Sunday morning was one of the busiest days of the year at Big Lake Youth Camp. As the staff worked to clean up from summer camp and transition Big Lake for family camps, Facilities Manager Ross von Pohle received a search and rescue call.

By the time he retired in August of 2020, Pastor Jim McMurry says he had a couple of rooms stacked floor to ceiling with books - and it was time to sort them out!

The Winter Retreat provided the chance to do what Big Lake does best – reconnect its visitors with their community, their earth, and their God.

“In March of this year I faced my abuser. I’ve had a lot of life changing moments I can point to, but I believe they were getting me ready for that day."

"I had my daughter in 2008. The moment she was born, I said, ‘Where does a love like this come from?’ I remember asking my husband in the operating room, ‘Is this what Jesus feels like when He looks at us?’"