Hi ATG Family!

Even with the loss of our dear friend Heather Reu in June, this year’s camp turned out to be very special. Heather Reu lived for children. She worked at the youth camp and taught Sunday school. And when doctors told Reu and her husband they couldn’t have children of their own, Reu and her husband adopted four children who were living in foster homes in Vietnam or China.

Heather must have provided the sunny weather and cool nights. They named the Thursday night potluck dinner, “The Heather Reu Potluck dinner”. Phil (Heather’s husband) and their 4 kids returned to camp, surrounded by love and support.

It was so great to see all the kids from last year and catch up. I love hearing stories about their past year away from camp. I was also so grateful and honored to be joined by a small group of adult adoptees: Trista Goldberg, Kevin Maes, Tricia Houston and Ethan Brady. We shared our stories and experiences in 2 unique workshops with 4 total sessions. We played the first 10 minutes of our film OB and made new fans for ATG.

It was great to speak to the adoptive parents. The love for their kids and concerns of being good parents warms my heart everytime. Saturday evening, we opened our cabin up to the high school group and made a big spagetti and meatball dinner. We talked about everything! It was a blast.

On Saturday night at the annual gala, I took to the stage for one of my favorite performances of the year.

I look forward to returning next year to the camps new location, Estes Park, CO. I look forward to seeing old and new families. This next year will be the anniversary of Operation Babylift, and with that so many are excited to meet new adult adoptees and see Tammy’s completed film. I hope filmmaker, Tammy Nguyen Lee, will be there personally to share her experiences making the film.

-Jared