As soon as I pulled the key from the ignition, I heard it. And it was defining. I had been gone a few hours from our Metropolis Camp in South Carolina, picking up some supplies from stores and grabbing a bite to eat. This was my first day at camp, and I had left before sunset; this was my first night. So when I first heard the amazing sound—the symphony, really—of the crickets, frogs and other night things there, deep in the woods of rural South Carolina, I was really in awe. What life, what pulse, thump and beat was going on in every tree, on every blade of grass, in every corner of the little pond that graces the Diakonia Center grounds! it was pitch dark as I clumsily made my way down the dirt trail toward my cabin, and I remember laughing at myself as I tripped and stumbled, and feeling absolute joy: it’s so easy to forget how God’s creation is so vibrant, active, mysterious and simply rich in its myriad forms.

The lesson for me on that night? God has richly blessed us with a remarkable, inspiring place to teach our children, and that it was time for us priests, counselors, and staff members to get as busy as those bugs and other critters were singing their night songs in the deep darkness. The setting and time were ideal; it was time for us to trust God, work hard, and let the Holy Spirit get to business in the hearts of our children.

And I believe the Spirit was with us during that week. I watched with sincere joy as young men and women of our parish and Metropolis began to trust their counselors and the various priests, started to open up, allowed themselves to become vulnerable and “get real” about their spiritual lives and the role of our faith in their day to day activities. After only a few days of Orthodox Life sessions, faith-inspired crafts and games, experiences with Holy Confession, community-building sporting events and evening “Hang Time” sessions with our priests, children who, only a few days ago, were tight-lipped and “way too cool” to participate were starting to answer questions, jump into the fun and generally let their guards down. I watched volunteer parents from our parish cheerfully help cook three healthy squares a day for our children—and they did so with joy and a smile (despite the humidity, bugs, etc.). No one was forcing any of us to be there: we were there out of a true sense of diakonia, a heart-felt desire to serve based only on love and devotion.

I felt personally gifted to spend good amounts of time with children from all over the Metropolis, all through several programs and sessions that I led. In particular, I spent every night with the 11th and 12th grade boys—most nights, there were about 30 of us. I was moved by their questions and discussions, how they were searching for truth in their lives; I was frankly a bit worried as I began to hear more and more about the types of challenges they face every day between school, sports, home-life and the all-important aspect of social life. They have so much coming at them, and they really need our guidance and prayers. We talked, very seriously, about everything from substance use and abuse, to the intimacies of relationships, to the topic of what it means to be a good man, husband and father. Our talks were deep and powerful—sometimes there were tears shed. I’m thankful to God, and the boys, for every minute of it.

The week ended with a long-awaited visit from His Eminence, who was then on his way to the Clergy-Laity Conference in Nashville. Approaching our youth with his usual grace and good-humor, Metropolitan Alexios spoke to us about the importance of making sacred time for ourselves every day; he reminded us that our lives are a sacrifice to God—what could please God more than a life lived with love, compassion and devotion to the Gospel? This is all God wants from us. This warm, intimate time with His Eminence ended with a bang—we played the “Caramel Game”! Picture this: the children sit on their hands and can’t move from their chairs, while His Eminence tosses great handfuls of candy at them which they have to catch in their mouths! We are truly blessed with a Metropolitan who smiles, shares and reaches out to our youth. He is a man of God, and I am thankful for him.

This very poignant week, with all of its blessings, strivings, laughs and challenges, is one I will not forget. And every time I enjoy one of these gorgeous southern summer nights that we all love so much—with those balmy breezes, glowing full moon, and wild sounds coming from the woods—I’ll always be reminded about the beautiful blessings of our Lord and the importance of our irreplaceable children.

I pray that as the fall approaches, you and I work hard and are as busy as those noisy little critters in the woods—all for the spiritual growth of our children and the glory of our sweet, loving Lord.