This book means a lot to me, and it's difficult to put into words. It chronicles the history of 500 acres of land in the Upper Peninsula. Once a mill town, it was abandoned for years until Keith Hunt (who helped found Intervarsity) and his wife Gladys (of Honey for a Child's Heart fame) began to shape it into a camp for the training of Christian college students. My parents spent time there in college, and I have met many of the people quoted in this book. I entered the story of Cedar around 2005, just after the book was written. The place, the people, the spirit of Christian fellowship, the culture of hymn-singing and Bible study and time alone in nature with God have shaped the person I am today.

In 2020 the camp was acquired by a different organization, and now, under a different name, its college ministry is essentially over and its vision and operations are very different. I never knew Cedar behind the scenes when Intervarsity operated it, but I miss what it used to be and find myself essentially an 'Old Narnian' trying to preserve traditions and culture that are, perhaps, forever lost. But I also take such joy in the way that the property continues to be a place of rest for Christian families. So, reading this book is very bittersweet.

I hope that everyone can find a place that, like Cedar has been for me, is a little glimpse of heaven. Where the body of Christ works in fellowship, ever praising their God.

God has kept my favorite place on earth for himself.