In Christian Hardy has been coming to Ferncliff since he was four years old.
What began as a week at camp while his mother, Nitra, volunteered as a camp nurse has grown into a family tradition. Christian moved from preschool camp to Discovery Camp to full overnight camp. Now, all of his siblings are campers, and his older sister still comes along as Nitra’s assistant.
Yara, Yana, Yava, Yanitra, and Christian
“It’s just like a family affair now,” Nitra said. “Everybody comes.”
For Nitra, Ferncliff has given her children something she knew she could not easily give them on her own.
“Just as a single mom, it’s giving them opportunities I wouldn’t be able to give them outside of here,” she said. “I don’t know how to fish. I don’t go hiking. I don’t do archery. I can’t swim. We hardly go to the lake. It’s like all of the things they get to do here, and it still has some Jesus in it, too. It’s the best for me.”
Over the years, Christian didn’t just collect camp experiences; he grew because of them. Each summer gave him another chance to discover he was capable of more than he thought, from teaching himself to swim to confidently inviting friends to camp so they could experience Ferncliff for themselves. Along the way, he formed friendships with campers and counselors that have lasted long after camp ended. Little by little, Ferncliff became one of the places that helped shape the young man he is today.
He has also grown up with stories that only camp can create.
There was the time he and his mom were sitting on a golf cart late at night when they saw what they first thought was a dog. Then they realized there were two foxes.
“Christian says, ‘Oh, mama, I’m freaking out,’” Nitra remembered.
He was little then, but the story stuck. The foxes, the trails, the lake, the meals, the counselors, the silent disco, the outdoor games, all of it became part of the way Christian and his family remember summer.
Now nearly 13, Christian is heading into seventh grade and looking forward to football season. He plays running back, a position he takes seriously.
“My coach says it’s the most important part on the field because you’re the one with the ball,” Christian said. “You’ve got to protect it and make sure you score.”
That determination is easy to see in Christian. When football practice is hard, he keeps going. When he taught himself to swim, he kept going. When the Arkansas heat makes the walk across camp feel long, he has a simple answer.
“Just gotta keep walking,” he said.
Ferncliff has given Christian a place to use that determination. It has given him space to be energetic, curious, faithful, and fully himself. At camp, his energy is not something to quiet down; it is something to channel into games, friendships, leadership, and joy.
For Nitra, that is part of what makes Ferncliff so meaningful.
“I like how you can be having the funnest time of your life, but still incorporate your love for Jesus,” she said. “You can still have fun.”
When asked what he would tell someone thinking about coming to Ferncliff, Christian did not hesitate.
“You should definitely come to Ferncliff because it’s a lifelong experience,” he said. “Something you will never forget.”
The greatest impact of Ferncliff isn’t measured in one week of camp. It’s seen in young people like Christian, whose confidence, faith, and determination continue growing long after summer ends.