrack Ntambwe (Shaddy) is like the energizer bunny at camp.  He is a natural at leading games and worship songs.  His fun and energetic personality fires up those around him.

Robert Willis (Skyscraper) is a very hard worker.  You can count on him doing any job that is needed to get done.  He is a doer who leads by example.

Heather Henry (Farquad) is a shining light to those around her.  She is a natural teacher who inspires people to be the best they can be as they follow Christ.

Jason Henry’s (Sen-sei) open and friendly personality draw people to open up to him.  He is patient and kind to those around him, making him a great friend to have.

We have been blessed to have this group of people leading the summer camp program at Hidden Acres.  Along with them Hidden Acres has some of the best counselors around with the same kind of traits that make them great leaders. 

Leadership Retreats from the perspective of a counselor

This was my first time to work at a Hidden Acres Girls’ Retreat. I was not sure what to expect going in, but I left seeing some amazing impacts from God. In just two days, many of the young ladies broke out of their comfort zone and gave God control.

On the first day one particular young lady in my group told me she wanted to be a leader for Christ. However, she said she did not believe she could. By the end of the weekend this same young lady was helping in every activity. She helped me in our small group, sharing her testimony and being a great encourager to the other young ladies. You could see God opening doors for her to be a leader throughout the weekend and she took every opportunity. On the last night she shared with me that she knew she could go out and be a leader in Christ wherever she went.

This was such an amazing opportunity. I am thankful to be a part of this retreat. I onlyshared a story about one of the girls because it would take too long to share them all. I cannot wait to see the things that God is going to do with these extraordinary young ladies. It was such a privilege to get a glimpse of it at this retreat.

Leadership Retreat from the Perspective of a Counselor

This was my first time to work at a Hidden Acres Girls’ Retreat. I was not sure what to expect going in, but I left seeing some amazing impacts from God. In just two days, many of the young ladies broke out of their comfort zone and gave God control.

On the first day one particular young lady in my group told me she wanted to be a leader for Christ. However, she said she did not believe she could. By the end of the weekend this same young lady was helping in every activity. She helped me in our small group, sharing her testimony and being a great encourager to the other young ladies. You could see God opening doors for her to be a leader throughout the weekend and she took every opportunity. On the last night she shared with me that she knew she could go out and be a leader in Christ wherever she went.

This was such an amazing opportunity. I am thankful to be a part of this retreat. I onlyshared a story about one of the girls because it would take too long to share them all. I cannot wait to see the things that God is going to do with these extraordinary young ladies. It was such a privilege to get a glimpse of it at this retreat.

30th Anniversary Celebration

On Saturday, November 8, 2014 Hidden Acres will host an

Open House and Picnic in Celebration of Hidden Acres’ 30 Years of Ministry. 

Make plans to attend and to invite your friends. 

Doors will open at 10:00 a.m. for fishing, hiking, archery, canoeing  and for enjoying the great outdoors. 

Lunch will begin at 12:00 pm with program following. 

After the program we will have a time capsule burial and a large group photo.

We will have a Photo Booth, door prizes, and informational booths.

More info on our Facebook Page Hidden Acres Summer Camps. 

Please RSVP with Tim Carpenter at tcarpenter@hiddenacres.org or by texting him at 214-673-5117.  Please bring lawn chairs. 

Hidden Acres will have a 30th Anniversary gift registry at Target if you would like to donate items needed for our facilities, gifts are tax deductible.

Ways to Give Back

One way to give back to Hidden Acres is to link your Amazon account to Hidden Acres so every time you shop on Amazon - they donate to Hidden Acres.  Find out how: http://smile.amazon.com/

You can also connect to Goodsearch and Goodshop to give back to Hidden Acres. http://www.goodsearch.com/nonprofit/hidden-acres.aspx

Sethi: Once a Camper, Now a Counselor

Sethi is a refugee from Tanzania who now resides in inner-city Dallas.  He spent several weeks this summer serving on staff for Hidden Acres Mission Camps.  As we talked with him about his life, Sethi told about some of the hardships of being a child growing up in a refugee camp.  He remembers hundreds of families displaced from their homes and struggling to meet their daily needs.  He and his family were given the opportunity to leave Africa as refugees and relocate to the USA for their safety and well-being. While the transition to life in America is not easy for refugee families, Sethi thanks God for the freedom he has found in America.

When asked what Hidden Acres means to him, he replied, “Hidden Acres is like a second home to me.” He remembers crying on the bus ride home his last day of summer camp at Hidden Acres several years ago.  “I did not want to leave.  People would tell me that I would be back next summer, but next summer felt so far away. I always wanted to stay at least two more weeks.” Through the years we have seen Sethi mature into the young man he is today.  His dream to spend more weeks at camp came true when he was invited to join our summer camp staff in 2013.  It has been a blessing to see him become a leader for God’s glory.

