PRAYER AS A WAY OF LIFE
Camp Saint Sava 2023
In the month of July our peaceful and quiet city of Jackson turns into a busy beehive thanks to our Camp Saint Sava. During these four weeks, this historic, mining town of only 5,000 inhabitants is 
overwhelmingly blessed by a sudden influx of several hundred people from all over the West Coast and beyond (for example, this year we had campers and staff from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Saint Louis, Missouri, and Dallas, Texas. The numbers from this year of 2023 reminded us of the numbers from the prepandemic period—more than 300 campers, and with all other participants: clergy, teachers, counselors, nurses, kitchen crew members, over 500 people—which is more than 10% of Jackson’s population. In these days, Serbian flags are on every corner of Jackson and local people are very supportive and appreciative of this 60-year-old tradition.
Bishop Atanasije (Jevtić) of blessed memory used to say how in the presence of children the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed to us. Our Lord himself said that of such is God’s Kingdom and warned us that, unless we become like children, we will by no means be able to enter this Kingdom of joy that has no end. This is why it is most challenging to speak before children for their pure and innocent hearts can easily detect fake, boring, repetitive, unauthentic, and pretentious speech. Therefore, an ambitious topic, such as the “Prayer as a Way of Life,” had to be put to test by the open eyes and ears of these little citizens of heaven. They rise with gratitude and shine with joy every morning, ready to do physical exercises, raise flags, sing anthems, and chant morning prayers and hymns. They eat meals with vocal thanksgiving to God and excellent kitchen crews, ask intelligent questions and make 
unique comments at the classes of faith, get creative and committed at the arts and crafts classes, excited and energetic at the classes of music and kolo dancing, playful and competitive at sports and in the swimming pool. No matter what they do, they do it with unlimited joy, love and gratitude, and therefore everything they do is a prayer, and it is indeed their way of life. Although we are supposed to be their teachers and counselors, we feel and understand that children’s games may often be more prayerful than the prayers of us adults. Hence, we were trying to describe their way of life as a model for prayerful living and we tried to convince them not to hurry to grow up and even as they do necessarily grow up to always remain children of God, full of gratitude for the gift of life, gift of creation, gift of creativity, gift of freedom and yet feeling utterly dependent on God’s parenthood, blessings, guidance and love.
We owe gratitude to all our heavenly intercessors and protectors for a smooth and healthy camp season, as well as to all our clergy and their dedication to the Camp: Bishop Maxim, and priests Djurica Gordić, Radovan Petrović, Milan Unković, Milovan Katanić, Vidoslav Vujasin, Jovan Katanić, Russell Radoicich, Norman Kosanovich, and Vladan Radovanović (and Panayiotis Tekosis, who was willing but unable to come). The Camp Administrators, Directors and Head Counselors had the most demanding task to coordinate all aspects and activities of the Camp: Nick Salata, Protinica Radmila Bojović, Protodjakonica Danica Pavlov, Beau Gillman, Jeff Votaw, Mirjana and Ivana Kentera, Pavle Bunjević, Michael Cvetich, Aleksandra Kordić, Steve Spilker, Jonnie Savić and Nikola Zlatić. We are also very much grateful for their tireless work and loving sacrifice to all the nurses, kitchen crew members, teachers of singing (especially Protinica Ljiljana Bunjević, who with her love, skill and enthusiasm is a great example of how much elders are important members of our community—together with teta Danica Milosovich, who at the age of 95 was coming every evening to see the campers), arts and crafts, kolo dancing, and Serbian language and history. The most exhausting task was entrusted to the counselors who had to take care of the campers 24 hours a day. Finally, thanks be to the parents and their children—our Church is blessed to have them.
