I spent the early part of my life working with my hands, helping on local farms, building, and taking on whatever jobs came along. Later, as a general contractor, the pace accelerated, and the scoreboard became straightforward: deadlines met, projects completed, clients satisfied, and a steady increase in success each year. That’s the measurement the world hands to a man, and for a long time, I accepted it.
But getting married, raising four kids, growing older, and walking through both Bible college and a secular university pressed deeper questions into my heart. Somewhere in that stretch of life, God quietly reshaped what mattered most. And through all of it, I’ve been blessed beyond measure to walk this journey with my wife of 34 years. She is a godly woman who has consistently set the bar high for our spiritual walk as a couple and as a family. She has a way of grounding me, sharpening me, and keeping Christ at the center of our home. Her steadiness has shaped the legacy we’re building more than anything I’ve ever accomplished with my own two hands.
These days, that legacy continues to grow through our six grandkids. Each one of them a reminder that what we pour into our families echoes long after we’re gone. One of them has already come to Kamp, and watching the transformation in her, seeing her heart stirred, her faith strengthened, and her excitement for the Lord grow confirmed again why we do what we do. The ministry that once impacted my own children is now reaching into the next generation of our family, and there is no greater gift than that.
In time, the Lord made it unmistakably clear that a man can spend his whole life building homes, businesses, and a reputation, yet never build the one thing that will outlive him: a legacy rooted in Christ. That realization redirected my life. As God reshaped my priorities, He also reshaped how I understood leadership, purpose, and the kind of influence that actually matters.
I began to see leadership not as climbing a ladder but as serving and lifting others, working quietly for their good, stewarding influence rather than chasing it. I learned that the steadiness we carry each day flows not from circumstances but from trust in the Lord. And I finally understood that inspiration isn’t something we drum up emotionally; it comes directly from God’s Word. Scripture became the compass that directed my decisions, my work, and the spirit I brought into each day.
God deepened my conviction that investing in young people whether at Kamp, in my home, or in everyday life is some of the most meaningful work a person can do. Excellence stopped being about perfect measurements and became about honoring Christ in the way I work and the way I treat people. Discipleship stopped being a program and became the natural overflow of a life that imperfectly, but faithfully, tries to model Jesus in ordinary moments.
And somewhere in that journey, I also realized what truly keeps me here in this ministry. Because if all I did each day was change light bulbs, tighten loose doorknobs, and fix dripping faucets, as important as those tasks are, I’d probably go find something else to do. What keeps me here is driving down to the lower fields early in the morning when the fog is lifting off Lake Taneycomo… and seeing fourteen boys shoulder to shoulder, listening to three Division 1 athletes talk about what it means to live for Christ. Hearing these young men challenge Kampers to take a stand, embrace a biblical worldview, and let their lives count for eternity lights a fire in me that no “fixed it” moment ever could. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. That’s why the small tasks matter: they serve a mission with eternal weight.
Over the years I’ve learned that none of us walk this road alone. Whether in ministry, business, or family life, the people God places around us shape us and steady us. Working together for the good of others rather than for personal gain draws out the best in a team. And through every step of this calling, the simple order that guides my life has remained the same: God first, others second, and myself third. When that order is right, everything else holds together. When it slips, life slips with it.
That rhythm: serving, forgiving, restoring what’s broken, and sharing the hope of Christ is the heart of the mission. And for all of us who spent summers on the shores of Lake Taneycomo or Table Rock Lake, it’s easy to think that mission belonged mostly to those days: the cabins, the council rings, the conversations under the stars. But the truth is this: the mission didn’t end when we drove down the road on Closing Day. It simply moved into a different field.
Now we live it out in workplaces, neighborhoods, marriages, friendships, parenting, and leadership. We live it out in quiet decisions and in loud ones. We live it out when no one is looking. And we live it out when the world is pushing hard the other way.
This Alumni Blog exists because that mission continues. The values that shaped us at Kamp weren’t meant to stay at Kamp, they were meant to shape the way we build our lives, our families, our work, and our legacy.
So, as you go into this week, here’s a simple encouragement: take one small step of obedience. Serve someone without being asked. Encourage someone who needs it. Invest in someone younger. Put someone ahead of yourself. Share the hope you have in Christ. One step at a time, one act, one conversation, one moment of faithfulness—this is how God builds a legacy that lasts.
And that’s the kind of legacy worth giving your life to.
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done… so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and not forget His deeds but keep His commands.” – Psalm 78:4–7
Greg Snyder
Director of Facilities, Infrastructure, Environmental Compliance – Maintenance