Dieudonne's Testimony

Dieudonne tells his story and how Hidden Acres Summer Camps have impacted his life.

Amanda Elery: Hidden Acres Intern

Once a very fun and energetic camper, Amanda Elery is now using her enthusiasm and energy to help campers have the same life-changing experience she enjoyed at Hidden Acres Summer Camp.  She started attending camp at age eight and has returned every summer since. Amanda also goes by  Baby-E and has carried that camp name since her middle school camp in 2003. Hidden Acres grown, she began moving through the stages of camp: from camper to assistant counselor, then head counselor, camp coordinator, and now to our first ever Hidden Acres Ministry Intern.  

Amanda is thankful for growing up in a Christ-centered home where her parents instilled in her a love for God and a love for people.  She is thankful her parents sent her to camp where she could learn from the example of godly leaders who encouraged her to seek God and not the ways of the world.  Some of her favorite memories of camp are heart-to-heart conversations with her counselors and her annual talent show act with her brother, Toby, who is also a leader at our camps.  She hopes to be involved in the ministry of Hidden Acres for years to come, and is excited to see Hidden Acres reach out to more children as they build for the future.

Fundraising for New Dining Hall

We have asked our summer camps staff & volunteers to help with fundraising efforts for a new dining hall by sending out letters to their family and friends.  Here is a copy of the letter that they are sending out.  

Hidden Acres: Building for the Future

Hidden Acres is a camp and retreat center whose mission is to serve individuals, our community, and the world by sharing Christ’s love.

The vision of Hidden Acres is to impact lives with Christ’s love and the message of His word.  We seek to make a difference in this world by training up leaders with a Christian worldview and servant-leadership skills as exemplified in Christ.  We have seen many lives changed through the camp ministry at Hidden Acres and have seen both campers and staff grow in their leadership skills. 

Our ministry would not exist without the help of friends who contribute to the daily costs of maintaining a welcoming place for churches, families, and campers.   Hidden Acres has been enjoyed by many people for the past 30 years, and it is a place that we do not want to keep hidden.  Hidden Acres’ ministry has increased by leaps and bounds for the last several years as we have grown in our camping ministry that reaches out to children in the Dallas area.  Our mission camps provide opportunities for churches to share the gospel with children from around the world who now reside in our community.  Because of the growth in our numbers we have a pressing need for a new dining hall.  As you can see from the picture above we have outgrown our current facility.  $500,000 will enable us to build a dining facility so that we can continue to grow in our outreach.  

Will you partner with us and invest in our future? Your gift will allow us to reach many more young people for years to come. Our communities desperately need godly leaders. With your help, we can share God's love with the young people who will be our future leaders.

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Diffee Dining Hall Project 

In order to say “yes” to more campers and volunteers, the Hidden Acres Board of Directors has unanimously agreed to begin the campaign to raise money for a much needed dining hall.  A new state-of-the-art dining hall will enable us to more than double our day camp capacity (Our overnight camp capacity is limited by bed space.)  Hidden Acres needs help from friends like you to raise $500,000 for this project.  We can only reach more campers with a larger dining hall. More campers will mean more children and youth like Amanda and Sethi with whom we can share the Gospel!  

The dining hall will be named in honor of Charles and Lavina Diffee. Our founder, Charles Diffee, has been involved in camping for over 50 years, and Hidden Acres is the result of his love for young people and desire to share God’s love with them. Lavina has spent countless hours keeping the books, producing newsletters, and corresponding with our many donors. They are truly a couple worth honoring.

Meet Innocent, one of our campers

“My favorite memory of camp is when I asked Jesus to be my Savior.”  Innocent told us this summer as we did a video interview with him.  Innocent remembers that his first summer at Hidden Acres was actually his first summer in America.  He was only nine years old when he traveled on an airplane to America from a refugee camp in Tanzania.  At the refugee camp he remembers going without food at times. Those memories of being a refugee in Africa are now mingled with new memories of summers coming to camp at Hidden Acres for seven years.  During those years Innocent has formed friendships with our staff members.  He looks forward to camp where he says he has grown in his faith and coming to camp has also encouraged him to be more involved in church.  

That young nine year old who did not know much English when he first arrived at Hidden Acres is now a young man who tells us with a charming smile, bright eyes, and humble and sincere voice, that Christ is everything to Him and it is only through Him that he lives.  His desire is to be a professional soccer player who honors God and points to Him on and off the field.

Amanda Elery aka. Baby-E, Innocent, and Program Director, Tim Carpenter aka Carp